'The state’s growing use of digital surveillance tools, which combine equipment imported from China with domestically developed software, threatens to erase many of the small spaces North Koreans have left to...access foreign media and secretly criticize their government.'

Ten years ago Tuesday, an overloaded South Korean ferry capsized and sank, killing hundreds of schoolchildren who had been ordered to stay in their cabins even as the captain evacuated.

The accident and botched rescue triggered nationwide fury

u.afp.com/5Ack

Voter discontent over issues like economy & corruption is blamed for the rightwing party's crushing defeat in S.Korea's general elections. Prez. Yoon's intolerance of critics - esp. journalists - is also said to be one of them. Important story by Los Angeles Times. latimes.com/world-nation/s…

#UPDATE South Korea's opposition Democratic Party and its satellites are heading towards a landslide victory on Wednesday in parliamentary elections, exit polls indicate, in a major blow to President Yoon Suk Yeol ➡️ u.afp.com/5QeH

'Young people are dying every day, while it's considered a problem that (we are) not getting married and not having children.' Ahead of the April 10 vote, South Korea's young say the political system is failing them. AFP News Agency story: shorturl.at/cwFOZ

Germany today voted against a UN Human Rights Council resolution aimed at preventing rights violations against Palestinians by calling on countries to stop selling weapons to Israel.

I'm speechless. President Yoon Suk Yeol has said that foreign students and spouses in South Korea should be allowed to work as babysitters and housekeepers without minimum wage protections as a solution to the low birthrate issue and ease childcare burden. sedaily.com/NewsView/2D7S4…

Reproductive Justice: Global Movements and Wins
🗓️ April 2nd @ 11 AM EST
📍 Zoom webinar
Rsvp at tinyurl.com/wgsrjpanel?utm…

Hawon Jung is a journalist and former Seoul correspondent for the AFP news agency. Join us in learning more about her work around reproductive justice.

'Insooni sometimes questions her decision not to look for her father. She once told South Korean military officers that if they were posted abroad, they should never do what American G.I.s did in Korea decades ago: “spreading seeds you cannot take responsibility for.”'

To celebrate #womenshistorymonth , join Asia Society Northern California and AS Seattle on March 28 for a virtual conversation on gender equality and women's rights in South Korea. Featuring Hawon Jung, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs's Soo Koo, and Women's Commission Washington State's Grace Yoo. Register below! asiasociety.org/seattle/events…

Missed this excellent list on #IWD ? Check it out now, and shout outs in particular to the amazing Nila Ibrahimi Hawon Jung Rasha Younes Gissou Nia | گیسو نیا cnn.com/interactive/as…

Per MBC, President Yoon's secretary said in a meeting with reporters, 'Listen carefully MBC' before mentioning the case of a reporter who was stabbed in the legs with a sashimi knife in the 80s. 🔪✍️😳

South Korea hosts Summit for Democracy next week.
imnews.imbc.com/replay/2024/nw…

Love seeing brilliant journalist Hawon Jung, the author of 'Flowers of Fire,' celebrated for her work in bringing South Korean feminists into the global conversation on gender equality. If you haven't read Hawon's book yet, you must! edition.cnn.com/interactive/as…

New from #AsEquals : 'The Defenders' is a photo-led, interactive that profiles activists, academics, advocates, catalysts and creatives around the world working to protect or expand women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.
edition.cnn.com/interactive/as…

Honored to be featured on this list of those championing the rights for women & gender minorities around the world by CNN As Equals. Hope the selection will help shed more light on the stories of South Korean women & their fights for gender equality.

edition.cnn.com/interactive/as…

“What matters is not what you oppose but what kind of life you desire...If (we) cannot rebuild a society in places without top-down restrictions, even if we undergo a change of regime, we definitely won’t be able to lead better lives.” A thoughtful story, well worth a read.

When 2 headlines are worth 10,000 word.

According to Unicef, 19,000 children in Gaza are now orphaned or have ended up alone with no adult to look after them. bbc.co.uk/news/world-mid…