Kim Jong-un
"Don't Speak in Korean": When Koreans Travel to North Korea
Only a few minutes after arriving in Dandong, a Chinese city that borders North Korea, my assumptions about travel to North Korea were abruptly shattered. I was told by a Chinese employee of the tour company that it would not be wise to, while in North Korea, speak Korean or
Young S. Korean Speaks: War with N. Korea "Extremely Unlikely"
How likely is war with North Korea? Speculation abounds. Here’s a South Korean who argues that war is “highly very extremely unlikely.” He says that all the players involved — South Korea, China, North Korea, and the U.S. — simply have too much to lose
Not Even Kim Jong-un Can Stop KBS, MBC Strikes
On the day North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sep. 3, two of South Korea’s biggest public broadcasters didn’t have enough reporters to thoroughly cover the breaking story. Many of them were on strike. “We beseech the employees and the labor unions leading the strike to
The Few, The Quirky: S. Korea's War Preppers
Seated at a downtown coffee shop dressed in business casual, Woo Seung-yep looked more like an office worker than a war prepper as he calmly explained how he became the best-known South Korean engaged in guerrilla efforts to prepare for the possibility of war on the Korean peninsula, which has
If a Nuclear Bomb Falls on Seoul, Where Do You Cook Pork Belly?
“If a nuclear bomb falls on Seoul, where do you cook pork belly?” How are South Koreans talking about North Korea’s nuclear threats? This is another question we get asked very often. Here’s a rather ingenious take from a South Korean start-up, Geekble.
North Korea: Brother, Enemy, Not My Problem
Everybody in South Korea knows the song “Our Dream is Unification.” I sang it in elementary school. I watched as Kim Jong-il and then South Korean president Kim Dae-jung sang it in Pyongyang at the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000. And I unwittingly teared up when Park Geun-hye, the recently
Young S. Korean Speaks: "What the Fuck is North Korea's Problem?"
On the eve of the 69th anniversary of North Korea, outsiders are watching for any sign of threats from Pyongyang. Many are asking what young South Koreans think about these threats. We bring to you the passionate voice of a young South Korean: Guk Beom-geun is the founder of
Haeryun Kang: On S. Korean "indifference" to N. Korea in Vox
Last week, managing editor Haeryun Kang talked to the Guardian about the complexity behind S. Koreans’ indifference toward N. Korean threats. Read her in-depth interview with Vox, with detailed follow-up questions regarding the Guardian analysis: “…in South Korea, [North Korea] is deeply personal, and it’s
Haeryun Kang: On N. Korea in the Guardian
“In South Korea we’re scared but we’ve normalised the fear,” published on the Guardian on Aug. 9, 2017. Are S. Koreans indifferent to N. Korean provocations? When North Korea news gets hot, like now, thanks to its recent missile test and Guam, many outlets
A Candlelight Effect: Kim Jong-un Bows to His People
This concern [to improve the lives of the citizens] was in my heart, but I lacked the ability to see these dreams to fruition and spent the last year in regret and guilt. If I ask you to guess who the quote above is from, what name comes to