Most Popular
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Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
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Doctors' group picks new leader amid tense standoff over increased enrollment quota
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
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Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
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[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
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[Kim Seong-kon] The April 2024 election will decide our future
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul’s bus union prepares for strike
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[Korea Quiz] Resurgence of Korean traditional desserts
Find the answer at the bottom. Retro has become the latest dessert fad in South Korea. Dubbed “halmaenial,” the trend has seen millennials embrace the tastes and preferences traditionally associated with their grandparents' generation. Halmaenial is a portmanteau of "halmae," the Korean word for granny, and "millennial." Enjoying renewed popularity are traditional Korean snacks yanggaeng, yakgwa and yugwa. Recently, yanggaeng, or sweet red bean jelly, has s
March 27, 2024
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Time-old Korean hoax involves a rock and a dozen Americans
Before Donald Trump popularized the term “fake news,” a recurring April Fool’s Day hoax had already made the concept familiar to many Koreans. This joke -- coming back almost every April 1, yet still managing to deceive some -- happens to feature a group of American tourists on a tour of the scenic area of Seoraksan in Gangwon Province. A version of the fabricated news article, easily found with a basic search, has the title "11 American tourists booked for toppling Seor
March 27, 2024
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Decoding popular lingo for deeper insight into Korean college culture
As spring heralds the arrival of a new semester, young college students, first-years in particular, brim with eager anticipation for a fresh campus experience. Fluency in the terminology of college life here unlocks a deeper understanding of the local campus culture, enriching every aspect of the student experience. Here provided are explanations of Korean college culture and its related terms to assist undergraduates and others on their journey. 'Hakbeon' to navigate campus co
March 26, 2024
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Fatphobia pervasive in Korea
"Your face looks good." When Justin Ku first heard this remark from one of his relatives here, he took it as a compliment. He later discovered that the phrase is more often used by Koreans to point out when you've gained weight. "I was shocked by how casually they said it," said Ku, 34, who had emigrated to the US when he was young and moved back to Korea as an adult. Ku is not alone in his surprise at the prevalence of body-shaming embedded in the fatphobic social atmosphere
March 24, 2024
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[LLG] Young Seoulite's double life as startup consultant and indie actor
Even in Seoul, teeming with so many busy people, Baek Yo-sun stands out for striving to live in two seemingly contrasting worlds. By day, she's a human resources and post-investment management consultant at a venture capital firm dedicated to nurturing local startups. When the sun sets or weekend begins, she shifts gears to transform into an actor, breathing life into diverse characters. Striking a balance between her two lives has not been easy. She acknowledges that there may not be a p
March 21, 2024
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[Survive & Thrive] Finding secondhand treasures in Korea
In neighborhood public spaces such as subway stations, it's not uncommon to witness individuals engaging in suspicious exchanges like in a spy film, often starting their exchange with a question that includes the Korean term, “danggeun.” “Hoksi danggeun?” one might inquire to initiate the exchange, which literally translates to, “Carrots, by any chance?” But while the word “danggeun” means carrot or carrots in English, these furtive traders
March 19, 2024
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Megawati 'Megatron' Pertiwi making waves in V-League
Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season of the Korean Volleyball League, 24-year-old Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi has been making headlines. Megawati initially garnered public attention for being the first Indonesian volleyball player in Korea and the first-ever player to wear a hijab in the Korean V-League. Six months after her debut with the Jungkwanjang Red Sparks in Daejeon, she is still creating buzz online for so much more. Game after game, Megawati has proved herself, contributing signif
March 16, 2024
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[Korea Quiz] Acting cutesy
Find the answer at the bottom. If you are a fan of Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, you might have witnessed Korean stars and celebrities engaging in deliberately cute and childlike acts to cultivate intimacy with fans. Termed “aegyo,” this behavior is characterized by playful, sweet and innocent mannerisms, employed to convey affection or lighten the mood. It manifests in various forms, including specific language expressions, gestures, voice modulation and body movements. Aegyo is
March 14, 2024
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How cheese found its place on Korean tables
Kim Min-ju, 38, confesses her tolerance for spicy foods is relatively low by Korean standards. But there’s a way to overcome it and still indulge in Korea’s wide array of spicy dishes -- adding cheese. This approach not only makes the dishes more enjoyable, but also creates a perfect balance of creamy richness and heat, she said: "It helps to temper the spiciness without significantly altering the dish's original flavor." Last year, she and her 8-year-old son even tr
March 12, 2024
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[Korea Quiz] K-pop for senior listeners?
