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Hither and Yon

Korean protests at the Olympics, then and now

February 8, 2018, Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

Mid-winter is not exactly the best time for mass demonstrations in South Korea. Protesters prefer to wait for spring, but the Winter Olympics leave them no choice.

Flag-wavers are out there during the coldest ever Olympics, the rightists waving Korean and American flags, leftists and liberals  Read More 
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Profiles in Korean corruption: First female president may be seen later as tragic figure

March 30, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

The prospect of Park Geun-Hye going to jail in the most sweeping political scandal in modern Korean history inspires invidious comparisons. Who, actually, was the most corrupt president since promulgation of the “democracy constitution” in 1987 at the height of demonstrations as massive as those we have  Read More 
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The South Korean split over Gwangju revolt still festers, empowering the North

Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk, EastAsiaIntel.com

GWANGJU ― The ghosts of the uprising of May 18, 1980, hover over this old but new city in a restive spirit that shows the disunity, the factional splits and the regional hatreds that persist in undermining the ability of South Korea to stand effectively against challenges  Read More 
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Koreans are free to vent bottled-up fury on the southern side of the DMZ

Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk, EastAsiaIntel.com
SEOUL — Freedom will ring on the streets of Seoul Saturday, when demonstrators denounce the government for numerous transgressions beginning with the scheme to impose state-edited, state-published school textbooks in place of those by independent scholars.
People by now are so accustomed to the sounds of  Read More 
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2 tough Asian leaders will be rememered longer than nicer mediocrities

Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com
When it comes to judging the performance of deceased national leaders under the icy glare of historical research, strongmen go down in collective memory as tough guys who defeated their enemies and built up their countries. Weak leaders are often regarded as mediocrities, especially if  Read More 
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Asian corruption: Despite investigative reporting exposés, it’s still going gangbusters

Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com
MANILA — The title was alluring: “The First Asian Investigative Journalism Conference.”
For two days, experts regaled journalists from all over Asia on how to track down the secret stories, the purloined funds, the hidden wealth of the high and mighty in countries and economies ranging  Read More 
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