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March 10, 2017 11:08 AM Subscribe
On Friday, 10 March 2017, around 5pm KST, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea voted unanimously to uphold the impeachment PARK Geun-hye. She leaves office after a term with few high points and many low ones. Acting President and Prime Minister HWANG Kyo-ahn will continue in that capacity until the next election, scheduled for 9 May 2017, seven months ahead of schedule.
The announcement is the conclusion of a dramatic saga involving influence peddling and bribery from major Korean corporations such as Samsung, Lotte, SK, and LG, to embezzling public funds and mishandling sensitive information, to purchasing large quantities of sildenafil, ostensibly to treat altitude sickness.
These revelations led to regular peaceful protests along Seoul's one of most important streets, Sejong Boulevard, connecting Gyeongbokgug Palace and the Blue House beyond it to Cheonggyecheon to Seoul City Hall, regularly drawing millions and showcasing the power of reasonably well-funded mass transit.
The early election will prove difficult for everyone involved. Conservatives are split between the shattered remains of PARK's center-right party, Saenuri, rebranded as Liberty Korea, and the Righteous Party, composed of anti-PARK defectors. Many conservatives had hoped former Secretary-General of the United Nations BAN Ki-moon would run, as he remains popular in Korea and hails from the swingy central region; however, BAN declined. Liberals face a choice between the two center-left parties, larger Minjoo and the smaller People's Party, whose candidates are widely expected to be MOON Jae-in, former chief of staff to the last center-left president, ROH Moo-hyun, and technology entrepreneur AHN Cheol-soo, both of whom ran in 2012.
Whoever is elected next will face a veritable grab bag of problems, from anemic GDP growth, the usual North Korean provocations which may not be so usual anymore, a Chinese relationship on the rocks thanks to a recent THAAD deployment, to the perception that the political and corporate elite live by different rules from the average citizen.
Interesting times, indeed.
---
This is not the first time a Korean president has faced impeachment--in 2004, ROH Moo-hyun was impeached by the National Assembly on a vote following party lines; however, the Constitutional Court overturned it, reinstating him to the presidency.
For extra fun, the conservative-leaning Korea Times has a list of disgraced former leaders of South Korea. It lines up quite well with leaders of South Korea whose terms in power were longer than two years.
Previously (1): The Irrational Downfall of Park Geun-hye
Previously (2): 5% approval
The announcement is the conclusion of a dramatic saga involving influence peddling and bribery from major Korean corporations such as Samsung, Lotte, SK, and LG, to embezzling public funds and mishandling sensitive information, to purchasing large quantities of sildenafil, ostensibly to treat altitude sickness.
These revelations led to regular peaceful protests along Seoul's one of most important streets, Sejong Boulevard, connecting Gyeongbokgug Palace and the Blue House beyond it to Cheonggyecheon to Seoul City Hall, regularly drawing millions and showcasing the power of reasonably well-funded mass transit.
The early election will prove difficult for everyone involved. Conservatives are split between the shattered remains of PARK's center-right party, Saenuri, rebranded as Liberty Korea, and the Righteous Party, composed of anti-PARK defectors. Many conservatives had hoped former Secretary-General of the United Nations BAN Ki-moon would run, as he remains popular in Korea and hails from the swingy central region; however, BAN declined. Liberals face a choice between the two center-left parties, larger Minjoo and the smaller People's Party, whose candidates are widely expected to be MOON Jae-in, former chief of staff to the last center-left president, ROH Moo-hyun, and technology entrepreneur AHN Cheol-soo, both of whom ran in 2012.
Whoever is elected next will face a veritable grab bag of problems, from anemic GDP growth, the usual North Korean provocations which may not be so usual anymore, a Chinese relationship on the rocks thanks to a recent THAAD deployment, to the perception that the political and corporate elite live by different rules from the average citizen.
Interesting times, indeed.
---
This is not the first time a Korean president has faced impeachment--in 2004, ROH Moo-hyun was impeached by the National Assembly on a vote following party lines; however, the Constitutional Court overturned it, reinstating him to the presidency.
