Born from the ashes of the Korean War, the Herald has been recording history for seven decades

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. According to Korean tradition, eating a bowl of tteokguk, or rice cake soup, on New Year’s Day is supposed to make the person one year older. This stems from the Korean custom of counting ages, in which a person gets one year older on Jan. 1 of each year, not on their birthday. As such, the day Koreans eat tteokguk is usually the day they become one ye...

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed. Find the answer at the bottom of the page. In Korea, some street snacks are strongly associated with a particular season. The most iconic seasonal delicacy sold at street stalls around this time of year is bungeoppang, which literally translates to carp bread. These fish-shaped wa...

People can't help but bump into others in overcrowded Korean cities. Koreans think that this is unavoidable, and no one seems to mind, unless the contact hurts. On the other hand, some foreigners may find this form of physical contact with strangers to be irritating since they are accustomed to maintaining their own personal space in public places. Min Byoung-chul is an endowed chair professor ...

Similar to the ball drop in New York, Koreans ring in the new year with 33 bell tolls in central Seoul

Even 'petty' crimes can lead to forced departure, while drug, sex offenses are dealt with sternly

Abandoned theater turned into a retro-themed cafe draws young hipsters to traditional marketplace

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed. Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Many Koreans avoid writing their name in red as it traditionally signifies death, and in the political arena the color red has long been linked with communism after the Korean War. But the 2002 World Cup transformed the meaning of “red” in...

In Korea, the norm is for women to continue using their own surname after getting married. For the wife to take their husband's surname is a foreign concept. If you call a Korean woman by her husband's family name, she may be unaware that you are calling her. Children will take their father's family name. Korean women keep their family name after marriage because one's name is something that is ...

The surprising effects and side effects of some folk medicines according to an internal medicine expert

For people with ‘unusually long’ names, life in Korea fraught with frustrations

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. Find the answer at the bottom of the page. In America, the word "bad" is sometimes used colloquially to actually mean that something is very good. In Korea, a comparable word would be “si-won-ha-da,” which literally means cool, but is also used to mean something completely different. A Ko...

Visitors to Korea may not be expected to follow etiquette that is particular to Korean society, but taking the time to learn and apply Korean etiquette will show that you respect the people you are meeting and their culture. In Korea, it is rude to use just one hand to give or receive something. To show politeness, people use one hand (usually the right) while holding the wrist or forearm with t...

Autonomous bus debuts in city center as Seoul charges ahead into future of public transportation

European-style variety shop Cecile Cedric greets customers with fragrant flowers and sweet aromas from candles and reed diffusers. The walls inside the shop, painted white and green, lead them to a special section showcasing antique ceramics and porcelain. “A contrast between new, exotic stores and old commercial buildings like rice warehouses with a deep history is something that catches the ey...