Stories about South Korea from December, 2013
South Korean Pres. Vows Pre-emptive Strikes on Social Media Rumors
Is South Korea government gearing up toward social media censorship? The latest official remark by President Park (full transcript [ko]) had Korean net users worried. Park, addressing “those rumors spreading via social media”, said “if the government let these things happen, it will bring chaos nationwide” and added “bear in mind that...
South Korea: Reason Behind Movie ‘The Attorney's Box Office Smash
South Korean movie ‘The Attorney’ which depicts the early life of ex-President Roh who started as a civil rights lawyer resisting against dictatorial regimes, has drawn over 4 million admissions in just ten days of screening. Movie critics even comment [ko] that its popularity in Korea is more explosive than that...
South Korean Election Scandal Brings Three Religions Together
Opposition against the current administration's election manipulation scandal grows stronger every day, even enough to inspire conservative Protestant Christian groups to join the protest movement [ko] following the trails of Catholic leaders and Buddhist monks. On Christmas, this rare scene took place: in front of a Christmas tree which stood in...
South Korean Military Bans ‘Arirang’, Country's Iconic and Beloved Song
South Korean Military is infamous for banning books, films and songs which they find ‘controversial’ or ‘subversive’ and their recent decision to ban the nation's most beloved and historically important songs, ‘Arirang’ (which even has the famed nickname of ‘unofficial national anthem of Korea‘) met with fierce backlash. The military explains it...
PHOTOS: Brutal Crackdown by 4,000 South Korean Police is Epic Failure
Over 4,000 South Korean riot police broke into the headquarter of the nation's 2nd largest trade union center without a search warrant, angering South Korean net users.
PHOTOS: Protesting South Korea's Election Manipulation in New York, Paris, London
South Koreans living abroad held candlelight vigils in New York, Paris and London this weekend, accusing the government bodies' manipulation of the latest presidential election
South Korea: Class-action Suit Against Key Players of Election Manipulation
Marking a year after the latest presidential election tainted with allegations of political tampering, attorney Han Woong, together with 610 plaintiffs, filed a civil lawsuit [ko] against those who are allegedly responsible for the election manipulation scandal. Han accused ex-President Lee Myung-bak, former head of the NIS (National Intelligence Service), ex-Commissioner of the Seoul...
South Korean Education Ministry Discourages Students’ Poster Movement
As South Korean university students’ ‘We Are Not Fine!’ poster movement spreads like wildfire across the country, even up to the point of motivating high, junior high and elementary students [ko] to write their own, the Ministry of Education has given notice to schools to control students’ poster-making in order...
Photos of Mass Candlelight Rallies in South Korea
By holding candlelight rallies across the country, frustrated South Koreans have voiced flooding concerns over current political developments and series of scandals, including the snowballing election manipulation allegations. @Emfla505 tweeted [ko] this stunning photo of protest in Seoul (below) and WikiTree.com site gathered more photos of rallies on December 19. 오늘 서울시청 광장입니다! 민노총의 깃발이 빠져 나가고...
China and North Korea: The Inevitable Fate of Jang Song Thaek Under Dictatorship
"The only rule of dictatorship is no rule." Many Chinese netizens believe the purge of Jang Song Thaek in North Korea a wake-up call for China's political reform.
South Korea: Students Voice Dissent Against Korea Railroad's Mass Layoff
South Korea's state-owned railway operator, Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), has laid off an unprecedented number of more than 7,600 workers [ko] within a week as it decided to set up a subsidiary for new high-speed train operations, which critics call ‘a prelude to privatization of the nation's rail system’. Inspired by a student at...
South Korea's ‘Gas Tank Grandpas’ Block Protests in US
Violent right-wing extremists 'Gas Tank Grandpas' blocked peaceful protests held in the United States against the spy agency election manipulation scandal.
The Man Who Helped Reveal South Korea's Election Manipulation Online
South Korean government agencies sent out more than 24 million tweets last year to manipulate public opinion during the presidential elections. An ordinary net user made this revelation possible.
Follow the Money, South Korean Politicians Got Money from Construction Companies
Newtapa [ko] (Korea Center for Investigative Journalism) published a web feature [ko] which displays list of politicians’ names who received political donations from construction companies involved in the statewide construction project ‘Four Major Rivers Project‘.
