Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Aging population to drive down Korea's housing prices from 2040: experts
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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[Weekender] Travel bits
Anseong Ice Fishing FestVisitors are welcome to participate in various winter activities such as ice fishing, sledding, traditional winter games, barehanded fishing. Gwanghyewon Reservoir, the venue of Anseong Ice Fishing Festival, is one of the largest reservoirs of Anseong known for its first class water quality that runs down from Charyeon Mountain Range.The festival lasts until Feb.25, and the admission is 5,000 won per person. Children under 5 are admitted free.Call the travel hotline at 13
TravelJan. 5, 2018
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[Weekender] Around the hotels
Swellfish dishes at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s Japanese restaurant, Gengi, is offering a promotion of swellfish dishes, which are considered a delicacy in Japanese cuisine. The finest flavors and tender texture of swellfish, or fugu, are brought to life by the hotel’s veteran chefs. Genji’s chefs are offering various swellfish dishes on both the a la carte menu and Kaiseki menu. The dishes will include swellfish sashimi, swellfish in a stone pot, grilled swellfish, deep fri
FoodJan. 5, 2018
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[Weekender] Paper planners maintain appeal in new year despite tech-savvy consumers
On the second day of the new year, shoppers bustled about one section of Kyobo Books’ Gwanghwamun branch. They were all shopping for planners, more familiarly called “diaries,” to help them set their plans for the year.“I usually don’t like writing things down with pen and paper, but there’s something about New Year’s resolutions that makes you want to write them down physically,” said Kim Yoon-jeong, a 22-year-old college student who was flipping through various planners. Consumers browse plane
IndustryJan. 5, 2018
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[Weekender] Dear diary: Koreans’ undying love of putting pen to paper
What comes to your mind when you think of the term “diary?” For some, the word means a journal to write down reflections on the day. For others, the term covers a broader range of books: planners, schedulers, calendars -- even blank notes could be called a diary if people can log their days on them.Despite the surge of interest in digital scheduling applications and journals, the popularity of paper diaries seems undiminished in Korea. Graphic by Nam Kyung-donThe craze for the diaries is stron
CultureJan. 5, 2018
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[Weekender] Pouring heart into diary for 15 years
Many welcome a new year with a new diary. Sadly, buying a diary is the easy part. Filling it can be much more difficult and many fall into disuse over the course of the year. While people buy planners, journals and schedulers fully determined to use them until the year-end, they are often forgotten about when the temperature starts to climb, and are pushed into the corner of a dusty bookshelf. Some people even give up before the spring comes. (Im Eun-byel, The Korea Herald)Some “quitters” succes
CultureJan. 5, 2018
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[Weekender] Korea’s dynamic 2017
From North Korea’s nuclear weapons program nearing completion to the unprecedented impeachment of a president and a major earthquake, the year now drawing to a close has been a difficult one for South Korea.The corruption scandal that broke out in 2016 led to the country’s first impeachment of a president. President Park Geun-hye’s ouster in March in turn led to her and her closest allies being arrested and put on trial on a host of charges. In the wake of Park’s fall from grace, conservatives s
Social AffairsJan. 1, 2018
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[Weekender] Christmas, a time of mix-and-match celebrations
Like most countries influenced by western culture, Christmas is a time of celebration in South Korea. The iconic Salvation Army red kettles appear at major thoroughfares and Christmas songs and decorations fill the streets. Christmas-theme merchandise, and advertisements for them, fill the shelves and the airwaves. The typical Christmas scene in downtown Seoul could be from any major metropolis around the world. And, just as it has in the West, the days when Christmas was a strictly religious fe
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2017
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[Weekender] For Koreans, ’tis a time for spending
For Koreans, Christmas comes with its own set of spending rituals.It is no surprise that the beloved holiday is accompanied by quasi-mandatory consumption patterns, in a country where specific dates, like Nov. 11, are automatically equated with buying particular products.The most notable Christmas product is Christmas cakes. Although the original tradition overseas is to bake Christmas cakes at home, in Korea consumers head to bakeries for their Christmas treats.According to bakery chain Paris B
IndustryDec. 22, 2017
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[Weekender] Light up the holiday nights: 4 must-visits to get in the Christmas mood
As 2017 nears its end, the city of Seoul comes alive with a mesmerizing blend of holiday lights and music echoing through the streets. For those still undecided on where to go on Christmas day, following is a list of four places one won‘t regret visiting. Shinsegae Department Store, Hoehyeon-dong, Jung-guEvery November, the now-87-year-old Shinsegae Department store building transforms into a winter wonderland, thrilling visitors. The magical musical light show captures the hearts of locals and
TravelDec. 22, 2017
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[Weekender] Celebrate Christmas early with private hotel parties
Christmas has become an expensive holiday for young people in Korea. Many restaurants dish out set course “Christmas Meals” at double usual prices. Lodgings are offered at exorbitant prices, amid a surge in demand. Clubs and bars are much the same, tacking on extra charges for Christmas tables. Even for those willing to fork out the money, all these are hard to come by, as rooms and tables are quickly booked.Amid skyrocketing prices, some women especially in their 20s and 30s are seeking out alt
CultureDec. 22, 2017
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[Weekender] How do skyscrapers work?
