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Opinion

Wed, July 18, 2018 | 15:45

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A journey through advertisements: Part 2 - Northeast Asia

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, exoticism of the Far East - as well as the rest of the world - was used to sell all kinds of products, including coffee, chocolate, medicine and tobacco. One French soap company even employed patriotism as a tool to sell more of its so...

A journey through advertisements: Part 1 - Korea

Long before YouTube, people were able to learn about the world through colorful advertisements and promotional cards included in products such as medicines, chocolates, tobacco and coffee. More often than not, the images on the cards were incorrect and, for the most part, stere...

Watermelons: A forbidden pleasure in cholera-hit Korea

When we think of summer picnic foods, watermelon probably springs to mind but at the mining concessions in the early 1900s it was a forbidden pleasure. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Korea suffered severe outbreaks of cholera. Watermelons were associated with the dise...

The reformation of Korean tradition: the gae-ryang hanbok

“Tradition” in Korea is a commodity. And like any commodity, it can be bought and sold. It can be remixed and altered. It can also be left alone. Additionally, it can also be repurposed, misused, and even “upgraded.” And there is no stronger, purer, and unapologetically, nation...

No free lunches - paying one's way in ethnographic research

As a visual sociologist, I am fascinated by identity markers, display, and community formation. I am also fascinated by the idea value, power, and social utility of the picture, as both a social tool and a tool of social investigation. This is actually what I teach in my visual...

The cultural politics of the overwrought style

I begin this essay by quoting Korean rapper/K-POP star CL in “Bad Girl” quoting ur-rap group Run-DMC in their song “Peter Piper” as I point out that I am talking about “bad” in the sense of “not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good.” If one were to apply the notion of “overdoin...

Dr. Faust signs deal with Goldman Sachs

The recently retired president of Harvard University, Drew Faust, has joined the board of directors of Goldman Sachs. She will receive an “annual grant of restricted stock valued at $500,000” and “an annual retainer of $75,000.” Faust is a renowned historian of the Civil War wh...

New importance of humanities in fourth industrial revolution

There has been much talk about the importance of the humanities in this age of rapid technological transformation and we see funding for “digital humanities” programs that provide cutting-edge communications technology that is claimed will revolutionize teaching and will provid...

The malformed summit

I must admit that when I stared at the jarring image of the “stars and stripes” in alternation with the “blues and reds” of North Korea I thought for a moment that I need to increase my dosage of antipsychotics. I pinched myself twice, but I simply could not wake out of this dr...

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...

Expat filmmaker calls it a wrap on spy thriller shot in Seoul

French writer, cinematographer and expat film director Will Forrester has recently finished editing his spy thriller "Eyes Wide Open" that was shot in Seoul.

South Africans embrace life in Korea

When interacting with expats on the Korean Peninsula, one nationality often leaves people with a strong sense of curiosity: South Africans.

Korea movies embrace foreign talent

Seeking work in Korea is a mixed bag. With the introduction of more short-term work-related visas, the choices of occupation are no longer limited to teaching English teaching or working for large international companies.

Are overseas initial coin offerings beyond Korean law?

Officially, it is Korean government policy that all initial coin offerings (ICOs) are prohibited. However, as a lawyer, I believe Korea lacks legal grounds to make illegal all kinds of ICOs, especially in the case of utility token ICOs, because there is as yet no particular law...

Many differences between Korean, EU data protection laws

The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on May 25, 2018. The purpose of this law is to regulate the storage, processing and transfer of the personal data of individuals living in the EU, but it also affects companies outside the EU who ha...

Accounting fraud and accounting standards

The issue of whether accounting fraud has been committed is now being hotly debated among a certain bio-industry company, its accounting firm and the Financial Supervisory Service. The last accuses the first of fraud.

My life at a Korean law firm (part 27)

When Jimin and I moved to Australia at the end of 1999, one of the primary pull factors was my widowed father, who was living alone and whose Parkinson's disease was beginning to take its toll. As an only child, I felt it was only right that I should live near him and help him ...

My life at a Korean law firm (part 26)

When I came to Korea, and for many years afterwards, Koreans would tell me certain stock things about their country: the staple food is rice, hometown X was famous for object Y, Koreans are diligent, kimchi is spicy, and so on. The one thing that I feel sure we all heard ad inf...

My life at a Korean law firm (part 25)

Before leaving Korea for Australia in late 1999, my wife Jimin and I had heard that Korean was one of the “priority languages” in my home state. Along with Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese, Korean was now taught at primary and secondary school levels, we were told. Sin...

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (1)

After I arrived in South Korea, I sometimes thought about returning to North Korea. That would be like escaping to a torture room, so I never thought about it seriously. I really struggled when I first arrived here. The government was trying to offer me so many benefits, but I ...

Why North Korean defectors learn English (5)

I feel pressure to learn English because so many people around me use it. I am desperate now because of my university classes, where sometimes I have to make presentations in English.

The seven stages of Donald Trump

In the past two years, I have talked with numerous North Korean refugees about U.S. President Donald Trump. Like others who go through “stages” for things such as grief, dementia, life or love, North Korean refugees have now gone through seven stages of Trump. Stage 1: The unkn...

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...

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