ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Despite the cheerful and bright colors advertised on its billboards and posters, “A Taxi Driver” is a film that depicts the serious tale of an unsung hero who helped defend democracy by exposing a military dictatorship’s misdeeds in Gwangju, South Korea. Balancing comedy and political thrills,…
FROM SEOUL, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROF. HANS SCHATTLE ON THE YONSEI UNIVERSITY FACULTY WRITES TO LMU/ASIA MEDIA INTERNATIONAL – “I hope life is good with you at this busy time of year. I wanted to let you know about a conference (see below) taking place in Seoul early next summer –…
FASSA SAR WRITES — Korean filmmakers and actors put pressure on President Park Geun-hye to release the names of 9,473 film artists – including film-makers, actors and studio executives – that have allegedly been put on a secret list that would deny them government financial and logistical support for their…
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR SPENCER H. KIM WRITES FROM SEOUL — Just as we often need Ministers of Bad News, we also need Ministers of Good News. As anyone who knows me knows, I love the book by former U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright, “The Arrogance of Power.” The title grabs you,…
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – South Korea, not known as a world-beater as a foreign investor, has pledged $10 billion in energy and infrastructure investment in Sub-Saharan Africa. The extraordinary pledge came at this year’s Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Ministerial Conference. KOAFEC is the meeting of a consulting group founded…
SABRINA VERDUZCO WRITES – In the smartphone showdown between Samsung and Apple, iPhones have the global upper hand, but in South Korea, Samsung has been reigning supreme. So it is no surprise that the consumer safety recall of exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones has sparked a panic. Videos of…
JAY SEO WRITES – Claiming previous laws were so vague as to be unenforceable, a prominent animal rights proponent this summer proposed legislation to once and for all make eating dog and cat meat illegal. It’s traditional among older South Koreans to eat bosintang, a type of dog meat soup,…
SABRINA VERDUZCO WRITES – People often think of the Olympics as a time of both unity and peace between countries. Despite numerous political, economic, social, and religious differences, sportsmanship brings people from all around the world together to celebrate unity and human ability. North and South Korea are no exception. …
