[Weekender] Corporate action key to fighting plastic binge

South Korea is facing increasing pressure to reduce or recycle its own plastic waste, particularly since China’s plastic import ban that took effect in January this year.While some countries like the United Kingdom have embarked on state-led measures in a joint effort with local business sectors to ditch plastic, similar measures in Korea face criticism for their lack of binding force and sustainability.In a speech to mark Environment Day on June 5, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon echoed a need to in

IndustryJune 8, 2018

[Weekender] A day without plastic -- No one cares

I remember how much my mother cherished the Tupperware plastic containers she bought from Namdaemun market in late 1980s. Plastic bowls made in US was a revolutionary item for many South Korean housewives and a symbol of modern life. Probably brought by US army personnel and then sold to merchants in markets in Seoul, the Tupperware series always made my mother proud, as they kept food freshly sealed and were safe even if her playful kids threw them around. But not many could afford the American

IndustryJune 8, 2018

[Weekender] Plastics may be on your plate

A war has begun worldwide on plastics.For decades, polymers have been used to make human lives easy and more hygienic, but with single-use plastic items being blamed for killing species on the ocean and threatening ecosystems, global initiatives have been launched since last year by the United Nations to curb their use. But South Korea, one of the biggest producers and consumers of plastics in the world, has taken a little interest in curbing plastic pollution. Leaders have been pointing out a l

IndustryJune 8, 2018

[Weekender] From roughing it to catered camp sites

In a heavily urbanized country where five-day week was introduced less than two decades ago, camping has only been a common leisure activity since the late 2000s.However, when something takes off in Korea, it takes off. The number of people enjoying camping has increased dramatically over the years. According to a Statistics Korea estimates, the number of Korean campers broke the 5 million mark in 2016. In comparison, the country’s population came to just over 51 million in the same year. Along

Social AffairsJune 1, 2018

[Weekender] Kolon camping park proves popular with outdoor purists

When you have never pitched a tent or roughed it for a night, glamping -- a combination of glamor and camping -- might seem like the only way to give it a shot. But it does not always have to be a “glamorous” version of camping with resort-like services for beginners to best enjoy pristine natural surroundings, argues Hwang Woo-jong, general manager of Kolon Sport Camping Park.Kolon Sport Camping Park is located in Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province. Photo: Kolon Sport“The first thing kid

TravelJune 1, 2018

[Weekender] Car valet services become essential in downtown Seoul

As a valet driver, Kim Sung-jin, 54, follows two rules that he set for himself -- always smile at his customers and park their cars right. “When you leave your key with me, you expect one thing and one thing only: that you don’t have to drive an extra hundred meters searching for a parking spot,” said Kim, who has worked 11 years for a local Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.“Nothing gets on customers’ nerves more than inadequate spaces for parking,” Kim said. “People can drop

Social AffairsMay 25, 2018

[Weekender] The war of parking

Ever felt a sense of total devastation? How about trying to push a giant SUV forward so that it can make room for your car to drive out of a parking spot in a triple-park situation -- while running late to work.Such a conundrum is routine for many Seoulites who live in a congested city with limited parking spots at their residences. To make things worse, such conflicts often lead to violent confrontations among neighbors. In South Korea, where cars are viewed as a symbol of socioeconomic status,

MobilityMay 25, 2018

[Weekender] Parking made easy via smartphone applications

From parking towers to vehicle elevators, South Koreans have found ways to alleviate the chronic parking space shortage. In particular, parking is a nightmare in Seoul, as the city’s nearly 10 million-strong population inhabit just 605 square kilometers of land and many households own more than one car. But with the advent of technologies, the struggle of finding a parking space is becoming less excruciating.Living up to its reputation as the most-wired nation in the world, Korean companies have

TechnologyMay 25, 2018

[Weekender] College festivals evolve in South Korea

May has long been a month of festivity in South Korea, with special days to celebrate children, parents and teachers, among others. The month is also known for college festivals, where university students celebrate the balmy weather as well as their campus life.The festivals have long been a part of youth culture in Korea, as well as student activism and even sports competition among major universities in Seoul.“I would get very excited for the festivals,” said a Seoulite who attended one of the

Social AffairsMay 18, 2018

[Weekender] Festival booze ban dampens spirits for some, not all

Group drinking on campus grounds has long been the typical image of college festivals in Korea, but this year, the festivals won’t be the same.According to announcements given by several university student councils near the start of May, the Ministry of Education, following a request from the National Tax Service, advised student bodies on May 1 to restrict the sale of alcohol, which students had commonly done on campus grounds. The reason was that those without a license to sell alcohol could f

Social AffairsMay 18, 2018

[Weekender] New voices on social issues raised at college festivals

In South Korea, people tend to associate the word “college festival” with performances by high-profile K-pop stars coupled with alcohol at night. This year, thought-provoking campaigns are making their way into many university compounds as a growing number of students step up to project their voices on pressing social issues during the festival period. At Sungkyunkwan University’s festival Eskara held on Monday, booths dealing with current social issues captivated a sizable cluster of college st

Social AffairsMay 18, 2018

[Weekender] Ticket scalping rampant at campus festivals

Among the biggest -- and most exciting -- events in university life in Korea are the campus festivals that are held annually across the country. Konkuk University’s campus festival posterVarying in format and size from university to university, the festivals usually take place for two to three days in May, frequently featuring K-pop celebrities and artists.The May university festival season also means rampant ticket scalping by students.According to posts on several university online communities

Social AffairsMay 18, 2018

[Weekender] Carb phobia: healthy diet or excessive frenzy?

