The Korea Times

Ryu Ho-jeong: the future of Korean politics?

By David TizzardDavid TizzardIn 1973, South Korean president Park Chung-hee introduced the Minor Offences Act which mandated limits on the length of men’s hair and women’s skirts. Women suspected of wearing a skirt or dress that finished 17 centimeters or more above their knees were often subjected to public checks and then taken to a police station if they were found to have violated the rule.His daughter, imprisoned and impeached president Park Geun-hye, sought to reinvigorate a variation of this rule as late as 2013 when a decree was passed at a March 11th cabinet meeting that meant anyone found to have “exposed any part of their body which should otherwise be concealed” would be subject to a 50,000 won fine.It’s no wonder casual foreign observers sometimes get their Koreas mixed up.Yes, South Korea can be described as a conservative country. It often seems that to really fit in, one shouldn’t stand out too much. Get a car in one of the three available colours, wear a suit in one of the agreed upon designs, get your botox and cosmetic surgery do

Aug 10, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Ryu Ho-jeong: the future of Korean politics?

Opinion

Declare your ideology

By David TizzardDavid TizzardIn a democratic society, one normally assumes that an individual is given certain freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, and freedom to assemble. That little space inside our head where thoughts appear and circulate is deemed off limits to the government.Article 19 of the South Korean constitution declares a freedom of conscience and that no citizen be forced to make public their inner thoughts. It is a sacred place: A sanctuary to which we can retreat from the overwhelming barrage of narratives and messages thrown at us by social media. There is no policeman in our head.Yet last week in South Korean domestic politics the public was treated to one of the most peculiar stories in the modern age. A politician being elected to a ministerial post was asked publically about his ideological beliefs stretching back to the 1980s.If that doesn’t sound too strange, one needs to consider the identity of those taking part in the Korean inquisition (After all, no-one expects it).The one asking the questions was Thae Young-ho. T

Jul 26, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

True leaders don't commit suicide

By David TizzardDavid TizzardSouth Korea is a thriving modern democracy and a relative beacon of openness and freedom in Northeast Asia. It stands proud among the far more oppressive Chinese Communist Party and the totalitarian rule of the Kim family in North Korea.Yet its two main cities, Seoul and Busan, are both without a mayor for the first time in 70 years. The last time this occurred was due to the Korean War. This time, sadly, the problem is more internal: sexual assaults have forced both mayors to abandon their posts.In Busan, Oh Keo-don stepped down three months ago amid allegations he had sexually harassed a female official. In Seoul, Park Won-soon chose to take his own life rather than see justice carried out after a former secretary filed a charge of sexual harassment against him.With fellow Democratic Party member Ahn Hee-jung serving a three-and-a-half-year jail term for sexual assault, it is no wonder people online have begun referring to President Moon's ruling party in a clever play on words (in Korean) as the “party that gropes.” They are part of the &ld

Jul 19, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

K-pop: revolutions, terror and the future

By David Tizzard David Tizzard In a 2018 academic article titled “Regulating the Idol: The Life and Death of a South Korean Music Star” co-written by respected K-pop professor CedarBough T. Saeji, we are told that fans often slowly encounter “the dark side of K-pop and Korean society.”Yes, I see many of you nodding. Very true. Great country, fun music, but ― like anywhere else ― some problems to be addressed. Beyond the glitz and glamor there are some unseemly elements.We are not allowed to mention “the dark side of K-pop” now though. If you do, you are accused of Orientalism or not paying enough attention to the various tragedies and horrific incidents that happen in other industries. Football, gaming, politics, My Little Pony.It is a shibboleth. In the past two years, the language deemed acceptable has changed.Shhh. Be quiet. They are listening.And it even extends to the very nature of what K-pop is. The previous Associated Press definition had it as “a South Korean musical genre often characterized by synthesized music.” Again,

Jul 5, 2020By David A. Tizzard

K-pop: revolutions, terror and the future

Opinion

Democracy, cereal and colonization

By David TizzardDavid Tizzard2004 was a mixed year for South Korea: Roh Moo-hyun was in the second year of his presidency, the Miryang gang rape scandal brought to life the shocking abuse of power (and reminds us today just how far back lenient sentences and a blind eye have been at the heart of Korea’s continuing problems of a sexual nature), Taegukgi was breaking all sorts of records at the cinema as citizens rushed to see a story of families divided and the symbolic power of shoes, and at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, the North and South Korean teams marched together under the Unification Flag.Plus ça change, non? Everything changes but it all still seems to stay the same. Roh Moo-hyun’s best friend is in power, sexual abuse and lenient sentences still plague the courts and society, and the Korea Peninsula remains divided because of the war despite a host of merely symbolic efforts and presidential love hearts in photo-ops to bring the two nations together.Yet there has been one fundamental and pivotal change that has altered the fabric of reality in South Ko

Jun 28, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

What would your flyer say?

