The weekend is here, and with it the time to catch up on your reading. Here are a few long reads that you might enjoy:
Factory Girls: Cultural technology and the making of K-pop. A trip into South Korea’s global pop music industry. Meet the artists and their image makers, see how they took over Asia and aspire to enter the US markets. And yes, get a little more perspective on Psy and Gangnam Style. The New Yorker
The story behind another deadly year on Everest. It was the deadliest year since 1996 on the world’s tallest mountain, but don’t blam the weather. Blame congestion in the death zone. Der Spiegel
Did ExxonMobil pay torturers? A lawsuit before the US Supreme Court would hold the world’s largest oil company liable for alleged atrocities committed by Indonesian soldiers in the company’s pay during a 1999-2001 civil war. The legal ramifications for ExxonMobil and other multinationals could be enormous. Mother Jones
Mitt’s stake. For ten years, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney lead a Mormon Church, making a strong impression on his co-religionists. A rare look the spiritual side of a politician often considered robotic and religion often considered mysterious. New York Magazine
Jamie Dimon on the line. An portrait of the man who runs the largest bank in the United States, from his successful navigation of the financial crisis to embarrassment of the London Whale. By the way, here’s how that happened. Vanity Fair
Suggestions for stories to add? Magazines we should be reading? Send to hi@qz.com.