Stories about South Korea from September, 2012
New Caledonia: Political Tension Grows Over Rights to Nickel Mines
Claudine WERY writes [fr] that political tension grows between independentist and non-indenpendentist political parties in New Caledonia over the exploitation of Nickel mines. Non-independentists accuse the other party to strike deals with China and South Korea that they are not authorized to pursue. A referendum on gaining independence from France is scheduled...
South Korea: Presidential Nominee Stumbles Over Unresolved History
South Korea's ruling conservative party’s presidential nominee has suffered a major setback after she made an offensive remark on a notoriously unfair trial made under her father’s authoritarian rule. Former President Park Chung-hee is one of the most polarizing figures in South Korean history.
North Korea's Parody of K-Pop Sensation ‘Gangnam Style’
North Korea uploaded a video entitled “I'm Yushin style!” in its government website Uriminzokkiri as a parody of South Korean pop sensation, ‘Gangnam Style‘. The parody lambasts Park Geun-hye, South Korean ruling conservative party's presidential candidate. Ms. Park is a daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, whose “Yushin” system brutally suppressed democracy...
South Korea: Golden Lion Winner ‘Pieta’ Reveals Society's Dark Side
The Golden Lion award-winning Korean film 'Pieta', which is also South Korea's submission for the 2012 Academy Awards (in the foreign-language film category) has sparked social media buzz and ignited various public discussions in the Korean blogosphere this week.
Japan: Imagining Future Japanese-Korean Relations with ‘Free Hugs’
A "free hugs" video filmed in Korea by a young Japanese man attracted another round of attention this summer. The creator's intent was to "prove that there is hope for the future of Japan and South Korea". The deterioration in international relations between the two countries, reported upon daily in the media, has been causing a stir recently.
Hollister Models Clown Koreans Via Twitter, Offending Asians
It is not the first time clothing brand Hollister went under fire for its racial gaffes. Recently, its male models tweeted several racial messages making fun of South Koreans, including photos of model posing with “Asian squinty eyes”. Korea Bang quoted a comment that read : People talk about how Hollister’s...
South Korean President's First Photo on His New Facebook
South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak posted the very first photo taken by himself in his new Facebook that was launched on September 7, 2012. This image show photographers and journalists covering the APEC Summit meeting.
South Korea: Samsung, National Champion or Corporate Evil?
Sure, Samsung might be seen by some as a national champion, but there are many who also see it as the epitome of corporate evil—and not without reason Wrote Robert Koehler in his blog post on a poll result showing South Koreans still support Samsung in its patent legal battle against...
North Korea: Recap of its Satellite Development and Airspace Usage
North Korea Tech blog wrote a post on North Korea's space development and use of its airspace with data from he pulled from an old email archive, providing a bit of history. Attempts to open up North Korea’s airspace began gathering pace in the mid nineties. Flying over the country rather than...