Skyscrapers are not just buildings that are tall, but are the outcome of a complex combination of evolving technologies. From highly sophisticated engineering techniques to futuristic elements, today’s skyscrapers have absorbed the latest technology to realize a luxurious human dream.The challenge when building a skyscraper is how to overcome the forces of nature -- wind, heat from above and below and natural disasters that can happen without warning.The key to overcoming these challenges is in
IndustryDec. 15, 2017
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[Weekender] Skyscrapers altering skyline of Korea
With an unprecedented boom in construction of skyscrapers in South Korea, today’s tallest building in the country can never sit comfortably as candidates queue up to replace it. The 305-meter, 68-story Posco Tower-Songdo was opened in 2011 in Songdo International City, as the world’ most expensive private real estate project. Located in the Incheon Free Economic Zone, the skyscraper was the nation’s tallest building, flaunting its imposing height. With an investment of 516 billion won ($413 mill
IndustryDec. 15, 2017
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[Weekender] South Korea’s skyscraper dream
Cloud-piercing skyscrapers filling the skylines are often held up as a symbol of a country’s economic power and technological development.Korea’s first high-rise 63 Building located in Yeouido, western Seoul, opened doors to the public in July 1985 during the country’s rapid economic growth.The 274 meter high, 63-floor building is no longer the tallest building here. But it stands as a landmark and a symbol of the so-called Miracle on the Han River. After the 1997 Asian financial crisis the Kore
IndustryDec. 15, 2017
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[Weekender] Where soju tastes sweet, and folks reminisce on yesteryear
In director Lee Jang-ho’s 1980 film “A Fine, Windy Day,” the pojangmacha is a place where members of Seoul’s growing underclass meet daily to talk about their pains, gains and fantasies over cheap food and soju.In a country notorious for its die-hard drinking, pojangmacha — meaning “covered wagon” in Korean and referring to a tented outdoor food stall — have been at the center of Korea’s after-work camaraderie. Thirty-seven years have passed since the release of movie that portrayed the country’
CultureDec. 8, 2017
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[Weekender] The allure of pojangmacha
A foreign visitor to Korea may wonder what a brigade of what looks to be red tents may be doing lined up on the streets of Jongno-gu, Seoul. These pojangmacha, meaning a “covered wagon” in Korean, refers to makeshift eateries offering booze and food that have been a symbol of the common people here for generations.The origin of pojangmacha is unclear but many trace it back to the street vendors of the 1950s and ‘60s who would drag around their wheeled stalls, selling soju by the shot along with
CultureDec. 8, 2017
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[Weekender] Chicken feet and more -- odd, must-have specialties at Korea’s tented bars
Korea’s pojangmacha, or tented bars, have evolved over the years both in appearance and gastronomical offerings, now more polished and offering a wider array of dishes to go with drinks. But some distinctly Korean specialties, featuring odd ingredients unfamiliar to most foreign visitors and even many Koreans -- from chicken feet and cow innards to cartilage and squirming fish -- remain staple dishes at the tarp-covered watering holes. The food dishes, many of them doused in spicy sauces, are o
FoodDec. 8, 2017
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[Weekender] From Moncler to PyeongChang coat, padded jackets rule South Korea's fashion scene
Choosing the right padded jacket -- this winter’s ‘it’ item -- is a much more complicated task than one may think. It’s not just design and color, but the type of insulation also has to be decided -- goose, duck or synthetic materials, as well as their composition ratios, waterproof or not and even the overall weight. For many South Koreans, however, it all seems to come down to a choice between luxury and cost-effective alternatives. Moncler‘s 2017 Fall/Winter collection (Moncler)On the high-en
IndustryDec. 1, 2017
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[Weekender] School uniforms? Why Korean students wear long, padded coats this winter
If you happen to be near middle or high school students during the morning commute, you may be surprised at the striking uniformity of their attire. Students are decked out in identical-looking, black, padded jackets that come down to their knees or even longer. Photos of groups of students wearing the coats -- making it look part of the school uniform -- went viral on social media showing the incredible popularity of the coats among teens. A group of students wearing long padded coats at school
Social AffairsDec. 1, 2017
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[Weekender] One coat that conquered street fashion in South Korea
Whether you’ve noticed it or not, long padded coats are all the rage in South Korea. PyeongChang Winter Olympics' official down jackets flew off the shelves, with people lining up overnight in front of stores to get hold of the limited item. School commute scenes nowadays can’t be described without mentioning a new quasi-uniform look, complete with black, hooded, knee-length padded jackets. Despite the striking uniformity, the coats are not a uniform. They are the season’s latest ‘it’ item among
Social AffairsDec. 1, 2017
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[Weekender] Exploring Seoul’s hidden underground world
From a slain dictator’s covert hideout to a forgotten subway station, secret bunkers have been lying for decades underneath the bustling city of Seoul. Recently, some of these spaces were unveiled to the public for the first time under a special one-month tour program. Although city-run tours of the “ghost station” in Sinseol-dong and the air-raid shelter underneath Gyeonghuigung Palace are to end this weekend, one underneath Yeouido, turned into a museum, will remain open for visitors. (Shot by
North KoreaNov. 24, 2017