[Korea Quiz] National flag

Find the answer at the bottom. In the center of the South Korean national flag, known as the Taegeukgi, there is a yin and yang symbol with red on the top and blue on the bottom. The four corners of the flag feature groups of black bars, each with a specific meaning: The top left bars, the “geon,” symbolize the sky. The top right ones, the “gam,” symbolize water. The bottom right “gon” bars stand for the earth, and the left “ri” bars fire. The wh

Aug. 27, 2024

[Pressure points] Should parents flaunt their children's college achievements?

In South Korea, where getting into a top college is often seen as the golden ticket to success, a simple bumper sticker bearing an elite school's logo has ignited a fiery debate. The debate centers around the nation's undisputed top school, Seoul National University, and its "proud parent" bumper stickers distributed to parents of its students. An online post criticizing the SNU stickers as elitist quickly went viral, amassing millions of views and sparking heated discussions

Aug. 27, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Daebak!

Find the answer at the bottom. “Daebak (대박)” is a Korean slang term used to express excitement, amazement or approval. The word originally means “jackpot," often resulting in significant financial success, such as winning the lottery or a film becoming a mass box-office hit. In colloquial Korean today, the expression has broadened its usage to convey a sense of something being fantastic, surprising or overwhelmingly positive. People might say "daebak" when

Aug. 21, 2024

[AtoZ Korean Mind] 'Ojirap,' navigating the fine line between care and intrusion

Kim Eun-hye, 36, instantly regretted mentioning she had gone on a blind date over the weekend. Immediately after her remarks, the usually dull lunchtime conversation with her senior colleagues came to life. The two married seniors bombarded her with questions about her date: what's his job, where does he live, how tall is he? While Kim wasn’t really sure whether she should meet him again, they insisted she give him a chance, saying he could be the best option for someone her age. Th

Aug. 19, 2024

[LLG] AI a tool, not a threat, says 31-year-old AI filmmaker

How might AI alter filmmaking? Young South Korean filmmaker Kwon Han-sl has shown the impact could be massive. The 31-year-old spent five days last summer working with over six AI tools to create a three-minute horror film. It was a personal experiment in which he handled every aspect himself, from writing the screenplay to using AI tools and producing the entire film. But the result ended up better than he thought. “One More Pumpkin” garnered international acclaim, winning both th

Aug. 17, 2024

Umbrellas on hot, sunny days make perfect sense

A common sight in South Korea on sunny days used to be of older women holding frilly parasols. But in the past few years, the deadly summers associated with climate change have made parasols no longer the choice of just a single demographic. In fact, more Koreans of all ages and genders are spotted using regular umbrellas on sunny days this summer, which experts say makes perfect sense, as the current heat wave has already claimed 24 lives here. Not only do people resort to ordinary umbrella

Aug. 15, 2024

These young Koreans redefine cool careers

For a long time, the image of most blue-collar jobs in South Korea is of work for people who don't have what it takes to get office jobs. With 76.2 percent of Korea's high school graduates going on to higher education, white collar work has firmly established itself as the preferred option. But as what were known in the past as “decent jobs” are diminishing quickly, college graduates find themselves in an ever-intensifying competition. This frustration has also given rise a

Aug. 14, 2024

Kimchi jjigae vs. doenjang jjigae: Korean stew rivalry seems settled

Kimchi jjigae or doenjang jjigae? South Korea's media has long pitted the two against each other, though the choice has always been more or less a toss-up for Koreans. But while the two stews remain daily favorites, recent years have seen the scales tip towards one in particular. That is, these two representatives of Korea's jjigae repertoire no longer enjoy equal popularity, which in part mirrors broader shifts in taste and culinary trends in Korean society. Kimchi jjigae as today

Aug. 13, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Fire and water

Find the answer at the bottom. In Korean, water and fire serve as powerful metaphors that convey various meanings beyond the literal. Water, being a shapeless liquid, is used metaphorically to signify weakness or a lack of substance. The phrase, "mureul meokda," (물을 먹다) which literally means "to drink water" or "to be fed water," is commonly used to signify experiencing a setback, being fooled, being rejected or generally falling short. Another way water is u

Aug. 13, 2024

[LLG] Son's mission to preserve memories of 93-year-old mom earns him unexpected recognition

Last year, Kang Heon-koo, 63, undertook an intriguing personal project: reconstructing a map of his family's now-defunct old village using the memories of his 93-year-old mother. The goal of the map-making was twofold: to visually preserve his mother’s memories before they fade and to keep himself engaged in a productive pursuit during retirement. With his old Samsung Galaxy smartphone, he recorded the process of piecing together the lost landscape of a small village in Bucheon, Gye

Aug. 7, 2024

[Korea Quiz] 1988

Find the answer at the bottom. For South Koreans, 1988 was one memorable year. It is because in 1988, the nation hosted the Summer Olympics, a much-anticipated opportunity to show the world how the once impoverished nation had developed. Although the country had hosted the Asian Games two years earlier, which provided valuable experience in managing international sports events, the 1988 Games were unmatched in terms of their grandeur. Korea underwent years of preparations to present itself

Aug. 7, 2024

[Pressure points] Should priority seating for pregnant women be kept empty?

