[Newsmaker] [Hello Hangeul] 'Hangeul education is basic right for multicultural students'

Publicly offered Korean language education for children from immigrant and foreign families is necessary because they are entitled to learn the language as part of their human rights, said Seoul City's education chief, stressing the need to expand quality high-level classes currently limited to adults. “Students of multicultural backgrounds should be given a chance to learn the Korean language as a basic human right that they are entitled to,” said Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent

Jan. 15, 2023

[Subway Stories] Pangyo, a magnet for innovative talent, startups and tech moguls

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories, a Korea Herald series exploring the subway stations and surrounding areas in and around the city. -- Ed. Surrounded by glossy office buildings, a department store and apartment complexes, the Pangyo Station area looks like a more spacious and suburban version of the area around Seoul’s Samseong Station. Built on what used to be forests and farms growing flowers and vegetables that had been a greenbelt zone until the early 2000s, the resident

Jan. 14, 2023

[Korean History] Is reunification of Korea still a goal, 70 years on?

“History through The Korea Herald” revisits significant events and issues over the seven decades through articles, photos and editorial pieces published in the Herald and retell them from a contemporary perspective. – Ed. “Re-unification of Korea is goal, Rhee,” says the front page of The Korea Herald, then called The Korean Republic, in its founding edition on Aug. 15, 1953. To today’s Koreans, this message from the late inaugural President Syngman Rhee may

Jan. 11, 2023

[Newsmaker] After 'giant' interest rate hikes, are savers better off?

When a small provincial branch of NongHyup Bank offered an online-exclusive installment savings plan with an annual interest of 8.2 percent in November last year, the news spread like wildfire among savvy savers. It sold like lottery tickets. Within hours, the bank sold 900 billion won ($707.8 million) of saving products, which was more than five times the size of the branch's total assets of 167 billion won. The problem was that the rural bank just wanted to attract just 10 billion won of fu

Jan. 11, 2023

[Korea Quiz] (35) Big hands, wide feet, thin ears

Q. Which of the following idiomatic expressions in Korean is matched with the wrong meaning? a. Have big hands: To be open-handed, or generous in giving or spending. b. Have wide feet: To have a wide circle of acquaintances. c. Have thin ears: To be easily swayed by what others say. d: Have heavy hips: To be overweight Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Koreans use body parts in various idioms and everyday expressions. When someone is described as having big hands, it means the per

Jan. 11, 2023

[Newsmaker] South Korea’s most infamous serial killers

Recently, the possibility police discovered a new serial killer sent shock waves across South Korea. Lee Ki-young, who was arrested late last month for the murder of a taxi driver and his ex-girlfriend, will undergo an extensive investigation into additional DNA found inside his home. Looking back, South Korea’s history of serial killers is still considered for its hateful brutality and aggression. Here are three of Korea’s most notorious serial killers: 1. Lee Choon-jae, the &l

Jan. 10, 2023

[Land of Squid Game] Covering mouths while laughing

    You will probably see some Korean women covering their mouths when laughing. This doesn't imply that they are shy. Some women will even hide a small laugh behind their hands. This is merely a sign of modesty and politeness. On the other hand, this could give an impression to non-Koreans that Koreans are shy or don't express themselves openly. Min Byoung-chul is an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University who is widely known as a multicultural educator and for his practical

Jan. 10, 2023

[Ask a Lawyer] To marry a Korean, first prove your single status

Last year, South Korean singer-producer DJ Koo Jun-yup’s story of rekindling an old love with Taiwanese star Barbie Hsu made many swoon. Announcing his marriage with the ex-girlfriend, Koo, 53, said he was “resuming the love he had but couldn’t realize 20 years ago.” Through all the sweetness, the international star couple would have gone through some paperwork to become legal husband and wife both in Korea and Taiwan. Hsu, in particular, would have been asked to prov

Jan. 9, 2023

[Land of Squid Game] Standing too close

    Many cultures have different ideas about how much personal space is needed to feel comfortable. Personal space is like a no-fly zone or a bubble around each person. It is an extension of them. If another person, especially a stranger, enters that space; it might seem like a personal violation. For many Westerners, if they can feel someone else's body heat, the other person is definitely too close for comfort. However, people in South Korea have a different concept of personal spa

Jan. 3, 2023

Sky high home prices contribute to low birth rate: study

High cost of housing plays a role in South Korean couples not wanting to have babies, new study suggested, as the country struggles to find ways to reverse a shrinking population. According to the report, released Monday, by the state-affiliated Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, a 1 percent rise in the median home prices leads to 0.002 fewer births per woman. As of end-2021, Korean women had an average of just 0.81 babies over their lifetimes, which was the world’s lowest t

Jan. 3, 2023

[Ask a lawyer] What’s the difference between departure order and deportation?

