Most Popular
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$200m a year, 700,000 tons of rice, space tech: The deal for North Korea in joining Russia’s war
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Korean battery makers brace for impact of US election
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Who is writer of Hybe's controversial internal report?
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[AtoZ of Korean mind] Ever noticed some Koreans talk to themselves?
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Scandal-hit ex-lawmaker denies corruption claims as pressure on Yoon mounts
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Will South Korea go back to banning phones in classrooms?
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[From the Scene] Gumi, home to Nongshim’s largest factory, rebrands itself as ‘city of ramyeon'
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After opposition U-turn, Korea to repeal plan for financial capital gains tax
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Gangnam Station ramming suspect to face detention
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Stray Kids' US album sales surpass 1M
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[Weekender] $2 convenience store lunch vs. $200 omakase: young Koreans' polarized consumption
The frugal type: Lunch at convenience store, bike rides and thrift shops For every penny he spends that could have been saved, Kang Won-jin (not his real name) gets scolded online. When he confessed to a spontaneous purchase of a 10,000 won ($7) umbrella from a convenience store because of an unforeseen rain, he was told “No Starbucks for a week.” Some remarked half-jokingly, “You should have used flyers or newspapers to cover your head.” He willingly shares his daily exp
Hashtag KoreaJune 3, 2023
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[Eye Plus] Talchum: Dancing to reveal the faces of Joseon
“Korean pop music, dramas and films are popular overseas. But there are also other ‘hip’ cultures in Korea waiting to be discovered,” Gangnyeong Talchum performer Park In-sun said. Gangnyeong Talchum is a type of Korean traditional mask play, performed around the Dano holiday, May 5 in the lunar calendar, falling on June 22 of the solar calendar this year. As its name signifies, Gangnyeong Talchum originates from Gangnyeong in Hwanghae Province, in the southwest of North
weekenderJune 3, 2023
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[Weekender] Luxury labels target teens
While it's not breaking news that luxury fashion houses have been broadening their customer bases to younger customers, teenagers have risen as a new lucrative target demographic for such brands. More teenagers are purchasing high-end goods -- everything from lower-priced luxury beauty products and shoes to pricier bags, watches and jewelry. “Being a fan of Dior, I wanted to experience the brand,” said Lee Kyung-min, a high school student who visited a pop-up event held by Frenc
IndustryMay 27, 2023
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[Eye Plus] Glittering 'chilbo' metal craft links past and future
“Managing fire and time is the essence of my major,” said Choi Hyo-ryeong, who majors in metal craft at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage in Buyeo-gun, South Chungcheong Province. Choi demonstrated how she creates Korea’s traditional decorative metal works called "chilbo," an enameling technique similar to cloisonne, in which metal is coated with various powders and subjected to high temperatures of 600 degrees or above. Often worn as accessories, the
weekenderMay 20, 2023
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[Weekender] An escape from city bustle, Seoul’s book shelters offer more than page-turning experience
Odong Neighborhood Park, located in Wolgok-dong and Jangwi-dong in Seongbuk-gu, northern Seoul, is a popular destination for local residents. Situated at the top of a 119-meter-high mountain called Wolgoksan, the park offers a gentle walking trail surrounded by a densely forested area. At the starting point of the trail, a unique building captures the eyes of visitors. Odong Book Shelter, which opened May 2, is one of seven "book shelters" that the Seoul Metropolitan Government operate
BooksMay 13, 2023
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[Weekender] Laser skin treatments, full course meals: luxury life of pets in Korea
Treating oneself to a full course meal and a laser skin treatment at a high-end dermatologist sounds like something out of the life of the superrich. In South Korea, it’s a reality for some of the country's luckiest pets. Luxury laser treatments La Peau Claire, a skin clinic located in Seoul’s affluent Cheongdam-dong, provides laser treatment services for cats and dogs. The clinic, which opened last month, is a trailblazer in Korea’s pet dermatology industry. It’
CultureMay 6, 2023
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[Eye Plus] 'It feels like I'm the hero in a movie'
Nam Chang-dong was 8 years old when he was spellbound by jultagi tightrope walking. “The jultagi player looked like a hero in a fantasy film for me," he said. Now 22 and a professional “rope clown,” he is the custodian of jultagi, the tightrope walking art that is officially recognized as part of South Korea’s intangible cultural heritage. It might be compared to tightrope walking, but in jultagi the performers dance, sing and tell stories while walking, standing and
weekenderMay 6, 2023
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[Weekender] Korea in midst of golf wear craze
Kim Min-young, a white-collar office worker in her 30s, said that in light of the start of golf season -- which customarily runs from April to September -- she recently spent some 700,000 won ($523) on clothes from the newly released spring and summer collection launched by her favorite golf wear brand. "When my friends and I go to golf courses for a game, there's definitely that tension of scanning who is using what and who is wearing what -- and what brands the products are from,&q
IndustryApril 29, 2023
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[Weekender] Cozy, affordable ‘imokase’ course menus trending in Seoul
Located in the narrow alleyways of Seoul’s industrial district Euljiro -- dubbed “Hipjiro” for its renaissance as a hotspot for younger locals -- Joil Food is one of the city’s growing number of popular “imokase” joints. Stemming from the Japanese term “omakase,” which translates into “leaving it up to you,” an imokase establishment is a small eatery where the chef, who locals call “imo,” serves an affordable meal for custom
TravelApril 22, 2023
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[Weekender] Small but strong: Indie bookstores embrace individuality, diversity and community
