Sayaka Chatani at Frog In a Well has an interesting post on anthropological and folklore studies in Colonial Korea, particularly about one ethnographer who seems to have taken a surprisingly sympathetic and marxist view of his subject.
Cell Phones in North Korea?
NYTimes reports on new information project: smuggling Chinese-network cell phones into NK to interview locals
Were Koreans interned with Japanese in WWII? No.
According to Wayne Patterson — the foremost scholar in English on Korean immigration — Koreans on the US mainland were exempted from evacuation and other restrictions by the Justice Department, which very carefully wrote Korean exceptions into their anti-Japanese regulations and orders. (The Ilse, p. 196) In Hawai’i, however, the military governorship there considered them Japanese nationals and they were formally subject to the same restrictions as other enemy aliens; in reality, many of the restrictions were not enforced, but the Korean community lobbied hard with the government, the military and the press to get their anti-Japanese stance officially recognized. Due to some concern about possible infiltration and shady individuals within the community, military intelligence balked until late ’43, about half a year before military rule in Hawai’i territory came to an end. (pp. 181-206)
Gender Balance
This Economist article is mostly about China and India, but notes South Korea’s retreat from the brink of a gender imbalance disaster.
Shoe Theft and Shoe Loss in South Korea
NYTimes reports on the arrest of a man with 1700 pairs of (allegedly) stolen shoes, and the larger problem of shoe management in a society which often goes shoeless.
North Korean … economy?
North Korea has stopped using money. All transactions to be carried out by bank transfer and certified check.
North Korean Divine Rule?
Turns out there’s actually an interesting debate about whether North Korea has claimed supernatural powers for their leading family.
The Kwangju Uprising
It was the Kwangju Uprising whose name we couldn’t come up with in class, and the thirtieth anniversary is approaching quickly.
South Koreans Texting Champions
Did I mention that South Korea was the most “wired” nation in the world? It also has world-class text messagers.
North Korean Studies
The NYT has a review of several new books on North Korea.