Find the answer at the bottom. K-pop, mixing addictive beats, catchy hooks, rap and meticulous choreography, continues to captivate music fans worldwide. In its homeland, however, some of the most popular music stars come from a uniquely Korean music tradition that remains largely unnoticed abroad: trot. Lim Young-woong, a 33-year-old trot artist, embodies this genre’s dominance among listeners in older age groups. He is the titleholder of last year's song of the year, based on
March 11, 2024
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Envy: Emotional toll triggered by social comparison
Koreans, particularly of younger generations, are often compared to an imaginary rival by the name of “Eomchina.” This rival, whose name literally translates as “mom’s friend’s son,” represents an idealized peer against whom one is constantly measured in various aspects of life, from academic achievements and career success to marital status and monthly income. “Eomchina” as a benchmark for success stems from parental comparisons and envy for the a
March 10, 2024
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[LLG] Four women's inspiring journeys back to school
Lee Bok-ja vividly recalls the day, 47 years ago, when she learned that she had been admitted to high school, having secretly taking and passing the entrance exam. She remembers the tuition fee: 23,520 won, a sum she couldn't bear to ask her ailing father for. This amount was worth nearly half the monthly salary of a government employee of the lowest rank at that time. Lee never went to high school, working instead to earn money, often as a cleaner. But in her dreams, she would sometimes se
March 6, 2024
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[Pressure points] Gifting condolence money at dog’s funeral: a new ritual?
Gifting condolence money in a white envelope to those you are close to who are in mourning is a long-standing tradition in South Korea. Yet, when this custom coincides with Korea's increasing number of pet owners and evolving pet-friendly culture, it might take an unexpected turn in this nation which has recently decided to outlaw the consumption of dog meat. In a survey of 5,000 Korean nationals conducted in 2022 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, nearly one out of
March 5, 2024
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[EYE] A Buddhist temple where animal spirits find peace
GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- At a secluded temple tucked away on a snow-covered mountain, a Buddhist monk stood before a wooden altar, praying for a departed soul. On the altar, next to a spirit table, there was a framed photo of the deceased: a dog named after the temple itself, Hyundeok. “Hyundeok passed away recently,” said Venerable Hyunjong, the temple's founder and chief monk. “He was 8 years old.” In honor of the departed pup, which was one of two who live
March 2, 2024
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[Korea Quiz] Korean postpartum care
Find the answer at the bottom. South Korea has the world’s lowest birth rate, but it offers arguably some of the world’s best postpartum care for women who do give birth. Across the country, there are approximately 470 recovery centers for new mothers, where the primary focus is on their recovery after childbirth. Nearly 80 percent of South Korea's new mothers stay at these facilities, known as "sanhu joriwon." Most of these facilities are privately operated, but a
Feb. 28, 2024
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Faces of wealth, intellect and longevity, as revealed by veteran face reader
"Who has the face of a king?” In the 2013 hit film "The Face Reader," set in the 15th century during the Joseon era, Grand Prince Suyang sought the advice of the most renowned face reader of the day about his potential to become king. The physiognomist thought Suyang had the face of a cruel and ruthless traitor but refrained from voicing this belief out of fear. Some years later, Suyang ascended to the throne as the 7th king of Joseon, known as King Sejo, by dethroning Dan
Feb. 27, 2024
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Death & denial: Why Koreans refuse to contemplate the end
A few years ago, Kim Sun-yong (not her real name) stumbled upon a Facebook post written by an acquaintance from work. The author, an American who was battling late-stage cancer with no prospects of recovery, asked his Facebook friends for suggestions on what to include on his bucket list as he braced for the inevitable. Most comments expressed their sadness about the man's impending death and offered suggestions as asked. But one comment written by a person with a Korean name responded, &
Feb. 25, 2024
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[LLG] How 'panda aunt' almost did not fall for cub's charms
"People rave about Fu Bao. I just didn't get it." Zookeeper Oh Seung-hee of Everland’s Panda World said of the rock star giant panda of her zoo. Fu Bao, born in 2020 to a panda pair gifted to Korea by China in 2016, was the first cub born in Korea through natural breeding. From the moment of her birth, there hasn't been a single day when the baby panda wasn't popular, with fans who just cannot get enough of the cuddly cub. However, Oh had no problem maintaining dis
Feb. 21, 2024
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[Korea Quiz] Weedy wonders in Korean cuisine
Find the answer at the bottom. South Koreans have long held a deep appreciation for plant-based ingredients, with herbs, various leafy greens, and their seeds and roots playing a crucial role in their diet. "Namul" is a term that encompasses a wide array of seasoned vegetables, usually blanched. In particular, dishes made with tender spring sprouts are termed "bom namul," with "bom" meaning spring in Korean. As winter fades and spring greens shoot up across th
Feb. 21, 2024
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[Pressure points] Bear with us: Conservation success story or public hazard?
Korea’s ancient founding myth features two predatory animals, a tiger and a bear, both of which once freely roamed the hilly terrains of the Korean Peninsula. By the late 1990s, however, both species had become extinct or nearly extinct in the wild, while hikers and trekkers came to replace them as rulers of the mountains. In 2004, a government-led restoration effort was launched for Korean moon bears, starting with the introduction of six Asiatic black bears from Primorsky Krai, Russia. T
Feb. 20, 2024