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Thu, March 23, 2023 | 10:45

'The Silent Sea': Not bad out of 10

'The Silent Sea': Not bad out of 10

While acknowledging the genuine popularity and success of hallyu products around the world over the last couple of years, I've often had a slightly different take on some of the biggest hits.

2022-01-01 09:11

Is Korean law fair? (Part two)

Is Korean law fair? (Part two)

For the last few months, the television, newspapers and social media have been dominated by the lives and scandals of Korea's political elite. Back and forth they go, making accusations, reveling in each other's misfortunes, and using the law as a means to serve their own goals rather than to protect citizens.

2021-12-26 18:23

K-Hitchens and North Korea: A decade of death and dictatorship

K-Hitchens and North Korea: A decade of death and dictatorship

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Christopher Hitchens, columnist, orator and public intellectual famed for his drinking, charm, wit and polemics. Hitchens was human: fallible and emotional, yet at the same time kind, poetic and capable of great artistry with the English language.

2021-12-18 09:35

Rumors of impurity

Rumors of impurity

It feels somewhat peculiar to write about women in Korea because I'm neither a woman nor Korean. I also don't think that there is a singular female experience in Korea. Women's personal experiences differ greatly across time, class, and many other factors. Nevertheless, nationwide statistics paint an all too familiar and distressing story. They show Korean women incredibly fa...

2021-12-12 13:23

Resistance to violence in Korea

Resistance to violence in Korea

Jinu sees himself as a humble musician who focuses on providing solidarity to those suffering from oppression, violence, and health problems. This week he spoke to me about his experiences and why, as an individual, he has decided to try and take a stand while no-one else will do so. He describes having seen firsthand young hired thugs ('yeongyeok') and police carry out acts ...

2021-12-04 09:22

Twitter or television?

Twitter or television?

Stephen Fry suggested this week that “social media is a lavatory wall.” Essential, capable of providing anonymity and security when we need it most, yet basically surrounded by a load of old crap and home to glory holes and spycams.

2021-11-27 14:45

Neon Bunny: A new Korean cosmos

Neon Bunny: A new Korean cosmos

Music needs space. Claude Debussy, Miles Davis, and many others knew this. It's not always what you play; it's the gaps, the intervals, the meditations and the silence between the noise that really resonate. Nothing is louder than silence.

2021-11-22 14:10

The metaverse as capitalist nonsense

The metaverse as capitalist nonsense

I don't want to live in the metaverse. Multimillion dollar companies' insistence on intoxicating us with sentimentality, hooking us on disposable simulated emotions, ubiquitous visibility and the hyper-clarity of a digital world are the themes of innumerable sci-fi novels and films and they never have a happy ending.

2021-11-14 13:26

Cultural appropriation: Inside and out

Cultural appropriation: Inside and out

Last week I sat down with Yu Jung-ahn (Daisy), a former member of the K-pop group Momoland, for a chat about life inside one of the world's most talked about industries. When our conversation was eventually released as a podcast, two things immediately became clear. First, the adoration fans around the world have for these idols is tangible and genuine. Second, these idols, d...

2021-11-06 09:31

Foreigners, Halloween and xenophobia

Foreigners, Halloween and xenophobia

About 10 days ago, I began seeing local television news warning viewers that COVID-19 infection numbers would increase during Halloween, claiming that foreigners would be in Itaewon partying and not respecting the nation's social distancing guidelines. The narrative being constructed was unambiguous and early. It was also playing into ready-held stereotypes and beliefs. This ...

2021-10-31 12:30

Gov't warns of strict response to foreigners violating COVID-19 rules

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Top 10 Stories

1	Korean firms balk at donating to fund compensating victims of Japan's forced labor

2	Sexual assaults by Korean diplomats continue despite zero-tolerance policy

3	Main opposition leader indicted, faces calls to resign

4	Consumers choose to travel abroad over purchasing luxury goods

5	World water day

6	Outback Steakhouse sees sales soar as it opens stores in large shopping malls

7	Samsung, SK avoid worst-case scenario as US 'guardrails' are less stringent than feared

8	Korean pension fund hit by overseas banking crisis

9	INTERVIEWRetired FSC chief finds inspiration exploring Koreans' ancestral roots

10	Campaign launched to promote equal treatment for multicultural families

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