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South Korea

still from film of a man holding a hammer

Korean revenge film ‘Oldboy’ returns to theaters for its 20th anniversary

In 2020, the Korean film “Parasite” made history at the Oscars when it became the first non-English language film to win best picture. But before “Parasite,” there was a different Korean film occupying the international cinematic landscape: a 2003 movie called “Oldboy.” It’s being rereleased in theaters on Wednesday for its 20th anniversary.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waves a national flag during a ceremony to celebrate Korean Liberation Day from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, at the presidential office square in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. 

Imagining empire: Part II

Critical State
Young man in blue shirt lifts a piece of concrete as other men sift through rubble after an airstrike

Prospects of a ceasefire offer hope to ending violence between Israel and Hamas

Top of The World
A worker dressed in white protective gear disinfects as a precaution against the coronavirus at a café in Goyang, South Korea, Aug. 25, 2020.  

To quell COVID-19 outbreak, South Korea bans seating at big cafés

Man stands in 7-Eleven in work vest

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

Protest
A man walks along corridor between booths

South Korea’s latest big export: Jobless college graduates

Facing an unprecedented job crunch, many young South Koreans are signing up for government-sponsored programs designed to find overseas positions for a growing number of jobless college graduates in Asia’s fourth largest economy. But the jobs are not always as advertised.

A black and white photo of a large family

For many, international adoption isn’t just a new family. It’s the loss of another life.

Global Nation First Person

Here is what I know: I am culturally American. I am racially Asian. I came to the US when I was just over six months old, and a couple years later I was naturalized as an American citizen. But when I traveled back to South Korea for the first time, I realized how much of my heritage had been left behind.

A man throws a plastic water bottle into a dark gray sea

This group uses the tide to send bottles of rice and contraband to North Korea

Commentary

A group of Koreans dumps water bottles loaded with rice, medicine and USB drives into the sea on the North Korean border. They hope that the information loaded into those USBs can spark some sort of revolution in the North.

korean students wear gas masks

In South Korea’s war panic economy, sales thrive on nuclear angst

Conflict & Justice

In South Korea, when tensions flare in the north, business picks up for those who supply preppers.

two men shake hands

Why some South Koreans feel more positive about Kim Jong-un

Global Politics

“My parents told me that he killed his brother, so I was scared of him,” says 11-year-old Chung Ye-in. “I thought he was a bad person, but after seeing him, I think he looks friendly.”