Most Popular
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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Samsung chip business back on track, logs W1.9tr operating profit in Q1
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Shinsegae faces showdown with investors over SSG.com's delayed IPO
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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[Korea Quiz] Lucrative MLB careers
Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Ryu Hyun-jin just wrapped up the last season of his four-year, $80 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, and is now slated for free agency that will realistically be the 36-year-old pitcher's last chance to make big money in Major League Baseball. Widely considered the best Korean pitcher of all time, Ryu has already made just a tad under $133.9 million in his 11-year stint in the MLB, which started in 2013 with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Nov. 1, 2023
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Plush bag charms in high demand among young Korean women
It may seem somewhat ironic to call a fluffy doll ornament adorning a handbag a "key ring," as it seemingly serves no practical purpose and has no keys attached. Instead, it's all about the aesthetic for many young Koreans, who embellish their bags with these key rings, also known as bag charms. "I visited a cafe in Seoul's Yeonnam-dong with my friends and decided to get this fleecy bear for my bag," university student Park Ji-soo said after buying a white bear ba
Oct. 31, 2023
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[Korea Beyond Korea] From history and K-pop to gender studies, Korea examined across diverse disciplines at UCLA
LOS ANGELES -- A Volvo Trucks commercial featuring actor Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits, stretching his legs between two reversing trucks with Enya’s “Only Time” playing in the background, is shown to a classroom full of nearly 100 undergraduates at UCLA. Professor Ju Hui Judy Han asks the students what are the first words that come to their minds as they watch the clip. Some say “masculinity” while others mention “physical ability,” “contr
Oct. 30, 2023
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[Korea Beyond Korea] Historian looks back at life dedicated to Korean studies
LOS ANGELES -- John Duncan, a historian and former director of the UCLA Center for Korean Studies, is one of the most admired contributors to the growth of Korean studies in the US. Over the 30 years he taught at UCLA until 2019, he researched and wrote about mainly the Joseon era, trained a generation of Korean studies scholars and built bridges between academics in the US and Korea. In honor of his contributions to the study of Korea, he received the Korea Foundation Award in 2009 and the Yong
Oct. 30, 2023
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[Subway Stories] Traditional medicine's healing legacy lives on at Jegi-dong
For centuries and continuing to present day, Koreans have utilized the medicinal properties of plants and animal-based natural sources in the field of medicine. One such example is "ssanghwa cha," a medicinal herb tea that remains popular among Koreans despite its bitter taste, thanks to its reputation as a natural remedy for a cold or fatigue. This herbal beverage with a brown hue includes a variety of ingredients such as plant roots, grass, leaves and tree bark, which are not commo
Oct. 29, 2023
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[Korea Beyond Korea] Professor awarded for building Korean studies in US
HERALD INTERVIEW Clark Sorensen, who just retired as professor in June from the University of Washington, won this year’s Korea Foundation (KF) Award last month in recognition of his contributions to Korean studies over the past 25 years. As professor of international studies at the university’s Jackson School of International Studies since 1992, Sorensen has taught a number of courses on Korea such as “Task Force: Rethinking US Military Bases in Japan and Korea,” &ldqu
Oct. 29, 2023
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[Weekender] The dedication of marrying oneself: Why some Koreans throw 'sologamy' weddings
Kim Seul-ki, a manager at Lush Korea, has publicly declared her commitment to singledom by holding a solo wedding. “Now that everyone knows I’ve declared sologamy, questions about my marital status just naturally dissipated. It’s very satisfying and I can’t think of any negative sides to it,” Kim, 39, said, recalling her marriage to herself last year. “It made me feel like my perspective on life and my values could be accepted as they are,” she added. Ki
Oct. 28, 2023
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[Life in Korea] Delivering 'taste of life' via street art
Walking down the streets of Seoul, your senses are in for a treat. High-rises tower, K-pop spills out from nearby shops and the preserves of historical buildings sit proudly among Seoul’s busy traffic. Amid this modern symphony, your gaze may be drawn to a contrasting sight -- shanty houses with weathered shutter doors and neglected alleyways adorned with bold graffiti, a testament to the city’s harmony of old and new, and fusions of the popular and subculture. As South Korea has gr
Oct. 26, 2023
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[Korean History] 'Yonsama' fans trailblaze Hallyu in Japan
About 20 years ago, a soft-spoken, bespectacled man with a scarf around his neck showed the world how spellbinding South Korean dramas can be. “Winter Sonata,” a television drama series starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo, dazzled countless Japanese women, some 6,000 of whom gathered at the Tokyo airport to catch a glimpse of Bae in November 2004. Some of them -- mostly aged 43 to 65 -- were even injured while pushing through the crowds to get a better view of the actor, whom they
Oct. 25, 2023
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[Korea Quiz] Iconic goods at Seoul markets
Find the answer at the bottom. Although it is widely regarded as being one of the world's most technologically advanced cities, South Korea's capital has integrated traditional markets into its urban economy. Local street markets, primarily frequented by elderly citizens and wholesale merchants, have evolved into captivating attractions offering cultural and culinary experiences not easily found elsewhere in Seoul. While not all street markets are synonymous with specific products,
