[Weekender] Why soju price hikes are causing Koreans so much anguish

Rumors of soju price hikes have stirred public disquiet over the past couple of weeks here, intensifying to the extent that the government decided to intervene in the market. The fuss temporarily ended after Hite Jinro, the country’s largest soju maker, officially announced that it was not planning on any price hikes. “I felt bitter when I heard about possible price hikes in soju, which seemed to hold out well, while everything else is getting more expensive,” said Kim, a 29-

March 4, 2023

[Weekender] Koryoin from Ukraine find new home in ancestors' land

GWANGJU -- Kim Volodymyr, a 17-year-old fourth-generation Koryoin, had no particular interest in K-pop, Korean language or food before coming to the country. He heard his parents talking about South Korea from time to time, but never thought that he’d be living in the country. Escaping from his hometown Kremenchuk, an industrial city in Ukraine that became the target of massive bombing, Kim entered his ancestors' land in July last year with a flight ticket sent by a friend who left Uk

Feb. 25, 2023

[Eye Plus] Changeuk, to catch modern audiences' psyche

“’Geumeo’ is a magic fish guiding the way to find a tree which grants wishes in changgeuk ‘Tree, Fish, Moon,’” actor Kim Su-in explained his role. “Changgeuk” refers to a traditional play form, in which many performers participate in the story, singing songs called “chang.” Kim simply calls the traditional art genre "Korean style opera or musicals." In the play, Kim wears a costume that looks like colorful fish scales, with a

Feb. 24, 2023

[Weekender] Taking the hotel experience home

Having guests over at home has become less common in Seoul over the past two decades, with restaurants and cafes on almost every neighborhood corner making it easy to dine out at any time of the day. But the COVID-19 pandemic has driven people to spend more time in their own spaces. The phenomenon has naturally led to the public's interest in home furnishing, interior design, and home-cooked meals. Capitalizing on the trend, high-end hotels are creating their own brands or working with vend

Feb. 18, 2023

[Weekender] ‘Come grab coffee by the sea in Busan’

BUSAN -- South Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan is a popular holiday destination for those seeking to enjoy quality seafood and relax at the beach. But in recent years, tourists have been flocking to the city to get a taste of something different -- coffee. Global coffee competition winners are opening up cafes in Busan, with a shared goal of transforming the city into the next coffee hub like the Australian city of Melbourne. At the forefront of the movement is barista Jeon Joo-ye

Feb. 11, 2023

[Eye Plus] Puzzling together pieces of the past

Yang Hye-min moves her hand carefully as she gathers and assembles scattered parts of the past, working tirelessly to regain the appearance it once had hundreds of years ago. "A relic that has survived the test of time will inspire future generations " said Yang, who majors in Conservation Science at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, as she explained why she chose her major. "I want to find the best way to preserve relics for the next generation so they can further d

Feb. 11, 2023

[Weekender] Humanlike AI chatbot ChatGPT takes world by storm

Artificial intelligence has become a part of our lives, sparking innovation around every corner. After Google DeepMind's AlphaGo surprised the world by winning a historic match against Korean Go grandmaster Lee Se-dol in 2016, the ability of a new humanlike chatbot has recently opened people’s eyes to how far AI has progressed. California-based startup OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November last year and gained over 1 million users within a week. The AI-powered chatbot is a

Feb. 4, 2023

[Weekender] Tale of Daechi moms: Women who go all in for kids’ college dreams

After over two decades of climbing the corporate ladder, Park, a 48-year-old who wished to be identified by her surname, resigned from an executive role two years ago to be a stay-at-home mom. The reason was simple: to micromanage her then-middle school and 10th-grade daughters through Daechi-dong’s cutthroat educational landscape. “It’s where ‘Sky Castle’ takes place. Moms give up time and money to send kids to prominent universities starting from elementary school

Jan. 28, 2023

[Eye Plus] A to Z of making Hanbok

“Making hanbok can be called ‘linking the past and the present,’” said Kim Ji-hu, a student of textile art at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. Hanbok-making embodies knowledge and skills developed by people in the past, according to Kim. “I learn all processes of making hanbok at school, from weaving cloth to transforming it into garments,” Kim said. “The work begins with understanding the features of traditional textiles and clothes.

