South Korea’s public funds have financed palm-oil firms implicated in deforestation and rights violations. Growing public scrutiny is challenging these subsidies, demanding transparency and accountability for the environmental and social harm linked to the industry.
Young women in South Korea are rejecting makeup and cutting their hair short in the “Escape the Corset” movement, a protest against rigid beauty norms in a male-dominated society. Their pushback is reshaping public debate and forcing beauty brands to rethink long-standing standards.
Communities displaced from Cambodia’s Boeung Kak Lake have spent years seeking justice for forced evictions linked to a World Bank–funded project. Their struggle exposes how the Bank’s accountability systems fail to protect those most affected.
After Burhan Wani’s killing in 2016, Srinagar’s Lal Chowk fell silent as Kashmiris joined a long voluntary shutdown. Shops and mosques stayed closed, nighttime markets briefly revived, and the Hurriyat protest calendar became a symbol of renewed demands for self-determination.
South Korea’s Unification Church has built wide influence in Nepal, expanding from a religious movement into political networks and a cabinet-level party. Its reach across faith, business and politics raises questions about transparency and the blending of spiritual and political power.
Indonesia has launched its first Forest Governance Index as the country’s two-year deforestation moratorium nears expiry. The assessment reveals weak law enforcement and local-level gaps in forest management, underscoring urgent reforms needed to curb deforestation and strengthen REDD+ governance.