Featured stories about South Korea
Stories about South Korea
Within the law’s shadow: The stealth erosion of the media environment in South Korea
With national elections on the horizon, the government’s tightening grip on public dissent and media oversight will be a critical test of the country’s commitment to democratic principles and civil liberties.
World Cup theme songs through the ages
World Cup Theme Songs: A Sneak Peek into the Past to the Present
Democratization in South Korea and the legacy of the Gwangju Uprising
"Youth participation and engagement in politics are promising. ... I see that the South Korean political system is gradually developing and the general public are embracing institutionalized democratic practices."
How ‘Squid Game’ hijacked Halloween and a traditional Kenyan wedding ceremony
Despite the criticism that the series has received for its violence and gore, it has unquestionably become a global cultural phenomenon, exporting Korean pop culture to the world.
Chinese movie ‘The Battle of Lake Changjin’ turns the painful history of the Korean War into a glorious victory
The official message of the film is that China gained a decisive victory in the battle of Chosin Reservoir and young people should learn from the fearless, "hot-blooded" soldiers.
Japan's ‘Battleship Island’ hides history of wartime forced labor
"Very little of Japan's history of industrialization presented at their new UNESCO Heritage sites is true."
‘Our homeland is where the money is': pragmatic citizenship in Tajikistan
Every year, thousands of Central Asian citizens try to overcome the restrictions attached to the citizenship they acquired at birth and apply for a Russian passport.
Prominent Harvard professor pilloried for peddling revisionist history about wartime ‘comfort women’
Historians familiar with wartime sexual slavery perpetrated by Japanese armed forces point out that the professor, J. Mark Ramseyer, has long championed historical revisionism.
K-Pop band BTS targeted by Chinese netizens over Korean War comments
BTS leader Kim Nam-joon paid tribute to the U.S. and South Korea in the 70th anniversary of the war. Chinese netizens say he should have acknowledged Chinese deaths too.
Churches in Greece and North Macedonia refuse to modify rituals conducive to the spread of COVID-19
The ritual known as the Holy Communion or Eucharist has Orthodox Christian worshippers drinking wine by a shared spoon, while Catholics eat thin slices of bread directly from the hand of the priest.
Netizen Report: Both Bangladesh and South Korea are waging a ‘war on porn’ — and paving the way for political censorship
South Korea and Bangladesh are blocking porn and "obscene" content, Venezuela is blocking YouTube, and Uzbekistan has finally stopped blocking Facebook and VK.
Larisa Pak is the last Korean standing at Tajikistan's hardscrabble border with Afghanistan
Up to 200,000 ethnic Koreans were deported to Central Asia from the Russian Far East by Soviet authorities during the 1930s.
Osaka cuts sister city ties with San Francisco over “comfort women” statue
The mayor of Osaka wrote a 10-page letter in English listing -- often in bolded, underlined text -- a litany of reasons for the breakup.
#BabaeAko campaign unites women in challenging the sexist behavior of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
"I am a mother, a teacher, a Filipino. I condemn Duterte for being a misogynist and making it 'acceptable' for women to be hated and attacked."
Why Did More Than 200,000 Koreans Petition to Shutter a Popular Website?
"If you are a user of this site, it means that you participate in sharing its toxicity into the world."
Law, Entertainment and Politics in Korea Feel the Wrath of #MeToo
Koreans witnessed the power of the people with the ousting of the president last March. Now they're seeing it again in the form of #MeToo and #WithYou.
Seoul's Doing Cafe Creates Community Around Feminism, Still a Taboo in South Korea
“There aren’t many places discussing these sorts of issues in Korea.”
The Perils of Military Engagement Against North Korea
"Any country that considers an attack on North Korea must confront the question of who turned the DPRK into such a defiant rogue nation."
Chinese Are Questioning the Government's Response to Pyongyang's Nuclear Tests
"Maintaining [social] stability is more important than human life?"
A North Korean Refugee and Cartoonist Draws What Life Is Like for Those Who Escape
As a child, teachers praised Choi Seong-guk for his sketches of American soldiers that he says he made look “as ugly and violent as possible.”
Frustrated by US Anti-Ballistic Missile System, China Punishes Korean Retailer Lotte
"Which is more destructive, South Korea's THAAD or North Korea's nuclear bomb? North Korea has VX nerve agent and nuclear bombs, aren't these more threatening?"
