[Weekender] Why more Koreans are working out at home

Working out at home, often referred to as “home training” in Korea, is rising as a trend among busy modern consumers. Without leaving the comforts of the home, people are able to carry out an extensive workout, proponents say. A wealth of home training videos available online allow those pressed for both money and time to stay fit with less hassle.Along with the fad, there has been a rise in sales of exercise equipment for those opting to break a sweat at home. In January, sales of yoga mats ros

CultureApril 13, 2018

[Weekender] No time for gym? Try ‘home training’

Park Seu-mi, a mother of two sons, once suffered from a crippling lack of self-esteem. The extra weight she had gained from having kids never melted away. The busy mom battling two children at home had no time to spare for going to a gym. The frustration drove Park to make an exercise routine on her own, focusing on moves that could be easily done inside the house.“I started to exercise alone at home after putting my sons to bed every night,” Park said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “I’v

CultureApril 13, 2018

[Weekender] Crushing stereotypes, Pilates not ‘for girls only’

Ed Sheeran’s chart-topping “Shape of You” blasted throughout King Fit, a private gym in Apgujeong-dong in southern Seoul. With summer just two months away, the treadmills were occupied with exercisers trying to shed the extra pounds no longer to be hidden beneath winter’s trendy long, padded jackets. Moving further to the back of the gym, Pilates head Instructor Lee Su-yeol, 39, opened the door to his small, private studio, where he holds his one-on-one Pilates class. In contrast to the upbeat a

CultureApril 13, 2018

[Weekender] ‘Gramming’ your way to fitness

In the age of social media, workout routines and diet plans are easily coupled with the desire to share these efforts with friends and followers online.At the last count, more than 1 million posts each under hashtags “dietgram” and “dietmeal” in Korean have been shared on Instagram, a social platform that is quickly expanding its user base here. The word “diet” in Korean implies a wide range of activities that one does to lose weight or remain fit, from eating less to exercising regularly at the

TechnologyApril 13, 2018

[Weekender] Where styles are made

It does not take long to realize that Koreans care a lot about looking good. Just take to the streets of Gangnam, Hongdae or Itaewon to find a parade of the fashionably -- and sometimes scantily -- dressed.Perfectly maintained hair plays a crucial part in style too, to which Koreans have turned to beauty salons, beauty parlors or beauty shops for help.The inside view of Uncle Booth located in Yeongdeungpo(Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Prior to the 20th century, the Confucianism that dominated t

CultureApril 6, 2018

[Weekender] Experiencing ultimate delicacy at Korean hair salons

In front of many local hair salons, signboards reading “Welcome foreign guests” and “We speak English” are put up, as a large number of foreign tourists seek to have their hair done while staying in Korea. The outlanders search for a proper glint of “K-style,” while experiencing premium service from head to toe. All-in-one beauty parlors in Korea offer full beauty service, from haircuts to makeup and nails.From the point of walking in, customers are continuously offered to have some beverages an

Arts & DesignApril 6, 2018

[Weekender] ‘The way we were’

As a college student in the late ‘90s, Park Hyun-mi remembers waiting nervously for her date to show up at a coffeehouse in Seoul’s university district of Sinchon. She had not much information about the guy: his name, alma mater and photograph.　After the awkwardness of the first date, they’d exchange their beeper or home phone numbers, she recalled. If interested, he would have to directly phone Hyun-mi’s house, at the risk of another family member picking up the call. “May I talk to Hyun-mi?” h

Social AffairsMarch 30, 2018

[Weekender] Reality dating contents cater to viewers' fantasies

Lizz Warner, 26, senior manager of US-based online media company Buzzfeed, met Mexican Olympian skier Robert Franco, 24, through the popular dating app Tinder during their stay in South Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics last month.To make their first date in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, extra special, they agreed to film their meet-up on camera, and posted it on social media-- Snapchat, Facebook, Instragram, YouTube. The video instantly captured attention.The viewer count of the two vi

TelevisionMarch 30, 2018

[Weekender] Finding the love of life on mobile app

To begin a relationship, there are many things to consider about a potential partner, from age to personality, occupation and, for some, blood type.According to a survey conducted by Dooit Survey in January, the majority of 3,768 Koreans ranked personality as the priority when choosing a partner. Men ranked appearance and health as the second priority and occupation as third. Women put occupation and economic ability in the second spot, followed by appearance. The time-consuming process and limi

IndustryMarch 30, 2018

[Weekender] Portrait photographs imbued with tradition, history

Photographs have the power to bring back memories associated with subjects presented within their four-sided frames. They can also arouse emotional responses in the viewers.Emotions and memories become -- perhaps -- much stronger when photographs deal with individuals with whom the viewers can relate. That may be why many people take photographs of themselves and of others. Portrait photographs, however, sometimes go beyond a mere representation of people, capturing moments and persona that elic

