Sanctions, what sanctions? Kim Jong-un is partying like it’s 1999. Data released today by South Korea’s central bank (link in Korean) showed that in 2016…
LAST GASP
China is frantically trying to make sure Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo doesn’t die during the G20
Chinese authorities have kept political dissident and Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in prison since 2008, only to “release” him last month because he has…
TROUBLING TRAJECTORY
North Korea just test-launched a missile capable of hitting Alaska
For years, North Korea has been doggedly working toward fielding an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the US. Today (July 4), it says…
LOOKING THE PART
Korea’s president wants to ban photos, and questions about your parents, in job applications
Seoul, South Korea Personal connections go a long way in South Korea—just look at the scale of the influence-peddling scandal that brought down president Park…
DON'T GIVE UP
China wants another try at brainwashing Hong Kong’s young into being obedient patriots
In 2012, tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong took to the streets for days to resist an attempt by the government to implement…
NOBEL REVENGE
Norway wants China to forget about the human rights thing and eat salmon instead
Norway is the world’s biggest producer of salmon. But hardly any of it goes to China, the biggest consumer of seafood. Since the Nobel Prize…
TABOO
An outcry over DIY period pads has sparked a national menstruation conversation in Korea
Eun-seo, a 16-year-old girl who lives only with her disabled father, cannot afford sanitary napkins and with no proper education at home about how to…
VISA EQUALITY
It’s good for business: Why Goldman Sachs is intervening in a gay rights case in Hong Kong
Twelve international financial firms are stepping in to help a woman in a same-sex relationship obtain a dependent visa to live and work in Hong…
POOPED
Japanese students are learning how to write characters from a poop-shaped teacher
There’s a new way to make learning Chinese characters fun for Japanese kids—just add poop. The series “Unko kanji drills”—”unko” meaning poop, and “kanji” the…
OVERREACTION
“Body-slam”: What Greg Gianforte actually did to the Guardian reporter
Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate for a House seat in Montana, was charged with misdemeanor assault after he attacked Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs at an…
ELITES
A viral video of a politician and his suitcase shows what’s wrong with male entitlement in Korea
Kim Moo-sung, a 65 year-old Korean politician, arrived at Seoul’s Gimpo Airport yesterday (May 23) after returning from a trip to Japan. As he entered…
KAWAII
How the world’s largest rodent became a superstar in Japan
They chill out in open-air hot springs in the winter, they’re widely available as cuddly plush toys, and aficionados lovingly curate their photos on social…
