[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

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

[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

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

[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

[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

[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

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

[Korea Beyond Korea] Korean culture boom fuels interest in Korean studies in Europe

For a long time, the field of Korean studies in Europe remained in the shadow of Japanese and Chinese studies. But the global boom of Korean pop music, films and dramas has elevated the standing of Korean studies in recent years and is likely to continue doing so, said Anders Karlsson, senior lecturer and chair of the Centre of Korean Studies at SOAS University of London. The most noticeable development from when he started teaching in the field 23 years ago, Karlsson said, is diversification

Oct. 9, 2023

[Korean History] 2002, when Korea soared through World Cup

The dawn of the 21st century was not the brightest of days for South Korea, still hampered by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which cost thousands their jobs and bankrupted companies across the country. But in 2002, Koreans received an unexpected boost in morale when their national soccer team beat the odds to make an improbable run to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan. The surge of the Taegeuk Warriors on the world's biggest soccer stage brough

Oct. 4, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Puppy words

Find the answer at the bottom. Dogs are the most favored companion animals in South Korea, with nearly 75 percent of pet-owning families choosing to raise them. In the Korean language, the word for dog is "gae," and a puppy is a "gangaji," but there are more affectionate slang terms widely used online. "Meongmeongi" is a friendly and endearing way to refer to dogs. It's derived from the onomatopoeic representation of the sound dogs make when they bark -- &

Oct. 4, 2023

'No Japan?' Korea swings from extreme rejection to selective embrace

For one local beer aficionado, the recent increase in the variety of alcoholic beverages available at convenience stores has been noticeable and -- to a moderate degree -- welcome. "Various Japanese beer brands are now part of the 'Buy four cans of imported beer for 10,000 won ($7.50)' deal," 32-year-old Lee Hyun-soo told The Korea Herald. "So I thought, 'Why not relish their rich flavor?' Especially since I haven't been to Japan in ages,” he said. M

Oct. 2, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Third time's the charm?

Find the answer at the bottom. There are many rituals or occasions in which people do certain actions three times in South Korea, such as in the parliament, when the speaker bangs the gavel exactly three times to conclude something. When children encounter disagreements and need to reach a decision, they often resort to playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. One ground rule is to play a set of three rounds, referred to as "samsaepan," unless they agree otherwise. Similarly, when people gathe

Oct. 2, 2023