Stories about South Korea from December, 2005
South Korea: Not a Barbie Girl
As the Seoul Arts Center hosts an exhibit about Barbie dolls, The Asia Pages reminisces about her first encounters and swift disappointment with “Oriental Barbie.”
Report from the WTO Demonstrations in Hong Kong
The Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference was held in Hong Kong, 13-18 December 2005. Thousands of anti-globalization campaigners, especially South Korean farmers who has been opposing the opening of their rice market by an agreement South Korean government made with WTO, had protested across central Hong Kong, carrying huge banners, chanting,...
Singapore, South Korea: Iconoclasm
Jeff Ooi asks why Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew are so often cited as models: isn't South Korea, with its larger population and greater challenges, more admirable?
South Korea: Stem Cell Article Faked?
oranckay is on top of a developing story: South Korea's top stem cell scientist is withdrawing a paper he submitted to Science, leading to questions about his work.
South Korea: U.S. Envoy Snubbed?
Flying Yangban gives us a blow-by-blow roundup of blog posts discussing the South Korean unification minister's supposed snubbing of the U.S. special envoy for North Korea human rights.
Hong Kong, South Korea: Protest Blog
Looking forward to the usual WTO demonstrations? Here's a new blog (in Korean and English) by Korean-Americans documenting and accompanying Korean farmers’ protests at the trade meet in Hong Kong.
South Korea: The Meaning of Footwashing
The Asia Pages wonders why Koreans keep asking her if her boyfriend, who she thinks is great otherwise, also washes her feet. She asks readers to explain the emotional significance of footwashing in Korean culture.
South Korea: Farmer's Death
Two Koreas discusses the death of farmer Chun Yong-chul while protesting South Korea's liberalization of its rice market.
China, Japan, Korea: Critiquing Critics
The Asia Pages comments on Asian critics’ negative reactions to Hollywood's choices in bringing the book Memoirs of a Geisha to the screen. “While it would be nice to see a Hollywood production give justice to another culture, it's rarely been seen,” she explains.