For extra fun, the conservative-leaning Korea Times has a list of disgraced former leaders of South Korea. It lines up quite well with leaders of South Korea whose terms in power were longer than two years.
Previously (1): The Irrational Downfall of Park Geun-hye
Previously (2): 5% approval
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- frimble
I don't know much about the country/culture. I'd hope we can applaud this as the consequences of the demands of a properly informed and rational democratic polity?
posted by Reasonably Everything Happens at 11:20 AM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Reasonably Everything Happens at 11:20 AM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
stands to lose the right to be buried beside her father at the national cemetery
Damn, Korea is hard-core.
posted by Etrigan at 11:22 AM on March 10, 2017 [11 favorites]
Damn, Korea is hard-core.
posted by Etrigan at 11:22 AM on March 10, 2017 [11 favorites]
> I don't know much about the country/culture. I'd hope we can applaud this as the consequences of the demands of a properly informed and rational democratic polity?
> i was hoping all the links would have suggested so, but apparently not.
I think the question is "are there other circumstances below the surface that make this outcome murkier than it appears?" and I'll take your answer to mean "nope."
Thank you for this write-up, and for sharing additional context. I've heard brief, troubling and/or weird stories of PARK Geun-hye's term in office, but nothing that painted a larger picture like you have done here.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:31 AM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
> i was hoping all the links would have suggested so, but apparently not.
I think the question is "are there other circumstances below the surface that make this outcome murkier than it appears?" and I'll take your answer to mean "nope."
Thank you for this write-up, and for sharing additional context. I've heard brief, troubling and/or weird stories of PARK Geun-hye's term in office, but nothing that painted a larger picture like you have done here.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:31 AM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm not super well-informed on the Korean political situation, but from what I can tell South Korea has only had legitimate democratic elections since about 1987 or so, despite being nominally a republic since 1948. The rest of its post-WWII history features more coups than you might naively expect.
So, removing a corrupt and unpopular President by peaceful means is both a pretty big deal and, yes, something to be celebrated. (That article about her not vacating the Blue House is a little worrisome, but probably doesn't presage anything dark, just because she really does seem to be phenomenally unpopular right now.)
posted by tobascodagama at 11:45 AM on March 10, 2017 [7 favorites]
So, removing a corrupt and unpopular President by peaceful means is both a pretty big deal and, yes, something to be celebrated. (That article about her not vacating the Blue House is a little worrisome, but probably doesn't presage anything dark, just because she really does seem to be phenomenally unpopular right now.)
posted by tobascodagama at 11:45 AM on March 10, 2017 [7 favorites]
Sorry if I'm derailing, but what's with the capitalization of all the surnames?
posted by thewumpusisdead at 11:46 AM on March 10, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by thewumpusisdead at 11:46 AM on March 10, 2017 [5 favorites]
If you haven't been following this, definitely read into the history of the scandal. It's just so bizarre and interesting.
posted by HumanComplex at 11:53 AM on March 10, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by HumanComplex at 11:53 AM on March 10, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is Shakespearean. Better, even. I mean, also terrible, because it's real, but oh my god the story.
I feel like a shit for finding it inspiring, but I'm a writer, so. I suppose part of the job description.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:01 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
I feel like a shit for finding it inspiring, but I'm a writer, so. I suppose part of the job description.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:01 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
Sorry if I'm derailing, but what's with the capitalization of all the surnames?
East Asian names are written with the family name first, but when romanized the names are sometimes swapped in an attempt to make it less confusing for people used to the opposite order. Which of course only adds to the confusion for many, since you then cannot tell if it's swapped or not (*) unless you already know how names in that country tend to look. So a common convention is to write the family name with all caps, and not only when writing about people; you see that a lot on people's own business cards, for example.
