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,…
Tag: South Korea
SOUTH KOREA: MAJOR CONFERENCE AT YONSEI UNIVERSITY
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 –…
SOUTH KOREA: LEADING FILM ARTISTS BLACKLISTED FOR TELLING THE TRUTH
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…
SOUTH KOREA: THE GOOD NEWS IN THE BAD NEWS
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,…
SOUTH KOREA: MIRACLE ON THE RIVER FINALLY FLOWS INTO AFRICA
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…
SOUTH KOREA: FOR ONCE, NORTH KOREA ISN’T TO BLAME FOR AN EXPLOSION
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…
SOUTH KOREA: THE DOG-EATING DAYS ARE OVER
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,…
SOUTH KOREA: OLYMPIC DIPLOMACY AT ITS BEST
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. …