[The Hankyoreh, June 19 2008] [Column] Redesigning Korea

Park No-ja, Professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Norway

Colleagues in Norwegian academia who have seen Korea’s candlelight protests on the Internet tell me they just cannot believe that many people would protest for that long just about beef. They ask me what the more fundamental reason might be. I’m always at a loss as to what to say. It is a difficult task explaining to foreigners how a president inaugurated just a hundred days ago can be facing calls for “renegotiations” and to step down.