South Korea
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Ediya Coffee: South Korea's Answer to Starbucks?
For a country that cannot grow coffee beans, South Korea is certainly infatuated with coffee. According to the Korea Customs Service, South Korea imported more than 159 thousand metric tons of coffee beans in 2016, and 40 thousand tons for the first quarter of 2017 alone. One cup of coffee
Don't Waste That Banchan: Where South Korea's Food Waste Goes
Kimchis, fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, seafood, meat, pickles, pancakes…. One of the many pleasures of dining out in South Korea is the selection of banchan, or side dishes, that accompanies most meals. But seldom — if ever — do all banchan get eaten. Diners take a few mouthfuls of this
The First Rally Against South Korea's Spycam Porn Epidemic
It was a sight to behold: at least 12,000 women shouting at the top of their lungs in central Seoul, enraged by South Korea’s widespread spycam pornography, enraged by what they perceived to be police inaction, even discrimination. On May 19, 2018, women from different walks
Remembering Gwangju
I traveled to Gwangju after reading Han Kang’s Human Acts, translated into English by Deborah Smith. The novel, about the massacre of civilians in May 1980 by the military government, is told through the perspectives of various characters: a high school student named Dong-Ho who volunteers to identify corpses,
A Primer: Online Shopping for English-speakers in S. Korea
South Korea isn’t the most accessible country when you’re looking for halal ingredients. That’s a struggle Shirin Zaman has had to endure since coming to South Korea in 2014. She’s a PhD student hailing from Bangladesh; she practices Islam and tries to
Feminism Reboot: "We Are Alive, Right Here"
This is Korea Exposé’s first short documentary, created by video director Youjin Do and published on the eve of the two-year-anniversary of the Gangnam murder on May 17, 2016. Two years ago in South Korea, a woman was murdered in Gangnam. It was a senseless death that
Feminism is Taboo in S. Korea's Gaming Industry
The tale of Nardack’s journey to the gaming industry’s feminist blacklist began in a world that’s not typically open about feminism: K-pop. It began when Irene, a member of Red Velvet (the girl group that performed in Pyongyang recently), said in a fan meeting that she read
Why is Pork Belly BBQ So Popular in South Korea?
Pork belly, or samgyeopsal, is a fixture in South Korea’s dining scene. How did it become so popular? For a deep dive into the origins of pork belly and Korean barbecue, read: “Grilled Pork Belly: A South Korean Love Story.” For more videos, subscribe
Druking Scandal Shadows Moon Jae-in's 'Super Spring'
Moon Jae-in’s popularity has spiked after the inter-Korean summit meeting on Apr. 27, with different surveys quoting approval ratings from the 70s to the high 80s. The South Korean president may be having a ‘super spring,’ decked with summits (including one with Trump in May)
One April Morning
Moon Jae-in wore a blue tie for the occasion, the color of the Korean Peninsula on the unification flag. Kim Jong-un stepped over the thin strip of concrete dividing North and South Korea inside the demilitarized zone. Sand on the North Korean side, pebbles in South Korea. He stepped onto
Why I Decline 'North Korean Defector' Interview Requests
Over the past few years, journalists from all sorts of global media have contacted me to get my ‘defector point of view’ on all things North Korean. And the current inter-Korean drama has been yet another occasion. A famous European TV station crew, flying to South Korea for the Apr.
No More Rocket Man?
Kim Jong-un is stepping onto South Korean soil tomorrow morning, the first ever for a North Korean leader. Moon Jae-in and Kim will most likely talk about some form of peace…but what will come afterwards?