Cash-strapped young Koreans turn to pawn shops

Pawn shops have been seen as relics of the past, from a time when instant cash loans were not so readily available with just a few clicks. But though many perished, a new breed of shops has emerged, catering to clients who possess expensive gadgets or luxury goods but are temporarily cash-strapped. Lee Yong-seok’s shop in Seoul's bustling Hongdae specializes in loans secured against tech gadgets. In contrast to the traditional image of pawn shops with iron bars and stringent secur

June 13, 2023

Bidding farewell to Korean age system

South Korea is finally letting go of an age counting method that no other country in the world uses. Under the traditional East Asian way of reckoning age, a person is considered 1 year old at birth, counting the time spent in the mother’s womb as the first year of life, and grows a year older at the turn of the calendar year, regardless of the actual date of birth. Japan dropped the method from its legal system in 1950, and China hasn’t used it since the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolutio

June 12, 2023

Inside the debate on 'no-kids zones'

One of the most popular cafes located in Itaewon, Seoul, is off-limits to guests aged 12 and under. "Our cafe wasn't a no-kids zone at the beginning," the owner of Cafe Kyeri told The Korea Herald in an interview on May 31. The cafe, located on the edge of the district, aims to provide a quiet and relaxing environment for visitors. That is why it decided to restrict children from entering the venue six years ago, the owner explained. "We would love to have children at the c

June 10, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Smoggiest city

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. For clean air in South Korea, head east or south, rather than west. According to data from IQAir, a global air quality company, cities in the country’s central western South Chungcheong Province near the Yellow Sea recorded the highest levels of PM2.5 fine dust particles last year. The city of Cheonan topped the 98-city ranking as the smoggiest city, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 30.3 micrograms per cubic meter, followed by Asan at 28.

June 7, 2023

[Korean History] NK secret agent behind 1987 KAL bombing now lives ordinary life in South

On Nov. 29, 1987, Korean Air Flight 858, en route from Baghdad to Seoul, exploded mid-air as a bomb planted by two North Korean agents inside an overhead storage bin detonated. All of the 115 people on board, including 104 passengers and 11 crew members, were killed. One hundred and thirteen of them were South Koreans, many of whom were construction workers returning home after years of working in the Middle East. The two other passengers were from India and Lebanon. The explosion took place ab

June 7, 2023

Can ‘convenience’ be healthier?

In South Korea, convenience stores are more than mere quick stops for a snack or drink. As the cost of living continues to rise, these ubiquitous stores have become a favorite lunch destination, offering a wide array of options, from triangular seaweed rolls or gimbap, to noodles, snacks and desserts. However, the pressing question remains: Can these quick and cheap foods also be healthy? Salt and sugar Prepackaged and processed foods, like the items sold at convenience stores, tend to contain h

June 7, 2023

[Survive & Thrive] How to rent a car in Korea

For those traveling in areas with limited access to public transportation, renting a car may be the best option. Here's a look at the country’s car-sharing and rental system. Rental For most companies, foreigners who have a driver’s license issued by local authorities can rent a car under the same conditions as South Koreans, which is that one must be at least 21 years old and have obtained a driving permit over one year ago to rent a car that has up to nine seats. Other req

June 6, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Korea needs to talk about invasion of English alphabet in everyday signage

In one up-and-coming neighborhood in Seoul, the prevalence of English letters on cafe and restaurant signboards adds to its exotic ambiance, complementing the diverse range of foreign cuisines found there. Approximately 7 out of 10 signboards in this area, known as Yongridan-gil and situated between Samgakji and Sinyongsan subway stations in central Seoul, are exclusively written in foreign languages. English is the most commonly used, followed by Chinese and Japanese. As one strolls through t

June 4, 2023

Are pet plants, plant butlers the latest trend or a form of therapy?

Whenever her succulents show signs of disease like wilting or yellowing leaves, Joo Young-hyun immediately heads to a "plant hospital." Recently, her potted rosemary and lavender plants required the care of a plant doctor when they began to droop and shed. The doctor’s diagnosis was overwatering. Her herbs’ roots were found to be partially rotten due to a drainage problem. The ailing plants were admitted to the plant hospital for treatment, which included repotting, repla

June 3, 2023

[Weekender] $2 convenience store lunch vs. $200 omakase: young Koreans' polarized consumption

The frugal type: Lunch at convenience store, bike rides and thrift shops For every penny he spends that could have been saved, Kang Won-jin (not his real name) gets scolded online. When he confessed to a spontaneous purchase of a 10,000 won ($7) umbrella from a convenience store because of an unforeseen rain, he was told “No Starbucks for a week.” Some remarked half-jokingly, “You should have used flyers or newspapers to cover your head.” He willingly shares his daily exp