(Of course, some people just roll with it, if your name isn't "firstname middlename lastname" people will mess up your name anyway. Happens to non-Asians too, just look at the cards I have in my wallet :-)
*) this is extra fun when people read e.g. chinese books in translation where they haven't swapped the names, and get confused by people with the same "first name" having different genders, or as in a recent example thinks that there are hardly any female characters in the entire book.
posted by effbot at 12:10 PM on March 10, 2017 [7 favorites]
East Asian names are written with the family name first, but when romanized the names are sometimes swapped in an attempt to make it less confusing for people used to the opposite order. Which of course only adds to the confusion for many, since you then cannot tell if it's swapped or not (*) unless you already know how names in that country tend to look. So a common convention is to write the family name with all caps, and not only when writing about people; you see that a lot on people's own business cards, for example.
(Of course, some people just roll with it, if your name isn't "firstname middlename lastname" people will mess up your name anyway. Happens to non-Asians too, just look at the cards I have in my wallet :-)
*) this is extra fun when people read e.g. chinese books in translation where they haven't swapped the names, and get confused by people with the same "first name" having different genders, or as in a recent example thinks that there are hardly any female characters in the entire book.
posted by effbot at 12:10 PM on March 10, 2017 [7 favorites]
And yeah, thanks for this post! I already complained about some of the reactions to that BBC viral clip in the other thread, but the "nobody understood what he was talking about" bit also annoyed me.
(...and if anyone here works for or knows anyone who works for BBC News, maybe you could ask them to publish the entire interview, because they way they've been pitching the viral bit over the informative bit is beginning to remind me of the clooney baby bump fiasco from the other day...)
posted by effbot at 12:14 PM on March 10, 2017
(...and if anyone here works for or knows anyone who works for BBC News, maybe you could ask them to publish the entire interview, because they way they've been pitching the viral bit over the informative bit is beginning to remind me of the clooney baby bump fiasco from the other day...)
posted by effbot at 12:14 PM on March 10, 2017
Good for South Koreans! This is what's supposed to happen when democratically elected leaders forget their place.
posted by saulgoodman at 12:16 PM on March 10, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by saulgoodman at 12:16 PM on March 10, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Olympics always does family names in all caps for exactly this reason.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 12:39 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by rabbitrabbit at 12:39 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
I read an interesting analysis earlier in the year discussing how she used populism and a marginal (but successful) electoral strategy to be elected in the first place. The author drew parallels to similar unpopular, but successful "populist" right-wing campaigns in other democracies. I'll see if I can find it.
Edit: I looked back through the post a bit, and it's the "Interesting times" link. I recommend reading that to anyone who's selectively browsing through the links.
posted by codacorolla at 12:44 PM on March 10, 2017
Edit: I looked back through the post a bit, and it's the "Interesting times" link. I recommend reading that to anyone who's selectively browsing through the links.
posted by codacorolla at 12:44 PM on March 10, 2017
The Olympics always does family names in all caps for exactly this reason.
So do the French.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:50 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
So do the French.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:50 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
South Koreans feel like chicken tonight after president's removal.
posted by ursus_comiter at 12:57 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ursus_comiter at 12:57 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Expert analysis on what it will mean for the wider region. Previously
posted by Going To Maine at 1:08 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 1:08 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
So what can US citizens gather from this? Massive weekly demonstrations?
posted by latkes at 1:31 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by latkes at 1:31 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
... I think an independent legislature and judiciary, more importantly...
posted by PMdixon at 1:33 PM on March 10, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by PMdixon at 1:33 PM on March 10, 2017 [7 favorites]
Which link is the most like an annotated timeline? I have a rough sketch of the story but the moving pieces are unclear.
posted by PMdixon at 1:34 PM on March 10, 2017
posted by PMdixon at 1:34 PM on March 10, 2017
Yeah, I just finished up reading through the whole article that HumanComplex linked to, and it seems to be as succinct a primer as you'll be able to find.
And reading it all, wow.
posted by ursus_comiter at 1:55 PM on March 10, 2017
And reading it all, wow.
posted by ursus_comiter at 1:55 PM on March 10, 2017
Which of course only adds to the confusion for many, since you then cannot tell if it's swapped or not (*) unless you already know how names in that country tend to look.
