Stories about South Korea from June, 2011
South Korea: Downpour-Triggered Landslide Kills One Person
Torrential downpour has triggered a mass landslide in Seoul, killing one person and suspending subway. South Korea's citizen/blogger news Wiki Tree reported [ko] the incident with consolidated tweets.
South Korea: Hunger Strike at Temple
Yoosung Enterprise's listed workers went on a hunger strike at Jogye temple. Moon Yong-min (@yasangmin) tweeted photos of the protest. About 500 workers had been staging demonstrations since mid-May after wage negotiations broke down.
South Korea: Typhoon Opening Doors to Nature's Revenge
A typhoon hit South Korea on June 25 and 26, bringing heavy downpours and gusts and signalling the start of the rainy season. At least nine people were killed and a bridge and a levee collapsed. Moreover, a leakage was reported on a landfill where livestock was buried during a recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
South Korea: Labor Workers Fight Against Police and Corporation
Hanjin Heavy Industries have violently clamped down its union protest. Twitterer @pmtsjc posted photos of how company-hired gang cut rope to drag down workers protesting on crane top. The clash, which ignited over unfair mass lay-offs, has continued for over a month now.
South Korea: Slut Walk in Seoul, Protesting Against Sexual Violence
Several students have staged one-person “SlutWalk” protests at Korea University’s front gate, demanding the school expel three male students from its medical school on charges of sexually assaulting a drunken female student during a school trip. South Korea's Wiki Tree site posted photos [ko] of the protests.
Cannibalism In North Korea, Smuggled Documents Reveal
GI Korea from the ROK Drop blog commented on local news report claiming that they have obtained smuggled documents confirming cannibalism in North Korea. Acts of cannibalism have long been reported by North Korean defectors, especially during the mass famine in the mid-90′s.
Korea: Blogger Touring Tense Border Area
Maggie Downs from the GirlVentures blog shared her experience in touring tense border area between the South and North Korea. Downs visited the demilitarized zone, Camp Bonifas, Panmunjom and the joint security area.
South Korea: Actress-Activist Spearheads Protests with Social Media
In South Korea, entertainers are changing the political landscape by spearheading protests in social media. Among several influential comedians and actors, actress-activist Kim Yeo-jin, has been the most controversial figures for several weeks now for her active on and offline political engagement.
South Korean Troops Shoot at Passenger Jet, No One Injured
South Korean troops shot at passenger jet on June 17 after mistaking it for a North Korean military aircraft near the border with North Korea. No one was hurt from the incident, but South Korean net users from public forum sites are demanding more thorough explanations [ko].
South Korea: Best Photos of Lunar Eclipse, Taken by Tweeters
The moon disappeared behind the shadow of the earth from 2 to 5 am in South Korea on June 16. Korean net users who witnessed the event posted photos online and South Korea's blogger/citizen news site Wiki Tree picked Twitterer @dmzkor‘s pictures as one of the best photos.
South Korea: Petition Filed to Punish Brutality against Animals
Public anger rose as an animal TV show aired a story of a dog brutally beaten with a stick by a stranger for no reason. Net users have filed an online petition [ko], calling the authority to focus more on capturing the culprit. Over 50 thousand people have signed the...
North Korea Threatens to Disclose Recordings of Talks with South
In an apparent act of blackmail, North Korea threatened South Korea on Thursday that they would release secret audio recordings from Inter-Korean talks reportedly held on May 9, 2011. The secret meeting, initiated by the South, was meant to lead to an agreement on talks for how to move forward after two deadly attacks on South Korea in 2010.
Korea: Defector's Commentary on Using Kim Jong-il's Portrait as Army Target
It was revealed in early June that South Korean military units have been using the pictures of Kim Jong-il, his youngest son, and his late father as targets during firing drills. Ask a Korean blog posted translation of Joo Sung-ha's commentary on the revelation. Mr. Joo is a North Korean...
South Korea: Protests Against High Tuition Intensify
Thousand of students and activists took to streets to demand lower tuition fee. The protests, which started as small-scale conflicts in Seoul's several universities, have spread to other major cities and continued for over a week now. South Korea's citizen/blogger news Wiki Tree consolidated [ko] Twit pictures of the protest.
North Korea: The Food Aid Dilemma
In the Council on Foreign Relations site, Toni Johnson published an analysis on North Korea's food situation and the dilemma in sending food aid to the country.
South Korea: Battle to Protect Natural Reserve from Naval Base Construction
As one of South Korea's Natural Heritage sites is on the verge of being replaced by a pile of cement from naval base construction work, local residents and civic activists are waging a fierce battle to rescue the site. More and more South Korean Tweeters and bloggers are joining the movement.
North Korea Tweeting Back at South Korean Governor's Criticism
South Korean politician and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Kim Moon-Soo harshly accused North Korea of the regime's 3rd generation succession and its reclusive policies in a conference in Beijing, China. North Korean Twitter @uriminzok fired back at Kim, calling his comment ‘a reckless remark’. South Korea's citizen/blogger news, Wiki Tree...