Seoul Metro's trains have had priority seats reserved for pregnant women since 2013. These pink seats, located at the ends of some rows, however, have been a source of continuous controversy. Recently, debate erupted online and in local media when one individual proposed that the city install a sensor system to prevent ineligible passengers from sitting in them, so they remain readily available in the event that a pregnant woman might need one. Apart from practical issues associated with in

Aug. 6, 2024

Firsts in Korea's Olympic history

This year, summer in South Korea is even more sizzling with excitement as its athletes have delivered outstanding performances at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Major milestones in Korea’s history of participation in the Summer Games -- like shooter Ban Hyo-jin’s win of the country's 100th gold medal and the men’s saber fencing team's win of Korea's 300th medal of any type -- have sparked awe. But equally if not more deserving of recognition are the firsts i

Aug. 5, 2024

Grammy-winning producer David ‘Yungin’ Kim sets to bridge gaps between music and cultures

David "Yungin" Kim, a Grammy Award-winning mix engineer, hopes to create a bridge between Korea and the US music industries as he continues on his professional and personal journey in both countries. Kim, who goes by his artist name Yungin, is the first Korean-born person to win a Grammy outside of classical music. As a mix engineer, he has worked with many big names including BTS, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Hit-Boy, Post Malone and Ariana Grande. And earlier this year he debuted as a produc

Aug. 2, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Gold medal sport

Find the answer at the bottom. South Korea consistently dominates the sport of archery at the Summer Olympics in a way that not many other countries have, particularly the women's team competition. Ever since the introduction of the women's archery team event at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Korea's female archers have never failed to win gold, including at the ongoing Paris Games. Korea's male archers are also among the world’s finest, both in team and individual c

July 31, 2024

Budget or bougie: Coffee choices in S. Korea

Can South Koreans today manage a day without coffee? Data from market research company Euromonitor International suggests it's unlikely, as they consume an average of 405 cups annually as of last year -- well above the global average of 152 cups. Korea's voracious coffee consumers have unleashed a price war among retailers, leading budget coffee shops here to converge on the standard price of 1,500 won ($1.09) per Americano for several years now. At the opposite end of the spectrum,

July 30, 2024

[LLG] After diving head-first into webtoons, creator learns hard lessons

Many dream of leaving their mundane jobs to pursue something creative and original. Only a few actually take the leap, and even fewer succeed. But it's usually only the stories of the successful that get told; this is not one of those stories. For Dang Yeon-hee, a 34-year-old aspiring webtoon artist in Gyeonggi Province, the journey has entailed many disappointments and painful lessons about harsh realities. It has ultimately turned into a path of self-discovery. "I lacked a sense of r

July 24, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Liver metaphors

Find the answer at the bottom. In traditional Korean medicine, the liver is considered one of the five most important organs in the body. This belief in the liver being in charge of many functions may be why a number of references to the organ are often found in colloquial Korean phrases. "Gan (간)," one's liver, is metaphorically used in Korean to describe a person's courage or boldness. For example, when someone is said to have a "big liver," it signifies th

July 24, 2024

What are they wearing? Korean fashion brands attract youth locally, globally

Following the global popularity of K-pop, K-dramas and K-food, get ready for another "K": K-fashion. Alongside established Korean fashion houses like Songzio, Wooyoungmi, Juun.J and System, a new generation of local fashion labels is making waves globally, establishing Korea as a fashion hot spot, particularly for today’s style-savvy millennials and Generation Z. Recognizing Korea’s dynamic and emerging fashion profile, a 2023 US News & World Report survey ranked the

July 23, 2024

[AtoZ into Korean mind] How to say 'no'

After a second date, Lee Tae-hyung, 26, wanted to ask the woman out again. He sent her a KakaoTalk message saying, “Do you have time this weekend?” and the reply he received was, “I don't think I can make time. I have plans this weekend.” “The message made me wonder. Is she politely saying, ‘No, I don’t want to go on another date with you,’ or does this mean that I can ask her again next week?” Lee said. Lee asked his friends and fou

July 21, 2024