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Opinion

Sat, July 20, 2019 | 15:04

Blogs

Giuseppe Santori: An Italian castaway on Jeju (part 3)

For the five survivors of the Bianca Pertica, the lifeboat they managed to clamber into was nothing but a tenuous sanctuary. The wind howled around them, driving the rain like daggers into their exposed flesh and the towering waves crashed over and over on the small boat, threa...

Giuseppe Santori: An Italian castaway on Jeju (part 2)

Morning came but it did not bring relief. The men had managed to survive the night and, for the most part, the swamped ship had been pumped out. The storm, however, continued to rage.

Giuseppe Santori: An Italian castaway on Jeju (Part 1)

On the morning of September 18, 1878, the 666-ton Italian barque Bianca Pertica, filled with coal, left Nagasaki bound for Hong Kong. The weather seemed ideal for sailing - a light breeze from the east filled the ship's sails and conveyed it through the calm waters at a lively ...

Modern to hypermodern: The theater as a fantastic space

I've just finished the final stage of a book with professor of sociology Ikki Kim that compares Beijing and Seoul at different stages of their development, titled, “Beijing to Seoul, Modern to Hypermodern,” which visually documents the former city's journey through modernity, a...

On the importance of space and social empathy

I'm in the middle of the final crunch leading up to the publishing of a book with Professor of Sociology Ikki Kim that compares Beijing and Seoul at different stages of their development, with the former as an example of that city's journey through Modernity and the latter as a...

Flashed flesh, 'pay models' and entrepreneurial femininity in the creative economy of Korean Instagram

The more I do work as a visual sociologist and ethnographer in Korea, the more I am fascinated by the many rabbit holes I am pulled down. The hypermodern Korea I live in - and Korea's hypermodernity has permeated through society to differing extents and in different ways - is m...

The mother of all summits

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in is grasping at straws, trying to squeeze some sort of political value out of yet another summit meeting with the inimitable U.S. President Donald Trump. But whatever images may decorate the front pages of Seoul's mainstream newspapers over th...

Are Bolton, Cohen setting up US for a coup d'etat, with military action against Iran on the side?

The Trump experiment in crisis as governance has at last reached the denouement that we have long anticipated with curiosity and apprehension. But now that the mansions of the government are collapsing into rubble all around us, there is an eerie silence among most educated Ame...

How to put an end to America's peculiar institution of death: fossil fuels

One senses palpable excitement among progressives in the United States now that a group of Democrats, led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is pressing for a “Green New Deal” that will “transform” the economy and lead the country and the Earth in an environmentally sound direction. ...

Me Cook? No, You Cook!

Years ago, I saw a birthday party ruined in spectacular fashion. An American friend, an advanced Korean language learner, was chatting with two Korean women who began ridiculing his pronunciation, repeating to each other “Mikuk” (not “Miguk,” which means American) several times...

14-year-old j.knife surprises Korean indie fans with folk-pop album 'Familiar Sounds'

When most Koreans are 14 years old, or 15 Korean age, they're studying hard in preparation for high school, and already readying themselves for the college entrance exam that will decide their entire futures. Jennifer Kim may not be much different, but she also somehow makes th...

'Crunch mode' for overtime in games industry

Since Moon Jae-in was elected President in 2017, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the Ministry of Employment and Labor have enacted and amended many labor laws. Accordingly, a lot of labor issues have arisen in various industries, and their biggest impact was felt by th...

There is such a thing as Bitcoin

Once there was a boy who learned that there was a dragon living in his house. He told his mother, “Mom, there's a dragon in the house!” But his mother told him “Son, there's no such thing as dragons.” Little by little the dragon got bigger and bigger until it took up half of th...

Before you install and use a fancy font

It is commonly thought that using proprietary fonts for non-profit, personal purposes does not constitute copyright infringement. However, the scope of such non-commercial use of fonts is much more limited than the public may think. Special caution must be particularly exercise...

Part 51: Too many bosses spoil the tourism business

If it was difficult working for three companies at once, it was downright confusing and stressful to have three direct bosses every day, often singing from different hymn sheets, and sometimes working at odds with each other. It could have been worse, I suppose. Thankfully Mr. ...

My life at a Korean law firm (part 50)

Recently, while going through old papers at home, I came across a document that I received at the beginning of my stint at the Dragon Hill Lodge Hotel. I had not looked at it for at least six years. It was a three-page list in Korean of all the things that I was responsible for...

Lady Gaga grief

In April 2012 Lady Gaga came to town for one concert only at Seoul Olympic Stadium. We at the Discover Seoul Desk were tasked with selling tickets to any USFK person who wanted to go. My immediate boss, a retired US Army sergeant major I'll call Cortez, was convinced that this ...

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (6)

Hanawon is part of the process of adjusting to South Korea, so I could endure some uncomfortable things. When I was there, I wished Hanawon could have been extended a few months, and it would have been more useful if I could have had one week to experience South Korea on my own...

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (5)

While I was there, I really wanted to get out. "Why should I be here?" But these days, when I look back, that was my most comfortable time in South Korea. Sometimes I miss the time I was at Hanawon, it was boring, but also it was so quiet, I had time to reflect on my life.

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (4)

I read the previous blog posts about Hanawon, I am happy to share my experience with you. I hope you can destroy the Hanawon system. It is such a harmful and destructive way to introduce North Korean refugees to South Korean society.

When color can be too much

I love color - sometimes too much. But there are times when color simply gets in the way of a good photograph. Bright colors can enhance, but they can distract. Often the better photograph focuses on tone and patterns. In such cases, monotone (black and white) photographs are t...

Finding your kind of street photography

If you ask serious photographers just what is “street photography,” you are likely to find many definitions. At times, street photography can resemble travel photography. But travel photography tends to be less artistic and more about personal documentation of one's experiences...

Festivals make great photos

Jongro-3ga, Lantern Parade. All photos by Tom CoynerTom CoynerWith the warming temperatures, come festivals and similar events. These colorful events are both challenging and rewarding. They can be confusing as a three-ring circus in determining what to photograph, and it can b...

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