Introduction Subways are often the backbone of public transportation. They’re generally faster than buses, cover a wider range of locations, and can shuttle around millions of people every day. However, subways often have a multitude of issues, including congestion, uncleanliness and difficulty in navigation. Some of the most famous subway systems around the world, like…
Forecasting Love and Weather, 2022 The drama Forecasting Love and Weather is about people’s lives working at the central weather station in Seoul. This drama shows the troubles that people working in the weather industry go through and how intricate the workings of the weather are. Most of the drama may be about the romantic…
To say Seoul is vibrant is an understatement. Every street is lined with cafes, restaurants, and bars each with their own aesthetic flair. Designer and streetwear brands in Apgujeong Rodeo and Hongdae have made these neighborhoods heaven for fashion lovers. People travel from around the world to take part in Seoul’s nightlife. All this makes…
Background of Twenty-Five Twenty-One Twenty-Five Twenty-One is an ongoing drama that features actors Nam Ju Hyuk and Kim Tae Ri. This drama follows the life of Kim Tae Ri’s Character Na Hui Do and Nam Joo Hyuk’s character Baek Yi-Jin. Na Hui Do is a fencing prodigy who was going through a slump, and…
Pachinko Official Poster (Image: Apple TV+) As the newest Apple TV+ drama Pachinko streams with high reception, the attention toward the Korean history of the Japanese colonial period also increases. With this trend, VANK, the Korean cyber diplomatic organization, conducts a global campaign that aims to introduce the accurate Korean history and culture to the audiences of Pachinko.…
The Covid-19 pandemic took the global world by surprise. It causes devastation by taking away so many lives as well as forcing everyone to take a huge 2 year pause on life. If you were to look back at each country’s first response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country that was written about the most…
Ceremony for Earth Day 2021, Seoul, Korea The global climate crisis is an issue that has been apparent for decades now. Time is running out in trying to find ways to save the earth. There are many changes already occurring that will only intensify rising sea levels, higher levels of CO2 leading to a higher…
Have you seen the Rising Sun symbol? Do you know what it means? The Rising Sun flag has been brought to issue as recently as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Japanese government not banning this flag for this event sparked outrage as the Republic of Korea formally requested this flag to be banned to the…
Have you ever heard of the Dokdo island? It is in the middle of the East Sea between Japan and Korea. They are a set of islets. However, they are not just land. Dokdo represents pride, history, and identity. Dokdo although being historically a Korean territory has now been contested and claimed by Japan. …
When I first came to Korea, I very quickly learned from conversations on the streets and current events that the Dokdo issue was one of the main points of contention between the Korean and Japanese governments. If you were like me, at the beginning, you might have been a little perplexed as to why a…
World War Ⅱ, the most devastating war to the global community in history, ended 75 years and 11 months from today. An estimated total of 70-85 million people died as a result of the war. Many horrible atrocities were committed by various countries during the war. What I would like to describe is how the…
In recent years, there are popular debates regarding two main linguistic policies in Korea, one is known as the exclusive use of hangeul which is solely using the Korean alphabet, hangeul. And the other is using hangeul along with Chinese Characters, which is characterized by a mix of hangeul and Chinese characters in writing, whenever…
BTS is a seven-member K-POP group that has become a global sensation. They debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment and has a fan base called ARMY. They were overlooked in Korea when they first debuted, and did not gain recognition in Korea until the end of 2016. However, BTS has now become too big…
Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) announced that it currently promotes a global project which publicizes the problems of Harvard University professor Ramseyer’s thesis about Korean Comfort Women. On 10 am, March 15, VANK members held a picket demonstration in English in front of the “Statue of Peace” installed at Exit 2 of Hansung University…
To what extent would you go if knowing that having knowledge of a specific language meant the possibility of getting your child into an Ivy League university? Driven by a shared dissatisfaction with South Korea’s rigid educational system, parents in rapidly expanding numbers are seeking to give their children an edge by helping them become…
Mukbang. It comes from the word to eat (muk-da) and the word broadcast (bang-song). Not only in Korea, but globally, the act of eating ridiculous amounts of food in one sitting is a growing phenomenon. Koreans call this ‘mukbang’ and have been broadcasting it live since around 2014. In 2018, TODAY Food had pointed out…
After the successful Canadian TV-series release of Kim’s Convenience, Minari (미나리) becomes the first American film to portray the lives of Korean-American immigrant families. Following its January 20, 2020 world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Minari had received both the prestigious U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury prize. It has also…
With catchy melodies, amazing singers, and lyrics that you can’t help but sing along to, it’s no wonder that the music of bands like BTS, BlackPink, GOT7, and EXO have led to K-Pop music dominating the global charts and capturing the attention of fans across the globe. With all that being said, this increased interest…
