Is Yoon Suk-yeol the South Korean Trump? That is what his opponents and critics seem to think for the many parallels the conservative candidate from the People Power Party has with former US President Donald Trump. Both have made remarks that would be offensive to other countries, praised heavily controversial political figures, gone after foreigners and shown a poor understanding of feminism. On top of using anti-China rhetoric, the two also like to speak to their base on social media and a

Politics March 2, 2022

Groups representing people with disabilities have announced they have stopped subway protests which went on for weeks after being acknowledged by presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung of the minor opposition Justice Party during a recent TV debate. During a TV debate earlier this week, Sim dedicated her last minute to the protestors. “Disabled people are protesting on the subway every morning, urging for a budget for their rights to travel. “Though many citizens who commute on the

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2022

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party has come under fire over a scene in his campaign ad where a man side-eyes a woman during a job interview, with the caption “fairness and common sense destroyed.” In one scene during the one-minute ad, a nervous looking job interview candidate in a suit looks at another man sitting next to him briefly before side-eying a woman. As the man comes out of the room, he appears upset as he takes his name card o

Politics Feb. 22, 2022

British fashion label JW Anderson has unveiled new bags inspired by South Korean anime series “Run Hany.” The accessories, which appear to be a collaboration project as part of the brand’s new season collection, come in at least three colors -- blue, orange and white -- according to a recent post on Instagram. In another photo, one bag has a picture of the face of the series’ main character Hany, along with the JW logo in orange. “Not long till the show,” t

Consumer Feb. 21, 2022

Beach pollution is a serious problem. Some 11 million metric tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean annually, according to a 2020 study co-authored by researchers at the Pew Charitable Trusts. Against this backdrop, one couple in Gangneung on the east coast of South Korea in Gangwon Province have embarked on a mission to clean up Korea’s shores and the ocean. “We have actually been keeping record of trash on the beaches even before the pandemic began and masks are now much more

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2022

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party came under fire earlier this week after a picture of him putting his feet on a train seat went viral. The photo, uploaded on social media by his aide Lee Sang-il, showed Yoon’s legs all stretched out with his feet on the seat opposite of him with his shoes on. The train was chartered by his party as part of his presidential campaign. The social media post has been deleted following criticism. His show of poor

Politics Feb. 17, 2022

South Korea is among the six new additions to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of “very high” risk areas to travel to, according to the US authority’s website Monday. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Comoros, French Polynesia and Saint Pierre and Miquelon were also newly added to the list. In the new update, the CDC is urging Americans to avoid traveling to South Korea. “If you must travel to South Korea, make sure you are vaccinated and up to date w

Social Affairs Feb. 15, 2022

For nearly two years, international programs at universities and schools had to adapt to change as mandatory quarantine and remote learning were brought in. But recent data shows there has been little change in demand despite the COVID measures. A total of 152,281 students came to South Korea to study last year, according to data from the Korean Educational Development Institute. The figure is slightly down from 2020 when it stood at 153,695 and has fallen for two years in a row since 2019 wh

Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2022

The death of livestreamer Jammi, whose real name is Cho Jang-mi, made headlines this week in South Korea. It emerged that she took her own life after “suffering severe depression over malicious online comments and rumors,” according to an online post written by one of her family members. The 27-year-old who used to stream on YouTube and Twitch was accused of being a radical feminist in 2019. The accusations began after she used a pinching hand sign that some claimed to be misandri

Social Affairs Feb. 11, 2022

South Korea’s upcoming presidential election is just one month away. But overshadowed by other issues such as housing prices and family misbehavior, the two leading candidates Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party have tiptoed around the issue of an anti-discrimination law. One party’s stance on the issue, however, has been crystal clear –-- an anti-discrimination bill needs to be passed now, said Rep. Jang Hye-youn

Politics Feb. 7, 2022

Seoul Metro saw the number of passengers drop by 25 percent last year compared to pre-pandemic levels, new data revealed on Thursday. The subway operator said some 1.95 billion passengers used the city’s subway system in 2021, which also connects to neighboring areas such as Incheon and Gyeonggi. The figure stood at 2.67 billion in 2019 and 1.93 billion in 2020, based on the subway lines operated by Seoul Metro. This highlights the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on one of the largest s

Mobility Feb. 3, 2022

When a North Korean defector fled back to the North after jumping over the heavily fortified inter-Korean border fence in January, many headlines described the incident as a “jump defection.” Though a similar incident has occurred in the past, the use of the term became widespread in the media only this month, according to Google Trends. “Gaslighting,” loosely defined as the act of making someone question their reality by manipulating facts, also skyrocketed in usage ear

Culture Feb. 1, 2022

Exports of South Korean instant noodles hit a record high of over $670 million, the highest figure to date. Last year’s exports stood at $674.41 million, data from the Korea Customs Service and the food industry showed on Sunday. Exports of instant noodles, also known as “ramyeon” in Korea, have risen for seven consecutive years. When broken down by country, China was the biggest market for South Korean instant noodle makers, followed by the US, Japan and Taiwan. Instant no

Consumer Jan. 30, 2022

President Moon Jae-in has said that North Korea’s launch of an “intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM)” on Sunday morning amounts to a “breach of UN Security Council resolutions" and a “challenge” to the international community’s efforts to ensure peace on the Korean peninsula. In an emergency National Security Council meeting, Moon made the remarks as he called on Pyongyang to stop adding pressure and tension and return to the dialogue table,

North Korea Jan. 30, 2022

The Ministry of Justice has opened another third-party visa application center in London earlier this week, the latest in a series of moves to reduce the workload of embassy staff. “Starting from January 17, 2022, the Government of the Republic of Korea will open the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) in London, operated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to manage Korean visa applications submitted by UK nationals and third country nationals regularly residing in th

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2022