[Weekender] Bread over rice

For an increasing number of Koreans, rice and noodles are no longer the foundation of their meals. A growing appetite for sandwiches and baked goods like cakes, pastries and doughnuts have made bakeries ubiquitous across Korea.Wheat consumption has continued to grow in a country where traditionally a meal without rice was no meal at all. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the average South Korean ate 33.2 kilograms of wheat flour in 2016.(123RF)Meanwhile, rice cons

IndustryJan. 12, 2018

[Weekender] Grab-n-go snacks lure commuters at Korea’s subway stations

Every morning, the smell of freshly baked pastries fills the air of the underground corridors connecting Line 2 and Line 4 of Sadang Station in Seoul. The pleasant smell is enough to make even the busiest Seoulite stop for a moment for a quick bite to-go.Such is the case for 30-year-old Lee Hye-in, who was waiting in line to make a purchase at the bakery inside Sadang Station on Wednesday. Various breads are on display at a bakery inside Sadang Station (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)“I stop by

IndustryJan. 12, 2018

[Weekender] Travel bits

Anseong Ice Fishing FestVisitors are welcome to participate in various winter activities such as ice fishing, sledding, traditional winter games, barehanded fishing. Gwanghyewon Reservoir, the venue of Anseong Ice Fishing Festival, is one of the largest reservoirs of Anseong known for its first class water quality that runs down from Charyeon Mountain Range.The festival lasts until Feb.25, and the admission is 5,000 won per person. Children under 5 are admitted free.Call the travel hotline at 13

TravelJan. 5, 2018

[Weekender] Around the hotels

Swellfish dishes at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s Japanese restaurant, Gengi, is offering a promotion of swellfish dishes, which are considered a delicacy in Japanese cuisine. The finest flavors and tender texture of swellfish, or fugu, are brought to life by the hotel’s veteran chefs. Genji’s chefs are offering various swellfish dishes on both the a la carte menu and Kaiseki menu. The dishes will include swellfish sashimi, swellfish in a stone pot, grilled swellfish, deep fri

FoodJan. 5, 2018

[Weekender] Paper planners maintain appeal in new year despite tech-savvy consumers

On the second day of the new year, shoppers bustled about one section of Kyobo Books’ Gwanghwamun branch. They were all shopping for planners, more familiarly called “diaries,” to help them set their plans for the year.“I usually don’t like writing things down with pen and paper, but there’s something about New Year’s resolutions that makes you want to write them down physically,” said Kim Yoon-jeong, a 22-year-old college student who was flipping through various planners. Consumers browse plane

IndustryJan. 5, 2018

[Weekender] Dear diary: Koreans’ undying love of putting pen to paper

What comes to your mind when you think of the term “diary?” For some, the word means a journal to write down reflections on the day. For others, the term covers a broader range of books: planners, schedulers, calendars -- even blank notes could be called a diary if people can log their days on them.Despite the surge of interest in digital scheduling applications and journals, the popularity of paper diaries seems undiminished in Korea. 　 Graphic by Nam Kyung-donThe craze for the diaries is stron

CultureJan. 5, 2018

[Weekender] Pouring heart into diary for 15 years

Many welcome a new year with a new diary. Sadly, buying a diary is the easy part. Filling it can be much more difficult and many fall into disuse over the course of the year. While people buy planners, journals and schedulers fully determined to use them until the year-end, they are often forgotten about when the temperature starts to climb, and are pushed into the corner of a dusty bookshelf. Some people even give up before the spring comes. (Im Eun-byel, The Korea Herald)Some “quitters” succes

CultureJan. 5, 2018

[Weekender] Korea’s dynamic 2017

From North Korea’s nuclear weapons program nearing completion to the unprecedented impeachment of a president and a major earthquake, the year now drawing to a close has been a difficult one for South Korea.The corruption scandal that broke out in 2016 led to the country’s first impeachment of a president. President Park Geun-hye’s ouster in March in turn led to her and her closest allies being arrested and put on trial on a host of charges. In the wake of Park’s fall from grace, conservatives s

Social AffairsJan. 1, 2018

[Weekender] Christmas, a time of mix-and-match celebrations

Like most countries influenced by western culture, Christmas is a time of celebration in South Korea. The iconic Salvation Army red kettles appear at major thoroughfares and Christmas songs and decorations fill the streets. Christmas-theme merchandise, and advertisements for them, fill the shelves and the airwaves. The typical Christmas scene in downtown Seoul could be from any major metropolis around the world. And, just as it has in the West, the days when Christmas was a strictly religious fe

Social AffairsDec. 22, 2017

[Weekender] For Koreans, ’tis a time for spending

For Koreans, Christmas comes with its own set of spending rituals.It is no surprise that the beloved holiday is accompanied by quasi-mandatory consumption patterns, in a country where specific dates, like Nov. 11, are automatically equated with buying particular products.The most notable Christmas product is Christmas cakes. Although the original tradition overseas is to bake Christmas cakes at home, in Korea consumers head to bakeries for their Christmas treats.According to bakery chain Paris B

IndustryDec. 22, 2017

[Weekender] Light up the holiday nights: 4 must-visits to get in the Christmas mood

