Writing
Scorched Earth Doctrine
IN FEBRUARY 1951, New York Times correspondent George Barrett, traveling with an American armored column, stumbled on the ghostly remains of a Korean hamlet that had been bombed out by US aircraft.
By Geoffrey Cain
Los Angeles Review of Books
May 11, 2015
How I Became an Ajumma
The Korean version of this essay appeared in the Kyunghyang Shinmun on 12 February 2015. The English version here has been published with the permission of the newspaper and the author.
By Geoffrey Cain
Kyunghyang Shinmun
Mar 31, 2015
This North Korean is getting rich off capitalism
SEOUL, South Korea — For many North Korean defectors, the escape to freedom in the South is, sadly, the start of another lifelong struggle.
By Geoffrey Cain
USA TODAY
Mar 26, 2015
Korea is pulling out all the stops to popularize its cuisine
SEOUL, South Korea — Until a few years ago, legions of food-loving Americans had never heard of bulgogi or kimchi, those Korean staples that are now available in most cities and towns across the country.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Mar 22, 2015
Activist plans to send 10,000 copies of ‘The Interview’ to North Korea by balloon
SEOUL, South Korea — If all goes according to plan, about 10,000 North Koreans will get to endure an hour of toilet humor from Seth Rogen and James Franco. And then watch a rocket-propelled grenade incinerate their supreme leader, Kim Jong Un.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Mar 19, 2015
I wanted to look like a K-Pop star. So I went to a plastic surgery clinic
SEOUL, South Korea — There is a glamorous nouveau riche neighborhood in Seoul called Gangnam. You may have heard the song. Gangnam is renowned for its culture of beauty and style. And its plastic surgery.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Mar 13, 2015
Here are 25 reasons why Seoul is now Asia’s coolest city
Just about every corner watering hole whips up dazzling barbecues, stews and pickled vegetables. It’s spicy, and that’s a good thing.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Mar 10, 2015
Here’s why some South Koreans really don’t like the United States
SEOUL, South Korea — Wearing traditional garb and wielding a 10-inch fruit knife, the assailant stood up and shouted for the unification of the two Koreas before slashing his supposed enemy: the guest of honor, US Ambassador to Seoul Mark Lippert.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Mar 5, 2015
Behold! The best of North Korea’s 349 new propaganda slogans!
SEOUL, South Korea — Pyongyang is drab and colorless, known mostly for its blockish, retro-Soviet architecture and socialist realism.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Feb 18, 2015
Why justice in Korean Air’s nut rage case was a big surprise
SEOUL, South Korea — Ever since the 2008 economic crisis, Americans have bemoaned the impunity and influence-peddling of Wall Street.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Feb 14, 2015