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Inside Korea's empty classrooms and efforts to reimagine them
Amid dwindling birth rate, shuttered schools become a growing headache -- and potential asset -- for urban revitalization On a weekday afternoon at around 1:30 p.m., an eerie silence blankets the schoolyard of what was once Hwayang Elementary School in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Where children's laughter once filled the air, now only the rustling of trees in the spring breeze and occasional birdsong break the stillness. The human presence has shifted dramatically. Elderly residents with canes now walk
April 5, 2025 -
Run-ins with the law ― dos and don'ts
Free interpretation among legal rights to be mindful of So following a lapse of your better judgement, you find yourself inside a police station in a foreign land. Your first instinct may be to use whatever Korean you know to explain yourself. But maybe don't be so quick to trust those same instincts that landed you there in the first place. As in many other countries, everyone on Korean soil has the right to a fair investigation and trial. For anyone who does not speak Korean, this includes req
April 1, 2025 -
The case against small talk, according to Koreans
Why do Koreans generally not engage with strangers? We asked locals and experts Ava Miller, an avid K-drama lover, traveled to Seoul in July last year to practice her Korean and immerse herself in authentic Korean culture. Staying at a hostel in Seoul, she tried to engage with locals, but whenever she started a conversation, they responded with short answers, and the dialogue didn’t flow as she had hoped. “Everyone was quietly eating or washing dishes, not making eye contact with each other,” th
March 30, 2025 -
Once a quarry, now a village
Quarry-turned-village attracts hipsters with unique cliffside houses, hidden eateries in alleyways A row of houses sits perched on a rocky cliff, squeezed between large boulders, creating a stunning landscape that contrasts from the dense cluster of Seoul’s typical apartment and office buildings. Changsin-dong Cliff Village is a distinctive residential area that lies 125 meters above sea level on Naksan, one of the mountains in inner Seoul, along which still stands remnants of a fortress from th
March 30, 2025 -
How a paralyzed activist wrote a master’s thesis with half a million blinks—and rewired his world
For disability activist Jang Ik-sun, hope isn't just a feeling — it’s the eye-tracking software he has mastered to draft policy proposals, the half-million blinks that earned him a master’s degree, and the gaming system he engineered to keep playing despite being almost completely paralyzed GWANGJU --- Jang Ik-sun wrote his master’s thesis one blink at a time. About half a million times, to be exact. For most people, blinking is an unconscious act — something they do effortlessly 20,000 times a
March 29, 2025 -
Why Koreans don't apologize when bumping into others
Crowd density isn't the only reason minor physical contact is tolerated in South Korea During William Smith’s first experience riding the subway in Seoul several years ago, he initially felt that some Koreans were rude and didn’t respect other passengers’ personal space. People would push past him and walk away without apologizing. “In the United States, if I accidentally bump into someone — even after apologizing — I could be accused of something like sexual harassment. But here, people seem mo
March 24, 2025 -
In Seoul's millions of homes, where's mine?
Affordable rent and a convenient commute shouldn't be all that matters Seoul, where I have lived by myself since 2012, is by far the largest and most populous city in South Korea, and it is also where more people live alone than any other region in the country. A February 2024 government report showed that there were 1.99 million single-person households in Seoul, accounting for 44.5 percent of all households in the city. Finding a place to live in the country's most expensive city can be a chal
March 22, 2025 -
When calligrapher has an entrepreneurial spirit
From traditional 'seoye' to commercial branding, Lee Sang-hyun transforms calligraphy into modern art form As a child, Lee Sang-hyun had no interest in sitting down and holding a pen. At the age of 11, his mother, hoping to nurture focus and discipline in him, enrolled him in an after-school program that teaches “seoye,” or traditional calligraphy. Instead of grabbing a pen, he spent his days grinding an inkstick on a slab to make ink. When the teacher was not looking, he would scribble on the w
March 19, 2025 -
Once a cheap option for students, Gosiwon now draw foreign clientele
Initially built for exam preppers, low-cost rooms attract foreign travelers seeking deposit-free accommodation, authentic Korean experiences Gosiwon, the housing setups reminiscient of a cocoon originally built for exam preppers, have long been associated with urban and youth poverty. The common narrative is that rising home prices in cities force more people to live in the basic, minimal accommodations with little to no amenities. In recent years, though, the tiny, low-budget rooms seem to have
March 18, 2025 -
S. Korea's cable car boom: Not everyone is excited
Excitement grows over new cable car projects at Korea's iconic mountains, but environmental concerns persist Rachel Linderman, a German resident of Seoul, was thrilled to hear the news that a new gondola lift will open as early as this year, connecting Myeong-dong Station to the top of Namsan. This will be the second cable car at Namsan, following the first one that opened in 1961. "When my parents visit Korea, I always take them there (Namsan via cable car). I love the panoramic views through t
March 15, 2025 -
Where industry meets artistry
Imagine a neighborhood in Seoul where metal workshops collide with colorful street art. It’s an unexpected fusion — industrial and artistic, raw yet creative — but somehow, it works. Welcome to Mullae-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Just five minutes from Mullae Station’s exit 7, this neighborhood hums with energy. Spot a metal giraffe? You’re in the right place. Keep walking, and you’ll find a giant welded mask — an iconic sculpture representing Mullae’s ironworking legacy. Old-school steel shops
March 11, 2025