Life&Culture
Pressure Points In series
The trivial, yet surprinsgly contentious debates in life
#controversy
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Pressure Points In series
The trivial, yet surprinsgly contentious debates in life
Would you like to subscribe?
Wedding cash kiosks are here. What do Koreans think about them?
In South Korea, self-service kiosks have been proliferating. They take coffee orders at cafes, process meal selections at restaurants and manage ticketing at movie theaters. But one machine has recently stirred debate by automating something some believe is more traditional: the giving of cash gifts that guests bring to weddings. A photo of such a kiosk went viral online, stirring up both fascination and unease. Some praised it as a practical update to a long-standing custom, while others found
Feb. 25, 2025 - 13:40:47
What if your favorite star's political views oppose your own?
South Korean fandoms are renowned for their deep loyalty, with fans often viewing their idols not just as entertainers, but as role models. Fan connections tend to deepen when their actions receive support from their stars. Members of the K-pop girl group NewJeans, for example, pre-paid for food and beverages at several restaurants near the National Assembly in December last year, to support fans who joined the massive rally calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol amid the martial
Feb. 4, 2025 - 13:10:17
Are TikTokers turning into a public nuisance?
Content creators filming in public spaces: A new norm to embrace or a behavior to regulate? One-person media is enjoying a heyday in Korea. The number of domestic digital creators, including YouTubers and TikTokers, exceeded 35,000 in 2023, with the personal media industry‘s total revenue reaching 4 trillion won ($2.8 billion), according to a report by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission released in January. The rapid growth of digital con
Jan. 7, 2025 - 15:51:38
Privacy of child stars: Some sense hypocrisy in parents‘ calls
Child stars have long been a staple of the entertainment world, and their stage has expanded to social media. These new young personalities, often managed by their parents, amass huge followings, raising questions about the consequences of early fame and its ethical boundaries. A recent controversy
Dec. 17, 2024 - 13:25:17
Mourning death on Instagram
When someone you personally know passes away, how do you mourn? For some, posting about it on social media, particularly Instagram, has become a part of the mourning process. Following the death of actor Song Jae-rim on Nov. 12, the platform was flooded with tributes. Friends and colleagues posted m
Nov. 26, 2024 - 11:37:04
Should schools aim for phone-free learning environment?
The debate over whether to ban smartphones in the classroom continues to rage worldwide. South Korea is no exception, as it looks to address an epidemic of smartphone addiction among young students. In August, Rep. Cho Jung-hun of the People Power Party proposed a bill to limit smartphone use in sch
Nov. 19, 2024 - 13:31:59
Do we still need school yearbooks?
Should the threat of deepfakes mean the end of school graduation albums? We asked our readers Yearbooks have long been cherished as a way to remember the school days, friendships and experiences that shape our youth. However, in South Korea, people are now questioning whether the tradition of creati
Nov. 7, 2024 - 17:49:51
Workplace communication: To emoji or not to emoji?
In today‘s digital landscape, emojis contribute a great deal to communication, but how well do they translate to the corporate world? For some, these symbols are efficient tools for communicating in the workplace, while for others, they seem unprofessional. Over 60 percent of workers in South Korea
Sept. 10, 2024 - 14:39:42
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 st
Aug. 27, 2024 - 14:40:49
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 sens
Aug. 6, 2024 - 12:34:36
Choose for your kids: AI textbooks or classic physical books?
Korea’s plan to embrace AI-powered learning at schools starting from 2025 has parents debating pros and cons South Korea‘s planned leap into the era of artificial intelligence-powered learning has hit resistance, primarily due to parents’ concerns about potential digital overload. In a petition post
July 17, 2024 - 09:53:18
My neighbor is having an affair. Should I tell on him?
How delicate is the line when deciding to expose someone else‘s extramarital affair? A recent post on local online discussion forum website Nate Pann titled, “Should I ignore the affairs of my neighbor?” sparked a heated debate on this hot-button issue. The anonymous author of the post, who identifi
July 2, 2024 - 15:42:05
Boss spying on your work messenger: Where’s the line?
When star dog trainer Kang Hyung-wook was accused by his employees of mistreating and bullying them at work in May, the core allegation was that Kang had been monitoring staff messenger conversations and using surveillance cameras. The dispute between Kang and his former employees has sparked a deba
June 25, 2024 - 17:23:21
Yellow light just turned on. Should I go or stop?
S. Korea‘s top court says a switch to yellow before the intersection means one thing — stop. Not all drivers agree. The traffic sign just turned yellow and you find yourself in the “dilemma zone,” where it is too late to stop before the stop line. Would you stop or speed up? Recently, South Korea’s
June 11, 2024 - 13:39:11
Should noise from playgrounds be regulated?
Communal childrens‘ playgrounds in apartment complexes have become a source of resident complaints over noise pollution In South Korea, where apartment buildings dominate the residential landscape, communal playgrounds within these high-rise complexes serve as a hub for children to play outdoors. Ho
May 28, 2024 - 15:30:38
