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The Korea Times

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Columnists

Jason Lim

Too old to wage war

While tragic and unwarranted, wars provide a glimpse into the world that we are living in. Here are a few interesting observations from the ongoing war in Ukraine that have relevance for Korea.

2022-03-20 16:09

Stories that kill

When someone asks me what my race is in the U.S., I reply that I am an Asian American. When someone asks my Indian-American friend what his race is, he also says that he's an Asian American. We are both be correct in the U.S. However, when we are asked the same question in Singapore, for example, we might not answer it in the same way. I might reply that I am a Korean while he might reply that he's an Indian. Nothing has changed about us. The location and the cultural boundaries that define our physical looks have changed, so our internal stories about who we are adapt to the local cultural ...

2022-03-06 16:09

Politics of Olympic representation

Born a citizen on one country but representing another country in international sports venues is nothing new. A simple internet search will turn up hundreds of cases in recent history.

2022-02-20 16:49

What are you wearing to the Olympics?

As someone who's plugged into the U.S. and South Korean media, I think it's reasonable to say that this year's Winter Games in Beijing isn't really getting lots of traction in the press in the two countries. I almost wish that I was just as savvy about the Chinese media scene so that I could compare. I am sure it would be a fascinating contrast in terms of world views.

2022-02-06 17:00

Searching for meaning in Korea

Last November, Se-woong Koo wrote an interesting piece for Korea Expose titled, “What Makes Life Meaningful in Korea? Not Much, It Seems.” It was his take on the Pew Survey that had just come out, that showed that, out of 17 advanced countries, Korea was the only country that put material wellbeing as the #1 contributing factor to making life "meaningful, fulfilling or satisfying.”

2022-01-23 16:31

Hair loss presidency

As the South Korean elections get closer, one must make allowances for seemingly outrageous promises by candidates vying for last-minute votes. Even by that standard, the policy position by Lee Jae-Myung, the presidential candidate for the ruling progressive party, to cover hair loss treatment under public health insurance was a bold move that captured lots of attention.

2022-01-09 16:52

'Grande fishing'

Ariana Grande is one of the biggest names in show biz, and she wants to look Asian. She wants to look Asian because she wants to remain cutting-edge and relevant with the latest pop music trend, where K-pop is a hot name, with the likes of BTS and Blackpink. This behavior is referred to as “Asian fishing,” which I gather refers to the practice of non-Asians trying to look like Asians to profit off the image somehow. Supposedly, Grande has done the same before with Black women (Black fishing) and Latina women (Latina fishing).

2021-12-12 16:48

The 'Hellbound' question

What happens when a true-to-God (pun intended), undeniable miracle occurs on live social media, witnessed by both those onsite and online? How do people react to the truly unexplainable? More interestingly, how does the whole society react when the supernatural becomes real? Those are the underlying questions that I found so fascinating in “Hellbound,” South Korea's latest blockbuster series on Netflix.

2021-11-28 16:40

Sandworms of 'Dune' and ownership of culture

“Dune” is one of the defining books of my teenage years. At the end of the 8th grade, as the early summer heat settled oppressively upon the emptying campus on the last day of school, I came across a used book sale in the cafeteria.

2021-11-14 17:05

'Diablo' atrocity and the rise of the digital state

As I write this, there is a Blue House petition titled, “Reporting Blizzard's Atrocities.” Blizzard is the maker of the popular game, “Diablo.” Over 15,000 Korean citizens have signed onto the petition. Basically, the petition complains that millions of members have paid close to $50 each to be able to play the latest version of the game released on Sept. 21, but that they have been severely hampered in their enjoyment due to frequent server outages and random issues with their game progress being forcibly rolled back to some earlier status. The real outrage stems from the game company's lac...

2021-10-31 17:10

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