The Korea Times

Schrodinger's Kim Jong-un

By David Tizzard Chairman Kim Jong-un is alive. Chairman Kim Jong-un is dead. He is both, and he is neither. In fact apart from a very select few of the world's 7.8 billion people, no one truly knows. Certainly not this Englishman. I specialize in British policy vis-a-vis the DPRK, with a particular focus on the years 1991 to 2000. So you'll understand if this latest event is a bit out of my wheelhouse. Yet despite that no one really knowing, the world's media and the internet have been ablaze with speculation regarding the DPRK's leader. There have been claims he has had heart surgery, brain surgery, he's on a train, he's in Wonsan, he's merely in hiding, and so on. The hashtag confirming his death has over 300,000 retweets.Where in the world is Kim Jong-un? And why the fascination when he is but one man and elsewhere millions of our loved ones are living through harder times than any would have predicted. Essentially, because he is the world's youngest head of state to possess a nuclear arsenal. Moreover, many 'experts' have been predicting the fall of the state since its form

Apr 26, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

Is Korea better than America?

By David Tizzard  Much of the international order rested on the assumption that America was great. A beacon of the free world, the shining city on a hill, a model for all others to follow – either willingly or by force.That assumption is now being challenged. And one of the challengers is a country that was secured and developed by that now tottering goliath.For many, Korea will never be seen as a first-class state. The very name alone conjures up images of M.A.S.H., fat men wearing Mao suits and parading missiles while despotically ruling over a largely famished population, downed airlines, and a nepotistic patriarchal way of life capable of nothing more than living under the yoke of others and unaware of what values such as freedom and democracy mean.They were probably to some degree true when Edward Said wrote Orientalism back in 1978. And those falsely constructed exotic images held sway over the narrative of international relations for a long time.But stepping away from Hollywood and President Trump’s recent remarks, reality is slowly painting a very differ

Apr 19, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

Sex, church and cherry blossoms

By David Tizzard  South Korea continues to tackle the Covid-19 situation successfully thanks to swift government decisions, expert advice being followed and a, by and large, conscientious public. But I cannot help but wonder if it would not be doing even better were it not for some citizens' love of that triumvirate of all things Korean: sex, church, and cherry blossoms. And if any Netflix producers are reading and want to commission a series based on the title alone, I am sure we can make it work. We can also steer clear of some of the rather tired tropes and caricatures that appeared in the otherwise entertaining Itaewon Class. On Saturday, the country reported 30 new cases of infections, bringing the total to 10,480. For reference, just over a month ago, on Feb. 29, the daily total in South Korea peaked at 909.Most citizens have observed social and physical distancing over the past couple of months. Families remain at home where possible and ― for the most part― only venture out when absolutely necessary. Unlike other countries that have demanded citizens stay by law, the Sou

Apr 12, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

Bravo President Moon!

By David Tizzard A few months ago, the success of BTS and Bong Joon-ho’s movie Parasite were the latest South Korean exports to be lauded in the extension of the Korean Wave. But now Hallyu has gone health care.Reading the international news, we see many countries struggling to contain a situation about which they were given reasonable forewarning. The death tolls, large levels of unemployment, and creaking infrastructure are a stark and tragic reminder of the devastation Covid-19 can wreck.And it is for those reasons that it is worth applauding President Moon’s handling of the current situation. For 15 years I have lived and worked in this country, and never have I felt prouder or more assured that this is a country worthy of respect on the international stage.Respect that sadly, judging by the remarks from a few recent American commentators decrying it as undemocratic, it doesn’t always receive. But that startling lack of ignorance aside, the WHO and many other nations have now turned to South Korea for knowledge, and know-how.President Moon’s public su

Apr 4, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

South Korea: sex, society and reform

By David Tizzard  The recent revelations of a series of privately operated digital chat rooms in which teenagers and young women were operated as “slaves” for the pleasure of more than 250,000 men have rightly incensed the South Korean public. But worryingly this latest scandal seems to be the continuation of a long-standing trend rather than a sudden new development.The Korean National Police Agency reported an average of 18 cases of spy cam porn per day in 2015. More than 16,000 people were arrested between 2012 and 2017 for being involved in such activities. The cases of Goo Hara and many others still ring in society's ears.Soranet was the country's largest pornography website and ran from 1999 to 2016, host to more than one million users at various stages. The female co-founder was sentenced to four years in prison last year for aiding and abetting the distribution of obscene material.The Nth room is a continuation of such trends ― well-known and very visible to most lawmakers and the public. Ultimately, there seems to have been some degree of social normalizatio

Mar 29, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

I'm not a socialist but...

