Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?

A baby’s 1st birthday is celebrated in a significant way in South Korea, with the custom of showering the little one with gold jewelry -- most commonly gold rings. The tradition began in the early 20th century after Chinese immigrants to Korea gave gold and silver rings or bracelets as gifts. Each ring typically contains 1 “don” (3.75 grams) of 24-karat gold. Don is the unit used for measuring gold in Korea, originating from Japan. These gold pieces serve dual purposes, symbo

May 2, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Homes in Korea

Find the answer at the bottom. Six out of every 10 South Korean nationals live in apartments, earning South Korea the nickname, "the Republic of Apartments." According to law here, structures featuring multiple housing units per floor and standing at least five stories tall are considered apartments. Locals refer to them as “apateu.” As of 2022, apartment homes made up 64 percent of Korea's 19.16 million homes, according to Statistics Korea. Similar to many societa

May 2, 2024

[Survive & Thrive] Like my hair? Get yours done at a Korean hair salon, if you know how

If you thought perfect hair was only possible in Korean dramas or on K-pop stages, you might be surprised to see so many Koreans on the street with voluminous, perfectly styled hair. The secret may lie in Korean hair salons, or rather, in their abundance. According to KB Financial Group's Management Research Institute, the number of hair salons in Korea, including barber shops, surpassed 110,000, as of September 2020. This translates into 21.3 salons per 10,000 people. To put this in cont

April 30, 2024

Loanword-laden apartment names become lengthy, bizarre

Last November, a three-decade-old apartment complex in Gaepo-dong, Seoul, welcomed new residents with a new identity after being rebuilt: "Di-e-i-chi-peo-seu-ti-eo-a-i-pa-keu" in Korean, or "The H Firstier Ipark" in English. Previously, it was more simply called Gaepo Jugong. This 12-syllable new name, however, falls short of claiming the throne for the longest in the city, let alone the nation. The nation’s longest-named apartment complex, located in Paju, Gyeonggi P

April 29, 2024

New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands

Rubber band therapy Amidst the ever-evolving landscape of hi-tech skin gadgets, a new trend has captured the attention of South Koreans, with a promise of swift lifting and contouring effects. All that’s required is a simple pair of rubber bands. The secret? Hang the rubber bands around your ears for about 10 minutes. This therapy has earned public endorsements from celebrities like Seo In-guk, Myung Se-bin and Kim Ha-young, with a variety of related content available on YouTube and

April 27, 2024

[EYE] ‘Save clothes, save the planet’: Activist advocates for sustainable fashion

At a clothes market in Seoul’s hipster capital of Seongsu-dong, shoppers were looking for something other than the latest trend. The one-day market, named “21% Party,” brought together conscientious consumers to barter over clothes and attend repair workshops and other engaging programs under the concept that "the most sustainable clothes are in your wardrobe.” “The name originated from our 2020 survey results, where we discovered that, on average, 21 percent

April 27, 2024

[LLG] Why this tutor teaches for free

DAEGU-- Han Si-nae, 36, is no ordinary tutor. Her students, totaling 10 and ranging from primary to high school, come to her house after school for supplementary math lessons. After challenging their brains with math quizzes, the students fill their stomachs with an ample amount of snacks and dinner whipped up by Han. The best part? None of them pay a single penny. So, is Han an altruistic benefactor for future generations with deep pockets? Listening to her speak for a brief moment, it becomes

April 24, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Abusive imbalances of power

Find the answer at the bottom. In relationships or social situations where power imbalances lead to problematic dynamics, the term "gapjil" is used to describe unjust and abusive behavior by someone who thinks they are in a relatively superior position. The term originates from Korean legal terminology, where "gap" signifies the more powerful or superior party in a contract, while "eul" denotes the relatively less powerful or inferior party. The suffix "jil&q

April 24, 2024

[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?

The question of whether leggings are suitable for everyday public wear has been a globally debated issue, transcending national borders. Since the "athleisure" trend took off around 2016, merging athletic wear with everyday fashion, particularly gaining traction among young Koreans, the appropriateness of wearing leggings outside the gym has been a recurring topic of debate in various online forums here. On one side are those who perceive leggings as a provocative garment that clashe

April 23, 2024

[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not

Yoon Jin-hee, 37, describes herself as a bubbly and funny personality, always cracking jokes first when around friends. But at work, she seldom reveals her witty side. "At work, only bosses make jokes. I've never seen a subordinate make a joke to their boss," said Yoon, who works for a government agency. “Male superiors mostly make ‘ajae’ jokes, which are hardly ever amusing,” she said. The term, based on “ajae,” a word for middle-aged men, is r

April 22, 2024

[Weekender] Why aren't K-pop stars cashing in on cosmetics?

