(“Oohlala Spouses makes best poster ever” — Dramabeans. Source)

This new theme is AWESOME, yes?^^ Have a happy Chuseok everybody!

Body Image, Health

— Seoul Cosmetic Surgery Clinic Looking for (Naked) Before and After Models (The Marmot’s Hole)

— Why the Rise of Asia In Fashion Isn’t As Beautiful As It Seems (Speakeasy)

— Korean eunuchs reveal clues to why women live longer than men (BBC; see also Science)

— What rejuvenates my vagina?!?! Not Lasers!!! (Korean Gender Cafe)

— It takes hundreds of employees, thousands of hours and millions of dollars to launch a mass market lingerie line. And one blogger to take it all down. (Racebending; see also Bitch)

— How do you explain the Gramscian concept of hegemony to a 10 year old? (Tales of Wonderlost)

Censorship, Media

— Teen sexualization on TV faces stronger censorship (The Korea Times; see also The Korea Herald)

— New Term: “White Endorsement Monkey” and “White Defamation Monkey” (Gord Sellar)

— Men finally behave badly (The Korea Times)

— “Unqualified foreign instructor” problem…in 1973 (Gusts of Popular Feeling)

Crime

— I cannot remember a period of time in my life when I was not scared by older ahjussis (Lost in Traffic Lights)

Dating, Relationships, Marriage

— Culture and Language Issues in Foreign/Korean Relationships (I’m No Picasso II)

— Dating Asian Women When You’re an Asian Guy (Radical Ramblings)

— Marriages between North American(?) men, Korean women top 2,000 in 2011 (The Korea Times)

— Male writer and I have a Korea / dating column starting in October’s 10mag (Meet me at the wall)

— What’s the REAL appeal of a Samsung or LG guy? (Dating in Korea)

— SECRET’s Hyosung says her ideal type is a stalker … great (Asian Junkie)

— Ask the Yangxifu: Chinese Parents Refuse to Meet Me (Speaking of China)

— Why I have no female Chinese friends (Seeing Red in China)

— Are Yangxifu (The Western Wives of Chinese Men) More Difficult Wives? (Speaking of China)

Education, Parenting, Demographics

— Breaking the promise of universal day care (The Hankyoreh; see also Korea Joongang Daily)

— Funny, sad, and revealing answers to questions from Korean students (South Korea)

— Adventures in Parenting Abroad Pt. 3: The End is Just the Beginning (The Three Wise Monkeys)

— “The Challenges of Korean Education in Historical Perspective” Asia Institute Seminar with Professor Michael Seth (Korea: Circles and Squares)

— A Trojan Wall of Separation: The Battle Over South Korean Textbooks (Busan Haps)

— South Korea to probe corruption in international high schools (Asian Correspondent)

Economics, Politics, Workplaces

— Low Unemployment Rates, But No Jobs for Youths or Women (The Korea Economic Daily)

— Park Geun-hye: Female President, Patriarchal Society? (Roboseyo)

— Feeling the pinch: The housewives of Japan are giving less spending money to their husbands (The Economist)

— Asia Institute Seminar on ‘Women in Science’ in Seoul (Korea: Circles and Squares)

Gangnam Style

— The Obligatory Gangnam Style Post (Ask a Korean!)

— PSY And The Acceptable Asian Man (Racialicious)

— Is “Gangnam Style” a Hit Because of Our Asian Stereotypes? (Mother Jones)

— Growing Up Gangnam-Style: What the Seoul Neighborhood Was Really Like (The Atlantic)

— Dead horse (Liminality)

— Gangnam Style’s Irony is Missed b/c of the Publicity Wave (Asian Security Blog)

— On Gangnam Style (The Korea Times)

— What’s so funny about Gangnam Style? (The Guardian)

— Why Psy and not JYP? (The Korea Times)

— A Few Things JYP Can Learn From Psy for Wonder Girls’ American Venture (Seoulbeats)

— The Gangnam Phenom (Foreign Policy)

LGBT, Sexuality

— A Different Color of Sexual Identity (The Yonsei Annals)

— Former senior police officer: “Registered brothels needed” (The Korea Times)

— Queering Korean Literature: Author and Activist Yi Gwang-su (The Three Wise Monkeys)

— Beware of people asking you for 키알 / 섹알 (Hangukdrama and Korean)

— Why are men so obsessed with breasts? (io9)

