The Case of World’s Longest Serving Political Prisoners
The tall man in the crumpled blue suit and a pink chiffon scarf around his neck walked out of the prison gate. Beside him was a short, stocky man with dark patches around his eyes

Seoul’s first subway line opened in 1974
In 1970, Chang Kwan-man, the first Korean deputy prime minister and Korea’s economic czar, was talking to President Park about the current economic situation. He chose to use this opportunity to voice his opinion on an important subject: “Mr. Presi..

How Korea has become world’s most wired country
Nowadays, Korea prides itself on being one of the world’s most wired countries. This pride is well founded: in June 2010, 39.4 million Koreans or 81.1 percent of the total population were Internet users.

Labor activist Chon Tae-ils death: a wake-up call
On Nov. 13, 1970, Chon Tae-il, a 22-year-old worker in the garment industry in Seoul, poured gasoline over himself and then set himself on fire, instantly transforming into a human torch. His self-immolation was very public (it was meant to be): it..

Chaebol’s birth in 1961: prime movers of nation building
While North Korea’s only relevance in international society is as a military threat, South Korea boasts an increasingly diversified national portfolio. Yet at heart, the republic is an economic force: People across the world communicate over Korean..

Tragic end of communist-turned-politician Cho Bong-am
In January 1958, the Korean media reported on a large communist conspiracy in the country, with a leading politician and recent presidential candidate as its mastermind. Few people believed this report at that time ― and, perhaps, they were correct..

(51) Mapo Apartment Complex: change in dwelling style
Seoul is a city of high-rise apartment complexes and office towers but this was not always the case. Smaller buildings are being gradually pushed into oblivion by the unstoppable spread of new multi-story giants. However, like many other changes in..

Communist Kim Il-sung’s Manchurian struggle in 1930-40s
On June 5, 1937, the Dong-A Ilbo, then as now one of the leading Korean dailies, recounted an incident that took place in the small township of Pochonbo on the Korean border with China. The newspaper reported that a band of Korean “communist bandit..

Korea’s first modern postal service started in 1884
Following its opening to the West in 1882, one of Korea’s first modernization attempts was the postal service. On April 22, 1884, the Korean Postal Bureau was established when Hong Yong-sik was appointed the Post Master General.

Korea’s first newspapers published in late 19th century
One of the first newspapers in Korea was the Hanseong Sunbo, which began printing on Oct. 31, 1883. It wasn’t the first newspaper in Korea ― that honor belongs to the Chosen Shinpo, a Japanese-owned newspaper first published in Busan on December 1..