South Korea
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KÉ Interview: Growing up Gay and Korean
On Saturday, Jul. 14, the 19th Seoul Queer Parade will take place, drawing thousands of people from South Korea’s vibrant queer community, as well as supporters and opponents of LGBT rights. Just before last year’s event, Korea Exposé contributor Chris P sat down with Choi Han-min (not
North Korea Reporting: Riddled With Errors, Even in Neighboring South Korea
It was a riveting story. On Aug 29, 2013, South Korea’s biggest newspaper Chosun Ilbo ran what it claimed was an exclusive: Hyon Song-wol, a singer and rumored ex-lover of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, had been executed for starring in and selling pornographic videos. That report went viral,
Expert Interview: "Spycam Isn't Just an Issue of Pornography"
Since the beginning of May, tens of thousands of women have taken to protesting monthly on the streets of Hyehwa, Seoul, demanding an end to South Korea’s pervasive problem of molka, or spycam porn. Their protests have been the largest recorded women’s rallies in South Korean
Mexico's Response to Korea's World Cup Victory: Gratitude, With a Dose of Racism
On June 27, South Korea scored a victory against the defending World Cup champions Germany. South Koreans were elated, but the real beneficiaries were Mexicans. The unexpected outcome of the match put Mexico through to the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup currently ongoing in Russia, and
Tyranny of South Korea's Majority Against Refugees
From a distance, it had the feeling of a summer evening street party. A young man stood on a modified truck bed and belted out tunes to entertain a growing crowd. People—some seated on plastic chairs and others standing around—held up electric candles. Many were young hipsters. Parents
The K-pop DNA
“I became a BTS fan on Jan. 6, 2017,” said Siti Mariam Sulaiman, a 38-year-old government official from Malaysia. That’s an oddly specific date, but she says every ARMY, an acronym for fans of the K-pop boy group, remembers the exact date of one’s induction into BTS fandom.
Yemeni Refugees Languish on South Korea's Holiday Island
Yemen, at the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has been embroiled in a bitter civil war since 2015. As the conflict ravages the country, many Yemenis have been seeking asylum abroad. To some Yemeni refugees, Jeju Island, one of South Korea’s most popular tourist destinations, seemed ideal. South
My Life Isn't Your Porn: Why South Korean Women Protest
You might have heard the stories — of cameras that look like lighters, flashes of light inside nooks and crannies at a public restroom, subway upskirting — but they might have sounded like stories of other people. On June 9, some 22,000 women gathered in South Korea to say
Mooncare: South Korea's Proposed Health Insurance Reform in Full
I woke up with a mild hearing problem this morning. It wasn’t debilitating in any way, but I was worried it might get worse and interfere with work. Had I still been in the U.S., I would have powered through because my condition wouldn’t have justified the
Event Trailer: Divas of South Korea's Game Industry
Why is feminism so taboo in South Korea’s game industry? Meet these divas, the brave souls who call themselves feminist gamers in an industry notorious for misogyny. Event hosted by Korea Exposé on May 26, powered by Google Korea. Guests: Young-own and Anna of Famerz, South Korea’
Korea Exposé Went to Gyeongju for MT...
…which stands for ‘membership training,’ but in South Korea often means a group retreat with ample chances to drink booze and sleep in later than usual. And no work, of course, other than weeding. Probably not a common sight in most other Korean MTs. The Korea
Koryo Saram in South Korea: 'Korean' but Struggling to Fit in
Sumin (pseudonym) teaches languages and cultures to children of ‘multicultural families’ at a local elementary school in Ansan, a city with the highest concentration of foreign residents in South Korea. She comes from a town near Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Growing up, her parents’ income wasn’t enough to feed all three