Stories about South Korea from January, 2012
South Korea: Kids Become Outcasts for Not Having Branded Bags
Blogger Hangukdrama wrote on South Korean elementary children's craze over expensive and branded school bags and how this behavior has been encouraged by parents, who concerned that their kids would become outcasts if they are seen with ‘cheaper bags’, kept buying the bags.
South Korea : Pizza Appears in Lunar New Year's Ancestral Worship
Sharing food with relatives that had been offered in the ancestral worship is regarded as the essence of the traditional Lunar New Year holiday in Korea and there are strict and complicated rules to follow in offering food. However, some young Koreans have started offering unconventional food, such as pizza,...
South Korea: ‘Torture Expert’-Turned-Pastor Loses Pastorship Amid Criticism
Lee Geun-an is a former ‘torture expert’, notorious for his brutal ways of torture on numerous democratic activists under authoritarian rules in 1970s and 80s. After serving 7 years in prison, he became a Protestant pastor, but was kicked out of his job as his shameless and unrepenting comments prompt public criticism [ko].
South Korea’s Richest Conglomerate Criticized for Environmental Pollution
An activist organization, Public Eye Group nominated Samsung, South Korea's richest and most powerful conglomerate, for the People's Award 2012. The award is given to raise public awareness on corporation's decades of environmental pollution, trade union repression, corruption and tax flight.
Responses to AP's News Bureau in North Korea
The Associated Press has opened a news bureau in North Korean capital, becoming the first western news agency to have its office inside the hermit kingdom. North Korea Tech blog consolidated some of the Twitter responses to the news.
Madagascar: After the Land Grab Affair, Is Daewoo Back in the Country ?
Sam posts an open letter to Andry Rajoelina written by Mamy Rakotondrainibe that demands more transparency on the return of Daewoo Logistics in the economy of Madagascar [fr]. Mahefa Rakotomalala provides more context on this return [fr]. The South Korean company is notorious for an attempted land grab deal that provoked...
South Korea: National Security Law Draws Intense Criticism
North Korea Tech wrote a blog post on South Korea’s controversial National Security Law that bans display and distribution of North Korean material. Recently, several citizens were arrested under this law for posting seemingly benign North Korean songs or news clips.
North Korea Punishing People Who Did Not Mourn Enough for Kim Jong Il
A news report came out saying North Korean authorities have begun to punish citizens who did not display enough sadness at Kim Jong Il's funeral. Bloggers have already raised suspicions that the hysterical mourning may not be genuine. Net user kmarko posted sample photos of citizens who seem indifferent.
South Korea: Anger and Suspicion Grows Over Election Rigging
A political scandal is brewing in South Korea over alleged election rigging, despite the police's conclusion that the nation's election commission website was disconnected due to a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack.
U.S.A : Pizza Chain Employee Uses Racial Slur Against Asian Woman
A Papa John’s employee in New York city identified a Korean woman named Minhee Cho as “lady chinky eyes”. This racial slur against Asians caught the attention of local and international media as Cho tweeted a photo of the receipt.
Occupy Wall Street Demands Release of the South Korean President's Vocal Critic
The OWS (Occupy Wall Street) set up a special Facebook page calling for the release of Chung Bong-ju who was jailed for raising allegations against the South Korean President. Mr. Chung is also the host of Naggomsu, the nation's most popular podcast lampooning the president and the ruling party.
South Korea: A Teenage Boy's Anti Suicide Campaign Video
A spate of student suicides occurred recently in South Korea due to mindlessly violent school bullying. While some schools hushed up the case for the sake of their reputation, a 18-year-old student made this short video [ko] to raise public awareness. (There is no English subtitle yet)
South Korea: Students Protest Against Election Rigging
As suspicion and anger grow over the ruling party's election rigging, students from South Korea's major universities gathered together to release a joint statement calling for a thorough reinvestigation of the case. One net user posted photos of the student protest in Daum Agora, the nation's biggest public forum.
South Korea: Satirial Podcast's Popularity Continues Despite the Host's Arrest
Naggomsu is a satirical podcast which gained tremendous popularity in South Korea for lampooning the country's President. Even after one of its host was jailed for raising allegations of stock price manipulation against the President, the podcast's popularity continues to grow. The nation's influential blogger IamPeter picked [ko] it as...
