Roses are red, violets are blue. The season of love is here, and the coronavirus is too. “I was supposed to get married on White Day but I delayed it to this fall due to the coronavirus,” a bride-to-be commented on Naver blog Make My Wedding, a popular online community with more than 38,997 members who are preparing for weddings. In Korea, White Day, which falls on March 14, sees men giving can...

When Park Jin-ryoung, a Daegu resident, saw people waiting in line for hours to buy a face mask -- a must-have survival item in the city, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of COVID-19 cases in South Korea -- her thoughts went to people in need. So she took out her sewing machine. She visited offline and online stores to buy the materials she needed to make 120 fabric face masks: elastic braid...

“For February, we had to expand our capacity as the number of members rose from around 9,000 to over 10,000. We also had over 10,000 people signing up for the class in March,” startup Dano spokesperson Lee Jae-woo said. The startup’s app My Dano provides a personal fitness coaching program, through which a trainer helps the member work out and manage what they eat. “When our members send photos o...

Wearing face masks on buses and subways -- and even at the office -- has become the new normal in South Korea amid the coronavirus outbreak. People are washing their hands and sanitizing the surfaces they’ve touched as often as possible, and personal hygiene products are in high demand. In the face of scarcity, some people have opted to make their own masks and sanitizers, while retailers have ...

“The minimum wage was an issue. It was a pressure. So we are focusing on automation as there is are fewer customers late at night,” said the official from the IPCA. According to game data provider Gametrics, the average rate of PCs in use at the outlets, which peaked to 42.3 percent at 5 p.m., dropped to 28.4 percent at midnight, plunged to one-digit figure starting 5 a.m. and hit rock bottom at...

During the four trading days after the movie bagged the four Academy Awards on Feb. 9 (local time), Nongshim shares surged by some 10 percentage points. Some market analysts forecast that the overall Asian food market will gain popularity around the world thanks to Bong’s latest masterpiece. The Oscar-winning movie is expected to generate more than $12 million in economic value, according to lo...

Since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed last month, many South Koreans have put their social lives on hold, choosing to stay home most of the time. When they have to step outside, many cover their faces with masks, guarding against the possibility of contracting the potentially deadly coronavirus from strangers. Masks and hand sanitizers are everywhere, from subway trains to wedding halls...

“I crack nuts with my family on Jeongwol Daeboreum. I am not sure why, but I guess the tradition is supposed to shoo away some bad ghosts and bring good luck,” Kang Min-woo, 26, said. “I do know that there are some other Jeongwol Daeboreum traditions, but I do not celebrate them.” Saturday is “Jeongwol Daeboreum” or “Daeboreum,” a traditional holiday marking the first full moon of the Lunar New ...

Annie Jeong has always been concerned about her 3-year-old son’s exposure to digital devices. She became more worried recently after learning about the rise of screen-free parenting. But such a scheme is a tall order, she said. With digital-driven education permeating classrooms across South Korea, the use of digital devices and software has become a necessity for the future generation. “I’m w...

As Koreans halt operations and leave on an exodus for their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday, travelers and expats alike may find themselves scratching their heads as to how to spend their weekend. This year, Seollal falls on Jan. 24-26, giving South Koreans a three-day weekend to celebrate with their loved ones. Customs, family and food are at the heart of this national holiday. Howeve...

“I’m a 12-year-old girl and 158 centimeters tall. All my best friends are at least 160 centimeters in height. My goal is to eventually reach 180 centimeters. Please advise how I can grow taller.” The anonymous writer of the post on web portal Naver speaks for many others -- children and parents alike -- in their quest to stand above others, literally. The average height of Koreans was 170 centi...

Millennials everywhere get a bad rap, and South Korea is no exception. As more millennials join the workforce, theories and assumptions about the millennial ways abound. Millennial workers have been called weak and entitled, or are portrayed as not trying hard enough. They also hold a reputation for being quitters and job-hoppers. But blaming the “millennial mindset” for traits seen in young w...

For some bands, music is all about breaking stodgy old rules and creating new ones. However, for Black String, a traditional Korean music band, the revolution may be on a bigger scale. It wants to establish its own genre. Black String, founded in 2011, consists of four artists, three of them gugak performers. The group is led by string instrument geomungo virtuoso Heo Yoon-jeong with Lee Aram on...

Though gugak, traditional Korean music, is often considered an unchanging art form from the past, various gugak acts and institutions are working on revitalizing the genre to make it more relatable to today’s audiences. K-pop has taken the world by storm, but Korea’s traditional music is still underappreciated even among South Koreans, let along the wider global audience. Strong prejudices again...

US-China trade deal On Dec. 13, the US and China reached a partial deal to end their trade war. Both countries have agreed on the terms of a “phase one” trade deal, with expectations for China to boost imports of US agricultural goods while Washington eases massive tariffs on Chinese products. They are expected to sign a deal in early January. Trump impeachment bid On Dec. 18, the Democratic...