Especially fun with names like CHEN Lu where both names are common family names.
this is extra fun when people read e.g. chinese books in translation where they haven't swapped the names, and get confused by people with the same "first name" having different genders, or as in a recent example thinks that there are hardly any female characters in the entire book.
Gendering Chinese first names is often rather difficult anyway.
posted by kmz at 2:22 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
Especially fun with names like CHEN Lu where both names are common family names.
this is extra fun when people read e.g. chinese books in translation where they haven't swapped the names, and get confused by people with the same "first name" having different genders, or as in a recent example thinks that there are hardly any female characters in the entire book.
Gendering Chinese first names is often rather difficult anyway.
posted by kmz at 2:22 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
I like how the Korean impeachment system separates the impeachment and conviction steps between the legislature and the judiciary. It helps prevent nakedly political attacks on a President like the Clinton impeachment. If the Republicans had had two-thirds of the Senate, Clinton would have been gone. If we had the Korean system SCOTUS would have been a roadblock to that.
posted by Sangermaine at 3:24 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Sangermaine at 3:24 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
The wife has followed this intently for quite some time (often waking up and watching live Korean news streams in the middle of the night). From what she has translated for me from watching Korean news media, I am going with one of the popular lines of thought that Park's a literal puppet to the Choi family and has never done anything independent of their direction, hence the US Embassy calling the father of CHOI Soon-sil, CHOI Tae-min, the Korean Rasputin.
And so without any direction, Park's basically been unable to do anything, denies everything, refuses to do anything (like answer court questions) and now refuses to leave the Blue House. It's like she has no will and is simply shutting down.
posted by linux at 3:39 PM on March 10, 2017
And so without any direction, Park's basically been unable to do anything, denies everything, refuses to do anything (like answer court questions) and now refuses to leave the Blue House. It's like she has no will and is simply shutting down.
posted by linux at 3:39 PM on March 10, 2017
Maybe I am getting the pronounciation wrong but Chicken Geun-Hye looks a lot like chikungunya to me.
An infectious desease that neither the Guardian article that ursus_comiter linked to nor MeFi have mentioned so far. (And I only know about the desease through Vincent Racaniello's podcast This Week in Viruses that I was introduced to on Metafilter.)
posted by mmkhd at 4:19 PM on March 10, 2017
An infectious desease that neither the Guardian article that ursus_comiter linked to nor MeFi have mentioned so far. (And I only know about the desease through Vincent Racaniello's podcast This Week in Viruses that I was introduced to on Metafilter.)
posted by mmkhd at 4:19 PM on March 10, 2017
Congratulations on your first post! And a mighty fine one at that!
posted by hat_eater at 4:45 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by hat_eater at 4:45 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
This is what's supposed to happen when democratically elected leaders forget their place.
From your mouth to the ears of any number of generally revered deities.
posted by WizardOfDocs at 5:02 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
From your mouth to the ears of any number of generally revered deities.
posted by WizardOfDocs at 5:02 PM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
I know things are complicated right now and will continue to be so, especially with the US-China tightrope that South Korea has to walk with respect to North Korea and the THAAD deployment, but the public and civic response to Park, not to mention taking Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong to trial (!), seem like real victories for anti-corruption in South Korea.
I don't really know enough about the shape of current political opinion there to have any idea about this, but it is possible that this whole affair could give Ahn Cheol-soo a realistic shot at the presidency for people fed up with both the Minjoo and Saenuri parties?
posted by invitapriore at 5:04 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don't really know enough about the shape of current political opinion there to have any idea about this, but it is possible that this whole affair could give Ahn Cheol-soo a realistic shot at the presidency for people fed up with both the Minjoo and Saenuri parties?
posted by invitapriore at 5:04 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Thank you anem0ne, I thought that there was an additional layer to the joke. But this hinges on the pronounciation of the first name. But mabe I was overthinking this. (Edit: And by first name I mean the given name.)
posted by mmkhd at 5:20 PM on March 10, 2017
posted by mmkhd at 5:20 PM on March 10, 2017
Ask A Korean suggests that the Ewha Womans University admissions scandal was "[t]he triggering event for Choi Soon-sil-gate" while the Diplomat piece doesn't really mention the Ewha admissions fraud allegation as far as I can tell, and focuses on (other) stuff found on the tablet. Is this a difference in assessments or am I just misunderstanding what the Diplomat piece is focusing on?
