Kelly Kasulis

Kelly Kasulis is the deputy digital editor of The GroundTruth Project.

Kelly Kasulis is a freelance journalist. She has written for PRI, The GroundTruth Project, The Boston Globe, Quartz, Mic and others. Follow her on Twitter: @KasulisK

An image of a Korean music star wearing a yellow shirt

Move over K-pop: Korean youth turn to old-time trot music

Young pop stars in South Korea, struck with nostalgia, are performing covers of old-timey trot music on competition shows like “Mister Trot,” which have viewers vote for their favorite acts in an “American Idol”-style format.

Move over K-pop: Korean youth turn to old-time trot music
A young man stands in front of media surrounded by other men

South Korea reels from latest high-tech, online sex trafficking case

South Korea reels from latest high-tech, online sex trafficking case
A girl wearing a protective face mask to prevent contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rides a toy kick scooter at a park in Seoul, South Korea, April 3, 2020.

South Korea's delivery workers face 'unbearable' pressures amid COVID-19

South Korea's delivery workers face 'unbearable' pressures amid COVID-19
The cast of "Parasite" accepts the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture during the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles,  Jan. 19, 2020.  

Oscar-nominated 'Parasite' speaks to a growing divide in South Korea

Oscar-nominated 'Parasite' speaks to a growing divide in South Korea
Seo Ji-hye and Cho Sung-won watch as their two-year-old son, Han-sol, plays with a toy train in his bedroom in Seoul.

Seoul’s subsidized housing gives newlyweds a new lease on the future

Seoul’s subsidized housing gives newlyweds a new lease on the future
Rows of military men in white and black uniforms line up perfectly in front of a gray airplane

South Korea wants to draft more men for its shrinking military — and punish those who dodge

Last year, South Korea had roughly 599,000 troops in its armed forces, but the supply of able-bodied males are expected to halve within the next decade.

South Korea wants to draft more men for its shrinking military — and punish those who dodge
A North Korean soldier keeps watch toward the south through a binocular telescope

South Korea just repatriated two North Korean fishermen. Why?

The two are suspected of murdering 16 of their fellow crew members and allegedly dumping their bodies overboard. North Korean defectors and human rights activists are blasting the government for sending them back to “certain death” without a proper trial.

South Korea just repatriated two North Korean fishermen. Why?
tattooist

South Korea has a burgeoning tattoo scene. But most tattoo parlors are illegal.

Since 1992, the South Korean government has arbitrarily enforced a law that limits the act of giving tattoos to medical professionals.

South Korea has a burgeoning tattoo scene. But most tattoo parlors are illegal.
Man stands at protest with red sign and white letters in Korean

South Korean minister of justice resigns amid national reckoning with corruption

"... We ordinary people — patriotic Korean people — are against Cho Kuk," said one protester in South Korea. The minister of justice stepped down amidst accusations against his family of nepotism and embezzlement.

South Korean minister of justice resigns amid national reckoning with corruption
A man wearing a white robe delivers a speech and uses his hand to emphasize a point

Just ‘empty’ words? South Korea’s Moon calls for peace with North Korea by 2045.

Moon pledged peace with North Korea by 2045, but his timeline left some skeptical. South Korea hasn’t even been able to convince North Korea to accept rice donations ahead of a looming famine.

Just ‘empty’ words? South Korea’s Moon calls for peace with North Korea by 2045.
A plastic sex doll with brown wig sits in an office chair

South Korea's sex doll industry stirs controversy with 'life-size' imports

South Korea's sex toy industry professionals say sex dolls are the answer to increasing loneliness in South Korean society. But critics have pushed back on the law and say these "real dolls" objectify women and lead to more sex crimes — a hot-button topic in the wake of South Korea's #MeToo movement.

South Korea's sex doll industry stirs controversy with 'life-size' imports
Man stands in 7-Eleven in work vest

South Korea’s ‘No Japan’ boycott is new. But the wounds are old.

The conflict between South Korea and Japan has been going on for decades, but the past few months are somewhat uncharted territory for the two countries, which have nevertheless enjoyed robust trade. Today, six in 10 South Koreans are currently participating in the “No Japan” boycott.

South Korea’s ‘No Japan’ boycott is new. But the wounds are old.
Two men talk over lunch.

South Korea's new ‘blind hiring’ law bans personal interview questions

Some South Korean job seekers worry that the new amendment is all paper and no practice.

South Korea's new ‘blind hiring’ law bans personal interview questions
South Korea's Moon Jae-in holds an umbrella over his head

Moon bets his legacy on meeting with Trump

Donald Trump and Moon Jae-in meet Sunday in a summit that could have huge consequences for President Moon.

Moon bets his legacy on meeting with Trump
ruined homes in seoul during the korean war

Scenes from Seoul unearthed in unpublished collection of Korean war-era photos

Allan Manuel’s never-before-seen photos reveal much about vibrant life on the Korean peninsula in a time of overwhelming death — and when most were certainly suffering.

Scenes from Seoul unearthed in unpublished collection of Korean war-era photos