Korean Gender Reader

With apologies for the short notice (my fault!), today is Korean Sex Workers’ Day, with a variety of cultural and informational activities planned, and a potluck dinner on Sunday. Please see Research Project Korea for further details.

Body Image/Health:

— Hyomin’s thigh is smaller than her manager’s calf (Allkpop)

— Seoul: Where even kids are fashionistas (Shanna’s 수다)

— Tackling the overweight problem: “healthy” Japan is no exception (International Institute for Asian Studies)

— Participant on ‘Hello’ struggles with her husband’s wish for her to be as slim as After School’s Uee (Allkpop)

— Beauty Inside the DPRK: North Korean Ladies’ Hairstyles (Korea Bang)

Censorship:

— Unnecessary Pixelating on Television (Dear Korea)

Crime:

— Rape victim suffered ‘ping-pong’ investigation (Asian Correspondent)

— Shanghai Metro tells sexily-dressed female passengers to expect harassment (Shanghaiist)

— Supreme court confirms a messy case of sexual harassment by police (The Hankyoreh)

— Message sent from Korean victim of sex trafficking (The Korea Times)

— Taekwondo Academy Director Detained for Rape of Pupils (Korea Bang)

— Private tutor gets probation for molesting student (Asian Correspondent)

Dating/Relationships/Marriage:

— Is there a difference when someone refers to you as “애인” vs “여자친구”? (I’m No Picasso)

— Getting Married in South Korea for 20 cents (Vegan Urbanite)

— Who Do You Love?: Korean Ethnocentrism, International Couples and the Dating Dilemma (The Three Wise Monkeys)

— Many Prefer to Stay Single Forever (The Chosun Ilbo)

— Interracial Dating (cultural/ethnic) Black, White & Asian: PART 1 (The Vanguard Element)

The English Spectrum Series at Gusts of Popular Feeling:

— Part 36: Viewers shocked by shameless acts of unqualified foreign instructors

Misc:

— Women Facing Harsh New Pressures in North Korea (International Herald Tribune)

— Foreign English teachers get high and mock immigration (Gusts of Popular Feeling)

— Women and Girls Are the Solution, Not the Problem (The Unlikely Expat)

— China’s Child-Swap Reality Show Highlights Class Divide (Tea Leaf Nation)

Politics/Economics/Workplaces:

— Should Koreans work less? (The Korea Herald)

— Older Women Outnumber Younger Women in Employment (The Chosun Ilbo)

— Company Loyalty: Cultural or Generational? (Geek in Heels)

Pop Culture:

— Director says ‘Concubine’ sex scenes are complicated (Korea Joongang Daily)

— Academic sources for K-pop/Hallyu studies (Angry K-pop Fan)

— How Korean and Japanese youth culture has impacted the youth culture of Thailand: academic links (Angry K-pop Fan)

— When fandoms become something more, again (SNSD Free-For-All)

— “A primer for how weird Korean fans are so you know whether you’re creepier than them” (My First Love Story)

— Four Minutes to Build a Case for Cultural Sensitivity (Seoulbeats)

— A word about fan behavior (Angry K-pop Fan)

— I’m Just a Fan: Korea’s Dedicated Pop Stalkers (Leisure Only; some NSFW images in sidebar)

— At Odds: Idol Working Conditions and The Entertainment Biz (Seoulbeats)

— Agencies will take steps to protect teenage entertainers (The Korea Times)

— Confucianism and The Female Roles in K-dramas (Seoulbeats)

— K-Pop ‘boom’ faltering in Japan, 70% of housewives dislike Hallyu (Omona They Didnt)

— Do YouTube Views Really Matter? (Seoulbeats)

Pregnancy/Abortion/Childbirth/Demographics/Parenting/Education/Multiculturalism:

— Chinese woman under house arrest for telling her story of forced abortion to German press (Want China Times)

— School demographics (Gusts of Popular Feeling)

— Baby-Dearth Generation Start Primary School (The Chosun Ilbo)

— How will a low birth rate and aging population affect Korea? (The Dong-a Ilbo)

— KAIST chief objects to professors’ sense of privilege (The Korea Times)

(Links are not necessarily endorsements)