Global Voices

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The world is talking, are you listening?

North Korea

There was once the internet meme named “Kim Jong-il Looking at Things“, a collection of photographs of Kim visiting government facilities the net users have gathered together to mock his authoritative posture. After Kim died last year, net users have launched a new version, “Kim Jong-un Looking at Things” as appeared in Kotaku site.

South Korea

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

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.

South Korea

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

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.

South Korea

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

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

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 the top news of 2011.

South Korea

South Korea

Jeong Bong-ju, a vocal critic of the President and a show host of the nation's most popular satirical podcast, Naggomsu, was sentenced a jail term for raising allegations of BBK stock price manipulation against the current President. Some citizens have posted this poster on a subway to show signs of support for Jeong.