Korea going green – from church to nature

An article in the July 18th JoonAng Daily profiles a pastor-turned environmentalist. Heo Byung-seob is a 68-year old former pastor from Seoul. In the early 1970s Heo served in one of Seoul’s poorest neighborhoods, Daldongnae, preaching the Gospel and administering to the poor. In 1988 Heo left his position in the church to embark on [...]

Headlines

Amnesty Criticizes Rights Violations The Korea Times Amnesty International called on the Korean government to thoroughly investigate “excessive use of force” by police against anti-American beef import demonstrators, expressing concern over human rights violations. Former LMB advisor takes over YTN Hankyoreh Apparently he was approved in less than a minute by shareholders, while union members [...]

The worst building in the world…

A story in Reuters reports construction on Pyongyang’s “Hotel of Doom” has resumed. Apparently begun in 1987 by the late great Kim Il Sung, the project was initiated in response to South Korea’s hosting of the 1988 Olympics, but remained in a “coma” for close to 16 years prior to now. A 330-meter pyramid with [...]

Protests erupt on Korea’s Constitution day

After eighteen days of relative quiet, at least as far as candle light vigils go, protesters reappeared in Seoul’s Jongro area on Thursday to protest Korea’s importation of US beef. Police in riot gear clashed with what the Hankyoreh says was a crowd of over ten thousand as Korea commemorated the 60th anniversary of its [...]

Headlines

Making sense of NK killing The Korea Times An editorial in the Korea Times by Michael Breen offers what seems to be the most sensible explanation for the shooting death of a SK tourist by NK security forces. Related story Illegal Koreans in the Philippines Buhay sa Korea South Korea is not a paradise and [...]

Korea’s emotional logic

There’s a communication barrier separating Koreans and Westerners that goes well beyond language. It’s a gulf that lies at the core of how we view the world, and often prevents any kind of mutual understanding. For the majority of us Westerners logic forms the basis of our understanding. If it doesn’t stand up to reason [...]

Headlines

Suffering from private education in Korea OhMyNews The obsession with education here affects all aspects of Korean society, from social issues to child welfare and the nation’s economy. It’s a refreshing piece from a Korean mother pushing for a new direction. Dispute over dog meat heats up The Korea Times Recent inspections of restaurants serving [...]

PD Diary apologizes for “beef” errors

Today’s JoongAng Daily reports the influential MBC program PD Diary issued a “reluctant apology” for inaccuracies in it’s show on US beef and mad cow disease, errors that led to widespread protests here in June and July.  Questions remain however over whether the program’s producers intentionally distorted the contents of their report in order to [...]

Profile: 30 years as a Buddhist nun in Korea

This week we focus on Buddhism with a look into the life of Dong-gi Sunim, a nun who has spent nearly thirty years in the monastic community. Living in a lush valley tucked in between grape farms and rolling mountains, her temple, called Songlimsa (Pine Forest temple), is worlds away from Seoul. Here she discusses her [...]

In Korea, red means go

I pull to a stop, unconsciously obeying the red light at the intersection not far from my home here in Seoul. I look in the rearview just in time to catch the grill of a big rig as it whips by me, inches from my driver-side door. It’s the only breeze I’ve caught all day [...]