— Reading List: Mapping the Vicissitudes of Homosexual Identities in South Korea (The Kimchi Queen)

— Dirty Little Secrets: A variety of Korean Sex Links (The Marmot’s Hole)

Miscellaneous

— The death of the red ink taboo in Korea (The Marmot’s Hole)

— Meeting the Mannam Cult: My Korean volunteerism at an end (Travel Blog)

— Crazy beautiful: Understanding the Korean mind (WND Diversions)

Pop Culture

— The Korean Wave and the Question of Soft Power (Seoulbeats)

— Nice Guy: Han Jae Hee Character Analysis (Idle Revelry)

“Courtship is usually portrayed (in heterosexual pairings) as something a man does; it’s an act he performs, while the woman is passive and simply receives his love. If she rejects him, it doesn’t mean he should stop, it simply means he has to try harder.”

— Review: Words of Farewell Fiction by Korean female writers (Korean Modern Literature in Translation)

— Revisiting the women who changed Korea with their pens (Yahoo!)

— I ain’t here to make you honkies laugh! (The Marmot’s Hole)

— Review: “Style” by RaNia (Mixtapes and Liner Notes)

— Review: T-ara’s “Sexy Love” is the sound of the girl group in crisis, and the song’s mock-seductive chorus goes just a step too far (Occupied Territories)

— Nothing like a healthy dose of fangirling (Hangukdrama and Korean)

— This is why you can’t lump “Asia” together (SNSD Free For All)

— How to make sure there are more “Pieta”s for the Korean film business (The Hankyoreh; see also this interview of Cho Min-soo)

(Links are not necessarily endorsements)

(Source)

Yes, my KTX tickets and hotel are all booked. Hope to see you at Gyeongbokgung Station (경복궁), exit 3, at 6pm tomorrow! :D

Announcements

— Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association looking for 10 volunteers to go on this year’s Chuseok camp to Yeoncheon (Tales of Wonderlost; see also What is KUMFA)

Body Image,Health

— Pandora by KARA: Appropriate for Playing on City Buses? (Alleyways)

— Hands, Hips, Legs and Butts: Girl Groups’ Dances (Seoulbeats)

— Beautiful Genes? But ‘Idol’ Looks Good On Everyone (Seoulbeats)

— G-Dragon receives attention for his womanly curves in “Crayon” MV (Allkpop; see also Occupied Territories)

Censorship, Media

— Does Secret Need To Change Their Choreography? (Seoulbeats; see also What’s Your Poison and SB Exchange #25: It’s Secret Time)

— Sadism, incest, bestiality, oh my! (The Marmot’s Hole; see also The Herald Voice on Facebook)

— Regulation of Users Required to Use Real Name Online Abolished (Human Rights Monitor)

— New Regulations on Downloading Porn Confuse Netizens (Korea BANG)

Crime

— More sex offenders to be chemically castrated (The Hankyoreh)

— Sexual Assault Against Children (Human Rights Monitor)

— Random Stabbings in Seoul Brings Social Instability (Human Rights Monitor)

— So, did banning prostitution lead to increase in sex crimes? (The Marmot’s Hole)

— Sex Criminal Escapes from Jail In Daegu (ROK Drop)

— Amy Arrested for Illegally Using Propofol (Omona They Didn’t!)

— Foreign teacher sent to prison for molesting students (Gusts of Popular Feeling)

Dating, Relationships, Marriage

— Comparing Marriage in the Middle Ages and Korea’s Choson Dynasty: 서양의 중세 초기와 조선의 결혼비교 (Korean Gender Cafe)

— Marry my Asian Daughter: For all the sassified, successfully single sisters who are in constant disappointment to their loving Asian mothers

— Craigslist ad (Dating in Korea)

— Guy Talk: I Date Outside My Race Because My Race Doesn’t Want To Date Me (The Frisky)

Education, Parenting, Demographics

— Tiger mothers in Singapore: The prime minister goes into battle against pushy parents (The Economist)

— Non-traditional families on the rise in South Korea (Asian Correspondent)

— Why the Korean School System Is Not Superior (New Politics)

— Korean-Australian woman finds she was falsely adopted (Tales of Wonderlost)

— Went to see 미쓰마마 (Bittersweet Joke), a documentary about unwed mothers in Korea (Tales of Wonderlost)

— Babies’ Lead Levels: Who knew baby-proofing could reach such heights? (Shotgun Adventures)

— Schools successfully experimenting with vegetarian meals (The Hankyoreh)