Hallyu, also known as “The Korean Wave” is a term used to describe Korean music (K-pop), dramas, food, beauty and many more. Usually Hallyu is referred to Korean music (K-pop) or Korean dramas. Korean dramas and K-pop started gaining popularity throughout Asia during the mid-1990s. In the early 2000s, Korean dramas had a surge in…
Since September 2019, VANK has begun Global Petition and Global Poster Project by targeting the world’s largest petition site (change.org) with 400 million subscribers. VANK is trying to announce the global community the issues about Korea and global issues such as hatred and racism towards Asians in the West. The very first Global Petition…
VANK, a cyber diplomatic mission in South Korea, is implementing a global campaign against racism among Asians around the world. The tragedy of Auschwitz began with hatred and the war crimes committed by Nazi like the Holocaust started from racism. Therefore, if we do not stop the crimes of racial hatred and discrimination around the…
When you think of Asia, what comes to mind? Do you think of images of western colonization, developing countries, or vacation spots? Textbooks, books, maps and websites all around the world emphasize the impressive history of the Americas and Europe, but a distorted conception of history of an invaded Asia is left behind. But there is an everlasting history…
VANK made a petition requesting that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) takes more interest in the radiation issue in Japan, especially with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics coming up. In preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Japan announced that they will be holding the baseball and softball games at the Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium, which is…
The amount of people learning Korean language has practically doubled over the span of ten years. With the growth of Korean culture through Korean pop music (K-pop), Korean dramas, and Korean makeup, not only are students learning in school, but even outside academics, people are becoming interested in the Korean language. According to the Modern…
With the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics right around the corner, Korea is using their voice to make the games a safe event for all. VANK posted a petition on change.org that requests the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s urgent attention for the safety of the participants and visitors of the Olympics on three requests: 1. Japan…
A Japanese newspaper (Tokyo Shimbun) has criticized the Japanese government for permitting the use of the Rising Sun Flag in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This past September, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Committee allowed the use of the Japanese Rising Sun Flag during the Olympic competitions and ceremonies. However, a Tokyo newspaper (Tokyo Shimbun) stated that…
Starting from October 9, 2019, “Hangul Day” will now be annually recognized as an official public holiday in the state of California in the United States. From the request of Korean American Dong-woo Park, California Assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva introduced the measure to the California legislature, and it was unanimously authorized this year on the…
On August 6th of 2019, the New York State Education Department updated a portion of the curriculum involving the East Sea. Initially, there was no specific name that was used for the body of water when it was taught in New York schools. Now, both the names East Sea and Sea of Japan will be…
I am French, and even if I’ve never learned about Korean history before entering at VANK, the time being in Korea has taught me more that I could ever imagine. Before, I only knew Korea for 2 reasons: First the Japanese Occupation (1910-1945) and then the Korean War. Little that I knew I would one…
VANK reports that American and British publishers have changed their publication’s statements on the history of metal types. They are set to officially recognize Korea’s “Jikji Simche Yojeol” as the world’s oldest extant book printed with movable metal type in future publications. Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational company that publishes textbooks in…
Sohn Kee-chung was a Korean marathon runner who ran in the 1938 Berlin Olympics. At the time Korea was occupied by Japan, forcing Sohn Kee-chung to participate under Japan’s Olympic team and use a Japanese name. This cruel striping of country-hood continues its legacy in the continued use of a Japanese name in Google results…
“Yu Gwan-sun Day” to be Honored in New York State beginning with the 100th Anniversary of March 1st Independence Movement A bill to designate March 1st as a day to celebrate the Korean freedom fighter Yu Gwan-sun will be introduced in the state of New York on January 14th. The day will be known…
The 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, which ran from February 9th-25th, was not only a host to 92 teams in various sporting events, but also served as a cultural exhibition over the course of the 16 day period- one of the most prominent being the opening ceremony that officially kicked off the winter games. The opening ceremony…
When Thomas Jefferson, with the help of James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, it became one of the most important documents in American history. Originally a list of grievances to King George III of England over the abuses suffered in the colonies which were his own citizens, it was…
It has been 26 years since Kim Hak-sun, a Korean human rights activist, opened up in 1991 about the horrors she and an estimated 200,000 Asian women suffered throughout World War II. This includes women from Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand as well as many other nations. A smaller population of European women were…
The Korean national anthem starts with the East Sea. At 1 p.m. on February 6, 2014, the Virginia House passed the bill that required all Virginia textbooks to include the East Sea alongside the Sea of Japan, by an overwhelming vote of 81 to 15. Now, all students in Virginia will see the East Sea…