By David Tizzard  History is about the most cruel of all goddesses, and she leads her triumphal car over heaps of corpses, not only in war, but also in “peaceful” economic development. And we men and women are unfortunately so stupid that we never pluck up courage for real progress unless urged to it by sufferings that seem almost out of proportion. The purple passage above is from Friedrich Engel's personal correspondences. It reaffirms the notion that we are born into a society without our permission asked and, unless you're a fan of Camus or Dostoevsky, no chance of a refund. But here we are. And now we seem to be living in History ― and I use the capital H with some trepidation ― are we not being presented every day with stories of suffering that demand we rethink our economic system?As the title suggests, I am no closet socialist.I have been through many political and economic doctrines and found different heroes at different stages of my academic career. But this is not about a fanciful ideology or bar-room musings where we can stroke our beards and wax theoret

Mar 23, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

Political feminism in South Korea

By David Tizzard  Last Sunday (March 8th) was International Women's Day. I took the time on Twitter to share a story not widely known among the English language students of Korea: That of Kwon In-suk.Kwon was the victim of sexual violence at Bucheon police station in 1986. A report in the LA Times from that year described how the Chun Doo-hwan government had confirmed that she was “forced to remove her jacket and T-shirt and was beaten in the breasts three or four times”.Kwon's crime had been to use a fake ID card so as to enter the factories as a student activist in an effort to dedicate herself to the labour movement in South Korea. Thousands of students (known as “undongkwon”) are believed to have done the same: abandoning their privilege and studies so as to help those who were suffering under extreme working conditions. Jeon Tae-il's self-immolation over a decade earlier had still to bring about any notable changes in the plight of the downtrodden. Rather than remain silent in the face of such violence, Kwon decided to stand-up and demand that her vo

Mar 15, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

I'm a racist cult member

By David Tizzard Well for the record, I’m not really. But there’s a point to the title if you’ll bear with me for three minutes. Essentially, it boils down to the fact that the outbreak of the Coronavirus has seemingly highlighted and exacerbated many people’s existing prejudices and negative thoughts. It’s magnifying the pessimism and ill-feeling our minds already harbor.Rather than encouraging people to stand together, to stand in support of those that they would not normally recognize, the disease is seemingly doing the opposite.It’s widening the social cleavages and tearing people apart. At least online where a lot of people are being forced to spend their time.It’s a bit like the moment in one of the Avengers movies where all the good guys in tights are on the Helicarrier examining the tesseract but then start turning on each other. They start arguing, blaming, criticizing, shouting, pointing fingers and swearing.Well actually there’s no swearing because it’s a kids’ film, but you get the point. They start attackin

Mar 7, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

Old man watches BTS video

By David Tizzard  It shouldn't really be news but a simple glance at YouTube will show you just how hot “reaction” videos are right now. Whether it's pop, toys, games, or Star Wars, people go online and lose their proverbial pants over the web's latest visual and audio offerings. Few, if any of the reaction videos, however, seem to be negative. Whether it's classical musicians gushing over Mike Patton's vocals in Faith No More or ballet dancers vibing on choreography in a hip-hop video, everything seems to be about telling people just how god-damn amazing something is. I wonder if these videos are so popular because they help impressionable people make up their minds about things and then give them phrases and soundbites that they can drop in conversation elsewhere: “The chorus is heavier than anything I've ever heard.” “It simply insists on itself.”Normally said when watching a pop song. Lol. The latest video to get the “reaction” treatment has been BTS' music video “On”. The near-6 minute video has broken a slew of re

Mar 1, 2020By David A. Tizzard

Opinion

Transgender Korea: The body as a battleground

By David Tizzard and Han JeongmunHan Jeongmun and David TizzardDr. Kim Seok-kwan is a name that many might not know, but he is a revolutionary figure for some in South Korean society.The doctor pioneered sex-change surgery in the traditionally conservative country, doing so as far back as 1986 when South Korea was still under the authoritarian rule of former army general President Chun Do-hwan.Following a series of repeated requests for operations, Dr. Kim left Korea and studied the field and related procedures at the University of California, Davis in the United States. He did so despite the vehement objections of his wife, Presbyterian minister, and his colleagues in the medical field.When he returned, motivated by a desire to comfort and heal those suffering from gender dysphoria, Dr. Kim kept the prices of the operations relatively low so as to make them available to those in need.Perhaps his most famous client was Harisu ― the country's first ever transgender idol. Harisu signed with TTM Entertainment, featured in a 2001 television commercial for DoDo cosmetics, and even reached

Feb 16, 2020By David A. Tizzard

David A. Tizzard

Read more

Schrodinger's Kim Jong-un

Is Korea better than America?

Sex, church and cherry blossoms

Bravo President Moon!

South Korea: sex, society and reform

I'm not a socialist but...

Political feminism in South Korea

I'm a racist cult member

Old man watches BTS video

Transgender Korea: The body as a battleground

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