“Have you eaten rice?”It’s one of the most frequently used greetings in Korea, where the staple has long been considered a synonym for a meal. Even amid the rise of western food and snacks, rice continued to be appreciated as the prime source of sustenance and a symbol of the country’s traditional food legacy.But recent health trends increasingly consider rice -- and carbohydrates in general -- to be the main culprit of obesity and all sorts of other modern lifestyle dise

EconomyMay 11, 2018

[Weekender] Diet foods suppress carbs, not appetite

A 28-year-old Oh Hye-jin’s day begins with drinking a 125 milliliter pack of non-sweet soy bean milk, mixed with powdered oats. On a strict diet, she prepares her breakfast after a morning exercise. Her option is normally pancakes made of whole grain, drizzled with date palm syrup. Oh has been cutting back on refined carbohydrates for the past three months. She says white flour is the main culprit behind her love handles.If she has time, she cooks and packs her lunch, but she recently began buyi

IndustryMay 11, 2018

[Weekender] Reducing carb intake may pose health risk

Kwon Min-jeong, 36, a freelance translator, recently stopped eating carbohydrates believing it‘s the best way to lose weight.“Although I feel dizzy sometimes due to hypoglycemia, I don’t think I will change my diet because I want to stay slim.” Kwon is one of many who don’t eat carbs in Korea, where the nutrient is increasingly being singled-out as a culprit leading to obesity. Books, commercials and news articles are churning out stories claiming carb intake needs to be reduced to stay healthy,

IndustryMay 11, 2018

[Weekender] Children’s Day: A celebration of childhood

“May is green, we are growing. Today is the Children’s Day, It is our world” -- so goes a song celebrating the occasion. Children’s Day was first introduced here in 1923 by independence and children’s rights activist Bang Jeong-hwan, and has been celebrated on May 5 since 1945.The day was given legal status with the legislation of the Child Welfare Act in 1961, and designated a public holiday in 1975. The act, which also designates May 1 to 7 as “Children’s Week,” states that Children’s Day is d

Social AffairsMay 4, 2018

[Weekender] Unwed single mothers battle against harsh reality

When Park Song became pregnant some five years ago, the father of her child changed his number and stopped responding to her messages. The 32-year-old was unmarried. Her mother had passed away, and her father was ill. She had nowhere to turn for support.“All of the mother-and-baby shelters in Seoul were full at the time,” the 32-year-old told The Korea Herald. “I had to go to a pastor’s house in Busan, and later moved into a shelter in the same city.”When her son, Si-hoo, was born, she managed t

Social AffairsMay 4, 2018

[Weekender] Singing for diversity in one voice

Krishjun Banavali, 11, has faced racial discrimination here just because his skin is darker than others. His mother Lee Sang-hee is a Korean who married an Indian national. Their son speaks both Korean and English fluently and attends a local elementary school. “There are so many prejudices against multicultural families that we must be helped and cared for. The word ‘multicultural’ itself may be full of prejudices,” said Lee. The hurtful words about his skin color affected Krishjun, but after 2

Social AffairsMay 4, 2018

[Weekender] Pyongyang vs. Hamhung: Naengmyeons of Korea

Naengmeyon -- icy cold noodles typically served in a broth made of beef, or marinated in a sweet-spicy sauce -- is a popular traditional dish in Korea, with demand particularly peaking in the summer.　The cold noodles are sometimes eaten as a standalone dish at restaurants specializing in naengmyeon, or consumed as a refreshing food to finish off a meal of grilled meat. Typically, naengmyeon is divided into two types: mul-naengmyeon, cold noodles served in a clear broth that typically combines be

FoodApril 20, 2018

[Weekender] Slurping cold bowl of nostalgia

Many Asian countries have long been home to cold noodle dishes, and in contemporary times, they have become a popular way to fight the heat during summer. And in Korea, naengmyeon is the cold noodle dish of choice to fight the humid summer. Long lines of people brave the heat outside for at least 30 minutes to get into Seoul’s top restaurants for cold noodles -- their decades of history keeping them popular despite their unfashionable locations in run-down inner-city areas.  A typical bowl of na

CultureApril 20, 2018