Although the reading population of Korean adults is less than half the total -- meaning over half of adults do not read a single book in a year -- unique independent bookstores are enjoying growing popularity. There were 815 independent bookstores nationwide in 2022, according to Dongneseojeom (Bookstores in Neighborhood), an independent bookstore recommendation service. It has been keeping track of the number of bookstores since 2015 in its annual trend report. The number has been steadily incr
BooksApril 15, 2023
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[Weekender] Instant photos make comeback
In Seoul’s Yeonnam-dong, a trendy neighborhood for young hipsters, a particular trend has taken over an entire street: instant self-photo studios popping up almost next to each other. “Nine new self-photo studios have opened within just a few months in this area,” shared a person surnamed Hong who runs another such studio near Hongik University Station. It was a Tuesday afternoon and the freestanding photo studios inside stores like “Life Four Cuts” or “Haru F
Hashtag KoreaApril 8, 2023
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Geomungo entering second heyday
“The geomungo was a ‘hip’ instrument and the most popular among noblemen 500 to 600 years ago. And such appreciation is returning today,” said Shin Ji-hee, a 29-year-old player of the geomungo, a six-string instrument with the widest pitch among Korea’s traditional string instruments -- of three octaves. The origin of the instrument dates back to around 1,500 years ago during the period in which three kingdoms reigned on the Korean Peninsula: the Goguryeo, Baekje an
weekenderApril 8, 2023
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[Weekender] Foreign tourists flock back to Myeong-dong
Foreign travelers are returning to Myeong-dong after over three years of economic decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the central Seoul shopping district seeing signs of recovery. “Between last winter and now, I have been able to see a lot more foreigners in the Myeong-dong area, particularly on the main street. From morning until midnight, foreigners continue to flow into the area," a 27-year-old part-time worker surnamed Kim told The Korea Herald in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Tuesda
ConsumerApril 1, 2023
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[Eye Plus] Hanok, with people at all times
Jeon So-min, a student majoring in traditional architecture, shows how she measures Yuhyeondang at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage in Buyeo-gun, South Chungcheong Province. Yuhyeondang, a vacation home built 1971, has all the marks of traditional hanok -- from the graciously curved eaves to the wooden floor exposed outside. But for convenience, modern styling has been applied to its lighting, kitchen and restroom. The building is a good example of how traditional architecture deve
weekenderMarch 25, 2023
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[Weekender] Korea wages uphill battle against school violence
CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province -- As the spring semester began in March, counselors at the Changwon Youth Counseling and Welfare Center in the southeastern industrial city were busy greeting children who feared going to school. The center provides free psychological testing, counseling and play therapy for youths between the ages of 9 and 24 suffering from bullying. Most come to the center on recommendation from their schools and parents, though some come on their own. It is hard to detect
weekenderMarch 25, 2023
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[Weekender] Female SNU students find their footing on basketball court
It was not so long ago that girls were largely absent from school playgrounds in Korea. From soccer fields to basketball courts, while the boys played in sports games, the few girls that were spotted, most took on the roles as cheerleaders or worked as team managers. That was not the case at the Seoul National University gymnasium on a recent Thursday, where a team of women basketball players zipped across the court, practicing dribbles and crossovers, smiles never leaving their faces. Kwon Hee-
PeopleMarch 18, 2023
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[Korean Dilemma] Bracing for super-aging society
Imagine 2050. Two out of five people in South Korea will be aged 65 or above. You will see more older people on self-driving buses and trains, although they may look much younger than those of their age now. More young people will be engaged in businesses that serve the old, like health care, clubs and cruise ships. Yet, the government and media are tormented by the notion that there will be too few young people to support the old. In a country where so many social problems stem from cutthroat c
Hashtag KoreaMarch 11, 2023
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[Weekender] Envisioning Korea in 2070 in births, deaths, marriages and immigration
A dynamic, cutthroat society that never rests -- that has been South Korea until now. Changes have taken place in this Asian country in recent decades at speeds no other nation could follow: from poverty to prosperity, from the ruins of colonial occupation and civil war to becoming a rising cultural superpower on the international stage. But at the same breakneck pace, Korea is leading the world into a future where the majority live past 90 years old and fewer people are working to keep the econ
Social AffairsMarch 11, 2023
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[Eye Plus] Seeking happiness from pottery
“The mesmerizing moment of turning a wheel and the soft feeling of the clay led me to seek a career here,” said Kim You-jin, a student studying pottery at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. “There wasn't anything special in how I decided on my major, it was just like any other college student,” she added. “It might be destiny that ties me with pottery,” Kim’s schoolmate Ki Jung chimed in, saying majoring in pottery was a natural cho
weekenderMarch 10, 2023
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[Weekender] Why soju price hikes are causing Koreans so much anguish
Rumors of soju price hikes have stirred public disquiet over the past couple of weeks here, intensifying to the extent that the government decided to intervene in the market. The fuss temporarily ended after Hite Jinro, the country’s largest soju maker, officially announced that it was not planning on any price hikes. “I felt bitter when I heard about possible price hikes in soju, which seemed to hold out well, while everything else is getting more expensive,” said Kim, a 29-
ConsumerMarch 4, 2023