“X FUNS cover” by Yuko Shimizu (2005; source). For more of her work, see Visual News, her website, or her Facebook page.
Body Image, Health
— Convincing Women in China They’re Too Hairy (Bloomberg)
— The Dark Side of K-Culture (Randomwire)
— True ‘Gangnam Style’ Fashion (The Huffington Post)
— A Brief History of the Double Eyelid (Korea You’re Beautiful)
— South Korean girls’ obsession with double eyelid surgery as they strive to look like ‘pretty western celebrities’ (The Daily Mail)
— Seoul rises as beauty destination (The Korea Herald)
— Hyori looks gorgeous for Elle, but netizens focus on her “sagging” tits (Asian Junkie)
— Jessica and Yunho named the ’2012 Barbie & Ken’ (Allkpop)
Censorship, Media
— COOL’s Yuri Isn’t Dead, but my Faith in Korea’s Media Is (Seoulbeats)
— KOCSC calls for regulations on outfits, choreography, slang, but do nothing to address real issues (Asian Junkie)
— Weighing the Pros and Cons of Pre-screening MV’s (Seoulbeats)
— Joking about North Korea gets young leftists thrown in jail (The Hankyoreh)
— Idols and Endorsements (Seoulbeats)
Crime
— Attempted rapist pleads drunkenness in appeal, gets HEAVIER sentence (The Marmot’s Hole)
— Woman’s biting off of man’s tongue deemed self-defense (The Hankyoreh; The Marmot’s Hole)
— Anger as Suwon Murderer Escapes Death Penalty (Korea BANG)
— Key East Entertainment manager arrested for repeated sexual assault … fucking ugh (Asian Junkie; Soompi)
— Taking Advantage of Passed Out Drunk Girls, Netizens Debate (Korea BANG)
— Which is on the rise? Sex crimes or media sensationalism? (The Korea Times)
Dating, Relationships, Marriage
— Matchmaking industry swooning (The Korea Times)
— Picture of the Day: Baby Festival (ROK Drop)
— Japan Court Rejects Suit Challenging Outdated Remarriage Law (Japan Real Time)
— The Basics on Dating Chinese Men, Our Perceptions, And Stereotypes (Speaking of China)
— I’m a Feminist AND It’s Tradition in China? On Not Changing My Maiden Name (Speaking of China)
Education, Parenting, Demographics
— SKorea: Principal under investigation for hitting students (Asian Correspondent)
— Interview: In New Film, Korean Adoptees Search for Roots, Redefine Family Tree (Asia Society)
— Korea – U.S. International Adoption Ornament is Racist and Ugly (Korean Gender Cafe)
— Are You Effing Kidding Me? (Geek in Heels)
— Japan’s Demographic Nightmare (The Diplomat)
Economics, Politics, Workplaces, Ladygate
— On My War Against the Window (On Becoming a Good Korean (Feminist) Wife)
— Japan’s women: Can they save the country’s economy? (BBC)
Gangnam Style
— Gangnam Style: how Seoul’s most exclusive neighbourhood went global (The Guardian)
— Japan’s deaf ear to Gangnam Style riles South Korea (The Telegraph; Japan Today)
— Psy reaches 500 million viewers in shortest time. And Japanese Youtube users suck (The Marmot’s Hole)
— Can Psy start a new Korean Wave? (Asia One)
— Dennis Hong debuts a robot that dances to “Gangnam Style” (TED)
— Big Trouble in Little China + Gangnam Style. John Carpenter approves (io9)
— From ‘Gangnam Style’ to ‘Dartmouth Style’ (3WM)
— Psy meets legendary American actress Betty White (Omona They Didn’t!)
— Ai Weiwei Parodies ‘Gangnam Style,’ Confuses Pundits (Asia Society; Scene Asia)
— Gangnam Style hits South Park (Gusts of Popular Feeling)
— Oppa earning $60K per Vegas gig (Omona They Didn’t!)
— The data behind Gangnam Style: The rise and rise of PSY (The Economist)
LGBT, Sexuality
— Gay-o?!: Glee and Call Me Maybe in the classroom (Alleyways)
— More elderly enjoy sex (The Korea Herald)
— A rise in abortions shows Chinese students need more sexual freedom, not less (Shanghaiist)
— “The true sign of rough economy is not the weakness of the country’s exports industry, or the difficulty fresh college graduates face in landing a decent job, but rather when a 73 year old woman gets arrested on prostitution charges.” (The Japan Daily Press)
— Reading List: Toward a Queer Korean American Diasporic History (The Kimchi Queen)
— The King and the Clown’s Love Story (Seoulbeats)
— Everything you wanted to know about sex in China, but were afraid to ask (Seeing Red in China)
— Japan allows male-to-female transgender children to attend school as “female students” (ILDA)
— If anyone ever tells you homosexuality was brought to Korea by the West… (The Kimchi Queen)
— A look at prostitution among teen runaways (Gusts of Popular Feeling)
Miscellaneous
— Study: female N. Korean defectors suffer depression, sexual abuse (Yahoo! Korea; The Hankyoreh)
— Female athletes’ rights on radar as stars multiply (Korea Joongang Daily)
— Rain Under Fire For Special Military Treatment (MTVK)
— Seoul Fashion Week S/S2013 off to a Running…Fumble (Yahae!; Scene Asia)
— The Story of Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Geum-Soon Yoon, A Woman Farmer (The Next Women)
Pop Culture
— We’re famous for not having talents, though (Frank Kogan)
— The Pre-debut Touch (Seoulbeats)
— More thoughts on the question of SM trainees (Angry K-pop Fan)
— Counterpoint: Reasons I’d Want to be a K-Idol (Seoulbeats)
— K-pop’s ‘Music Factory’ Exports Knock on America’s Door (Asianaut)
— New York-Based K-pop Academy Scandal Put on Blast by Local News (MTVK)
Social Problems
— Steep increase in income inequality since 1990s (The Hankyoreh)
(Links are not necessarily endorsements)
The Grand Narrative 