In July last year, more than 60 Vietnamese were caught organizing, or taking part in, “drug parties” at nightclubs and karaoke bars in Busan and other southern cities. On top of any penalty they had received from Korean law enforcement, the foreigners were given an order to leave the country from the immigration authorities, along with a permanent reentry ban. For some, it was deportation, while others received a departure order. What is the difference? Here, Kim Ju-hyeong, a senior

Jan. 3, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] A snapshot of Korean language now

The following series is part of The Korea Herald’s “Hello Hangeul” project which consists of interviews, in-depth analyses, videos and various other forms of content that shed light on the stories of people who are learning the Korean language and the correlation between Korea’s soft power and the rise of its language within the league of world languages. – Ed. Korean has 81.7 million speakers around the globe, although most of them are found on the Korean Peninsula

Jan. 2, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Common language, diverse goals

The following series is part of The Korea Herald’s “Hello Hangeul” project which consists of interviews, in-depth analyses, videos and various other forms of content that shed light on the stories of people who are learning the Korean language and the correlation between Korea’s soft power and the rise of its language within the league of world languages. – Ed. South Korea’s thriving popular culture has been drawing an increasing number of curious young pe

Jan. 2, 2023

[Korean History] 70 years and growing: Korea Herald's legacy and beyond

Before there was The Korea Herald, there was The Korean Republic. On Aug. 15, 1953, a four-page tabloid began publication with a mission of telling the world South Korean stories from South Koreans’ perspective. For a small, impoverished nation that was just setting out to rebuild the ruins of the war, the world was a hostile place, where superpowers -- the US and the now-defunct Soviet Union -- dominated the global agenda and the voices of smaller countries were too often muffled even w

Jan. 2, 2023

[Korea Quiz] (36) Rice cake soup’s ‘magical’ effect

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. According to Korean tradition, eating a bowl of tteokguk, or rice cake soup, on New Year’s Day is supposed to make the person one year older. This stems from the Korean custom of counting ages, in which a person gets one year older on Jan. 1 of each year, not on their birthday. As such, the day Koreans eat tteokguk is usually the day they become one year older. It is unclear when this tradition began. But a 19th-century document written by sch

Jan. 1, 2023

[Korea Quiz] (35) Koreans' favorite winter snack

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed. Find the answer at the bottom of the page. In Korea, some street snacks are strongly associated with a particular season. The most iconic seasonal delicacy sold at street stalls around this time of year is bungeoppang, which literally translates to carp bread. These fish-shaped waffles, stuffed with sweet red bean paste, ranked atop an online survey of favorite winter snacks, condu

Dec. 28, 2022

[Land of Squid Game] Bumping into others in crowded places

    People can't help but bump into others in overcrowded Korean cities. Koreans think that this is unavoidable, and no one seems to mind, unless the contact hurts.  On the other hand, some foreigners may find this form of physical contact with strangers to be irritating since they are accustomed to maintaining their own personal space in public places.   Min Byoung-chul is an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University who is widely known as a multicultural educator and

Dec. 27, 2022

[Newsmaker] For whom the Bosingak bell tolls: Koreans celebrate return of New Year's ceremony

The New Year’s bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak will be back this Saturday as an offline event for the first time since 2019. Coronavirus restrictions had forced the ceremony to be held exclusively online for the past two years. Just as Americans gather to see the ball drop at New York City's Times Square at midnight, South Koreans flock to the Jongno-gu area to see the old bronze Bosingak bell being rung 33 times, a time-honored tradition with religious roots that signifies “c

Dec. 27, 2022

[Ask a lawyer] Departure order as consequence of law breaking

From work contracts to marriage with a Korean citizen and accidental breaking of local rules and laws, foreign residents can find themselves in complicated legal situations. Ask a Lawyer covers the most common legal issues faced by expats in South Korea through Q&A with lawyers practicing in the very field. -- Ed. Last year, an Indian man had to cut short his stay in South Korea, originally planned for two years. The reason? He was caught driving under the influence of alcohol. The man, age

Dec. 26, 2022

Starbucks aficionados flock to Seoul’s Gyeongdong Market

A Starbucks neon sign hanging on the wall of an old building emits a soft green glow in the midst of street vendors offering seasonal greens and traditional herbal medicines. Young couples and office workers walk past the food stalls surrounded mostly by elderly shoppers looking for a bargain as they head toward a hidden gem in the marketplace -- a new Starbucks store within Seoul’s Gyeongdong Market that just opened last week. Dubbed “Kyungdong 1960,” the new coffee shop is a

Dec. 25, 2022