From Ask A Korean:
And similarly the fairness of college/school admissions also resonates really deeply with a lot of people. There's an "our kids!" feeling of protectiveness. There's the meritocracy thing -- one friend pointed out that equality of opportunity in university admissions is sort of a place where we try to make up for inequalities of opportunity elsewhere.
Today I learned that hereditary "legacy" admissions preferences are basically unique to the US; that embarrasses me and I wish it were more of a career-toppling scandal than it is.
I have a copy of Zephyr Teachout's Corruption in America that I haven't read yet and this makes me want to read it soon, so I can better understand my biases about what feels like corruption and what feels just kinda gross but normal, and challenge them more often.
posted by brainwane at 5:25 PM on March 10, 2017 [6 favorites]
From Ask A Korean:
Ewha, established in 1886 as Korea’s first modern school for women, is an embodiment of Korea’s “establishment.” It is an institution that prides itself in producing Korea’s women leaders. Three out of the nine First Ladies in South Korean history attended Ewha. An overwhelming majority of the names that would fill in the blank of “first Korean woman to …” belong to Ewha graduates. And it was the fury of the Ewha students and graduates over the fact that Choi’s daughter Jeong Yoo-ra may have gotten into Ewha based on favoritism that finally broke the Choi scandal wide open....This makes me think about what institutions different cultures consider sacred such that we are incredibly angry when someone powerful messes with them -- what feels like corruption, in that something fair has been corrupted. My mind turns most easily to stuff that has to do with government. Like, say, for some places, it's the judiciary -- Orwell wrote that "the hanging judge, that evil old man in scarlet robe and horsehair wig, whom nothing short of dynamite will ever teach what century he is living in, but who will at any rate interpret the law according to the books and will in no circumstances take a money bribe, is one of the symbolic figures of England". In the US, trial juries, once they've been selected and put to work on a trial (I know jury practice varies wildly across the globe); in secret-ballot democracies, the voter in the privacy of the voting booth, casting a vote in the confidence it shall be counted. In all these places we have some kind of reverence for independent decision-making.
And similarly the fairness of college/school admissions also resonates really deeply with a lot of people. There's an "our kids!" feeling of protectiveness. There's the meritocracy thing -- one friend pointed out that equality of opportunity in university admissions is sort of a place where we try to make up for inequalities of opportunity elsewhere.
Today I learned that hereditary "legacy" admissions preferences are basically unique to the US; that embarrasses me and I wish it were more of a career-toppling scandal than it is.
I have a copy of Zephyr Teachout's Corruption in America that I haven't read yet and this makes me want to read it soon, so I can better understand my biases about what feels like corruption and what feels just kinda gross but normal, and challenge them more often.
posted by brainwane at 5:25 PM on March 10, 2017 [6 favorites]
I am going with one of the popular lines of thought that Park's a literal puppet to the Choi family
Surely a metaphorical puppet, though this story has become so strange that literal string pulling can't be ruled out.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 5:31 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Surely a metaphorical puppet, though this story has become so strange that literal string pulling can't be ruled out.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 5:31 PM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have watched a large number of Korean dramas over the years, and even they would hesitate before spinning a story like this. As horrible as it has been to watch this playing out, it's gratifying to see this outcome.
And similarly the fairness of college/school admissions also resonates really deeply with a lot of people. There's an "our kids!" feeling of protectiveness. There's the meritocracy thing -- one friend pointed out that equality of opportunity in university admissions is sort of a place where we try to make up for inequalities of opportunity elsewhere.
