[Korea Quiz] Blood type personality theory

Find the answer at the bottom. When Koreans inquire about your blood type, their curiosity might center not on medical matters but on the pseudoscientific pursuit of predicting some of your personality traits. In South Korea, blood type is commonly used as a gauge of others’ personalities and temperaments, despite the absence of a scientific basis for it. In a recent poll of 1,501 adults aged 19 and over conducted by Gallup Korea, approximately 57 percent of respondents support the conce

Nov. 15, 2023

[Korean History] In 2005, science world’s biggest scandal unravels in Seoul

In the winter of 2005, South Korea experienced a roller coaster of emotion, looping between shock, disbelief and relief multiple times after Hwang Woo-suk, then the country’s most revered scientist as well as a symbol of national pride and hope for the terminally ill, faced whistleblower accusations for grave ethics breaches, followed by even graver matters of data fabrication. After a whirlwind of claims and counterclaims that left many at a loss as to what to believe, by December of that

Nov. 15, 2023

Bikes or motor vehicles? E-bike use on rise amid classification ambiguity

Electric-powered bicycles, one of the most recent additions to South Korea's urban landscape, are quickly becoming a popular choice for short-distance travel, with many seen parked on streets and sidewalks across the nation's cities. Replacing e-scooters, which once dominated Seoul's micromobility scene, e-bikes are enhancing public accessibility through affordable bike-sharing services. Micromobility refers to lightweight, single-person vehicles that are used for transportation

Nov. 14, 2023

[Korea Beyond Korea] Buddhism scholar committed to expanding Korean studies at Yale

HERALD INTERVIEW Yale University was the only Ivy League school that didn’t have a Korean studies faculty member, other than Korean language lecturers, until 2018, when it hired Kim Hwan-soo as a professor of religious studies. Kim, a Buddhist monk and professor of Korean Buddhism and culture, received his doctorate in the colonial history of Korean and Japanese Buddhism from Harvard University and previously taught at Duke University. “Students at Yale had called for a Korean stud

Nov. 13, 2023

[Korean History] In 2004, serial murderer with goal to kill 100 was stopped at 20

In the summer of 2004, South Korea was jolted by one of the most gruesome crime stories the country had ever witnessed. Driven by hatred for the rich and women, Yoo Young-chul committed 20 murders before he was apprehended, a fraction of his self-imposed mission to kill 100. The serial killer’s dramatic capture, along with shocking details of his crimes, which involved claims of cannibalism and dismemberment, left a lasting impact on the nation’s collective memory. The chilling sag

Nov. 8, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Exchanging snacks every November

Every November, a certain type of snack sees a sudden spike in sales: Pepero. On Nov. 11, also known as Pepero Day, people exchange the chocolate-covered snacks. It is not an official holiday, but is widely celebrated in South Korea, with street stalls, convenience stores and supermarkets stocked with a massive supply of Pepero or similarly shaped goodies. The origin of this festivity is a modern marketing legend. While Pepero has always been popular, its manufacturer, Lotte Confectionery, p

Nov. 8, 2023

American-Korean Foundation’s legacy hangs in the balance

On a gentle hill nestled between two wooded areas in Sosa-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, lies a long-neglected training compound for farmers. Occupying nearly 66,000 square meters of land, the compound’s dormitory building, silo for livestock feed storage, pigpen, chicken coup and conference hall, among other facilities, remain tucked out of sight of the surrounding community. The compound's history is unknown even to many of its most immediate neighbors, despite its presence here fo

Nov. 7, 2023

Farm online, harvest offline: Virtual farming games attract inflation-weary consumers

Home farming is gaining popularity as inflation continues to drive up the prices of produced goods including eggs and vegetables. Recently, the trend has recently taken an interesting turn, with local e-commerce platforms launching mobile farming games that bear real fruit in the physical world. Lee Jae-ram, a 33-year-old office worker in Seoul, recently received his "harvest" of bananas in a package via mail, the fruit of his farming efforts in the mobile game, Al-Farm. Al-Farm is a g

Nov. 7, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Americans seeking to visit Korea learn the language in LA

LOS ANGELES -- Stephanie Baldonado first came across Korean food in 2006 during her deployment at a US military hospital in Afghanistan, where she shared a camp with counterparts from the Korean military. She instantly fell in love with it. Years later, her daughter Marlene “fully immersed” herself into the world of K-pop and Korean dramas. Marlene is the captain of a K-pop dance group at San Diego State University. The mother and daughter are both taking online Korean language lesso

Nov. 7, 2023

[Korea Beyond Korea] Anthropologist stresses multidisciplinary approach for strong Korean studies

NEW YORK -- Portrayals of shaman rituals or shrines in Korean dramas often give off a spooky or menacing vibe. But 22-year-old Laurel Kendall felt none of that when she first encountered a shaman ritual, or “gut,” in the early 1970s in rural Korea. “I was struck by how vibrant, colorful and exciting it was. The place was packed, and it was of course very intense,” the adjunct professor of anthropology at Columbia University and curator of Asian ethnographic collections at

Nov. 7, 2023

[Korea Beyond Korea] Yale sociologist and BTS fan researches K-pop

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut -- Grace Kao got into BTS and K-pop by accident. In April 2019, the sociology professor at Yale University was deeply impressed when she saw the Korean boy band on Saturday Night Live, a TV show that she had watched since she was a child. “SNL was around from the ’70s. I always remembered the musical guests, and they never had Asians. I really enjoyed the performance by BTS, and Googled them a bit,” Kao said in an interview with The Korea Herald at her of

Nov. 7, 2023

From artisan to 'foreign laborer:' a French craftsman's take on Korea's construction scene

Lionel Mathieu, a roofing craftsman from France, is on a unique journey within South Korea's construction scene, quietly leaving his mark. Mathieu's path to learning the craft of roof construction began working with his hands at home at the age of 14, and at 15 led him to join Compagnons du Devoir, a combined work-study program educating over 30 types of artisans and craftsmen, dating back to the Middle Ages in France. Through the formative program, Mathieu was able to learn from fello

Nov. 3, 2023

‘It’s OK to put fried chicken, ramen on jesa table’

As an increasing number of Koreans are ditching traditional rituals to honor their ancestors, an authority on the rites on Thursday said it is OK to put fried chicken and ramen on the jesa table. A committee that settles ceremonial issues under the Confucian educational institute Sung Kyun Kwan reduced the minimum number of items on the jesa table from the previous 15 to eight in its latest set of guidelines meant to simplify the jesa menu. Following up on its recommendation last year that jeon

Nov. 2, 2023

Embracing setbacks: KAIST students vie for the inaugural 'worst failure' crown

DAEJEON – A final-term essay that contained four sentences only, due to the writer’s social distancing-induced depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. An accidental discovery of an abnormal blood swelling in one’s own brain at a cancer research lab. These are two of the entries of the “Failed Tasks Showdown Contest,” held Wednesday evening at the Daejeon-based Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, better known as the KAIST. Ten students from the natio

Nov. 2, 2023

[Korean History] Bodies of two infants discovered in freezer in Seoul's Seorae Village

In July 2006, a 40-year-old French national residing in Seoul made a macabre discovery at home in his freezer. Before he could store some fish inside, he found the bodies of two infant boys. Jean-Louis Courjault, an engineer working for a car parts company in Seoul, was home alone in Seorae Village, southern Seoul, after returning from a family holiday in France. His wife, Veronique Courjault, 39, was still on vacation in France with their two teen sons. He promptly reported the findings to

Nov. 1, 2023

[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

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

[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

[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

[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