Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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[Weekender] Notorious colonial-era prison commemorates sacrifices of March 1
The Seodaemun Prison History Museum, a grotesque shrine dedicated to fallen patriots who fought Japan’s 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, is holding an exhibition of artifacts related to their struggle and the March 1 Independence Movement of 1919.The ongoing exhibition “100 Years of History Preserved in Cultural Heritage,” which runs until April 21, is divided into three sections. The first focuses on preparations for the March 1, 1919, protest and the simultaneous Proclamation of K
CultureFeb. 28, 2019
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[Weekender] How cheese transformed a poor village: The story of Imsil Cheese
Imsil-gun, a tiny rural village in North Jeolla Province, is a town that most people in South Korea have heard of and precious few have visited. For starters, a trip there via public transportation is not easy.It is secluded behind mountains and admittedly scenic rivers, crouching behind the slopes just a little over 20 kilometers from Jeonju. Stretched across 597 square kilometers of mostly farmland and home to a meager 29,160 as of 2019, it is, for the most part, but a tiny speck on the map. B
TravelFeb. 21, 2019
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[Weekender] Korean food industry falls in love with cheese
Only a few years ago, few could have imagined that gorgonzola cheese pizza would become one of Korea’s favorite dishes. Koreans’ recent enthrallment with cheese can be seen in the country’s annual cheese consumption. According to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, the country’s per capita consumption of cheese reached 2.5 kilograms last year, double that of a decade ago. Korea’s cheese production in the same period stood at 35,000 metric tons, up by 60 percent from ju
IndustryFeb. 21, 2019
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[Weekender] ‘Freshness differentiates artisanal cheese’
Where do you buy cheese? Supermarkets are the easiest option, while department stores offer more refined products. Cheese shops provide a more upscale option. What if you are searching for not just any cheese, but cheese made in a traditional way? Room for affinage, or cheese-aging process (Park Hyun-koo / The Korea Herald)Finding high quality cheese here can be a challenge, but Cho Jang-hyun may be the person you are looking for. Cho is an owner-chef and cheesemaker at Cheeseflo in Hannam-dong,
FoodFeb. 21, 2019
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[Weekender] Fine dust, a force changing society
“The first thing I do when I wake up is check the weather report for fine dust and plan the day accordingly,” said Choi Ju-yeon, a 40-year old resident of Paju in northwest Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)Despite being in a relatively rural area, Paju is often affected by high levels of fine and ultrafine dust. “When levels are high, I try to stay indoors as much as possible. I also have air quality monitoring devices at home.”While Choi may be more sensitive than others, it seems undeniable that fin
Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2019
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[Weekender] Reinterpreting taxis in era of sharing economy
Taxis are more than a means of transport for Koreans. They serve as a platform where people talk about life, societal changes and, of course, politics, with those behind the wheel. On top of their cultural and social value, for decades, they have been one of the most reliable and relatively inexpensive door-to-door transport services, offering convenience to people with hectic city lives. These are probably the reasons why taxis and drivers appear frequently in cultural content. (Yonhap)From mov
MobilityFeb. 7, 2019
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[Weekender] How soon will flying taxis arrive here?
It is the clash between taxi operators and carpooling services that is making headlines today. But automakers and tech startups around the world are already taking the next step, showcasing the latest future mobility technologies designed to take the control of vehicles from human hands. This technological adventure to create a new industry leaves one question that we all want to know: so when will flying cars or robot taxis become commercialized? During the Consumer Electronics Show that took p
MobilityFeb. 7, 2019
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[Weekender] Carpooling, an option not threat
Amid the ongoing clash between taxi drivers and those moving to create new technology-based services, the head of a local ride-sharing company has called for ways to coexist, saying that carpooling is just another option, not a threat to the taxi industry. Expressing deep concern, Seo Young-wu, CEO of ride-sharing startup Poolus, highlighted the death of a 57-year-old taxi driver who set himself on fire in protest against a carpooling service late last year.Poolus CEO Seo Young-wu (Poolus)The pl
MobilityFeb. 7, 2019
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[Weekender] Why do Korean taxi drivers oppose carpooling?
