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Opinion

Sun, July 12, 2020 | 09:43

Blogs

Cholera shock: Arrival of first American teachers (part 2)

At dawn, on July 4, 1886, the first American teachers in Korea started their journey to Seoul. Of course, it started out in confusion. “Amid calling and shouting and with much bickering we secured sampans and were on our way to shore,” Annie Ellers recalled. “As we came nearer,...

Great Korean adventure: Arrival of first American teachers (part 1)

On the sultry morning of July 3, 1886, the Tsuruga Maru, a Japanese steamship, sailed into Jemulpo (modern Incheon) harbor. Along with its normal cargo, it also had five Americans aboard: Messrs. Dalzell Bunker and Homer Hulbert; Miss Annie Ellers and Mr. and Mrs. George W. Gil...

Short-lived peace on the peninsula: North Korea in 1945

At the end of World War II, Korea regained its independence and, for a short time, peace reigned on the peninsula. This image appears to be of Russian soldiers, their families, and Koreans picnicking and possibly celebrating the end of the war.

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...

Who owns Facebook?

When I discussed my plans to run for president of the United States with friends, I was told that my ideas and my purpose were noble, but that I had to get my message out via social media and to make sure my profile was readily available in search engines, specifically in Googl...

The aikido of politics after the death of George Floyd

The political, social and economic landscape we face in the United States is transforming at a terrifying speed. Small groups have monopolized resources, assets and knowledge and they have left the vast majority to suffer in ignorance the catastrophic consequences of criminal m...

The potential of the internet for public diplomacy in the age of COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis has extended to every aspect of our modern society, creating institutional paralysis, severely limiting our ability to travel, and recently, with the controversy over social network freedom within the United States, there is even a risk that there will be in...

Underground music and urbanism - Jon Dunbar

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...

New Technologies & The Law - Tech & Comms team

Is it copyright Infringement if you introduce a movie on YouTube?

'Boramtube', which has 17 million subscribers on YouTube, is a hot topic these days. The six-year-old creator's advertising revenue is comparable to MBC, one of the top three Korean broadcast networks. The development of broadband internet and cheap video camera enabled anyone ...

'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...

Part 52: The big C

In March 2012, while working at the Dragon Hill Lodge's Discover Seoul Desk I took a bathroom break. It required much more effort and strain to relieve myself than normal. Having heard that a reduced stream could be caused by a prostate problem, I resolved to see a urologist as...

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...

Voices from the North - Casey Lartigue Jr.

In order to graduate (Part 2)

Yeonmi Park was already on the way to becoming a fluent English learner and public speaker when her sister Eunmi Park joined her at the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center (TNKR) in May 2014. I had heard about Eunmi so many times I felt I was meeting a mythical ...

In order to graduate (Part 1)

Two North Korean refugee sisters graduated from college this past February, one in New York City, the other in South Korea. Their paths in life diverged 13 years ago when they were separated during the chaos of escaping from North Korea.

Escape from China: Former North Korean restaurant worker tells her story

In April 2016, a week before the National Assembly elections, 12 North Korean restaurant workers and their manager escaped from China in what South Korean government officials called an “unprecedented mass defection.” That was the beginning of the controversy, as North Korea an...

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...

Not wearing a mask is not an option

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