Korea’s Animal Casualties
During a lesson on describing animals, I asked my students about South Korea’s national animal. Foreheads wrinkled. Eyes glanced sideways. “Tiger?” said one student. “Bear?” said another. They looked to […]
Tag Archives: Japan
Anything but Comfort for the Almost-Extinct Halmonis
Every Wednesday at noon, for the past decade, seven geriatric Korean women gather outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul. They are the last of the Korean “위안부/Wianbu”or “Comfort Women”, who were forced to work […]
귀엽다 Korea: The World’s (second) Cutest Nation
Well aware of the cutsie aesthetic that pervades Asian pop culture (only living under a bush for a decade or two would have saved me from Hello Kitty), I was […]
The Culture Muncher 