When time allows, Hilary Finchum-Sung travels to rural villages on Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province, interviewing elderly people and recording songs that they used to sing in kitchens, on farms or during special occasions like funerals. She is on a self-imposed mission to study and preserve a disappearing musical tradition in Korea which its people don’t seem to care much about. “It (the mus...

South American delicacies at InterContinental Seoul Coex InterContinental Seoul Coex is offering the “Viva! Wonder Hour” promotion until July 12 in celebration of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The hotel’s lobby lounge will be decorated with soccer-themed items and traditional South American artwork. Various South American dishes including churassco from Brazil, asado (BBQ) from Argentina, cazuela de ...

Jennifer Soft, a small software venture in Paju, north of Seoul, has a lengthy not-to-do list for its 26 workers. “Never say, ‘I’m in a meeting. Call me later,’” reads one of the 33 things on the list, with an explanation: “No meeting is more important than a phone call from your family.” Another reads, “Don’t sacrifice yourself for work. Put your life first.” The IT firm, which sells an epony...

A growing number of South Korean companies are taking initiatives to create a family-friendly environment to retain talented employees, but severe lack of time remains a problem for working parents in a country notorious for long working hours. “I sleep three hours a day to take care of my two kids,” Kim Hyun-kyung, a 31-year-old working mom, told The Korea Herald as she walked out of her office...

The South Korean government’s certification system for family-friendly companies is encouraging the spread of a more balanced work-life culture. Over the past six years, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has issued “best family-friendly management” certifications to companies that provide a welfare system encouraging employees to put their family first. The certification aims to accele...

Some of the best-known “family-friendly” policies at workplaces include child care services, parental leave for both mothers and fathers, and flexible work scheduling. But what we now consider as family-friendly policies should be redefined in the years to come, as family trends in Seoul have been changing dramatically in the past decade, said Lee Sook-jin, the president of the Seoul Foundation ...

Dana Kapelian (Dana Kapelian) While extremely low birthrates have created a demographic drag on wealthy nations, France has bucked the trend. France broke out of what some experts have called a “baby recession,” a birthrate that is consistently lower than the replacement rate of 2.1, with an estimated 2.08 births per woman in 2014, higher than the 2.01 for the United States, a country with a hi...

Located across the narrow street from the western wall of the heavily wooded Changdeokgung Palace, Eun Deok Cultural Center is an oasis of serenity in the bustling metropolis of Seoul. Overseeing this rare gem is Lee Seon-jong, 70, a Won Buddhist priest who has occupied many of the top posts in the indigenous Buddhism founded by Master Sotaesan in 1924. While the center is operated by Won Buddhi...

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” -Coco Chanel Style and fashion. Who can live without them? Especially in an age where people are not shy about expressing themselves and want to advertise what they are all about, having a unique sense of style is certainly a plus. Shoe...

In the world of fancy footwear and watches, a new philosophy is unfolding: Keep it chic and classic like a Manolo Blahnik or a Rolex, but with cheaper price tags. Traditionally, the accessories market has been divided into either high-end or, well, the low ― indicating products that are largely affordable for the masses. But these days, people are looking for style items that are aesthetically ...

As more people are choosing clothes and jewelry that highlight the wearers rather than specific brands, jewelers have started creating one-of-a-kind jewelry that can showcase the wearer’s personal history. Jewelry designer Jung Soo-yeon, who launched her jewelry brand Tanello in 2000, says she has succeeded in attracting both foreigners and Koreans in Seoul looking for such unique jewelry. “I f...

Kwon Ji-won, 33, who works as a human resources manager at a local consulting firm, is the certified shoe-buff at her office. “I prefer shoes to other fashion items as a form of expressing myself,” she said, introducing herself as a high-heel maniac. “Anything that has a high heel, I am all for it.” Aside from the stilettos, her collection runs a wide gamut from sneakers and sandals to ballerin...

Lee (right) learns to shuck conch from a veteran woman diver in Seongsan-ri, Jejudo Island, Wednesday. (Kim Hoo-ran/The Korea Herald) SEOGWIPO, Jeju ― It is not every day that a two Michelin-star chef from San Francisco gets tips on shucking a conch from a grandma. But then, this is no ordinary grandma: she is a hardy haenyeo, one of the celebrated women divers of Jejudo Island. Corey Lee, 36,...

Fly to the Sky continues to soar on new album Fly to the Sky “Continuum” (LOEN Entertainment) Despite five years of being apart, popular male R&B duo Fly to the Sky has returned strong and unchanged with its ninth studio album “Continuum.” The 10-track album is filled with the duo’s signature sound, characterized by the deep, resonant vocals of Hwanhee, which are balanced out by Brian Joo’s ...