— Multicultural students jump 5-fold over past 6 years (The Korea Times)

Economics, Politics, Workplaces

— Mother’s Job Most Important Factor in Having 2nd Child (The Chosun Ilbo)

— Mistreatment of Part-time Workers (Human Rights Monitor)

— Nobody Told Asia About “The End of Men”: Mara Hvistendahl takes on Hanna Rosin (Foreign Policy)

— Directing all my rage at Slate’s logrolling of “The End of Men” (Feminéma)

— The-End-of-Men-Richer-Sex Reality Check #6 (Sociological Images)

— What is Violence in the Workplace? 2-Page Guide Translated into Korean (Worksafe BC; PDF)

LGBT, Sexuality

— Reading List: Korean Lesbians and Heteronormativity: From the Experiences of Six South Korean Lesbians (The Kimchi Queen)

— Queer Offerings at the Busan International Film Festival (The Kimchi Queen)

— Survey: Japanese school girls having less sex (Asian Correspondent)

— South Korean host bars – for women (BBC)

— What is a Room Salon? (Korea Law Today)

— S Korea transgender show scrapped after protests (The Hong Kong Standard; Korea Joongang Daily)

Pop Culture

— Koreans Have No Idea Why Americans Love Psy But They Can Learn From It (Asian Junkie)

— Commentary: Psy and the Acceptable Asian Man (Init_Music)

— Viral Video Gets North Korean Propaganda Treatment (The New York Times)

— Korean wave and the Gangnam style (ABC Radio Australia; radio program)

— Graphic: Number of views of K-pop Videos on Youtube, 2011 (SERI World)

— An Ode to the Stellar Females in Variety (Seoulbeats)

— Why have Korean dramas eclipsed even Mexican or Latin American serials and long-running American soaps? (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

— Review: Wayfarer: New Fiction By Korean Women (Korean Modern Literature in Translation)

Social Problems

— The Truth Behind Students’ Suicide (Human Rights Monitor)

— September Issue: Opening the Dialogue on Suicide (KoreAm)

— Runaways flee abuse at home, end up in prostitution (The Hankyoreh)

— South Korea: Golden Lion Winner ‘Pieta’ Reveals Society’s Dark Side (Global Voices)

(Links are not necessarily endorsements)

(Source)

On the 27th of September, at 7:45 pm, there is a gay short-film festival taking place at the Seoul Art Cinema in Jongno, with all the films recorded on cell phones. See The Kimchi Queen for further details.

Meanwhile, I’ve rejigged the categories a little to make things easier to find, although of course there is still a lot of overlap: please let me know what you think. Also, with 1/3rd to 1/2 of the stories coming from outside of Korea, and with most not really being about “gender issues” per se (or maybe they are — it’s a very vague term really), I’ve been thinking of renaming these posts for a while now. If anyone has any suggestions for a new name, please let me know!

Update: Please let me know if you have any suggestions for Korean dating and relationship blogs to follow too. Not that Speaking of China isn’t a great site of course, but I would like to include some more Korean links here!

Body Image/Health/Socialization

— Female Restaurant Workers Tell Customers ‘Don’t Call Us Ajumma’ (Korea BANG)

— A Racist Little Outfit: Victoria’s Secret’s “Sexy Little Geisha” Lingerie (Bust)

— Korean Movie: Beautiful/아름답다 (Journey Into the Well)

— Thinking Pink: A History of Products “For Her” (Bitch)

— Fat For an Asian: The pressure to be naturally perfect (Escher Girls)

— Boys Throw Better Than Girls. Good Job? (XX Factor)

— The Omniscient Breasts: The Male Gaze Through Female Eyes (SF Signal)

Censorship

— Sex and Censorship During the Occupation of Japan (The Asia-Pacific Journal)

— More on vice. Eminem, Lady Gaga, and more. (Korea Law Today)

— S. Korea to beef up age-rating system for music videos (10Asia)

China/Taiwan

— Feminism Around the World: Awesome Activists Protest in China (Bust)

— Internal child trafficking in China (International Institute for Asian Studies)

— Surge in demand for British milk from China (The Telegraph)

Crime

— Street harassment in Incheon (I’m No Picasso II)

— Only 1/3 of Child Sex Crime Victims File Charges (The Chosun Ilbo)

— Government to toughen penalty for raping minors (The Korea Times)

— Crackdown alone can’t solve child abuse issue (The Korea Times)

