Max Kim

Americans may aspire to single-family homes, but in South Korea, apartments are king South Korea’s middle-class dream of home ownership? It's not a house with a white picket fence — it's an apartment.

Americans often come to South Korea and balk at the glut of high-rise apartments, seen as soulless, sterile, suffocating. But as cities like LA face severe housing crises, there is something to be said about the very different idea of homes behind them

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The U.S. has long wanted to sell more cars in Asia. Do Asian consumers want them? U.S. cars have been getting bigger, more expensive and more polluting in the last several decades — all the things that make for a tough sell to Asian consumers

Even before Trump, U.S. leaders complained about the lack of American cars in Asia, pointing to trade or regulatory barriers. But the reasons Asian consumers don’t buy American cars are far less complicated.

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Why South Korean young men and women are more politically divided than ever In South Korea, right-leaning young men are less likely to focus on North Korea than feminism, which — for them — has become a dirty word.

Growing political gaps between men and women are being observed all over the world — including in South Korea, where the recent presidential election showed a staggering 40 percent point difference between 20-something men and women.

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Trump’s attack on Iran pushed diplomacy with Kim Jong Un further out of reach Following U.S. strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, the chances of North Korea returning to the bargaining table have become even slimmer.

The prospects of Trump wooing back Kim Jong Un were already looking rather dim, but his strike on Iran might have been the final nail in the coffin. In my latest:

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105 South Koreans sue former president for ‘emotional damages’ Former Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of emergency martial law was short-lived. Now 105 citizens are suing him for emotional damages.

A group of 105 South Koreans — led by a lawyer who was behind two presidential impeachments — is suing former president Yoon Suk Yeol for emotional damages caused by his martial law declaration

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Thanks John 🙏

How a former factory worker rose to South Korea’s presidency 'My personal experiences made me aware of how cruel this world can be to those who have nothing,' said Lee Jae-myung.

South Korea's new president, Lee Jae-myung, has had an extraordinary life and a uniquely difficult path to the presidency. My latest:

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Trump says South Korea wants to invest in the Alaska gas pipeline. Does it? Some officials in South Korea say agreeing to the pipeline investment might placate the U.S., but Trump is still threatening tariffs.

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They didn't know they were citizens. Now they are expected to serve in the South Korean military Korean Americans are finding themselves on the hook for service in the South Korean military — all because a rapper dodged it.

Korean Americans are finding themselves on the hook for service in the South Korean military — all because a rapper dodged it.

'Get on it AY-sep!' Foreign words have invaded Korea. The government is fighting back How do you say "deepfake," "ASAP" and "digital" in Korean? The fight to keep foreign words from diluting the language

Sometime In the last few years, I started noticing that South Korea's love of loanwords was reaching absurd levels. And as I discovered last fall, there's a government agency that's furiously trying to translate them:
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U.S. and Australia have long fought fires together. Climate change threatens joint efforts U.S. officials didn't even bother to ask Australia for help battling the Los Angeles fires.

With historically opposing wildfire seasons, the US and Australia send each other firefighting resources when things are slow at home. But the L.A. fires hint this system is cracking. My latest:

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South Korean president impeached, ending an 11-day standoff South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had refused to resign. But a dozen lawmakers from his own party turned against him in an impeachment vote over his declaration of martial law.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been impeached just 11 days after the martial law fiasco — but a constitutional court’s final sign-off remains:

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So theoretically at least, we may end up in a situation where education minister Lee Ju-ho — fourth in line who wasn't present at the cabinet meeting — ends up running the country while half the ministers get arrested.

If PM is out, next in line is deputy PM/finance minister Choi Sang-mok. But Choi was also one of the 11 members present at the cabinet meeting right before the martial law declaration, all of whom may also be in legal trouble.

What happens if Yoon is arrested? Nobody knows. PM might take over. Yoon might try to run things from a cell. But the PM is also a suspect in the insurrection investigation.

There is talk now in the local media of a possible death penalty for Yoon, who is facing insurrection charges and has reportedly hired lawyers amid increasingly damning testimonies from military officials suggesting he was personally trying to incapacitate the legislature.

The biggest question in South Korea: Who is running the country? The party of South Korea's embattled president has refused to join an impeachment effort, instead promising an 'orderly resignation.'

S. Korean President Yoon hasn't appeared in public since a brief public address on Sat. His party chief and PM have controversially deputized themselves in his absence. The military won't say whether they've been receiving orders from Yoon. Total chaos.
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South Korean president declares martial law, then backs down amid calls for his impeachment South Korea's president declared martial law, accusing the country's opposition of paralyzing the government. Then he backed down.

My story for @latimes.com on the bizarre, short-lived martial law attempt that happened last night

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