Oct. 25, 2023
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[Korea Beyond Korea] Berlin, Europe's Korean Studies hub, nurtures next-gen experts, scholars
BERLIN -- Right before the winter semester was about to start in Germany, some 10 students gathered in a classroom in southwestern Berlin in September. The students, all top Korean Studies majors from across Europe, were selected by the Institute of Korean Studies at the Free University of Berlin to partake in the annual Korean Competence Week. The weeklong workshop was created to foster the region’s next generation of Korean experts, which is an area that lacks greatly in numbers, accord
Oct. 23, 2023
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[Hello Hangeul] Love for Hangeul grows in corner of Sweden
GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- It’s 6 p.m. on a regular Thursday in Sweden’s second-largest city of Gothenburg. Seventeen students of various ages gathered in classrooms at a high school to learn a language that is spoken in a distant land: Korean. They are the enrollees of a Korean language course offered at a branch of the King Sejong Institute, the Korean government-run language education center. The KSI Gothenburg is one of the center’s 248 branches worldwide and the only one in Swe
Oct. 21, 2023
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[Korean History] 2003, when Korean cinema was at its finest
“South Korea has had the most lively movie industry in the world for the past decade,” remarked French filmmaker Luc Besson during this year’s Busan International Film Festival that closed last week. Although it may appear as though Korean cinema’s meteoric rise to prominence occurred just over a decade ago or even more recently, its foundation runs deeper. For many, 2003 stands out as a pivotal year when Korean cinema made its mark on the global stage, with films from di
Oct. 19, 2023
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Muaz Razaq on being Muslim in South Korea
Muaz Razaq, a representative of the Muslim community at Kyungpook National University, finds himself at the epicenter of a struggle that underscores the necessity for greater understanding and inclusivity in a city traditionally perceived as "unwelcoming" to Muslims. Arriving in South Korea with the aspiration of pursuing a doctorate in computer science, Razaq swiftly encountered the challenges associated with practicing Islam in a predominantly non-Muslim country. Initially, Razaq fo
Oct. 18, 2023
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[Korea Quiz] Oh my gat!
In contemporary South Korea, hats are seldom seen as an essential accessory in men's fashion, reserved mostly for functional use like sun protection. But in the Joseon era (1392-1910), hats were an integral and indispensable part of every outfit for men. Today, the traditional hats are commonly referred to as "gat," but there existed a wide variety of hats used to match the wearer’s profession, social class and specific occasions. These hats varied in terms of shape, color
Oct. 18, 2023
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Gimbap and hanja cramming: Life of Korean Studies students in Paris
PARIS -- Pulling an all-nighter to make gimbap and kimchi pancakes was the highlight of the year for four members of “Bulkkot,” a club of students enrolled in the Korean Studies department of the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, also known as Inalco in Paris. Meaning “flame” in Korea, the recently-established students’ association has just five members now, but its passion easily surpasses that of much bigger organizations. The group pull
Oct. 16, 2023
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[Korea Beyond Korea] In Paris, soaring demand for Korean studies yet to be fully met
PARIS -- Professors speaking only Korean during lectures, notices on bulletin boards with the schedule of upcoming Korean language proficiency tests and celebrating the end of the academic term with rolls of gimbap. This is daily life for students majoring in Korean studies in Paris. The Korea Herald visited two universities in Paris reputed for offering credible and rounded Korean studies programs -- Paris Cite University and the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, al
Oct. 16, 2023
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[Korean History] In 2003's Daegu, disaster plays out underground
Passengers traveling on the South Korean subway system may have encountered seats lacking fabric covering, resulting in a more slippery experience than expected. Keen-eyed riders might have also noticed the presence of manual door handles, gas masks and flashlights inside the train or on the platforms. These are part of the safety features of Korean metro system, introduced after a hard and painful lesson: the 2003 arson attack on a subway train in the southern city of Daegu. “Subway arson
Oct. 11, 2023
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[Korea Quiz] Autumn fruits
Find the answer at the bottom. When the air turns crisp and cool in Korea, the attention of many turns toward the price trends of two specific fruits: apples and pears. These fruits reach their peak freshness and flavor during this season, making them the quintessential autumn fruits in South Korea. However, there are more reasons why people are particularly sensitive to their prices. During Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, a common tradition involves setting up a table adorned with various
Oct. 11, 2023
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How college students are coping with the impact of inflation
Runaway inflation is putting pressure on the economically vulnerable across various walks of life, and college students are among those finding new ways to cope with the cost of living. In South Korea, it is not unusual for 20-something children to live with their parents until marriage, often receiving full or partial financial support from them. A survey of 1,319 people in their 20s, conducted by part-time job portal Alba Heaven in August, found that 88.1 percent are financially reliant on
Oct. 10, 2023