CultureMarch 23, 2018

[Weekender] Reading diseases in Joseon portraits

Gazing at portraits created during the Joseon era, one is struck by the extreme delicacy with which the models’ facial features are depicted, from the fine wrinkle lines to tiny spots and faint scars.Lee Sung-nack, a board member at the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation, spotted such sophistication in the centuries-old portrait paintings and suggested that the portraits reflect signs of medical conditions that the subjects may have suffered. A dermatologist and professor who earned a doctoral d

CultureMarch 23, 2018

[Weekender] Perfect selfie requires more than just luck

A decade ago, the word “selfie” did not even exist, but almost everyone with a smartphone takes such photos these days. In Korea, there is even a word for a person who looks very different in selfies in a good way: “selgikkun.” For instance, Yura of Girls’ Day, who takes excellent photos of herself. “Taking a good selfie takes enormous effort,” Yura said multiple times while starring in the MBC show “We Got Married.” She explained how she takes more than a hundred snaps for one perfect photo. Yu

CultureMarch 23, 2018

[Weekender] How effective are weight-loss products?

Anywhere you go either online or offline, it is easy to spot advertisements for diet supplements, spewing out enticing catchphrases that with their products, one can lose their weight in a short period time.They range from subway ads of oriental medicine clinics that prescribe weight-loss herbal medicines to diet supplement ads on social media.“I have tried just about every diet pill and slimming cream available while working as a model. When I first took my herbal medicine appetite suppressant,

IndustryMarch 16, 2018

[Weekender] Bad eating habits contribute to childhood obesity

Being a working mom is not easy for Lee Yeong-kyung, a mother of a 6-year-old boy. But what makes Lee lose her temper is when her son’s waistline becomes a topic of discussion.“Whenever my friends and family see my child, they say that I need to manage his weight and that friends will make fun of him,” Lee said. “I feel guilty as if I made him gain weight. I often have no time to make him balanced meals as I leave home early for work. After work, I often buy him junk food that he likes, such as

IndustryMarch 16, 2018

[Weekender] Looks outweigh health in Korea’s obesity problem

South Koreans have a reputation for being slim. But in recent years, obesity has been on the rise here, as people increasingly turn to instant and fast food and lead more sedentary lives. However, social perceptions on obesity remain focused more on physical appearances than on health, leading to slow change.“Public interest in obesity is relatively low. Perhaps we want to continue believing that we are the second-thinnest country in the world after Japan. Or perhaps, we want to believe that obe

TechnologyMarch 16, 2018

[Weekender] Cleaning up life’s clutter

“Spring is the time of plans and projects,” Tolstoy wrote in “Anna Karenina.” For centuries, people have recognized spring as a time of renewal and cleaning up the various parts of life that have fallen into disarray over the past year. The concept of “spring cleaning” is prevalent in many countries, including South Korea. 　In recent years, the idea of decluttering both the physical and psychological aspects of life has emerged as a new lifestyle trend. 　“I had everything I needed, but because I

CultureMarch 9, 2018

[Weekender] Cleaning delivered to your door with a simple tap

With temperatures slowly rising, the number of Koreans in long, padded jackets is dwindling.Coming on March 21 this year, the official start of spring is a traditional time for cleaning. And younger Koreans are going digital by opting for mobile apps to find veteran cleaners. Victor Ching, CEO of Miso, noticed the potential of a mobile-based cleaning service here and launched a cleaning app of the same name in August 2015 with a dream to create an “Uber” in cleaning.  Victor Ching, CEO of Miso (

TechnologyMarch 9, 2018

[Weekender] Going on a ‘relationship diet’

A couple of years ago, college student Do Ji-eun unfollowed every single person she followed on Instagram. She started to follow people again, but choosing only those whom she really cared about. Painstaking though this process may seem, Do said that cutting off unnecessary ties had a positive impact. In Korean, an “inmaek diet” -- inmaek meaning relationships in Korean -- involves detaching oneself from numerous acquaintances or personal connections. It’s a common practice for Koreans suffering

Social AffairsMarch 9, 2018

[Weekender] The art of throwing away

My tiny studio apartment found its ideal identity as “home” only after I removed all the unnecessary items.It was at the school library where the idea of throwing away some of my personal belongings came across my mind. The book titled “Living with Less” by Mary Lambert, a decluttering and feng shui consultant in the UK, offered a way to create comfort by getting rid of excessive possessions at home.As I wanted a fresh start for 2018, minimizing the clutter was the perfect shift. Decluttering th

CultureMarch 9, 2018

[Weekender] Korea faces possible new danger: earthquakes

Following a 4.8-magnitude earthquake detected near the coastal city of Pohang last month, experts are again voicing concerns that the Korean Peninsula may no longer be safe from strong shock waves.The earthquake was an aftershock of the 5.4-magnitude earthquake that occurred in the same city in November last year. While no lives were lost in the November earthquake, some 1,500 residents in the area were left homeless. The quake is creating concerns as experts have repeatedly predicted the likeli

Social AffairsMarch 2, 2018