June 3, 2023

[Korean History] Korea’s own Jonestown Massacre lesson on dangers of cults

From the infamous Jonestown Massacre in Guyana in 1978 to the more recent case of the "starvation cult" in Kenya this April, the world has witnessed a disturbing string of mass deaths associated with religious cults. In the summer of 1987, South Korea, too, had its own harrowing experience. On Aug. 29, a chilling discovery was made in the attic of a factory in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. It was a bizarre scene: Bodies were stacked upon one another, their feet bound and nostrils stuffed

May 31, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Park Eun-bin’s portfolio

You can find the correct answer(s) at the bottom of the page. The 59th Baeksang Arts Awards, celebrating the best in films, TV series and plays, were presented on April 28. Park Chan-wook's romantic thriller, "Decision to Leave," and actor Park Eun-bin from ENA’s hit TV series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" won the grand prizes. In “Attorney Woo,” the actor portrayed a young rookie lawyer with autism who tackles difficult cases, while facing adversity and

May 31, 2023

On the front line in the war against puppy mills in Korea

  “Up to five dogs stuffed into tiny cages, floors covered in filth, drugs and needles everywhere, and dead bodies in the freezer” -- this was the horrific scene that greeted charity workers and rescuers as they entered an illegal bichon frise and poodle breeding facility in Jinan-gun, North Jeolla Province, on May 2. “It was like a living hell,” said Kim Hye-ran, a representative from the Better Tomorrow Rescue, a small volunteer-run shelter and one of the organizat

May 30, 2023

New Korean service will quit your job for you

“I’d like to quit my job” It's a phrase that numerous workers have likely rehearsed silently in their minds on more than one occasion. However, the challenge lies not only in mustering the courage to vocalize these words in front of superiors, but in ensuring one's resignation is taken seriously, not brushed off as a mere complaint, and being let go without too much hassle. Kwon, a 27-year-old who works at a packaging company, is experiencing such difficulties now.

May 28, 2023

[Survive & Thrive] Hailing and riding a taxi

Kakao is not just the name of the mobile messenger that almost all South Koreans use. It is a Korean substitute for the US’ Uber or Southeast Asia’s Grab. KakaoT, operated by the messenger app company, is by far the most widely used app to hail a taxi, although there are smaller competitors. One of the advantages of using the apps, especially for tourists, is that they significantly reduce the likelihood of being overcharged or taken advantage of by drivers. These apps track the rout

May 28, 2023

Foreign residents of Seoul happier than Koreans: poll

Foreign residents of Seoul were happier than than their Korean neighbors, a poll conducted by Seoul City showed Thursday. The “happiness index” of foreign residents in Seoul (7.07) was higher than that of the city’s Korean residents (6.72), according to the survey of some 20,000 families, 5,000 citizens and 2,500 foreign residents of Seoul conducted from September through October last year. Over half of the foreign respondents (56.3 percent) said they wish to continue to live i

May 26, 2023

[Korean History] June 1987: Democracy takes root, at least in the Constitution

After weeks of massive protests, the South Korean public finally got what it demanded. In late June of 1987, the junta hoisted a white flag and proposed a constitutional reform for direct presidential elections. “Roh proposes direct election of next president under new Constitution,” reads the front-page story of The Korea Herald's June 30, 1987, edition, signaling the dawn of a new era for a nation that had been under dictatorship for decades. Roh in the headline is the late fo

May 24, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Wedding gift dilemma

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Cash is a common gift in Korea for various celebratory events like a baby's first birthday, Lunar New Year or weddings. For funerals, too, guests prepare cash in a white envelope to give to the grieving family. However, with surging inflation in recent years, there has been upward pressure on the amount of money given as congratulatory or condolence gifts, leading many Koreans to face a dilemma of how much to spend on such occasions. The best guide

May 24, 2023

Koreans in eyes of 19th-century Westerners (2)

Westerners who left records of what they saw and experienced in Korea in the 19th century often marveled at how much work women outside the ruling class did, how physically strong Koreans were and how much they ate. Without a word of reproach, women did most of the farm labor and carried lunch to the workers in the field, on top of housework including the endless amount of laundry, they wrote. “You should see the poor things on the coldest days and nights of winter, smashing the thick ice

May 23, 2023

[Survive & Thrive] Getting around at night

Seoul wouldn’t be famous for its lively nightlife scene if getting back home after a night out were a major challenge. Recognizing the need of a public that is socially active at night, South Korea’s public transport operates at least until around midnight, although one is strongly advised to check on the last vehicle reaching the desired destination from the point of departure. Most major metropolitan areas have buses that operate well after midnight, but Seoul even has regularly di

May 23, 2023