JEREMIAH FARJADO WRITES- Will the Japanese government ever learn? Once again, Japanese tension with the Chinese and South Koreans have flared up due to a recent visit to the Yasukuni Shrine by over 150 Japanese politicians, including members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet. As Bloomberg and Kotaku, a popular pop-culture news site, noted, [...]
Tag Archives | South Korea
VIETNAM: Idol Culture Threatened by K-Pop Sensations
YVONNE EPPS WRITES – The Vietnamese Idol culture might have some competition from some neighbors whose intentions might be more hostile than sensational. Last month, Vietnam Net Bridge covered a story on “Idol culture” in Vietnam where it was found that fan clubs obsessively love their respective idols like Uyen Linh, My Tam and [...]
South Korea: Making Nice Via More Trade
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES- South Korea, China, and Japan are making progress in efforts to create a free trade zone that would potentially tower over the combined European Union and North American economic hulk. Despite successfully setting aside their otherwise tension-ridden relations to start such discussions, any hope of advancement may take months or even longer. [...]
SOUTH KOREA: Pleasing the Press
There has clearly been no shortage of work for South Korean journalists in the past few weeks. Last month, Park Geun-hye was elected President of South Korea. An event as important as a presidential election tends to get a lot of media attention, but even after the election, there is much work to be done. [...]
SOUTH KOREA: A Little Sympathy Goes A Long Way!
Free speech advocate gets ten months behind bars for posting online? This sounds close to ridiculous in a democracy like South Korea. However, Park Jung-geun, a South Korean photographer and a supporter of free speech, suffered this exact fate recently. He is accused of supporting North Korea, an act that is illegal under the National [...]
SOUTH KOREA: Forgive But Never Forget
Until recently, the stage seemed set for South Korea and Japan to sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, but South Korea suddenly decided to back down from the agreement. The GSOMIA would have been the first agreement to permit the exchange of military intelligence between South Korea and Japan. It could [...]
SOUTH KOREA: KBS’ ‘XY That Girl’ Gets ‘OUTed’!
A new talk show targeting the transgender community, which invited transgender individuals to discuss their experiences, was cut from programming after viewers strongly voiced their objections. After premiering last week on a midnight time slot on KBS Joy, a subsidiary of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), the show titled “XY That Girl” ignited an uproar from [...]
SOUTH KOREA: Someone Is Actually Honoring Print!
During the late Chosun period (postwar 19th century), newspapers and magazines were fundamental in providing the Korean peninsula with the necessary tools for education and modernization. The influential Seoul-based newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, reports now that six dailies and two magazines are set to be designated cultural properties, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. Here is the [...]
SOUTH KOREA: Cyber Kitty Attacks Major Newspapers
Just days after North Korea threatened South Korean media outlets with retaliation for critical coverage, the databases of two of South Korea’s major newspapers, The JoongAng Ilbo and its sister paper The Korea JoongAng Daily, were hacked into by username IsOne, whose identity is still a mystery. The Korea JoongAng Daily reported that both papers lost article and [...]
NORTH KOREA: Media Helping Them to Get New Messages
“Illicit” and “smuggled” are two words that could easily describe goods making their way into North Korea. Many products, such as low-cost TVs, DVD players, and other equipment, are being smuggled into North Korea from China. A recent, excellent U.S. State Department-commissioned study, “A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment,” reveals just how much information North [...]
SOUTH KOREA: Newspaper Retaliates After Being Denied Access to Press Meeting
The Korea Times, a major daily newspaper in South Korea, has been publishing less than favorable articles regarding Admiral Samuel Locklear, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. After being denied access to Locklear’s April 17th press meeting, the paper has released several “sensationalized” articles, such as “USFK Commander Too Media Shy for Own Good” on [...]
SOUTH KOREA: Whiffs of the Old Authoritarianism?
An unfolding political surveillance scandal is rocking South Korea. And it is beginning to raise doubts about whether South Korea’s democracy is all that vigorous. A few years ago, the government was exposed for conducting illegal surveillance of a businessman critical of President Lee Myung-bak. But that was nothing compared to what appears to be [...]
SOUTH KOREA: A Brief Look at the Nuclear Security Summit
In what is being called the largest diplomatic gathering in history, the nuclear security summit held in Seoul this past Monday and Tuesday, with leaders of nearly 60 nations and international organizations in attendance, has led to the release of a sweeping agreement known as the “Seoul Communique.” Initially the gathering was hampered by North [...]
ASIA INSIGHT VIDEO NO. FOUR: STEPHANIE GARCIA AND HER VIEW ON AMERICAN JOURNALISM AND SINGAPORE
Professor Tom Plate meets with South-South News
Professor Tom Plate Goes Live With South-South News to discuss his book on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Professor Plate reveals why he decided to write a book on Ban Ki-Moon -- and how the Western media stereotypes the Korean diplomat.
Staff Writer Lauren Chen Reflects on the Death of a Journalist