Seoul is keen on repurposing and reinventing city infrastructure, embracing adaptive reuse as an innovative way of unlocking the hidden potential in old buildings, warehouses and factories. According to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield, this trend of transforming old industrial factories and warehouses into new, hip cultural spaces is still very much popular for developers and consume...

As banking goes mobile, retail banks are trying to figure out what to do with their increasingly empty branches. One idea is to give customers more reasons to stop by, like a cup of Paul Bassett coffee, a Krispy Kreme doughnut or a chance to browse through some new books. Woori Bank, one of South Korea’s three major retail banks along with Kookmin and Shinhan, was the first to sublet space in i...

While gochujang -- Korean red chili paste -- is captivating the taste buds of many overseas, a Chinese sauce known for its tongue-numbing heat is the latest obsession among spicy food lovers here. Mala, a fiery, oily sauce that originates from China’s southwestern region of Sichuan, is the flavor behind this year’s popular malatang hot pot and the stir-fried version, mala xiang guo. As fans can...

Late last month, two giant chili statues occupied a corner of Seoul Plaza, in front of City Hall, drawing interest from foreign tourists and passers-by. The air carried the unmistakable scent of the fiery spice. Farmers’ booths nearby had loads of freshly harvested, sun-dried red chilies, ready to be ground into gochu-garu -- chili powder -- or to be aged into thick, fermented chili paste, gochu...

Pictures of dead or dying sea turtles, whales and birds have gone viral recently, warnings of an escalating waste problem that causes animals to choke on plastic debris. Although such heartbreaking pictures are effective in increasing awareness about environmental issues, they often fall short of motivating the general public to reduce their waste output in the long term. To build momentum for ...

The city of Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, has the country’s first gallery dedicated to upcycling and runs programs for both artists and the general public. The ongoing exhibition at the Gwangmyeong Upcycle Art Center has a child-friendly zoo theme: A tiger, an eagle and other wild animals have been recreated out of various waste materials. But the message isn’t just for kids. “The ‘Upcycle Zo...

A fancy new building with an inviting lawn yard, public art installations and plenty of Instagrammable photo spots, Seoul Upcycling Plaza looks just like a hip place to be. And that’s what city officials hope it will become -- a magnet for trendsetters and a hotbed of new lifestyle movements. Early Tuesday afternoon, more than half of the studios had their lights on, but there was nobody mannin...

Vegan bakeries started to emerge in Seoul just a couple of years ago. Eschewing the usual wheat, butter, yeast, milk and eggs, vegan bakeries create their goods with alternative ingredients such as soy milk, brown rice or coconut oil. In addition to vegans, these shops attract people with food allergies or atopic diseases, mothers of newborns and customers simply seeking healthy alternatives....

The vegan way of life is not limited to diet or eating but encompasses the full spectrum of a person’s life choices, including things like skin care and cosmetics. With more consumers opposing animal testing and the use of animal-derived ingredients, a number of vegan beauty brands have popped up in recent years. Another leading brand on the market is Dear Dahlia, owned by startup Baram Interna...

The following is a Korea Herald copy editor’s personal account of her encounters with the local vegan community. The writer, a vegan since the early 1990s, has lived in Korea for more than 15 years. -- Ed. It was Aug. 7, three days before “A Piece of Vegan Festival” at Seoul Innovation Park in Eunpyeong, northwestern Seoul. One of the organizers, Kang So-yang, posted a picture of the venue on Fa...

An average of 1,000 counterfeit bills are spotted and seized annually in South Korea -- many of them via KEB Hana Bank’s anti-counterfeiting center. With 15 employees and technology worth 1.5 billion won ($1.3 million), the unit handles 37 currencies and is responsible for nearly 80 percent of all counterfeit bill detection in the country. Situated in the basement of a KEB Hana Bank branch offi...

For 35-year-old office worker Kim Seong-soo, carrying a wallet loaded with cash or plastic is a thing of the past. In Pangyo Techno Valley, where he works, he can easily buy a cup of coffee and get a haircut without any cash or cards -- as long as he brings his phone. The tech cluster, located south of Seoul in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is often called the South Korean equivalent of Californ...

South Korean banknotes and coins begin life at a factory in Gyeongsan, just outside Daegu. They are then transported to the Bank of Korea’s vault in Seoul, heavily guarded by armed security officers, to enter the money circulation cycle. In its lifespan as a medium of exchange, the banknotes and coins travel around at varying speeds, with some -- 1,000 won bills in particular -- changing hands n...

Trying to stand on ferociously turbulent water is definitely an effective way to get an adrenaline rush. And indoor facilities allow enthusiasts to experience that all year round, amid the growing popularity of surfing here. After three or four attempts, one gets to partly understand the “perfect balance” that the instructors have been shouting about for the past 30 minutes. Riders start to sta...

On a heat-soaked afternoon in Seoul, the placid waters of the Han River suddenly burst with energy. A figure mounted on top of what looks like a futuristic water-propelled jet pack performs energetic and acrobatic feats above the water -- just like the Iron Man. It was a lot harder than it looked. I collapsed multiple times, losing my balance above and under the water. Getting into a standing po...