Most Popular
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Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment vote looms large
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In Yoon's martial law speech, a window into his troubling worldview
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Ruling party leader stands firm on suspending Yoon from his position
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How Yoon’s fate could unfold under 4 scenarios
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Yoon needs to be stopped from exercising power as president: ruling party head
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South Korean military says will not obey another martial law
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[Latest Updates] Martial law fallout
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Protests sweep South Korea as calls for Yoon Suk Yeol's resignation intensify
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Rights group claims proof of 2nd martial law declaration
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Assembly passes motion to impeach state audit chief, top prosecutors
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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-
March 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
March 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
March 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
March 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-
March 4, 2023
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[Weekender] Koryoin from Ukraine find new home in ancestors' land
GWANGJU -- Kim Volodymyr, a 17-year-old fourth-generation Koryoin, had no particular interest in K-pop, Korean language or food before coming to the country. He heard his parents talking about South Korea from time to time, but never thought that he’d be living in the country. Escaping from his hometown Kremenchuk, an industrial city in Ukraine that became the target of massive bombing, Kim entered his ancestors' land in July last year with a flight ticket sent by a friend who left Uk
Feb. 25, 2023
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[Eye Plus] Changeuk, to catch modern audiences' psyche
“’Geumeo’ is a magic fish guiding the way to find a tree which grants wishes in changgeuk ‘Tree, Fish, Moon,’” actor Kim Su-in explained his role. “Changgeuk” refers to a traditional play form, in which many performers participate in the story, singing songs called “chang.” Kim simply calls the traditional art genre "Korean style opera or musicals." In the play, Kim wears a costume that looks like colorful fish scales, with a
Feb. 24, 2023
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[Weekender] Taking the hotel experience home
Having guests over at home has become less common in Seoul over the past two decades, with restaurants and cafes on almost every neighborhood corner making it easy to dine out at any time of the day. But the COVID-19 pandemic has driven people to spend more time in their own spaces. The phenomenon has naturally led to the public's interest in home furnishing, interior design, and home-cooked meals. Capitalizing on the trend, high-end hotels are creating their own brands or working with vend
Feb. 18, 2023
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[Weekender] ‘Come grab coffee by the sea in Busan’
BUSAN -- South Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan is a popular holiday destination for those seeking to enjoy quality seafood and relax at the beach. But in recent years, tourists have been flocking to the city to get a taste of something different -- coffee. Global coffee competition winners are opening up cafes in Busan, with a shared goal of transforming the city into the next coffee hub like the Australian city of Melbourne. At the forefront of the movement is barista Jeon Joo-ye
Feb. 11, 2023
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[Eye Plus] Puzzling together pieces of the past
Yang Hye-min moves her hand carefully as she gathers and assembles scattered parts of the past, working tirelessly to regain the appearance it once had hundreds of years ago. "A relic that has survived the test of time will inspire future generations " said Yang, who majors in Conservation Science at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, as she explained why she chose her major. "I want to find the best way to preserve relics for the next generation so they can further d
Feb. 11, 2023
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[Weekender] Humanlike AI chatbot ChatGPT takes world by storm
Artificial intelligence has become a part of our lives, sparking innovation around every corner. After Google DeepMind's AlphaGo surprised the world by winning a historic match against Korean Go grandmaster Lee Se-dol in 2016, the ability of a new humanlike chatbot has recently opened people’s eyes to how far AI has progressed. California-based startup OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November last year and gained over 1 million users within a week. The AI-powered chatbot is a
Feb. 4, 2023
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[Weekender] Tale of Daechi moms: Women who go all in for kids’ college dreams
After over two decades of climbing the corporate ladder, Park, a 48-year-old who wished to be identified by her surname, resigned from an executive role two years ago to be a stay-at-home mom. The reason was simple: to micromanage her then-middle school and 10th-grade daughters through Daechi-dong’s cutthroat educational landscape. “It’s where ‘Sky Castle’ takes place. Moms give up time and money to send kids to prominent universities starting from elementary school
Jan. 28, 2023
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[Eye Plus] A to Z of making Hanbok
“Making hanbok can be called ‘linking the past and the present,’” said Kim Ji-hu, a student of textile art at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. Hanbok-making embodies knowledge and skills developed by people in the past, according to Kim. “I learn all processes of making hanbok at school, from weaving cloth to transforming it into garments,” Kim said. “The work begins with understanding the features of traditional textiles and clothes.
