South Korea’s conservative government is rolling back free speech protections and going after progressive activists and political parties.
Korea’s Domestic Cold War
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South Korea
South Korea’s Free Speech Problem
Criminal indictments for defamation have more than doubled in South Korea, chilling free speech and giving pause to critics of President Park Geun-hye and her party.
South Korea: Ground Zero for Food Sovereignty and Community Resilience
South Korea may be better known for its high-tech exports, but its small farmers are leading the way when it comes to food sovereignty and community agriculture.
Korean Democracy at a Crossroads
When Park Geun-hye became president of South Korea earlier this year, there was a sense of unease among many that the election of a dictator’s daughter represented a step backward for the country’s three-decade old democracy. Recent events show those fears to be well...
Southern Inhospitality
In every way, Yu Woo-seong was a model defector. In his early 30s, he was smart, friendly, ambitious, and well liked. Trained as a doctor in North Korea, he eschewed the competitive South Korean medical school system and instead pursued a bachelor’s degree in business...
Empire, Capitalism, and Human Trafficking in Northeast Asia
The trafficking of North Korean women throughout Northeast Asia is a process whereby women are commoditized. They are sold to Chinese men as brides, or forced into prostitution to pay off debts accumulated while escaping North Korea. In many ways, North Korean women are inheritors of the suffering of Japan’s “comfort women.”
Breaking Out the Bush Playbook on Korea
In the current crisis on the Korean peninsula, the Obama administration is virtually repeating the 2004 Bush playbook, one that derailed a successful diplomatic agreement forged by the Clinton administration to prevent North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons.
North Korea’s Withdrawal From Kaesong: Cutting Off Its Nose to Spite Its Face
The stability of the Kaesong operation is considered a bellwether for the state of affairs between North and South Korea.
How a North Korean Attack on South Korea Might Unfold
It’s easy to forget that Seoul lies only about thirty miles from the Demilitarized Zone.
Bizarre Belligerence on the Korean Peninsula
News about North Korea falls into two categories: the comical and the frightening. Examples of the former type of story abound, but unfortunately, the news from North Korea has of late been of the frightening variety. What the North Korean leadership is hoping to achieve by its belligerence is anyone’s guess, but the aggressive U.S. response has only escalated tensions.