This is more of a concern in Korean popular culture in my (admittedly limited) viewing. It comes up much more in Korean and Japanese drams than in Western media, so I think it may be magnified in both those countries. I've always thought that systems that rely heavily or exclusively on state exams for university admission, encourage this mode of thinking, as it's harder to hide or justify people who have done poorly on those, and that is supposedly the only element considered in admissions. It doesn't mean people don't fiddle with the system, but it's a bit more glaring.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 6:23 PM on March 10, 2017
And similarly the fairness of college/school admissions also resonates really deeply with a lot of people. There's an "our kids!" feeling of protectiveness. There's the meritocracy thing -- one friend pointed out that equality of opportunity in university admissions is sort of a place where we try to make up for inequalities of opportunity elsewhere.
This is more of a concern in Korean popular culture in my (admittedly limited) viewing. It comes up much more in Korean and Japanese drams than in Western media, so I think it may be magnified in both those countries. I've always thought that systems that rely heavily or exclusively on state exams for university admission, encourage this mode of thinking, as it's harder to hide or justify people who have done poorly on those, and that is supposedly the only element considered in admissions. It doesn't mean people don't fiddle with the system, but it's a bit more glaring.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 6:23 PM on March 10, 2017
I saw this list on social media and was surprised as this is not the image of Korea I had:
"South Korean Presidents' Post-Presidential lives (and deaths)"
1: Syngman Rhee (Ousted by student revolution)
2: Yun Posun (Ousted in coup)
3: Park Chung hee (Assassinated by henchman)
4: Choi Kyu hah (Ousted in coup)
5: Chun Doo hwan (Sentenced to death by court, later pardoned)
6: Roh Tae woo (Sentenced to 22 and half years in prison, later pardoned)
7: Kim Yong sam (Son was arrested for corrupt charges. Left office after setting off events leading to financial crisis in 1997)
8: Kim Dae Jung (3 sons arrested for corrupt charges)
9: Roh Moo hyun (Commited suicide after bribery allegations)
10: Lee Myung bak (Brother arrested for corruption charges.)
11: Park Geun hye (Ousted by impeachment)
posted by gen at 8:51 PM on March 10, 2017
"South Korean Presidents' Post-Presidential lives (and deaths)"
1: Syngman Rhee (Ousted by student revolution)
2: Yun Posun (Ousted in coup)
3: Park Chung hee (Assassinated by henchman)
4: Choi Kyu hah (Ousted in coup)
5: Chun Doo hwan (Sentenced to death by court, later pardoned)
6: Roh Tae woo (Sentenced to 22 and half years in prison, later pardoned)
7: Kim Yong sam (Son was arrested for corrupt charges. Left office after setting off events leading to financial crisis in 1997)
8: Kim Dae Jung (3 sons arrested for corrupt charges)
9: Roh Moo hyun (Commited suicide after bribery allegations)
10: Lee Myung bak (Brother arrested for corruption charges.)
11: Park Geun hye (Ousted by impeachment)
posted by gen at 8:51 PM on March 10, 2017
Slate has an interesting global take on this scandal. While this ouster seems to be a pattern as gen points out above me, it still seems bad that female leaders are not having a good time of it.
Thank you very much for the links.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 8:55 PM on March 10, 2017
Thank you very much for the links.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 8:55 PM on March 10, 2017
Mood's pretty good here. The oligarchy is still strong, but it's nice to have something to cheer about for a change.
Park's going to jail.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:32 AM on March 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Park's going to jail.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:32 AM on March 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
At the top are the SKY universities: Seoul National, Korea, and Yonsei.
KAIST is in there, and quite a way above Yonsei at this point, among the education afficionados of Seoul, at least.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:33 AM on March 11, 2017
KAIST is in there, and quite a way above Yonsei at this point, among the education afficionados of Seoul, at least.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:33 AM on March 11, 2017
Instead of Slate's hot take, which I worry tries to conflate what happened in Brazil (which I cannot speak to) with what happened in Korea,
This is not an either-or scenario. The same event has both national and international implications, and it is a problem for other women who have political ambitions because to get that far in the game is problematic for women, but if only genuinely corrupt ones can make it, there will be a backlash for all.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 1:59 AM on March 11, 2017
This is not an either-or scenario. The same event has both national and international implications, and it is a problem for other women who have political ambitions because to get that far in the game is problematic for women, but if only genuinely corrupt ones can make it, there will be a backlash for all.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 1:59 AM on March 11, 2017
Multiculturalism isn't even on the map, but will have to appear in the next decade...