— Amy was Threatened by an Attempted Rapist (ENewsWorld)

— Does the ROK Army Have A Sexual Assault Problem? (ROK Drop)

— Physical and Sexual Absuse in the ROK Military: A conscript’s perspective (Sorry, I was drunk)

— SKorea: Govt moves to expand prosecution of sex offenses (Asian Correspondent)

— How should Korea combat pedophilia? (The Korea Herald)

— Child Rape Survivor Sends Stuffed Toy to Naju Rape Victim (Korea Bang)

— Castration would reduce sex crimes: Saenuri reps (Korea Joongang Daily)

Dating/Relationships/Marriage

— From the Archives: On Finding Courage in Love (Speaking of China)

— Double Happiness: The Volunteer Who Went to China and Found Her True Love (Speaking of China)

Demographics/Multiculturalism

— One-child Policy Encourages Trafficking of NK Women (Mercator Net)

— 10 myths of the UK’s far right (The Guardian)

— Ignorance breeds racism (The Korea Times)

— The Gender Politics of Moving Back Home (The F-word)

— Grown Korean adoptees return to birth country to fill in the missing gap (Alleyways)

Education/Pregnancy/Childbirth/Parenting

— No. of Elementary School Students Hits Record Low (KBS World)

— South Korea will keep evolution in its high school textbooks! (io9)

— Grandmother gives birth to her own grandchild (io9)

— Why do fathers’ testosterone levels drop when sleeping near their children? (io9)

History

— Namsan: Of vanished history and unfulfilled plans (Gusts of Popular Feeling)

LGBT/Sexuality

— Sexually aroused women find everything less disgusting (io9)

— Reading List: En-gendering re-gendered romance of multiple lives: reincarnation in Bungee Jumping of Their Own (The Kimchi Queen)

— 17 Euphemisms for Sex From the 1800s (Mental Floss)

— Getting Tested for HIV/AIDS in Korea (The Kimchi Queen)

— Study Reveals Teens’ Warped Perceptions of Sex (The Chosun Ilbo)

— The problem with Naomi Wolf’s vagina (New Statesman)

— Men Like Heavier Women…Especially When Stressed Out! (Psychology Today)

— First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage: A Night at the Drive-in (Nursing Clio)

— Video: Gay in Korea (ROK On!)

— MBLAQ’s Lee Joon reveals his mom gifted him with birth control for college entrance (Omona They Didn’t)

North Korea

— Jennifer Lind on the DPRK government’s resilience (and women in IR) (Korean Kontext)

— Professor Robert Kelly’s Trip to North Korea (Asian Security Blog; continued in part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5)

Politics/Economics/Workplaces

— For 40-something women, jobs scarce (Korea Joongang Daily)

— Korean women buy large, imported cars to avoid being bullied by male drivers (The Star)

Pop Culture

— Is It Too Soon for T-ara to Come Back? (Seoulbeats)

— Hallyu Tsunami: The Unstoppable (and Terrifying) Rise of K-Pop Fandom (Grantland)

— Roundtable: The Broken Fountain of Youth (Seoulbeats)

— Parade’s End director says sexism is still rife in [UK] drama world (The Guardian)

— Golden Time ponders extension — dude, you have one episode left (Dramabeans; see also “Golden Time confirms three-episode extension“)

— Tough Ladies Report to the Dance Floor (Seoulbeats)

Social Problems

— South Korea’s Blight: Suicide Gets Worse (Korea Real Time)

— Solbi speaks against suicide on World Suicide Prevention Day 2012 (AllKpop)

— Celebrity Suicides: An Unfortunate Trend (Seoulbeats)

— Suicides among Japanese students hit record level in 2011 (The Japan Times)

— Killing Yourself To Make A Living: In Japan Financial Incentives Reward Suicide (Japanese Subculture Research Center)

— 89% of US Army Suicides Are By Soldiers Who Never Saw Combat (ROK Drop)

— Living in a closet, tape a window to the wall (The Hankyoreh)

— Everyday Sexism: It isn’t restricted to adults – even young girls in school uniform share their experiences (The Telegraph)

— Ilyo Sisa denounces the barbarity of white men against Korean women (Gusts of Popular Feeling)

— Chuseok and 차례 and sexist traditions (I’m no Picasso)

— Korea’s new war on vice (Alleyways)

— Seoul adopts rights ordinance (The Korea Times)

(Links don’t necessarily imply endorsements)