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WITH THE flames at Notre-Dame Cathedral came a wave of sadness from all around the world. The fire on April 15, 2019 partly destroyed the world-renown French landmark that embodies French history and identity. Many companies and individuals are sending their condolences by donating money to be used to rebuild the monument, and the total adds up to a large sum of money. However, months before the fire, there have been protests in France demanding for economic reforms that address inequality. When attention was shifted to the Notre-Dame fire, they started to question a nation’s priority—th
Today's Affairs
Lee So-jung
2019.06.03 23:24
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EVERY KOREAN male is familiar with Article 88 of the Military Service Act: “Any person who has received a notice of enlistment for active duty service or a notice of call and fails to enlist in the military or to comply with the call… shall be punished by imprisonment with labour for no more than three years.” The following article has accounted for the incarceration of more than 19,300 conscientious objectors who refused to enlist for reasons based on their personal beliefs and faiths. While failure to comply with the duty of conscription under any reason has been considered a criminal
Society
Jo Beom-su
2019.06.03 23:11
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WE ARE taught that plastics disposed in specific bins are eventually recycled. Little were we told about the fate of plastics, mostly transported to China, and hardly ever transformed into new goods because they were made of non-recyclable materials. Since 1992, 106 million metric tons, or nearly half of all the plastics on earth have been reported to enter China according to a study published in Science Advances. But in January 2018, China introduced new environmental regulations banning the import of 24 types of solid waste, including waste plastics. This ended China’s long-standing role as
Worldwide
Javier Saladich Nebot
2019.05.11 13:14
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“DENIAL IS the eighth stage that always follows a genocide,” said Gregory H. Stanton, the founder of Genocide Watch. In denying that the crime ever happened and blaming the events on the victims, denial finalizes a tragedy. Among the most tragic moments in modern Korean history, the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising stands out for how its memory is still disputed and invalidated. Most recently, former president Chun Doo-hwan stood on trial for the first time for 23 years for defamation against a witness of the Uprising. The tragedy’s mastermind still refused to apologize to the massacre, influencing the n
Society
Cho Seung-wan
2019.05.07 13:30
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“WARNING. YOU have been denied access to the site because it has been reported to provide illegal and harmful content.” You get home after a long day and go into Joovideo, your favorite free K-drama site, to watch an episode of your favorite drama that aired last night. However, this warning pops up when you try to access the site. Starting February 11, the Korean government has put restrictions on 895 websites that were seen to contain inappropriate or harmful content, including pornography, gambling and piracy sites. Korea Communications Commission (KCC) explained this restriction is simply
Society
Lee So-jung
2019.04.03 18:05
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IN SEPTEMBER 2018, Facebook’s profile data was breached, and 50 million users’ personal information were reportedly stolen. Under Armour overlooking flaws in their cyber-system also incurred a situation in March 2018 where hackers compromised their MyFitnessPal app and purloined the passwords of 150 million members. As corporations suffer attacks from malicious sources, the damage that their consumers receive are unfortunately increasing. With a greater amount of people’s personal information placed online, companies are showing increasing concern over internet crime and managing their infrast
Worldwide
Cho Seung-wan
2019.04.03 17:59
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PARK KYUNG-HEE, a mother of two students, is facing a serious dilemma. With her eldest daughter going into her last year in middle school, she is just a year away from deciding whether to send her daughter to a public high school or a specialized, private high school. “If my child can keep up, I do want to send her to a specialized high school,” mentioned Park. “With the current trend in university admission, specialized schools certainly ensure more prepared portfolios and opportunities for extra-curricular activities, which are crucial factors that may determine the kind of university my chi
Today's Affairs
Jo Beom-su. Lee So-jung
2019.03.06 19:20
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IN THE streets of Formigine, Italy, the mass closing of industries and factories has rendered numerous workers jobless. Both citizens and business owners are left confounded as the choice is not in their hands. This is only one of the various nationwide hardships that the state is facing nowadays due to a severe recession. A major actor within global markets, Italy has plummeted into an economic and political crisis starting from the second half of 2018. Employment rates have reached 11.7%, national growth rates are under 1%, and the people elected a populist coalition government in the midst
Worldwide
Cho Seung-wan
2019.03.06 18:50
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ARTICLE 4 OF the Seoul Ordinance of Student Rights states that “the student shall have the right to realize his or her personality in appearance such as dress and hair” and that “the head of the school and the school staff shall not regulate appearance, hair, and more, against the will of the student, however, clothing may be limited by school rules.” This ordinance was established in 2012, and since then, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) has endeavored to promulgate this article, most recently through pushing forward on South Korean students’ hairstyle liberalization and unif
Society
Hong Jee-seung
2018.12.02 20:37
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DECEMBER TRULY befits its title as “the month of giving.” The sounds of hand bells resonate in the streets of Seoul as volunteers from various non-profit organizations (NPOs) promote a range of charity works. Donating is an annual ritual for many of us as we share our love and compassion with those in need during the holidays, and these donations add up to make a considerable impact. According to a report from Guidestar Korea, the total amount of donations collected by 8,993 NPOs amounted to a net sum of 1.3 trillion KRW in December 2016 alone. This was more than three times the monthly averag
Today's Affairs
Jo Beom-su
2018.12.02 20:28
