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Sun, October 1, 2023 | 21:19

Killing the Buddha

Killing the Buddha

The young woman raised her head. She looked at me through her glasses, taking a pause before speaking clearly and in a deeper tone than usual. “One day, you'll be where you're meant to be. Doing what you're meant to be doing. And with who you're meant to be.”

2022-11-20 14:33

What is modern Korean suicide?

What is modern Korean suicide?

“I've kind of become desensitized to the issue of suicide because I've seen so much of it around me. And the universities and institutions are always trying to cover it up when it happens. Pretending it was nothing to do with them.”

2022-11-12 12:25

Love and tragedy

Love and tragedy

I have stood shoulder to shoulder in the World Cup Stadium and joined the deafening cheers of tens of thousands. I have bounced in a chicken restaurant covered in beer, whopping in celebration with those around me as the national team scored yet another victory. I have beamed with joy on television and radio when asked to comment on the latest Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, or chart-to...

2022-11-05 11:52

Korean Feminism: Biology Matters

Korean Feminism: Biology Matters

The 'F' word can be rather explosive in Korea. Uttering it in polite society causes stares, visible discomfort, and often the immediate changing of a topic. The topic is divisive. It doesn't have to be that way, of course. But, for many people, it is.

2022-10-29 13:12

On BTS and history

On BTS and history

Why can we remember the past but not the future? Why does time pass faster in the mountains than it does in the valleys? Why does time pass more slowly for things that move than for stationary objects? Why does cause precede effect? Just what is Rainer Maria Rilke's 'eternal current' that draws all ages and epochs along with it?

2022-10-22 12:11

Stoned Korea and the doors of perception

Stoned Korea and the doors of perception

Consciousness and the act of being human are very difficult things to understand. It's generally for the best that we don't think about it too much. With ignorance, we can simply skip through life believing that we are rational individuals, composed of single selves, making choices according to our own free will, perceiving an objective world outside of us. If we do that, our...

2022-10-15 12:26

Sublime object of ideology: Korean beauty standards and metaverse

Sublime object of ideology: Korean beauty standards and metaverse

South Korean people are attractive. Especially the ones you see in the dramas, the music videos, the movies, and social media. Beauty here is off the charts. But such sky high beauty standards are not just expected from the country's rich and famous. Nor are they only applied to women. Whether going to work, attending university, or just trying to live, Korean people young an...

2022-10-08 11:43

On Korea and Britain: Small talk intensifies

On Korea and Britain: Small talk intensifies

“It might be a stereotype but I've always had the impression that Korean students are quite robotic. That they just study. Lack creativity,” he said as we smoked Cuban cigars outside a chapel. My younger brother had just gotten married in the south of England and many of his friends were curious, and opinionated, about life in South Korea.

2022-10-01 17:25

On Modernity: Korea and the West

On Modernity: Korea and the West

To define whether or not a country is modern is a rather difficult thing. Some of us instinctually reach for economic factors as a mark of a state's development. The simple equation being: the more cash it has, the more modern it is. Yet such figures can be deceiving. Rather than just mere gross domestic product, people expect a reasonable amount of economic distribution in a...

2022-09-24 13:25

Han Byung-chul and the Beauty of Yeobek

Han Byung-chul and the Beauty of Yeobek

We live in a world filled with people marked by imperfections. People like you and I. Amidst buildings that are damaged, with rainy days, and blue moods. And it is our flaws and our limitations that make us real. These qualities make us human. Mortal.

2022-09-17 11:36

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Top 10 Stories

1	INTERVIEWRisk-averse culture is forcing daring creators to flee showbiz

2	Koreans adapt to soaring food prices

3	PHOTOSTrapped along borders

4	Education ministry prohibits parents from recording classes

5	VIDEOBustling Chuseok: Namsan Hanok Village immerses visitors in Korea's rich traditions

6	Builders vie for leadership in modular construction

7	Are 'finfluencers' helping or harming investment community?

8	Value, consumer goods, financial stocks expected to gain momentum after Chuseok holiday

9	INTERVIEWROK-US alliance is win-win partnership: KUSAF chief

10	Over 30,000 protesters march for climate actions

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