Huge news from North Korea in advance of the North-South summit next week, and planned denuclearization talks with the U.S. President. Read the rest
Kim Jong Un says North Korea no longer needs to do nuclear tests
South Korea, gripped by suicide epidemic, criminalizes suicide-pacts
South Korea has one of the world's highest suicide rates -- it has steadily mounted since 2000, rising to 25.6 per 100,000. Read the rest
Interesting look at Korea's massive counterfeit streetwear culture
This short documentary about Korean fashion is on its surface about the many looks cultivated by Korean designers, but it's especially interesting as an analysis of what late-stage capitalism looks like in a homogenous culture. Read the rest
Watch how hard it is to make a traditional Korean inlaid lacquer box
From collecting seashells for the inlay, harvesting tree sap for the lacquer, to adding the final touches, creating these stunning lacquer boxes in traditional Korean style takes about a year. Read the rest
Video about differences between visiting North Korea and South Korea
Sixty years ago, North Korea and South Korea were one country. Jacob Laukaitis recently spent a week in each country and made a video of the differences he saw. His guide in South Korea was a man who escaped from North Korea. He told Jacob that only the most privileged North Koreans get to live in the capital of Pyongon. He paid human smugglers $30,000 to take him out of the county. He spent three years working on a farm in China to pay off the debt. Read the rest
Kim Jong Un romper suit for dudes
Keep the excesses of one of the world's cruelest, most corrupt nations top-of-mind with this $80 Kim Jong Un men's romper suit, which is, conveniently machine wash/wrinkle free. via Crazy Abalone) Read the rest
North Korea displays massive live-fire artillery drill as U.S. nuclear sub docks in South Korea
As a U.S. nuclear-powered missile submarine docked in South Korea today, North Korea put on a huge live-fire artillery drill to commemorate the foundation of its military--and, presumably, show the world who's boss.
Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs are the subject of renewed concerns in recent weeks, as the blundering Donald J. Trump administration 'forgets' where its armadas are. Pretty much the entire world is freaked out today over the possibility of future nuclear tests (or worse) by 'that gentleman' in Pyongyang, as forgetful Donald likes to call him. Read the rest
Korean protests in Santa suits occupy Seoul's streets, demanding removal of impeached president Park
Everybody knows that North Korea is a failed state basket-case full of starving people and multigenerational concentration camps, but South Korea is hardly the model of good governance: from the long-serving leader who stole $200M and gave it to his kids (who now live happily in America off his nest-egg) to those long-ago days of 1988 when the government kidnapped homeless people and developmentally delayed people and put them into forced labor camps -- some of which still operate today. Read the rest
Listen to "Another Brick in the Wall" played on traditional Korean gayageum
Gayageum virtuoso Luna Lee's intense cover of "Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)."
Grass sprouted in worn Persian rugs
Austrian artist Martin Roth created an installation of grass sprouted in worn Persian rugs at the UK's Korean Cultural Centre; the grass sprouts, dies, and ruins the rugs. In between, the room looks and (apparently) smells amazing. Read the rest
Before 1988 Olympics, South Korea sent 'vagrants' to camps where rape and murder were routine
In the runup to the 1988 Olympics, the South Korean government ordered Seoul's "vagrants" to be cleared from the street. Thousands of people, many of them small children, were sent to a "welfare facility" called "Brothers Home," where they were subject to vicious, often fatal beatings and routine rape. The order to round up the vagrants came from then-President Park Chung-hee (father of current President Park Geun-hye) whose successor, President Chun Doo-hwan, suppressed any investigation into the atrocities. Read the rest
North Korea channels the voice of Abraham Lincoln in “Hey, Obama” letter to U.S.
“Hey, Obama,” a weird letter from North Korea to the President of the United States opens, according to a translation offered by the Associated Press. “I know you have a lot on your mind these days … I’ve decided to give you a little advice.” Read the rest
Hack-attacks with stolen certs tell you the future of FBI vs Apple
Since 2014, Suckfly, a hacker group apparently based in Chengdu, China, has used at least 9 signing certs to make their malware indistinguishable from official updates from the vendor. Read the rest
Inside South Korea's dog-cloning lab
Tony from the Starshipsofa podcast writes, "This week I talk (MP3) to freelance science journalist Mark Zastrow about his visit to a controversial Korean lab, led by Woosuk Hwang who is cloning puppy dogs." Read the rest
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" played on a Korean gayageum
Luna Lee plays Nirvana on an ancient, traditional Korean instrument called the gayageum.
South Korean lawmakers stage filibuster to protest "anti-terror" bill, read from Little Brother
Since 2001, authoritarians in the South Korean government have been attempting to pass mass surveillance legislation (see also), and they have seized upon the latest North Korean saber-rattling as the perfect excuse for ramming it through the SK Parliament. Read the rest
Ghost holograms gather in Seoul to protest Korea's crackdown on free speech
Protesters gathered in Seoul this week, the night before South Korean President Park Geun-hye's third anniversary in office, to condemn his administration's growing crackdown on free speech. But these protesters were life-size hologram "ghosts," and they marched over a transparent screen facing an old palace gate in the city's historic Gwanghwamun Square. Read the rest
