[Korean Dilemma] Can we blame public education?

When talking about education, South Koreans often attribute their rising spending on children’s lessons outside school to an undemanding public education. My daughter, who went to a Singaporean public primary school for a year and half, and now goes to a Korean public elementary school, said the latter is less work and more fun. I did tell her once that I heard Korean kids do much of their studying at hagwon, or cram schools, and that I agree it is strange, but that’s how things are

April 18, 2023

[Survive & Thrive] Korean ‘villas’ are not what you expect

An introductory guide to Korea's housing would be incomplete without an explanation of the prevalence of apartment homes -- the tall, uniformly structured, multi-unit buildings that Koreans commonly refer to as “apateu." Commonly found in urban spaces, apartment complexes often consist of a set of buildings with multiple identical or similar units per floor, equipped with modern amenities such as elevators, security systems, shared gym facilities and on-site parking. There is ano

April 18, 2023

[Korean History] Lifting of curfew in 1982 signals exit from era of repression in daily life

Every night at 10 p.m., over soft music, a female voice actor on the radio would tell teenagers to go home as it had gotten late. After 11 p.m., people would rush to take the last buses and taxis. All stores and bars would close before 11:30 p.m. At the stroke of midnight, sirens would blare and steel barricades would be placed on the streets. Neighborhood patrollers would blow their whistles at anyone still out on the street and those spotted would do their best to run away. This was South Kore

April 12, 2023

[Korea Quiz] How to become a Korean

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. To become a South Korean citizen, one must undergo one of three types of naturalization: general, simple or special. Most people wanting to acquire South Korean citizenship go through the general process, which requires a minimum five years of consecutive stay and a permanent address here. The simple and special processes require less time, but require applicants to meet specific criteria. Those with a parent that had been a South Korean citizen can

April 12, 2023

Black Hawk Village, an American town in the middle of Seoul

On a recent Tuesday morning, a sense of calm pervaded Black Hawk Village, a remnant of the Yongsan Garrison, the old headquarters of the US Forces Korea. Once home to American soldiers and their families, the village of 18 buildings is a relic from a time when the foreign military had its headquarters right in the heart of Seoul. For Hwang, a bride-to-be in her 20s, however, it is the perfect backdrop for her pre-wedding photo shoot. “The hues of the brownish-red buildings, green lawns and

April 11, 2023

[Herald Interview] Fighting for diversity in the 'Land of Squid Game'

For many Koreans, the name Min Byoung-chul rings a bell. In the 1980s, his “Practical English” book series introduced learners to “wanna” and “gonna” instead of “want to” and “going to," which were taught in local textbooks. An educational TV show bearing his name attracted millions of people who aspired to learn “real” English as spoken by Americans. Over the past some 15 years, the man who was once a household name in Korea

April 11, 2023

[Land of Squid Game] Not giving opinions until asked

In many situations, especially in business settings, Koreans prefer to wait until they are directly asked before giving an opinion. This strongly contrasts with people from Western cultures, who are freer to speak their minds anytime the urge strikes. Of course, even in the western countries, subordinates with an eye to the future will be interested in what the boss thinks before expressing their opinions. Min Byoung-chul is an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University's Business Sc

April 11, 2023

[Weekender] Instant photos make comeback

In Seoul’s Yeonnam-dong, a trendy neighborhood for young hipsters, a particular trend has taken over an entire street: instant self-photo studios popping up almost next to each other. “Nine new self-photo studios have opened within just a few months in this area,” shared a person surnamed Hong who runs another such studio near Hongik University Station. It was a Tuesday afternoon and the freestanding photo studios inside stores like “Life Four Cuts” or “Haru F

April 8, 2023

[Korean History] That May when truth was muzzled

“Dialogue under way at riot-torn Kwangju,” reads the top headline on the front page of The Korea Herald’s May 23, 1980 edition. It says the “bloody riot that has gripped this provincial capital city” was on the verge of control, with representatives of the demonstrators beginning talks with government authorities. According to the article, authorities accepted several demands by the “rioters who have taken over the city of 800,000,” and the student leade

April 5, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Celebrity couples

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Keeping tabs on which South Korean celebrity dated or married whom is a key part of being a Hallyu fan. Actress Son Ye-jin and actor Hyun Bin, the ultimate power couple of Korean entertainment, tied the knot last year. The two said they started dating after meeting as co-stars in the hit 2019 drama “Crash Landing on You,” and announced their engagement about two years later. The superstars recently had a baby boy. Actor Song Joong-ki made

