[Weekender] ‘Freshness differentiates artisanal cheese’

Where do you buy cheese? Supermarkets are the easiest option, while department stores offer more refined products. Cheese shops provide a more upscale option. What if you are searching for not just any cheese, but cheese made in a traditional way? Room for affinage, or cheese-aging process (Park Hyun-koo / The Korea Herald)Finding high quality cheese here can be a challenge, but Cho Jang-hyun may be the person you are looking for. Cho is an owner-chef and cheesemaker at Cheeseflo in Hannam-dong,

FoodFeb. 21, 2019

[Weekender] Fine dust, a force changing society

“The first thing I do when I wake up is check the weather report for fine dust and plan the day accordingly,” said Choi Ju-yeon, a 40-year old resident of Paju in northwest Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)Despite being in a relatively rural area, Paju is often affected by high levels of fine and ultrafine dust. “When levels are high, I try to stay indoors as much as possible. I also have air quality monitoring devices at home.”While Choi may be more sensitive than others, it seems undeniable that fin

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2019

[Weekender] Reinterpreting taxis in era of sharing economy

Taxis are more than a means of transport for Koreans. They serve as a platform where people talk about life, societal changes and, of course, politics, with those behind the wheel. On top of their cultural and social value, for decades, they have been one of the most reliable and relatively inexpensive door-to-door transport services, offering convenience to people with hectic city lives. These are probably the reasons why taxis and drivers appear frequently in cultural content. (Yonhap)From mov

MobilityFeb. 7, 2019

[Weekender] How soon will flying taxis arrive here?

It is the clash between taxi operators and carpooling services that is making headlines today. But automakers and tech startups around the world are already taking the next step, showcasing the latest future mobility technologies designed to take the control of vehicles from human hands. This technological adventure to create a new industry leaves one question that we all want to know: so when will flying cars or robot taxis become commercialized? During the Consumer Electronics Show that took p

MobilityFeb. 7, 2019

[Weekender] Carpooling, an option not threat

Amid the ongoing clash between taxi drivers and those moving to create new technology-based services, the head of a local ride-sharing company has called for ways to coexist, saying that carpooling is just another option, not a threat to the taxi industry. Expressing deep concern, Seo Young-wu, CEO of ride-sharing startup Poolus, highlighted the death of a 57-year-old taxi driver who set himself on fire in protest against a carpooling service late last year.Poolus CEO Seo Young-wu (Poolus)The pl

MobilityFeb. 7, 2019

[Weekender] Why do Korean taxi drivers oppose carpooling?

In tech-savvy South Korea, ride-sharing and ride-hailing mobile apps are an untouched market due to vehement protest from some 300,000 taxi drivers, who claim new technologies will ultimately wipe out the taxi industry, an industry insider said Thursday.“First, it is illegal to operate carpooling services (in Korea). The biggest issue is the high possibility that carpool apps would take over the taxi market. We are fighting to protect our livelihoods because the government is pushing to allow ca

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2019

[Weekender] Startup innovation can solve Korea’s quagmire of aging society

A key hurdle the Korean economy faces is the fast-aging population. One way to coax a soft-landing of this problem is to speed up deregulation so that local startups can carry out innovation and improve productivity, according to Startup Alliance Korea Managing Director Lim Jung-wook.  “Considering how fast South Korea is aging, we really should have a sense of urgency. Instead of spending too much time and energy fighting superficial issues such as whether or not to allow carpoo

IndustryJan. 31, 2019

[Weekender] Pinning fresh hopes on ‘sandbox’ phenomenon

It’s far from perfect, but South Korea’s latest adoption of a regulatory sandbox may provide some relief to the country’s startups, according to the head of one of the largest and oldest startup associations. “Urging member companies to utilize the regulatory sandbox is one of our priorities for this year,” Korea Startup Forum chief Choi Sung-jin said during a recent interview with The Korea Herald.  KSF is a three-year-old organization that represents 650

IndustryJan. 31, 2019

[Weekender] Korea, always in search of the next unicorn

One of the Moon Jae-in administration’s primary goals has been to create jobs and rejuvenate the economy. However, failing to gain momentum, the nation’s conventional growth engines, such as semiconductors, smartphones, and auto businesses are sputtering, while the unemployment rate has hit record lows.Since it looks like these industries aren’t likely to get back on track soon, the government has turned its eyes toward startups, hoping that the industry will be a spark to bolster the cooling ec

IndustryJan. 31, 2019

[Weekender] How long can the startup boom cycle last?

South Korea is riding the global trend of high liquidity in the startup scene. Money is pouring into the sector, and investors are looking for the next big thing to invest in. However, concerns linger that the upcycle is being maintained by government spending, and not a real appetite for startups.   In 2018, venture capital investment surged 43.9 percent on-year to 3.4 trillion won ($3 billion), according to latest data by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. However, of that amount, 20 percent a

IndustryJan. 31, 2019

[Weekender] ‘I want to be pretty like mom!’