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ON OPPOSITE ends of the economic tug-of-war rope, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping take turns pulling their side, both attempting to impose their strength and topple the other. Trump makes the first move, imposing taxes on Chinese goods; Xi retaliates with a tariff on U.S. goods. Both stand their ground. Since June 2018, the world’s two largest economies have engaged in a trade war that not only affects their respective countries but threatens massive repercussions for the onlookers as well. However, recent talks and negotiations have seemed to allay further escalat
Worldwide
Lee So-jung
2018.12.02 19:06
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BUYING A house of your own in Korea is now harder than ever. Recently, housing prices have risen dramatically, resulting in an increased burden on the general population. Some claim that the housing shortage is due to land scarcity that could easily be fixed with the construction of houses on undeveloped land. However, the undeveloped land that could be potentially used to build houses is within Korea’s green belt region. The green belt region is an established area set by the government that is restricted from any further land development. The region has been maintained in an effort to preven
Today's Affairs
Lee So-jung
2018.11.04 21:42
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AFTER A shocking 51% majority vote in 2016, the British public decided that the United Kingdom (U.K.) would leave the European Union (EU) under a Conservative Government to become an independent country, free to make its own rules, trades, and immigration policies. Set to leave by March 29,2019*, the U.K. frontrunners have sat down with the EU 27** Leaders to negotiate a deal to ensure that Britain leaves with security. Two years later, the only thing to show for these monthly negotiations is the humiliating rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Chequers Deal***: a proposal that both Remai
Worldwide
Aimee Miller
2018.11.02 20:37
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ON JULY 27, 2018, the Ministry of National Defense released Defense Reform 2.0, representing a new path for the South Korean military. Officially announced by the Minister of Defense, Song Young-moo, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Armed Forces is now pursuing several reforms to achieve its vision: the “realization of a strong military and a responsible national defense that supports the peace and prosperity of the nation.” These reforms include policies pertaining to the ROK Forces’ “hard power,” including their military technology, capabilities and structuring, and the ROK Forces’ “soft power,”
Today's Affairs
Hong Jee-seung, Jo Beom-su
2018.09.02 12:21
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KOREA IS experiencing one of the hottest summers ever, with a record-breaking temperature of 41 degrees in Hongcheon and 39.6 degrees in Seoul on Aug. 1. The scorching heat has been severely detrimental. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40 people have died from heat-related causes, such as heatstroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps. In addition, there have been around 4,000 cases of patients who have suffered from heat-related illnesses. Although the heat affects everyone, laborers who work outdoors are at a greater risk. According to The Hankyoreh,
Society
Lee So-jung
2018.09.02 12:15
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“I NEED to have some Pyeongyang naeng-myeon*.” The day after the 2018 inter-Korean summit, my friend expressed his desire to try one of the dishes President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had during their shared meal. Although that comment was made partly in jest, it also reflected a deeper hope of restoring relations with our northern neighbor. My friend wasn’t the only one with filled with optimism. On online media and in schools across South Korea, enthusiasm and excitement buoyed by the success of the summit had many thinking about going to Europe through North Korea by tr
Today's Affairs
Song In-jun
2018.06.04 16:17
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“YOU DON’T have any background in politics. You don’t have any background in law. You don’t have any background on international treaties. How can a tradesman, a merchant and a tower constructor make judgements about international affairs?” These are just some of the scathing words Iranian President Hassan Rouhani directed at U.S. President Donald Trump, ever since Trump announced to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. Previously, North Korea drew the world’s attention as a hotspot of insecurity, but perhaps Iran now poses a greater concern, as ramifications of a nuclear agreement without the
Worldwide
Julius Hulshof
2018.06.04 14:46
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THE KOREAN music industry is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise that has taken the world by storm with its trendy artists and glamorous idols. Yet within this industry, only the popular, well-known artists are the ones who “make it,” able to make a living out of their music. Non-mainstream artists are often unable to survive within the brutal industry. Last year, indie artist Lee Lang went viral for auctioning off her trophy during her acceptance speech at the Korean Music Awards, saying that she needed the money to pay her rent. This is due to the fact that in Korea, fair compensation for arti
Society
Kim Bo-dam
2018.06.04 14:21
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ON FEBRUARY 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz opened fire at his former school in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 and injuring 14 others. This tragedy adds to the list of recent high-profile mass shootings, joining the ranks of Sutherland Springs (26 killed), Las Vegas (58 killed), and Orlando (49 killed). America has been home to five of the six deadliest mass shootings of the past six years; in each case, a semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle was the weapon of choice for the killer. Every successive shooting pushes gun-control groups' demands for increased regulations; many even advocate for an outright ba
Worldwide
Peter Kim
2018.04.09 19:46
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BEN OBADIA was only two years old when he contracted leukemia. He was able to undergo treatment early, but, due to the chemotherapy, Ben was both unable to receive the right vaccination doses and contracted a feeble immune system. When Ben’s mother learned that a non-vaccinated, measles-stricken child was in the same hospital room as him, she felt despair, realizing her son might have to fight both leukemia and measles. Ben was placed in a separate room, but the fear did not subside. Ultimately, he did not end up contracting measles.* Although Ben was fortunate, many others going under chemoth
Today's Affairs
Song In-jun
2018.04.09 17:31