April 5, 2023

Why school bullying hits a raw nerve

In South Korea today, school bullies are public enemy No. 1. On TV screens nationwide, viewers are enthralled by the meticulously plotted revenge of a high school bullying victim. In real-life politics, President Yoon Suk Yeol’s initial pick for the head of the National Office of Investigation, former senior prosecutor Chung Sun-sin, has been under scrutiny for weeks following revelations his son verbally abused a classmate years ago. It has been some time already since the TV and sports i

April 4, 2023

[Land of Squid Game] Making last-minute plans

Korean business and social schedules are typically much more flexible than those in the West. While Koreans most frequently accommodate the schedule of the most senior person involved, most foreigners want to carefully allocate their time in advance. When living and working in Korea, foreign nationals might be surprised or unhappy to receive notice of dinner gatherings, parties, or new work schedules just before the event takes place. Min Byoung-chul is an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang

April 4, 2023

[Korean Dilemma] Foreign domestic workers: Yay or nay?

A revised bill to exempt foreign domestic workers from the minimum wage law has been submitted, prompting some to quietly support the move and others to criticize it as discriminatory. South Korea’s current minimum wage is 9,620 won ($7.31) per hour, which translates into about 2.1 million won a month. Many Korean full-time domestic workers, of which the pool is not big, get paid close to 3 million won monthly. In places like Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, live-in hel

April 4, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Hangeul as a writing system for African tribe

In a small village called Bunyakiri in the eastern Congo’s rain forest, a community of Central African foragers learn to write their indigenous language with 가, 나, 다. The Chitembo Jeongeum Writing system, devised by four Korean linguists, is an adaptation of the Korean alphabet, Hangeul, to transcribe the sounds of the language spoken by this particular tribe of Twa hunter-gatherers, one of several groups of people known as Pygmies for their short stature. Chitembo is the language this gro

April 2, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Sharing the Korean alphabet with the world

King Sejong the Great invented Hangeul in 1443 with the goal of increasing literacy among commoners who had few chances to learn the logographic hanja, or Chinese characters. Out of respect for the king's democratic intention and love for humanity, several projects were launched from the late 1990s onward to share the Korean alphabet with ethnic minorities in Asia, Africa and South America that did not have their own writing systems. Without a script, their languages were at the risk of disappea

April 2, 2023

[Subway Stories] The rise and fall of Noryangjin, from nation's first railway station to lackluster hagwon hub

Noryangjin Station, on Seoul Subway Lines No. 1 and 9, is best known as the home of the nation's largest fisheries wholesale market, a habitat for aspiring civil servants and the birthplace of "cup bap." What greeted this reporter upon stepping outside of the station was, however, a sprawling bright green soccer field set against the backdrop of Yeouido’s old landmark 63 Building and a few other high-rises. The soccer field, along with a baseball field and a running track, were b

April 1, 2023

[Korean History] From $10b to $680b: S. Korea’s glory road to export-driven prosperity

In 1977, a little over two decades after the war that hardened the division of the peninsula ended, South Korea celebrated an economic milestone with much fanfare: $10 billion in yearly export volume. It had been just a year since the country had stopped receiving US aid worth a colossal $12.6 billion from 1946 through 1976, which helped rebuild most modern infrastructure there had been before the war. “Our achievement of $10 billion in exports has a bigger meaning than just its size in

March 29, 2023

Korean lawmakers, foreign diplomats launch pro-diversity campaign in Korea

Seven South Korean lawmakers, 25 diplomats and 15 envoys from 40 different countries as well as a Seoul-based civic group have joined forces to launch a pro-diversity campaign, calling for the equal treatment of multicultural families and diverse ethnic groups here, officials said on March 28. According to the Sunfull Foundation, which has been campaigning against online hate speech and cyber bullying and is now leading a movement called, “Respect for Multicultural Families and All Ethnic

March 29, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Kim Jong-un's beloved daughter

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Years before North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, made her first public appearance in November 2022, there were several indications of her existence. She first made her presence known to the outside world while still in the womb, when South Korean media in 2012 reported that Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, appeared to be pregnant. This report was later confirmed the next year, when former NBA star Dennis Rodman visited the hermit

March 29, 2023

Shamans, curses and superstitions in contemporary South Korea

In episode 15 of Netflix's "The Glory," the shaman character, who is involved in the antagonist Park Yeon-jin's shady family business, suddenly drops dead in the middle of performing a ritual, leaving viewers bewildered by the sudden plot twist involving a supernatural scene. Shamanism may appear out of place in a modern-day revenge thriller, but superstitions and shamanistic practices are not far removed from the daily lives of many Koreans, even in their tech-savvy and fast

March 28, 2023