Stories about South Korea from May, 2011
South Korea: Students Protest Over High University Tuition
Thousands of students took to streets in protest last weekend, demanding the lawmakers and universities to lower high tuition. South Korea's one of the most influential citizen journalists, Media Mongu posted photos. University fees in South Korea have more than doubled over the past ten years, prompting more students to...
South Korea: Social Media Controversy Surrounds Sports Broadcaster's Death
The suicide on May 23, 2011, of national television channel MBC sports announcer, Song Ji-seon in South Korea has sparked considerable controversy regarding social media in the country. South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, but this latest case has opened a new debate on the public health issue.
World Economy: Women Weigh in on Poverty, Work and Debt
The International Museum of Women's online exhibit on women and the economy, features slideshows, podcasts, videos and essays on women from countries such as Sudan, Denmark, Philippines, USA, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina and how they view issues such as poverty, business, family, rights, money and much more.
South Korea: Protecting World Heritage Site from Construction Work
Local residents and activists have strongly protested against the government's plan to construct a naval base on the Jeju island, one of the World Heritage sites. Twitterer Kim Se-ri, an assistant movie director, has been tweeting [ko] about the ongoing protest for over a month now.
Korea: Is North Korea Behind Every Unsolved Cyber Attack?
A slew of fearsome reports on the North Korea's cyber attack capability recently came out in South Korea, and even on Fox News this week. The South Korean government concluded North Korea was behind the latest attack. But South Korean Tweeters have made sarcastic jokes about the government's poor analysis and its knee-jerk reaction of blaming North Korea for every unsolved case.
North Korea: Has Idolization of Kim Jong-Un Failed?
Whilst North Korean regime tries hard to apotheosize Kim Jong-un, report came out today claiming that most ordinary North Korean has no interest to the heir. The Free Radio for North Korea which founded and runs by defectors revealed [ko] that most low-level soldiers are unaware of the new dictator,...
South Korea: Cartoons Commemorating the Gwangju Massacre on May 18
May 18 is the day a mass democratization movement took place in Gwangju city, South Korea. The military regime ruthlessly clamped down the movement and over a hundred innocent civilians were killed. The nation's famous cartoonist, Kang Pull drew cartoons commemorating this tragic history in order to enlighten youth with...
South Korea: Clashes Surrounding Fur Fashion Show
South Korea's capital, Seoul city has told Italian fashion house Fendi to pull fur products from a fashion show scheduled for next month in Seoul as animal rights groups and net users condemned the city government for inviting Fendi for its promotion event. Fendi is trying to negotiate. Korea's citizen/blogger...
South Korea: Blogger's Phone Review Deleted by Samsung
In South Korea, an influential blogger's review on a Samsung smartphone was removed due to pressure from the manufacturer. Internet users have harshly criticised the nation's biggest conglomerate, Samsung Electronics and Naver, the nation's biggest web portal, for censoring the blogger.
North Korea in the Grip of South Korean Soap Fever
South Korean soap operas have gained a huge popularity in North Korea nowadays, even to create new slang among teens, Hanciema posted on the new trends in one of the world's reclusive state.
South Korea: Tweeters Helping Residents Suffering from Water Cut-off
As more than a half million residents in Gumi area in North Gyungsang Province have suffered from a water cut-off for over four days now, South Korean Tweeters went to help the distressed residents by supplying bottled water and wiring money gathered via Twitter. One of influential Twitters, @mediamongu posted...
South Korea: Photos of Buddha's Day Celebratory Lanterns
South Korean Tweeters celebrated the birthday of Buddha on April 10 by tweeting photos of lanterns displayed in the busy streets of Seoul. Traditionally, lotus lanterns are displayed in the temple and street, but there are creative lanterns, such as a famous cartoon character, Pororo the Little Penguin celebrating the...
Asian-African Economic Cooperation
Johan Lagerkvist posted his research paper on “The strategic presence of China, Japan and Korea in sub-Saharan Africa” in China Roader.
North Korea: Japanese Drug Dealers Face Trial
Three Japanese nationals were caught for drug trafficking and counterfeiting money, North Korean state media revealed on April 4. One has already been expelled from the country while the others face trial. Robert Neff posted an analysis of foreigners’ drug dealing and counterfeiting cases in the North on the Marmot's...
North Korea: Images Reveal Scale of Political Prison Camps
Amnesty International posted rare photos of North Korean political prison camps. It is believed that an estimated 200,000 people are held in the prison camp and living under unspeakably harsh conditions.
South Korea: Police Raids Google Korea Over Location Data Collection
Google's Seoul office was raided on May 3 on suspicion that it had illegally collected location data without consent. Thom Craver summarized a series of conflicts Google had with Korean government in the Search Engine Watch blog.
South Korea: Surprising Election, as Twitter Draws Youth to Polls
South Korea's ruling Grand National Party suffered a crushing defeat in by-elections on April 27, demonstrating a widespread yearning for change, and to many also heralding the power of Twitter in the political landscape. Many young voters uploaded photos from the polls to prove they have cast a ballot and encourage others to vote.
