Foreign Correspondent in South Korea, Milana Nikolova, unpicks the stereotype of the “hard-working” Korean student through her experiences studying at a Korean university.
south korea
A Christmas Carol from South Korea: What does Christmas look like in Asia?
Foreign Correspondent in South Korea, Milana Nikolova, explains how Christmas is celebrated in her host country and why it is a change from a typical European Christmas.
There’s Snow Doubt About it – the 2018 Pyeongchang Games is in danger of flopping
A new year of sport: the finest live drama. Whilst 2018 may be best known for being a World Cup year, with football’s grandest event taking place in Russia this summer, it is also an Olympic year. The 23rd Winter Olympics takes place in Pyeongchang – not to be confused with North Korean capital Pyongyang […]
Sport Editorial: North Korean olive branch?
A barbed, stinging, and ultimately entertaining war of words ensued between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte over the Christmas period. Mourinho, a predictable culprit, teased Antonio Conte in responding to his “clown” jibe – the Manchester United manager later arguing with a Machiavellian sincerity that it was not aimed at the Italian. Conte, up until […]
World War 3 – Should we be worried?
Ever since Kim Jong-Il threatened to withdraw North Korea from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1993, eventually leaving ten years later, in 2003, North Korea has been on a slow and steady trajectory towards nuclear weapons. This trajectory has been continued, if not quickened, by Jong-Il’s son Kim Jong-Un. The reality of this ambition has […]
A trip to Seoul: some thoughts on the presidential impeachment and the world’s only Demilitarised Zone
Despite being in nearby Hong Kong, I wasn’t aware of much conversation about the Korean impeachment. I would have thought that with the tense democratic situation in Hong Kong, particularly the election of the new pro-Beijing Chief Executive – a move engineered by the Chinese government – and the removal of pro-independence lawmakers, that people […]
‘I Am Not Your Asian Stereotype’ – why we cannot pigeonhole Asian identities
“My name is Canwen, and I play both the piano and the violin. I aspire to someday be a doctor and my favourite subject is calculus. My mom and dad are tiger parents and won’t let me go to sleepovers, but they make up for it by serving my favourite meal every single day – […]
Demotion of democracy: South Korea
Western news agencies, including CNN, seemed perplexed that South Korea did not adopt a hardline response to Kim Jong-nam’s untimely death. North Korea’s democratic counterpart has sought unification throughout its history; the nonpartisan Ministry of Unification opened in 1969, and all South Korean leaders have tried to work towards unification in some capacity. However, South […]
Greater Than Gangnam Style: How South Korea Became One of the World’s Biggest Music Industries
T he need for authenticity – or at least the appearance of it – means that the grooming and media training of American recording artists is kept quiet. Singers profess that they write albums and constantly keep in touch with fans on Twitter, while ghostwriters and social media managers fine-tune their image behind the scenes. […]
The source of sexism in South Korea
Across the globe, gender inequality and sexism is a topical and problematic reality. Sexual harassment is prevalent in many cultures and not a single country is without a pay gap. From social media movements #yesallwomen, to the fight against rape culture in the USA, it seems evident that globally, the struggle for gender equality is […]