On a Friday afternoon, a customer enters a beauty spa that looks like the whole place has been dipped in pink.The difference from ordinary spas is that everything here at Shushu & Sassy is miniature-sized, from the gowns to the chairs.Clad in a pink bathrobe and a hair band shaped like rabbit ears, the customer lets go of her mother’s hand and soaks her feet in a bubbly basin. A spa specialist then carefully covers the child’s tiny face with a sheet mask and massages her hands and arms with loti

Social AffairsJan. 24, 2019

[Weekender] For you, anything: Children put on pedestals

Baby care products have usually taken up only a small section at department stores in South Korea, with a handful of baby care stores filling about half a floor.But brands for babies and toddlers have recently expanded their territories at many of the major department stores here, which have traditionally targeted affluent women in their 40s as their main customers.(AP)Buoyed by demand from parents looking further upmarket in selecting goods for their children, Lotte Department Store, has filled

IndustryJan. 24, 2019

[Weekender] When 1-year-olds learn coding

South Korean parents’ enthusiasm for child education goes back as far as the moment they are born. It is common for parents to wonder whether they are doing enough for their children, and whether they are giving them as many opportunities possible to ignite their hidden genius. Such is the sentiment that propels the infants and toddlers’ educative playthings markets in Korea, which now has toys for 1-year-olds to play with to learn how to code. The difference in the niche yet lucrative market fo

IndustryJan. 24, 2019

[Weekender] A seer’s guide to marriage

It is undeniable that many things in life are determined by the circumstances of one’s birth -- nationality, genetics and socioeconomic class not least of all. Added to that list, it was the three-hour window in which I was born in June 1985 that determined I’d be focused on justice and live a life defined by wanderlust. Similarly, the time of my partner’s birth almost exactly a year later decided she would be a “straightforward and simple” person who speaks her mind with a strong will. Moto Saj

CultureJan. 17, 2019

[Weekender] How does saju experience measure up?

Fortunetelling. Is it frivolous entertainment, or a glimpse of another dimension? And is the saju any different from other fortunetelling methods I’ve tried over the years? I had a chance to find out this past weekend. Since my dog passed away in 2016, I’ve asked fortunetellers about her with disappointing results. One long-distance psychic in Canada came highly recommended, but he charged me for an hourlong reading about my dog and emailed me a 10-minute audio recording that had nothing to do w

CultureJan. 17, 2019

[Weekender] Can ‘saju’ tell a person’s luck in a certain year? Believe it or not, Koreans think so

Whether you are a believer or a skeptic of divination, the following are questions you may ask a Korean “saju” reader: Is 2019 a good year to change jobs, start a business, or relocate to a new country? Will I meet “the one” this year? When is a good year to get married, if ever, and will I have a wholesome family? If I heighten my nose through plastic surgery, will my luck slide down my newly straightened nose bridge?Visiting a saju shop is easy. Compared to a “mudangjip,” the house of a shaman

CultureJan. 17, 2019

[Weekender] Apartments - a national obsession

Apartments are everywhere in Korea. The country’s first apartment block was built as housing for employees of a construction materials maker in 1956. At the time, this type of building was a sight most had only heard or read about. Apartment construction sites were unusual enough to warrant a visit by the president in the 1950s.Since then, apartments have become the most visible, preferred and coveted form of residence. The skylines of most major cities have long been dominated by apartment buil

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2019

[Weekender] How Seoul became apartment-ized

The success of high-rise apartment complexes has been a unique phenomenon in Seoul. Widely spread throughout the city, dense apartment complexes have shaped Seoul, more than a third of whose residents live in apartments.A 1977 photo shows one of the early apartment complexes build in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. (Seoul Museum of History)In Europe and the US, particularly after the War ll, the need for housing drastically increased. Modern architects such as Le Corbusier pioneered in developing

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2019

[Weekender] Surging apartment prices frustrate Seoul residents

When looking down at Seoul up in the sky, the capital is filled with square-shaped apartment clusters and gray sky-high office buildings.South Korea’s rapid economic development centered on Seoul has made the country’s capital one of the most populous cities in the world, with skyrocketing housing prices.Over-the-top housing prices have become a major social problem here, amid widespread public outcry for the government to tackle the issue. Among various types of housing in the nation, apartment

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2019

[Weekender] Upscale apartments change thoughts on multi-unit dwellings

Apartments have long been considered a symbol of the concrete jungle. No matter which part of a Korean city you are in, the scenery is the same, with stacks of gray and ivory apartment buildings surrounding you.While it has been around 30 years since apartments became a common form of housing, there has been little change in the design. The height may have increased, but the essential structure has remained the same -- tall concrete buildings without personality or a sense of creativeness. In re

CultureJan. 10, 2019