Jan. 28, 2023
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[Weekender] 16 movies to watch over Seollal holiday
Watching movies at theaters during the Seollal holiday is a rite of sorts for South Korean moviegoers, as more people spend time at home rather than traveling outside the city over the extended holiday period. It is also an important season for filmmakers and distributors, as the country's box office hits prove that films opening during the family holiday season record relatively higher ticket sales. Examples abound, such as family drama "Miracle in Cell No. 7," which opened durin
Jan. 21, 2023
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[Weekender] Burden of being firstborn daughter
Actress Kim Go-eun’s character in tvN’s “Little Women” is described as the typical Korean firstborn daughter. She is a strong realist who is willing to make sacrifices to support her family. She saves up money, not for her own sake but for her siblings. The burden of being the firstborn child in a family is a topic not only confined within South Korea. It is a subject studied by psychologists worldwide. Yet, in a society where deep-rooted patriarchal practices of the past
Jan. 14, 2023
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[Eye Plus] Attested power of Korean traditional music
A traditional wind player Hong Ji-hye attributes K-pop’s global popularity to its unique features handed over from Korea’s traditions. “At the bottom of the globally appreciated K-pop, there lie Korea’s unique music culture and customs, especially those with ‘Heung’ (joy and excitement),” the 32-year-old musician said. Hong is a member of the National Gugak Center, a state institution responsible for preserving and developing gugak, Korea’s traditi
Jan. 14, 2023
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[Weekender] Still looking for a calendar? Don't bank on it
Kim Min-ju, a woman living in Mapo-gu, Seoul, visited two local banks -- KB Kookmin Bank and Woori Bank -- for a printed calendar in mid-December, but she could not find one. "I should have lined up at a bank on Dec. 1 when they started distributing them,” Kim said. Kim is among those who regret their hesitation. Many people on Naver's blogs have shared a similar experience of leaving banks empty-handed and also asked for information on local banks with calendars in stock. &l
Jan. 7, 2023
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[Weekender] From lockdown to holiday visits, one nursing hospital’s COVID-19 journey
Some sense of normal life is returning to South Korea’s hospitals for the oldest and the most vulnerable patients. Last weekend, Misodle Hospital for the elderly in Guro-gu, southern Seoul, spent the first Christmas since COVID-19 with in-person visits. With social distancing and other rules already lifted, the government permitted face-to-face encounters at elderly care facilities from October. Up until this point, residents and visiting loved ones could only meet separated by a glass wal
Dec. 31, 2022
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[Eye Plus] Conveying beautiful Buddhas from the past to the future
“I want to leave drawings that can be publicly praised by people in the present,” Kwak Seon-hye, majoring in traditional fine arts at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage said. Kwak studies Korea’s traditional Buddhist arts in college. She sees her role as a bridge between the past and future, underlining the importance of drawing beautiful and valuable works of the traditional genre. “As (ancestors’ present) became our tradition from the past, what we
Dec. 31, 2022
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[Weekender] Last chance to get into the festive mood
It’s getting colder come evenings, but the crosswalks are bustling with people taking photos. Christmas decorations and lights illuminate the streets and alleys. People flock around the seasonal attractions, enjoying the holiday spirit with friends, lovers and family. Hotels and department stores are in a fierce competition to see who puts up the best, brightest and biggest decorations. Social media is bursting with suggestions on the perfect spot to take photos of popular decorations as w
Dec. 24, 2022