In tech-savvy South Korea, ride-sharing and ride-hailing mobile apps are an untouched market due to vehement protest from some 300,000 taxi drivers, who claim new technologies will ultimately wipe out the taxi industry, an industry insider said Thursday.“First, it is illegal to operate carpooling services (in Korea). The biggest issue is the high possibility that carpool apps would take over the taxi market. We are fighting to protect our livelihoods because the government is pushing to allow ca
Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2019
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[Weekender] Startup innovation can solve Korea’s quagmire of aging society
A key hurdle the Korean economy faces is the fast-aging population. One way to coax a soft-landing of this problem is to speed up deregulation so that local startups can carry out innovation and improve productivity, according to Startup Alliance Korea Managing Director Lim Jung-wook. “Considering how fast South Korea is aging, we really should have a sense of urgency. Instead of spending too much time and energy fighting superficial issues such as whether or not to allow carpoo
IndustryJan. 31, 2019
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[Weekender] Pinning fresh hopes on ‘sandbox’ phenomenon
It’s far from perfect, but South Korea’s latest adoption of a regulatory sandbox may provide some relief to the country’s startups, according to the head of one of the largest and oldest startup associations. “Urging member companies to utilize the regulatory sandbox is one of our priorities for this year,” Korea Startup Forum chief Choi Sung-jin said during a recent interview with The Korea Herald. KSF is a three-year-old organization that represents 650
IndustryJan. 31, 2019
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[Weekender] Korea, always in search of the next unicorn
One of the Moon Jae-in administration’s primary goals has been to create jobs and rejuvenate the economy. However, failing to gain momentum, the nation’s conventional growth engines, such as semiconductors, smartphones, and auto businesses are sputtering, while the unemployment rate has hit record lows.Since it looks like these industries aren’t likely to get back on track soon, the government has turned its eyes toward startups, hoping that the industry will be a spark to bolster the cooling ec
IndustryJan. 31, 2019
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[Weekender] How long can the startup boom cycle last?
South Korea is riding the global trend of high liquidity in the startup scene. Money is pouring into the sector, and investors are looking for the next big thing to invest in. However, concerns linger that the upcycle is being maintained by government spending, and not a real appetite for startups. In 2018, venture capital investment surged 43.9 percent on-year to 3.4 trillion won ($3 billion), according to latest data by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. However, of that amount, 20 percent a
IndustryJan. 31, 2019
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[Weekender] ‘I want to be pretty like mom!’
On a Friday afternoon, a customer enters a beauty spa that looks like the whole place has been dipped in pink.The difference from ordinary spas is that everything here at Shushu & Sassy is miniature-sized, from the gowns to the chairs.Clad in a pink bathrobe and a hair band shaped like rabbit ears, the customer lets go of her mother’s hand and soaks her feet in a bubbly basin. A spa specialist then carefully covers the child’s tiny face with a sheet mask and massages her hands and arms with loti
Social AffairsJan. 24, 2019
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[Weekender] For you, anything: Children put on pedestals
Baby care products have usually taken up only a small section at department stores in South Korea, with a handful of baby care stores filling about half a floor.But brands for babies and toddlers have recently expanded their territories at many of the major department stores here, which have traditionally targeted affluent women in their 40s as their main customers.(AP)Buoyed by demand from parents looking further upmarket in selecting goods for their children, Lotte Department Store, has filled
IndustryJan. 24, 2019
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[Weekender] When 1-year-olds learn coding
South Korean parents’ enthusiasm for child education goes back as far as the moment they are born. It is common for parents to wonder whether they are doing enough for their children, and whether they are giving them as many opportunities possible to ignite their hidden genius. Such is the sentiment that propels the infants and toddlers’ educative playthings markets in Korea, which now has toys for 1-year-olds to play with to learn how to code. The difference in the niche yet lucrative market fo
IndustryJan. 24, 2019
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[Weekender] A seer’s guide to marriage
It is undeniable that many things in life are determined by the circumstances of one’s birth -- nationality, genetics and socioeconomic class not least of all. Added to that list, it was the three-hour window in which I was born in June 1985 that determined I’d be focused on justice and live a life defined by wanderlust. Similarly, the time of my partner’s birth almost exactly a year later decided she would be a “straightforward and simple” person who speaks her mind with a strong will. Moto Saj
CultureJan. 17, 2019
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[Weekender] How does saju experience measure up?
Fortunetelling. Is it frivolous entertainment, or a glimpse of another dimension? And is the saju any different from other fortunetelling methods I’ve tried over the years? I had a chance to find out this past weekend. Since my dog passed away in 2016, I’ve asked fortunetellers about her with disappointing results. One long-distance psychic in Canada came highly recommended, but he charged me for an hourlong reading about my dog and emailed me a 10-minute audio recording that had nothing to do w
CultureJan. 17, 2019
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[Weekender] Can ‘saju’ tell a person’s luck in a certain year? Believe it or not, Koreans think so
Whether you are a believer or a skeptic of divination, the following are questions you may ask a Korean “saju” reader: Is 2019 a good year to change jobs, start a business, or relocate to a new country? Will I meet “the one” this year? When is a good year to get married, if ever, and will I have a wholesome family? If I heighten my nose through plastic surgery, will my luck slide down my newly straightened nose bridge?Visiting a saju shop is easy. Compared to a “mudangjip,” the house of a shaman
CultureJan. 17, 2019
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[Weekender] Apartments - a national obsession
Apartments are everywhere in Korea. The country’s first apartment block was built as housing for employees of a construction materials maker in 1956. At the time, this type of building was a sight most had only heard or read about. Apartment construction sites were unusual enough to warrant a visit by the president in the 1950s.Since then, apartments have become the most visible, preferred and coveted form of residence. The skylines of most major cities have long been dominated by apartment buil
Social AffairsJan. 10, 2019