Stories about South Korea from August, 2012
South Korea: K-Pop Video ‘Gangnam Style’ Goes Viral Internationally
South Korean singer Psy's tune 'Gangnam Style' has gone viral internationally, with its YouTube video surpassing 70 million hits as of today. This has got many Koreans talking and the scope of such discussions vary from simple praise of Psy's success, reviews of his marketing and social media strategies, to a more detailed analysis of Koreans' deep-seated insecurity about their country.
South Korea: Controversial Launch of Online Music Video Rating
South Korean authorities have launched a new ratings system for music videos posted online. The new bill requires every music video (or promotional video) and even movie trailers to be rated prior to upload. Failure to comply could result in up to two years in prison or a hefty fine.
Korean Protester Being Chased and Beaten by Japanese Right Wing Groups and Gangsters
At this year's Korean Independence day, a Korean guy held a one-man protest at the Yasukuni shrine in Japan, a symbolic and controversial place for worshiping war criminals from the Second World War. A net user living in Japan posted photos of how the protester was being chased and beaten...
Hollywood's Next Go-To Enemies: North Korea and China
North Korea Tech blog wrote about leaked movie scripts and photos of Hollywood's upcoming movies which Chinese media denounced as ‘reshoots of Cold War movie demonizing China’.
South Korea: President's Unprecedented Visit to Disputed Islands a Smokescreen?
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made an unprecedented and highly controversial visit to the Dokdo islands. However, skepticism and suspicion grow strong in the Korean Twittersphere, with many calling the visit, a daring political stunt to cover up other important issues.
South Korean President Made an Unprecedented Visit to Disputed Dokdo Islands
South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo (or Takeshima in Japanese) islands, sparking international media frenzy. Lee would be the first South Korean leader to visit the disputed islands which both South Korea and Japan have a historical claim to. The Dokdo Times blog wrote a post explaining the context,...
North Korea: First Lady Spotted With A Luxury, ‘Dior’ Handbag
North Korea’s young first lady was pictured carrying what appears to be a Christian Dior handbag which costs around USD 1,600. While international media lashed hard at the luxury in the midst of food crisis where millions of North Koreans suffer from starvation, one net user in Sina English site raised a...
South Korea: Driving Force and Little-Known Facts Behind its Olympic Success
The Korea and the World blog published a detailed analysis on South Korea's good results in the 2012 London Olympics, pointing out Koreans’ strong patriotism as one of the main reasons for success.
South Korea: Mass Firing of TV Writers from Investigative Program
Although an unprecedentedly long strike by workers from South Korea's largest TV network, MBC, officially ended in mid-July, complaints and anger has yet again resurfaced after the network fired every single writer from its signature investigative program.
Funny Image of How Australian Newspaper Distinguishes Two Koreas
The 101 Great Goals site shared a scanned image showing how an Australian newspaper distinguishes two Koreas in its Olympics medal table. One was referred as ‘nice’ Korea, while other was named the ‘naughty’ one.
