Category: Asia-Pacific

South Korea’s Battle with Suicide

The supposed positive correlation between the economic and social health of a nation is not as clear-cut as it seems, and the South Korean experience is proof. Sixty years down a path of rapid development interrupted only by the devastating financial crisis of 1997, the already existing stigma around mental health has been magnified by… Read more »

What Does A National Sex Offender Registry Mean For India?

On the evening of December 16, 2012 in Delhi, a young woman and her male friend were returning from seeing a movie. This woman was Jyoti Singh Pandey and she was a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern. Pandey and her friend boarded a private bus with six other men. After knocking her male friend unconscious, these men… Read more »

Political Theater and the Promise of Progress

“I heard you had your early-morning sleep disturbed many times because you had to attend the N.S.C. meetings because of us,” Mr. Kim said with a smile, “Getting up early in the morning must have become a habit for you. I will make sure that your morning sleep won’t be disturbed.” “Now I can sleep… Read more »

Taiwan’s Cultural Divergence From China

For those who don’t know, here is a quick background on Taiwan. Taiwan has been an independent country since 1950. China, on the other hand, regards Taiwan as a rebel region that has to be reunited with the mainland. China is willing to use force upon Taiwan in order to achieve reunification. The Nationalist government,… Read more »

Bhutan’s Blueprint for Bliss

As a U.S. presidential candidate, Robert Kennedy once said that the gross domestic product (GDP) of a country “measures everything except that which is worthwhile.” Although his message that materialism does not measure all that we want rings true to many people, today there are still few policy frameworks that recognize money as what it… Read more »

The Game of Politics

Less than a day after Kim Jong-un made his New Year’s Day address, in which he suggested the possibility of North Korea’s participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Games, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea accepted the offer with seeming alacrity. At the Opening Ceremonies, the world watched—marvelled, perhaps—as the two Koreas marched together under one… Read more »

South China Sea Series: Vietnam

One of the most important regions of the world, the South China Sea is a site of conflict between six competing nations: China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei. Recent years witnessed a steady increase in tension, as China began its expansionist agenda, building military bases in many of the disputed islands. Numerous policy… Read more »

North and South Korea: An Olympic Truce?

The tension between the United States and North Korea, which has left the world on edge over the past few months, seems to have taken a shocking yet welcome turn toward a potential resolution. On March 23rd, South Korean officials confirmed that North Korea agreed to hold high-level talks in the coming weeks. Moreover, President… Read more »

Covering Up Child Abuse in China

November in China was turbulent. Following the anger incited by juvenile abuse in a day care center in Shanghai, people were again unsettled on Friday, November 24th by similar reports from the RYB (Red Yellow Blue) Education Kindergarten in Xintiandi, Beijing. Reports claim that three-year-olds in one class were fed white pills, needle punctures were… Read more »

Will Outdoor Activities Ever Be Popular in China?

Exhaustion, excitement, nostalgia, fatigue, hope, apprehension… Mixed feelings fill our chests when we start our college lives. To ease this especially hard transition, colleges design orientation programs. At as early as five in the morning, Bowdoin College students start off their journeys to Maine locations that range from Indian Pond to Vinalhaven Island. For many… Read more »