Korea

Silent Struggles: Unraveling Korea’s Startling Elderly Suicide Surge

By Hyunsung (Julie) Lee
Growing up in a culture that values respect for elders, I was acutely aware of the importance of caring for our aging population. However, my journey to understanding the gravity of this issue truly began with a personal anecdote. I watched my grandmother, a pillar of strength throughout my childhood, gradually withdraw from the vibrant world in which she once thrived. The cheerful twinkle in her eyes began to dim, replaced by an eerie sense of isolation.

Korean Slums: The Shadows of Society, or the New Light for the Future?

By Dongjun Lee, Hyunjae 'Henry' Cho and Minseung Kim
Have you watched Parasite? In 2021, everyone seemed to be watching it. But I wonder how many of them paid attention to the old man who found a little shelter in a hidden basement behind the kitchen of a mansion. However hidden it was, that's where he could meet his basic needs. That was his little slum.

The Squid Game: The Story about Losers in the Shadow of Glory

By Ahn Mi Young
Immediately after its release, the Squid Game went viral, grabbing the attention of the world's entertainment stage. The grotesque and hyper-violent thriller has reportedly become Netflix's biggest show, the world's most-watched and the most-talked-about streaming entertainment. Is it a case of art imitating life?

Why Are So Many Nepali Workers in Korea Committing Suicide?

By Ki Mindo
For many Nepalis, it is dream to find work in Korea where they expect to earn many times more than in Nepal. Yet, there is a dark side to the Korean Dream: between 2009 to 2018, there were 143 deaths of Nepali workers in South Korean soil, and of them 43 were suicides.

Opinion: Why Women Peacemakers Marched in Korea

By Mairead Maguire
The year 2015 marked the 62nd anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War. The temporary ceasefire has never been replaced with a peace treaty and the demilitarised zone (DMZ) continues to divide the country.

Q&A: Better Students, Better Citizens, Better World: Education Is the Key to Peace

By Valentina Ieri
In a world where high levels of social and religious intolerance, conflicts, violent extremism and environmental degradation are threatening justice and peace, the United Nations is trying to find ways to maintain world order and promote sustainable development.

Opinion: The Bumpy Road to an Asian Century

By Shyam Saran
It has been apparent for some time that we are in the midst of a historic shift of the centre of gravity of the global economy from the trans-Atlantic to what is now becoming known as the Indo-Pacific.  

Opinion: Crisis Resolution and International Debt Workout Mechanisms

By Yilmaz Akyüz
Debt restructuring is a component of crisis management and resolution, and needs to be treated in the context of the current economic conjuncture and vulnerabilities.

Women Walk for Peace in the Korean Peninsula

By Valentina Ieri
A group of international women peacemakers announced on Wednesday at the United Nations their intention to walk across the two mile De-Militarized Zone (DMZ), in a call for peace and reunification of Korea.

Koreans Embrace Some Old Ways

By Ahn Mi Young
Old family bonds still seem to run deep in the South Korea of today. For evidence, one need only look at the yearning of the elderly to meet their long separated kin in North Korea during last month’s historic family reunions.

2014: Solutions to Ten Conflicts

By Johan Galtung
There are conflicts old and new crying for solution and reconciliation, not violence, with reasonable, realistic ways out.
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Q&A: South Korean Brands Invade Global Markets

By Thalif Deen
When U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former foreign minister of South Korea, met with Psy last October, he jokingly told the wildly popular rapper that he was "a bit jealous" of him.

Jeju Island Base Divides Korean, International Green Groups

By Jon Letman
As construction of a hotly contested naval base on South Korea’s Jeju Island advances, there’s a showdown underway.

South Korea Showcases Role as Donor at Expo 2012

By Isabelle de Grave
When South Korea took the initiative to integrate a development cooperation programme into this year’s World Expo, it stepped up its efforts to gain credibility as a donor on the international stage.
Ambassador Kim Sook. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Q&A: South Korea Steps Up as Marine Conservation Champion

By Isabelle de Grave
When South Korea picked an oceans theme for the 2012 Yeosu World Expo, it became host to the largest marine-themed event in history, with the potential to make a concrete contribution to sustainable development and simultaneously buoy the Korean global image.
Courtesy of Sam Koo.

OP-ED: World’s Ailing Oceans Find a New Dawn at Expo 2012

By Samuel Koo
Gazing over the ocean somehow puts a human being at peace with the world. To build a home with a view of the sea is the dream of many. The expanse of water, the beach, and tide magically draw us to them.


the lightbringer series