How I Became an Ajumma
With my blue eyes, boyish face, and pale skin, nobody would ever mistake me for an actual South Korean woman. But the ajumma spirit now lives inside me.
opinion - page 3
Memories of Dictatorship from Not Long Ago
As someone who has experienced South Korea's history, I have deeply mixed feelings toward dictatorship. But I also feel ambivalent toward unfettered freedom.
South Korea’s Real Culture of Shame
One remarkable thing about South Korea is the focus on shame, when things for which one ought to be ashamed are on display, quite uninhibitedly.
When the Elite Don’t Care
Less than three percent of South Korean university students trust politicians. Recent confirmation hearings for a prime minister-designate show why.
A Nation as Beautiful as a Rolex Knockoff
Physical appearance rules supreme in South Korea. But beneath this fixation on beauty is an uncomfortable truth that we are not what we appear to be.
Say You Love Kimchi, And Nothing Else If You Want in
When ‘political’ and ‘active’ in manners that the South Korean state approves, foreigners are encouraged to speak. But doing the opposite may exact a price.
Chaebol Nutcase: Welcome to a Feudal Aristocracy of the Orient
The Korean Air heiress is in jail, but convicted chaebol CEOs hope for freedom as the government proposes pardon "as a way of overcoming the economic crisis."
Thank God for LGBT Rights
Evangelicals may have succeeded in blocking the adoption of Seoul's human rights charter, but their tainted reputation will ultimately help the LGBT cause.
Disposable Workers of Hyper-Capitalist Korea
Extreme. Intense. Extraordinary. There are not enough adjectives to describe the mistreatment of workers at the bottom of the South Korean employment hierarchy.
Gender Equality in South Korea: A Long Way to Go
South Korea has made much headway in women’s rights, but more needs to be done despite the election two years ago of its first female president, Park Geun-hye.
Beyond Blood and Bloody Relations
North Korean defector Gyoon Heo offers his views on why it is high time to step away from emotionally charged approaches toward unification.
Ilbe: South Korea’s Angry Young Men
South Korea's angry young men channel disenchantment with society through Ilbe, a notorious right-wing website, and gain more visibility in the public sphere.