South Korea
Native Son
Since 1973, South Korean athletes who win Olympic medals or Asian Games gold have been spared most of their military service, a reward that has put unusual pressure on Korean soccer and shaped the careers of stars like Son Heung-min.
‘MAGAfication’ in East Asia
In Japan and South Korea, a culture war playbook inspired by MAGA is fueling a new political wave on the right. Its supporters rail against supposedly rigged elections and the communist “menace” from China and North Korea, demand zero immigration and oppose civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community.
South Korea’s ‘Willfully Unmarried’ Movement
South Korea has long had the world’s lowest birth rate — a trend that it is unlikely to reverse. The country’s experience, fueled by increasingly divergent views on marriage and childbirth among women and men, may be a cautionary tale for the United States, where birth rates recently hit an all-time low.
How South Korea’s Directors Took Their Discontent Global
Contemporary South Korean film and television present the capitalist system that emerged following the peninsula’s war over 70 years ago as fundamentally broken, generating class divisions that cannot be penetrated through perseverance or hard work. Their message is uniform: Either we destroy it, or it destroys us.
How Memories of Struggle Spurred the Defense of South Korea’s Democracy
For many South Koreans, the martial law decree last month was a reminder of previous military coups, and for activists who pushed for reform in the 1980s, it was those painful memories and the resilience they gained from the struggle that led them to risk everything to defend Seoul’s democracy.
The Gendered Battle Over Digital Sexual Abuse in South Korea
In South Korea, pornographic deepfakes are endemic. Feminists have been raising the alarm, resulting in stricter laws against digital sexual abuse. But entrenched misogyny and traditional patriarchal attitudes persist, and girls and women continue to feel unsafe online.
The Dark Underbelly of Korea’s Economic Miracle
Observers have long marveled at the breathtaking economic success of the Republic of Korea. But there is a dark side to the Korean miracle: It has been made possible, in part, by the Joseonjok, Chinese citizens of Korean descent, who are widely treated as second-class residents.