Jan. 28, 2023

[Weekender] 16 movies to watch over Seollal holiday

Watching movies at theaters during the Seollal holiday is a rite of sorts for South Korean moviegoers, as more people spend time at home rather than traveling outside the city over the extended holiday period. It is also an important season for filmmakers and distributors, as the country's box office hits prove that films opening during the family holiday season record relatively higher ticket sales. Examples abound, such as family drama "Miracle in Cell No. 7," which opened durin

Jan. 21, 2023

[Weekender] Burden of being firstborn daughter

Actress Kim Go-eun’s character in tvN’s “Little Women” is described as the typical Korean firstborn daughter. She is a strong realist who is willing to make sacrifices to support her family. She saves up money, not for her own sake but for her siblings. The burden of being the firstborn child in a family is a topic not only confined within South Korea. It is a subject studied by psychologists worldwide. Yet, in a society where deep-rooted patriarchal practices of the past

Jan. 14, 2023

[Eye Plus] Attested power of Korean traditional music

A traditional wind player Hong Ji-hye attributes K-pop’s global popularity to its unique features handed over from Korea’s traditions. “At the bottom of the globally appreciated K-pop, there lie Korea’s unique music culture and customs, especially those with ‘Heung’ (joy and excitement),” the 32-year-old musician said. Hong is a member of the National Gugak Center, a state institution responsible for preserving and developing gugak, Korea’s traditi

Jan. 14, 2023

[Weekender] Still looking for a calendar? Don't bank on it

Kim Min-ju, a woman living in Mapo-gu, Seoul, visited two local banks -- KB Kookmin Bank and Woori Bank -- for a printed calendar in mid-December, but she could not find one. "I should have lined up at a bank on Dec. 1 when they started distributing them,” Kim said. Kim is among those who regret their hesitation. Many people on Naver's blogs have shared a similar experience of leaving banks empty-handed and also asked for information on local banks with calendars in stock. &l

Jan. 7, 2023

[Weekender] From lockdown to holiday visits, one nursing hospital’s COVID-19 journey

Some sense of normal life is returning to South Korea’s hospitals for the oldest and the most vulnerable patients. Last weekend, Misodle Hospital for the elderly in Guro-gu, southern Seoul, spent the first Christmas since COVID-19 with in-person visits. With social distancing and other rules already lifted, the government permitted face-to-face encounters at elderly care facilities from October. Up until this point, residents and visiting loved ones could only meet separated by a glass wal

Dec. 31, 2022

[Eye Plus] Conveying beautiful Buddhas from the past to the future

“I want to leave drawings that can be publicly praised by people in the present,” Kwak Seon-hye, majoring in traditional fine arts at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage said. Kwak studies Korea’s traditional Buddhist arts in college. She sees her role as a bridge between the past and future, underlining the importance of drawing beautiful and valuable works of the traditional genre. “As (ancestors’ present) became our tradition from the past, what we

Dec. 31, 2022

[Weekender] Last chance to get into the festive mood

It’s getting colder come evenings, but the crosswalks are bustling with people taking photos. Christmas decorations and lights illuminate the streets and alleys. People flock around the seasonal attractions, enjoying the holiday spirit with friends, lovers and family. Hotels and department stores are in a fierce competition to see who puts up the best, brightest and biggest decorations. Social media is bursting with suggestions on the perfect spot to take photos of popular decorations as w

Dec. 24, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Park Hyatt Busan presents festive promotions Dining Room, the Steak & Seafood Grill restaurant, located on the 32nd floor of Park Hyatt Busan, offers a “Festive Lunch,” featuring an appetizer buffet with a variety of fresh seafood items such as sashimi, king prawns, crabs, oysters, abalone, and classic Mediterranean appetizers, followed by scrambled eggs with caviar, grilled lobster tail, Australian beef tenderloin steak and dessert. A five-course dinner menu includes Dining Room

Dec. 24, 2022

[Eye Plus] Working with timber to capture traditional Korean heritage

“Sounds from machines and tools echo in this huge space. I feel comfortable listening to the sounds while working with the timbers here,” said traditional architecture students Kim Jun-ha and Kwon Seong-jun as they showed their workspace. Kim and Kwon are students at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, which specializes in training students in traditional crafts. With a plane and saw in hand, they are on their way to being masters of traditional Korean building constr

Dec. 17, 2022

[Weekender] Feces heals? Peculiar Korean home remedies and their effectiveness

Korea has had an abundance of home remedies throughout its history. Many of them are as simple and harmless as drinking plum tea when you have a cough, but some can be as extreme as downing water from human feces. These methods have varying levels of effectiveness and most medical experts voice concern about following them blindly. One example of time-old home remedies still practiced by many in Korea is poking your finger with a needle to cause it to bleed in case of indigestion. Although not a

Dec. 17, 2022

[Weekender] Spring-warm or winter-cool? Personal color tests, the latest beauty craze

Are you warm-toned or cool-toned? The current craze for South Koreans is to take personal color tests -- or consultations that provide recommendations for people's personal color types. The tests, largely held offline for accuracy, have professional analysts evaluate whether people fall under the category of "warm-tone" or "cool-tone," by scrutinizing their skin tone. According to the tests, warm-toned people generally have a yellow-base skin undertone, while cool-toned

Dec. 10, 2022