By David TizzardDavid TizzardImagine the scenario: you are given access to a university-sized printing press, thousands of people who will work for free to create your flyers, and the ability to then drop the flyers on to a country with a population of more than 50 million people.What would your flyers say? What would you want made known to all and sundry?Before we consider some of the options, let's look at the reason for the question.North Korea has released a series of articles and photos demonstrating its readiness to send thousands of recently printed flyers across the Demilitarized Zone and into South Korea. If you are interested in seeing these huge collections of propaganda pieces, I recommend checking out NK New's Jeongmin Kim on Twitter, who has done excellent reporting on the subject.The North is readying to “terrorize” the South with information and broadcast its unadulterated views of President Moon and his administration. A Vice Dean from a department of Pyongyang University, Hwang Myong-do, said the country was going to “pour leaflet bombs of justice

Jun 21, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

North Korean lives matter?

By David TizzardDavid TizzardWarmongers can exploit peace lovers by threatening to destroy the peace unless their wishes are granted.That seems to be what has played out in inter-Korean relations this week. And many of the field’s more season observers are rather worried about what might unfold as a consequence.Recent events have centered on statements from Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong. She has been taking charge of inter-Korean affairs and is becoming increasingly visible leading some to suggest she is being positioned as the country’s next ruler.And, as advocates of Machiavelli will profess, in order to succeed in politics, one is required to carry a knife behind the velvet curtain. Morality and ethics are little more than window-dressing for what really matters: power and survival.Game of Thrones stuff, sure. But there are no dragons here. Just the constant and very real threat of North Korean military action.Despite the detente which has been encouraged by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the North has a long history of attacks against the South. These h

Jun 14, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

Invisible scars and the death of a child

Jian Seo and David TizzardBy Jian Seo and David TizzardOver the past six months, the country's population has decreased by 10,056. Deaths have outstripped births and people have renounced their Korean citizenship. The country remains the only OECD member with a fertility rate of less than 1.0 and in March this year announced that the number of children born was more than 10 percent lower than the same time last year.The reasons are manifest: economic, sociological, cultural, and psychological. It is even worth considering whether it is actually a problem or not because it comes with a rise in women's education, employment and independence.Yet the relationship between a Korean parent and his or her child requires some investigation.A child is not simply an object that a parent possesses. Rather, a child is a human with his or her own thoughts and personality. However, some parents assume that their child belongs to them and that they have full authority over them, including in terms of controlling their behavior. Such a belief results in some parents punishing their children, forcing

Jun 7, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Invisible scars and the death of a child

Opinion

Korea: race, racism, and the 'other'

By David TizzardDavid TizzardKorea’s approach to multiculturalism is a paradox. The same multicultural policies and programs that have been enacted and encouraged by various administrations over the years have simultaneously reinforced racial and ethnic views vis-à-vis nationality and citizenship.Multiculturalism often appears more akin to cultural assimilation. It means foreigners learning to eat kimchi, speaking Korean, wearing a hanbok, and going on television programs and acting surprised at things. Or, if you are like the vast majority of foreign nationals trying to acclimatize, it means learning how to be a good Korean wife and all the underlying Confucian conditions and requisites that come with it.Despite what any government programs or officials might say, this not a melting pot – it’s a mold. If you fit, you can succeed…to a certain extent.Here, Korean culture, race, ethnicity, citizenship, and nationality are virtually inseparable.For example, it’s possible to be a white girl with blue eyes, have a Korean passport, live your life here

May 31, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

South Korea: death and gapjil

Jian Seo and David TizzardBy Jian Seo and David TizzardIf you spend enough time in South Korea, it soon becomes apparent that a hierarchy permeates through much of society. People are ranked according to age, title, and other factors and these then determine which language and actions one should use in dealing with people.Your bow, your verb endings, the angle at which you drink, and even how you give and receive objects will change according to the relationship and the person with whom you are interacting. Pay close enough attention and you can see these social rankings and positions appear above people's heads like in the BBC drama “Sherlock."To say nothing of the rights or wrongs of this cultural practice, it is rather different from adopting a position in which all are equal before the law, in the eyes of God, and all those other Occidental jazzy ideas.Many Koreans have been (and still are) raised in a competitive social and economic environment. With teachers continually contrasting blue collar and white collar jobs, students eventually create a false dichotomy in their mi

May 24, 2020By David A. Tizzard

David A. Tizzard

Read more

Ryu Ho-jeong: the future of Korean politics?

Declare your ideology

True leaders don't commit suicide

K-pop: revolutions, terror and the future

Democracy, cereal and colonization

What would your flyer say?

North Korean lives matter?

Invisible scars and the death of a child

Korea: race, racism, and the 'other'

South Korea: death and gapjil

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