South Korea
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Government Mulling Easier Access to Menstrual Cups
Good news for South Korean women: In the wake of a scandal last month involving evidence that the country’s top-selling sanitary pad products contained toxins, the government is taking a step toward legalizing menstrual cups, although the government denies that this action is caused by the pad scandal. Last
Young S. Korean Speaks: War with N. Korea "Extremely Unlikely"
How likely is war with North Korea? Speculation abounds. Here’s a South Korean who argues that war is “highly very extremely unlikely.” He says that all the players involved — South Korea, China, North Korea, and the U.S. — simply have too much to lose
Love It or Hate It, S. Korea’s Anti-Corruption Law Here to Stay
One year after a landmark anti-corruption law went into effect, big corporations are celebrating the legislation’s effects while small businesses say they’re taking a hit. The law, called the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (but usually referred to as the Kim Young-ran law, after the former judge who
Not Another Number, Korean Adoptees Search for Birth Family
Editor’s Note: This article has been written in anticipation of a Korea Exposé panel on Oct. 28, 2017. “Against the Odds” seeks to address the issues raised in the following feature, and generate new discussions about what it means to be Korean. * David Zastrow was 4.
Not Even Kim Jong-un Can Stop KBS, MBC Strikes
On the day North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sep. 3, two of South Korea’s biggest public broadcasters didn’t have enough reporters to thoroughly cover the breaking story. Many of them were on strike. “We beseech the employees and the labor unions leading the strike to
These Aren't Random Objects. They're Hidden Cameras
Roll camera: a gleaming white basin inside a cubicle, an amber-tinted tile floor. Two seconds in, a young woman with a bob walks in, wearing brown leather platform boots. She turns around, raises her black leather skirt, pulls down her underwear, then squats. It takes about two minutes for her
Michelin Guide Accused of Selling Out to South Korean Government
Michelin Guide, published since 1900 by a French tire company of the same name, is one of the most respected names in the restaurant industry. It employs anonymous inspectors to evaluate restaurants and rewards one, two or three stars to select establishments, with the three stars indicating “exceptional cuisine, worthy
Amid North Korean Threat, Free Trade Agreement Bedevils Moon Jae-in Presidency
Just before the National Assembly was set to vote, a middle-aged man stood at the podium, eyes closed in an apparent meditative state, his navy blue suit covered in fine off-white dust. The man was leftist lawmaker Kim Seon-dong, and a few moments earlier he had set off a tear
Bulgogi Burger Blues: Headaches for McDonald's Korea
Apparently at McDonald’s in South Korea, not all meals are happy meals. Following alleged cases of children falling ill after eating McDonald’s hamburgers, investigators from Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office raided the company’s Seoul headquarters on Wednesday. Reached via phone by Korea Exposé, McDonald’s
Kakao Taxi Enabling More Drivers to Reject Customers?
Seoul prides itself on having one of the most convenient and affordable public transportation systems in the world. But after midnight, especially on weekends, its shortcomings come to light. The transportation options dwindle with the passing hours as subways and most buses stop running, and often cabs end up as
More South Korean Teens Hitting the Bottle Too Hard
Everyone knows that South Koreans like a drink, but won’t someone please think of the children? That’s just what the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRAS) has been doing, having released this week the results of a study indicating that South Korean teenagers are taking their first
Being Frugal, Not YOLO, Is South Korea's New Fad
Who knew that a podcast analyzing receipts could create such a sensation? That’s all there is to the recording: A South Korean comedian breaks down somebody’s monthly expenditures and rates the spending based on the contributor’s income and long-term financial goals. Two comedians sit