I don't think this is true. The change in attitude towards non-ethnic Koreans in the past 15 years has been striking. Between the loosening of restrictions on getting residency visas, the prevalence of television shows that focus on non Korean's issues in Korea, social programs that provide free language and cultural education and the fact that nearly all signage has been changed to add English/Chinese/Japanese, I think Korea is much more aware of and prepared for multiculturalism than just a few years ago. Also, from my personal experience, kids don't really point and yell at me anymore which I assume means that non Asians are no longer considered to be so exotic.
posted by Literaryhero at 2:49 AM on March 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
I don't think this is true. The change in attitude towards non-ethnic Koreans in the past 15 years has been striking. Between the loosening of restrictions on getting residency visas, the prevalence of television shows that focus on non Korean's issues in Korea, social programs that provide free language and cultural education and the fact that nearly all signage has been changed to add English/Chinese/Japanese, I think Korea is much more aware of and prepared for multiculturalism than just a few years ago. Also, from my personal experience, kids don't really point and yell at me anymore which I assume means that non Asians are no longer considered to be so exotic.
posted by Literaryhero at 2:49 AM on March 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
I didn't think that Slate article addressed the Park case at all - it was mostly about what happened to Dilma Rousseff in Brazil with glancing mention of Park. How Park came to power is such an anomalous edge case that I am not sure if there will be 'backlash for all' at least in Korea.
Park was the daughter of a dictator, and a dictator whom many people in their 70's and older revered for having dragged the country out of poverty. Economically South Korea was a wasteland after the one-two punch of Japanese Occupation and subsequent Korean War. Hunger was widespread. For the generation that lived through the period of enormous economic growth, Park fed their nostalgia for that time, and also her mother, around whom a hagiography developed after her assassination by a North Korean sympathizer.
(An aside, the image of acting head of the Constitutional Court of Korea, LEE Jung-mi, arriving at court on the day of the ruling with two pink hair rollers still in her hair, went viral, with many contrasting her appearance to Park's perfectly styled hair in her first official appearance after the Sewol ferry tragedy. Overall, admiration has been expressed for Lee, whose term on the Constitutional Court ends on Monday.)
posted by needled at 6:39 AM on March 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
Park was the daughter of a dictator, and a dictator whom many people in their 70's and older revered for having dragged the country out of poverty. Economically South Korea was a wasteland after the one-two punch of Japanese Occupation and subsequent Korean War. Hunger was widespread. For the generation that lived through the period of enormous economic growth, Park fed their nostalgia for that time, and also her mother, around whom a hagiography developed after her assassination by a North Korean sympathizer.
(An aside, the image of acting head of the Constitutional Court of Korea, LEE Jung-mi, arriving at court on the day of the ruling with two pink hair rollers still in her hair, went viral, with many contrasting her appearance to Park's perfectly styled hair in her first official appearance after the Sewol ferry tragedy. Overall, admiration has been expressed for Lee, whose term on the Constitutional Court ends on Monday.)
posted by needled at 6:39 AM on March 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
The US should have done this when the President lied us into a war. Wonder what it's gonna take to piss us off enough.
posted by prepmonkey at 6:44 AM on March 13, 2017
posted by prepmonkey at 6:44 AM on March 13, 2017
Choe Sang-Hun in The New York Times: “Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s Ousted Leader, Is Arrested on Bribery Charges”
posted by Going To Maine at 12:34 PM on March 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 12:34 PM on March 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yep, and since she was considered a flight risk or at risk of destroying evidence, she's now in jail. Very proud of the Korean people for flexing their muscles in the face of oligarchy. The oligarchy remains, of course, but this display of real people power has certainly put at least some fear into em.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:54 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:54 PM on March 30, 2017
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posted by cortex at 11:13 AM on March 10, 2017 [16 favorites]