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Thu, February 9, 2023 | 11:19

Kim Jong-un: Prisoner in his own castle?

Kim Jong-un: Prisoner in his own castle?

Few of us can claim the experience of living and working in Pyongyang for eight years, but that is exactly what German Ambassador Thomas Schafer has done. Following his retirement from the Foreign Office and a career that took him to China, Hong Kong and Venezuela, Schafer has written a book on his time in North Korea - a collection of memories, experiences and various intera...

2021-06-27 17:05

Youth and Korean politics

Youth and Korean politics

Speaking of the French Revolution, the English poet William Wordsworth remarked, “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive. But to be young was very heaven.” The youth are a vital part of a functioning society and creating a vibrant and effective democracy. Young people are capable of overturning authoritarianism and enacting changes in power

2021-06-19 09:46

The new normal

The “new normal” is reading about a sex crime in South Korea, seeing the lenient sentence, and then sighing as you realize that there'll be another one to get equally as exasperated about in a week's time.

2021-06-13 15:01

Ethnocentric Korean politics

Ethnocentric Korean politics

I've just finished teaching a six-week course on Korean history and culture to a group of young visiting scholars from Wellesley College, Massachusetts. One of the most important things I tried to stress was that to understand Korea, they must try to see it through Korean eyes. Not easy! Perhaps not actually possible either, especially in such a short period of time. Yet the ...

2021-06-05 11:49

Taiwan is a country

Taiwan is a country

In the summer of 2009, we boarded a flight for Taiwan. During our time there, we ate, drank and partied with the locals while taking in as much of what the country and people had to offer as we could. The vacation still remains one of my favorite trips and the memories are a source of constant conversation among those who went. I looked over the photos again while writing thi...

2021-05-29 12:23

Is Korean law fair?

Is Korean law fair?

Bureaucracy, jargon, people in funny wigs, ritual, pomp, courtroom dramas, briefcases, legal fees, Omar in a tie, and the monopoly of power exercised by the state. The law is difficult and esoteric, but at its heart it is something that is meant to affect us all equally. Lady Justice looks out over the citizens blindfolded, unware of our differences, our circumstances, and ou...

2021-05-22 07:37

K-ideology: The end of communication?

K-ideology: The end of communication?

We all eat from a trashcan called ideology, but few of us are aware of it. Thus it has been said that ideology is like bad breath: you can smell everyone else's but your own.

2021-05-15 09:06

Can you speak Korean?

Can you speak Korean?

Since Plato and Confucius advocated society be ruled by philosophers and sages, and J.S. Mill et al suggested that a human's worth is found in their ability for rational thought, it has often been the case that people will value and champion that which they already possess. Thus rich people also advocate wealth and artists promote creativity. If people have worked hard to acq...

2021-05-09 09:26

Punk Christianity in Korea

Punk Christianity in Korea

Christianity is punk. It can be a progressive force in Korea capable of being the catalyst for vast social change and challenging the existing social order. It is capable of flouting convention and providing new vistas.

2021-05-02 15:07

From vaccines to marijuana

From vaccines to marijuana

This past week on social media, I've watched as friends, relatives, and acquaintances have posted pictures and comments related to two topics seemingly very far from Korean life: COVID-19 vaccines and marijuana.

2021-04-24 09:14

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Top 10 Stories

1	Korean Peninsula may face fallout from balloon saga

2	PHOTOSTurkey-Syria earthquake

3	Daughter-centered photos, title of honor reinforce speculation over North Korea succession

4	INTERVIEW'Growth slowdown can accelerate depletion of retirement pension fund'

5	SM's management dispute to benefit Kakao

6	National Assembly votes to impeach interior minister for Itaewon tragedy

7	SM6 Feel attracts customers with popular options, low price

8	Philip Morris seeks to surpass KT&G in e-cigarette market

9	INTERVIEWVeteran US photographer gives environment 'visual voice' to chronicle climate change

10	Korean companies move to support victims in earthquake-hit Turkey, Syria

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