In the past decade, South Korea has been experiencing a sharp decline in its fertility rate with the average falling to an all-time low of 0.78 in 2022. This is far below the replacement level of 2.1, which is … Continue reading
Tag: South Korea
South Korea’s Fertility Crisis: The Intersection of Culture and Society
Fertility and demography-related issues have emerged in numerous developed countries, but only a handful, including South Korea, are currently facing a shrinking population. Asia’s fourth-largest economy has recently broken the world record for the lowest birth rate (249,000) and a … Continue reading
Itaewon Crowd Crush and its Political Implications: An Accident or Preventable Disaster?
On the evening of Saturday, October 29, 2022, about 100,000 people mostly in their teens and 20s gathered in the popular nightlife district in central Seoul, Itaewon, to enjoy Halloween festivities. With the revival of parties and clubbing for the … Continue reading
Hanbok vs Hanfu: Chinese Cultural Appropriation Stirs Outrage in South Korea
The controversy on the origin of ‘hanbok’ first came about in April 2021, when Chinese mobile game “Call me an Emperor” dressed a female character in a hanbok dress that was worn by Korean singer-songwriter and actress IU in the … Continue reading
South Korea-Japan Relations: Will the Hostility Ever End?
The mutual animosities between Japan and South Korea remain hostile and unresolved, tied to lingering wounds that have not yet been healed from a century ago. The most critical dispute rooted in the history of these two nations is the “comfort women” crisis — tens of thousands of women across Asia, most of them Korean, were sent into military brothels to service Japanese soldiers as sex slaves.
The Global Community’s Response to Japan’s Fukushima Water Release Plan
The Japanese government plans to release the tritium-tainted water into the Pacific Ocean in small amounts over the next 30 years. However, the plan has received an overflowing of criticism from Japanese citizens and those abroad.