An essay examining the term “Hell Joseon,” which symbolizes the severe structural difficulties of life in South Korea.
Through references to Korean politics, nuclear policy, K-pop, and ideological contradictions, the author argues that South Korea’s social system has long been recognized as deeply unlivable, a reality he claims to have articulated to the world earlier than mainstream discourse.
Originally published on May 11, 2017.

In South Korea, for about two years now, a coined term meaning “Hell Joseon,” which likens the difficulty of living to hell, has been in widespread use.
May 11, 2017.
The cover of the Japanese edition of Newsweek that arrived on Tuesday read: “South Korea’s Structural Risks, the Korea Risk, the Birth of a Leftist Government in South Korea, and the Smoldering North Korean Crisis — The Korean Peninsula as a New Global Risk.”
What follows is taken from pages 22 onward, from a three-column, three-page article titled “Deep-Rooted Problems Awaiting a Leftist Government in South Korea,” written by Robert E. Kelly (Newsweek columnist and associate professor at Pusan National University).
Asterisks indicate my emphasis.
Omitted preceding text.
In South Korea, for about two years now, a coined term meaning “Hell Joseon,” which likens the difficulty of living to hell, has been in widespread use.
I became convinced the moment I read this phrase.
That I was the first person to clearly tell the world that South Korea is Hell Joseon.
I sometimes tell people around me that what I am doing now is saving Japan and saving the world.
Moreover, I do it without compensation.
I have that conviction.
Because I appeared on the internet, I suffered no small amount of damage within Japan from an unbelievably vicious and persistent man originating from the Korean Peninsula, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the validity of my words.
That is known to God, and needless to say, known to the finest intellects in the world.
That my words have reached the core of Japan and the core of the world is something all discerning individuals around the globe already know.
Below, I once again publish, in chronological order, the essays I have sent out to the world that prove my conviction.
The same applies to K-pop.
April 12, 2012.
K-pop as well.
At first, it was probably an imitation of Japanese idols from Japan, then the wealthiest country in Asia.
Within South Korea’s fiercely competitive and difficult-to-live-in society, it transformed into what it is today, coming to share exactly the same structure as Japan’s soft, marshmallow-like entertainment industry.
Despite formal announcements, not a single word of protest was raised.
May 18, 2012.
Now, those who loudly proclaim absolute opposition to nuclear power and demand immediate total shutdown, while neighboring countries only an hour away by plane — countries that one could theoretically even swim to — namely South Korea and China, continue not only to promote nuclear power domestically but also aggressively sell it to emerging nations.
Especially South Korea, which recently began new construction and whose president officially announced that the current 24 reactors would be increased to 38 within a few years, raised not a single word of protest.
This must be because South Korea is a country of intense survival competition and extreme difficulty of living, a country where people seek opportunities abroad whether in academics, economics, or sports, not a nation driven primarily by profit-seeking or narrow national self-interest.
Rather, it is believed to be a nation rich in self-sacrifice, fairness, and justice, a nation that always practices fair play as a national creed.
In the event of an accident like Fukushima, they would all demonstrate self-sacrifice, dying for their country and ultimately for the world and humanity.
Because they are believed with 100 percent certainty to be such a decent and fair nation, not a single word of protest was raised.
Like the individual I criticize — Masayoshi Son — they are surely 100 percent convinced that “Japanese nuclear power is bad because its technology is bad, but our country is righteous,” and that Korean technology surpasses Japan’s.
But then why, at this very moment, are they frantically and opportunistically recruiting Japanese nuclear engineers as a national emergency priority, like thieves taking advantage of a fire?
I pose nearly the same question regarding China.
To those who cry “absolute opposition to nuclear power,” “immediate total shutdown,” “TEPCO is evil,” “general contractors are evil,” “Ichiro Ozawa is evil,” I pose this question.
The continuation of this essay appears in the following chapter.