K-beauty is trending globally. Many Korean celebrities, particularly K-pop stars, command vast, devoted fan bases, influencing fashion and beauty trends. Combine the two and one might naturally assume there would be numerous cosmetic brands launched by Korean stars, similar to Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics or Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty in the US. The reality, however, is quite different. Korean stars might be the faces of top beauty brands, but they rar

April 20, 2024

[EYE] 'Dogs cherish time with human companions, visually impaired or not'

It was a serendipitous encounter on the subway back in the mid-1990s when young veterinary college student Park Tae-jin first laid eyes on an assistance dog accompanying a passenger he assumed was blind. "Having never witnessed such a scene before, I felt compelled to follow the person and the dog," said Park, now general director of Samsung Guide Dog. At that time, there were only around 10 guide dogs in South Korea, he explained. This seemingly coincidental event helped set his car

April 20, 2024

[Korea Quiz] National flower

Find the answer at the bottom. While South Korea lacks a specific law officially designating a national flower, the rose of Sharon, or "mugunghwa" in Korean, is widely recognized as such. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety introduces the flower alongside the national flag, anthem and seal as national symbols. Blooming throughout the summer for approximately 100 days from July to September, the flower is known for its resilience to diseases. Its Korean name, which translates

April 19, 2024

Luck or curse? Korean ‘yeot’ taffy's contrasting symbolism

Fading into history are scenes of street vendors hawking the candy “yeot,” with rhythmic snips of blunt scissors. Despite being cherished in Korea for centuries, particularly among commoners due to its accessibility, the taffy is no longer the most sought-after candy in the nation, as only a handful of businesses are still dedicated to the craft of making it. For modern sweet enthusiasts, it has fallen out of favor, often perceived as too sticky and lacking the more delicate, soft

April 16, 2024

[LLG] Everything tastes better with 'Butter'

A few years ago, Julia Bellaflores' life started to fall apart. Bellaflores, a teacher in Texas, had been doing her classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked to return to the classroom in person, she decided not to, out of concern for her mother, whom she lived with at the time, but who has now passed away. Bellaflores was too concerned about the health risks her return to the school could pose to her ailing mother. Her teaching license was suspended. On top of that, her hus

April 10, 2024

[Pressure points] Wearing hair rollers in public: Breach of social etiquette?

In South Korea these days, it is not unusual to come across young women styling their bangs with hair rollers outside of their homes or hair salons, in offices, subways, buses or classrooms. While some onlookers deem this style inappropriate for public settings, one might even wonder whether it has become a fashion statement among younger women in Korea, transcending its original purpose of achieving voluminous bangs. Indeed, there have been numerous online discussions about whether donning th

April 9, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Korean phone etiquette

Find the answer at the bottom. Phone calls can be tricky without the benefit of facial expressions to convey tone or intent. To avoid misunderstandings in Korea, knowing about phone etiquette is key. The greeting “yeobosaeyo” is equivalent to “hello,” and is used by both the caller and the receiver, but it is typically used only during phone conversations, not in other contexts. However, as it has become common to identify a caller through caller ID, many Koreans no

April 8, 2024

[AtoZ into Korean mind] Battling 'gapjil': The quest to tame the tyrants among us

In many social relationships, whether personal or at work, power dynamics can create problematic imbalances. There are many words to describe them -- unjust, abusive, coercive, exploitative — but in Korean, there's a term that encapsulates them all: "gapjil." Originating from contractual terminology, the term came to be used for abuses of power in the workplace. Its use has expanded to other social relations, when individuals who, rightly or wrongly, perceive themselves to b

April 7, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Smelly bean blocks

Find the answer at the bottom. Meju are bricks of dried, fermented soybeans that are used to make three of Korea’s most essential condiments -- doenjang (bean paste), ganjang (soy sauce) and gochujang (red pepper paste). Traditionally, when families made their own condiments, it was common to see several blocks of cooked, mashed beans hanging up to dry and ferment. During winter, the typical jang-making season, Korean homes would be filled with the unique, pungent scent of meju fermenti

April 4, 2024

Classic spring K-pop songs: Voices of the young, in-love or melancholic

As spring approaches, many Koreans eagerly tune in to timeless spring-themed songs -- joyful yet poignant melodies that signal the arrival of what is thought of here as the season of love. These songs consistently occupy top positions on national record charts every spring, reflecting Koreans’ enduring affection for these tracks, as the season adorns the nation with colorful blossoms and new leaves. Yet, of four popular songs about spring, the themes they deal with are divided between po

April 2, 2024