As 2017 nears its end, the city of Seoul comes alive with a mesmerizing blend of holiday lights and music echoing through the streets. For those still undecided on where to go on Christmas day, following is a list of four places one won‘t regret visiting.　Shinsegae Department Store, Hoehyeon-dong, Jung-guEvery November, the now-87-year-old Shinsegae Department store building transforms into a winter wonderland, thrilling visitors. The magical musical light show captures the hearts of locals and

TravelDec. 22, 2017

[Weekender] Celebrate Christmas early with private hotel parties

Christmas has become an expensive holiday for young people in Korea. Many restaurants dish out set course “Christmas Meals” at double usual prices. Lodgings are offered at exorbitant prices, amid a surge in demand. Clubs and bars are much the same, tacking on extra charges for Christmas tables. Even for those willing to fork out the money, all these are hard to come by, as rooms and tables are quickly booked.Amid skyrocketing prices, some women especially in their 20s and 30s are seeking out alt

CultureDec. 22, 2017

[Weekender] How do skyscrapers work?

Skyscrapers are not just buildings that are tall, but are the outcome of a complex combination of evolving technologies. From highly sophisticated engineering techniques to futuristic elements, today’s skyscrapers have absorbed the latest technology to realize a luxurious human dream.The challenge when building a skyscraper is how to overcome the forces of nature -- wind, heat from above and below and natural disasters that can happen without warning.The key to overcoming these challenges is in

IndustryDec. 15, 2017

[Weekender] Skyscrapers altering skyline of Korea

With an unprecedented boom in construction of skyscrapers in South Korea, today’s tallest building in the country can never sit comfortably as candidates queue up to replace it. The 305-meter, 68-story Posco Tower-Songdo was opened in 2011 in Songdo International City, as the world’ most expensive private real estate project. Located in the Incheon Free Economic Zone, the skyscraper was the nation’s tallest building, flaunting its imposing height. With an investment of 516 billion won ($413 mill

IndustryDec. 15, 2017

[Weekender] South Korea’s skyscraper dream

Cloud-piercing skyscrapers filling the skylines are often held up as a symbol of a country’s economic power and technological development.Korea’s first high-rise 63 Building located in Yeouido, western Seoul, opened doors to the public in July 1985 during the country’s rapid economic growth.The 274 meter high, 63-floor building is no longer the tallest building here. But it stands as a landmark and a symbol of the so-called Miracle on the Han River. After the 1997 Asian financial crisis the Kore

IndustryDec. 15, 2017

[Weekender] Where soju tastes sweet, and folks reminisce on yesteryear

In director Lee Jang-ho’s 1980 film “A Fine, Windy Day,” the pojangmacha is a place where members of Seoul’s growing underclass meet daily to talk about their pains, gains and fantasies over cheap food and soju.In a country notorious for its die-hard drinking, pojangmacha — meaning “covered wagon” in Korean and referring to a tented outdoor food stall — have been at the center of Korea’s after-work camaraderie. Thirty-seven years have passed since the release of movie that portrayed the country’

CultureDec. 8, 2017

[Weekender] The allure of pojangmacha

A foreign visitor to Korea may wonder what a brigade of what looks to be red tents may be doing lined up on the streets of Jongno-gu, Seoul. These pojangmacha, meaning a “covered wagon” in Korean, refers to makeshift eateries offering booze and food that have been a symbol of the common people here for generations.The origin of pojangmacha is unclear but many trace it back to the street vendors of the 1950s and ‘60s who would drag around their wheeled stalls, selling soju by the shot along with

CultureDec. 8, 2017

[Weekender] Chicken feet and more -- odd, must-have specialties at Korea’s tented bars

Korea’s pojangmacha, or tented bars, have evolved over the years both in appearance and gastronomical offerings, now more polished and offering a wider array of dishes to go with drinks. 　But some distinctly Korean specialties, featuring odd ingredients unfamiliar to most foreign visitors and even many Koreans -- from chicken feet and cow innards to cartilage and squirming fish -- remain staple dishes at the tarp-covered watering holes.　The food dishes, many of them doused in spicy sauces, are o

FoodDec. 8, 2017

[Weekender] From Moncler to PyeongChang coat, padded jackets rule South Korea's fashion scene

Choosing the right padded jacket -- this winter’s ‘it’ item -- is a much more complicated task than one may think. It’s not just design and color, but the type of insulation also has to be decided -- goose, duck or synthetic materials, as well as their composition ratios, waterproof or not and even the overall weight. For many South Koreans, however, it all seems to come down to a choice between luxury and cost-effective alternatives. Moncler‘s 2017 Fall/Winter collection (Moncler)On the high-en

IndustryDec. 1, 2017

[Weekender] School uniforms? Why Korean students wear long, padded coats this winter

If you happen to be near middle or high school students during the morning commute, you may be surprised at the striking uniformity of their attire. Students are decked out in identical-looking, black, padded jackets that come down to their knees or even longer. Photos of groups of students wearing the coats -- making it look part of the school uniform -- went viral on social media showing the incredible popularity of the coats among teens. A group of students wearing long padded coats at school

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2017