[Weekender] Home awakening

Preparing for a foray here last year, Ikea, a global home furnishing giant, did some research on Korean consumers, collecting as many images of their homes as possible. What it ended up with were hordes of images of almost identical-looking apartment units: white wallpaper, cookie-cutter room and furniture layouts and, above all, the decided lack of decorative items. Lee Yu-rim, who runs home interior shops in Seoul, calls this the “dark age” of Korean homes. For decades, furniture was something

CultureMarch 20, 2015

[Weekender] ‘For new look, think outside the box’

 For many people, the coming of spring brings an urge to renew their home interiors. But decorating can be a daunting challenge for those who have not kept up with the latest trends. Revamping one’s home doesn’t necessarily cost a fortune or require much knowledge about what’s in vogue, according to veteran interior designer Kwon Soon-bok. A new look can start with a simple change. One just needs to think outside the box, she suggests. “Don’t buy furniture first. Use your own furniture first. It

Arts & DesignMarch 20, 2015

[Weekender] Inside Korea’s DIY home decor craze

It may come as a surprise how many young people in Korea know their way around a power drill. One example is Kim Ji-eun, a 33-year-old woman who was carefully drilling a small oval into a rectangular piece of wood at Intro M Wood Shop in Dobong-gu, Seoul. “I’m making a cellphone dock. The hole is for the charger,” she explained as she flipped the switch to get the drill going again. As she blew the wood shavings off the finished block, she said she had been coming here for about a year. At Intro

Arts & DesignMarch 20, 2015

[Weekender] The ‘candle effect’: Why Koreans splurge on small home decor items

The demand for home decor items is growing among Koreans today, in a sensation that has been dubbed the “candle effect.” A spinoff of the “lipstick effect,” which refers to a hike in consumption of cosmetic goods during recession, the newly coined term indicates the increasing popularity of small home decor items such as scented candles, cushions and figurines that are more affordable than furniture but effectively liven up the home ambience.Virtually nonexistent just five years ago, the Korean

CultureMarch 20, 2015

[Weekender] Home furnishing market flourishes

Sixty-year-old housewife Choi Sun-hee recently visited Hanssem Flag Shop in southern Seoul to buy some stools for her new house. The interior of the store was arranged like an actual house, with the spaces filled with items ranging from wardrobes and beds to smaller products such as vases, coasters and lamps. Choi was impressed with the design and function of the stools. But what she really liked was how the stools were arranged with other furniture in the showroom, giving her plenty of room to

IndustryMarch 20, 2015

[Weekender] Awake for too long

The white-crowned sparrow, a tiny North American bird, is able to stay awake for seven straight days during migration.The bird’s remarkable ability has been the subject of research at the Pentagon for the past six years, to find a way to keep their pilots and soldiers awake for as long as possible. In his book “24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep” published last year, Columbia University professor Jonathan Crary argues that any discoveries about the bird’s special traits will affect not

Social AffairsMarch 13, 2015

[Weekender] Sleep-deprived Koreans vulnerable to health threats

Last year, South Korea’s national health insurance agency formed a special task force to combat obesity, as the number of obese Koreans has increased dramatically in the past decade.As of 2013, 32.4 percent of all adult Koreans were obese, and so were 25 percent of all boys. The number of obese Korean men had doubled since 2003, while the number of Korean women with the condition increased by 30 percent in the same period.While the Health Ministry says higher consumption of fast food and physica

Social AffairsMarch 13, 2015

[Weekender] Struggles of a sleepless society

Instead of sipping lattes, visitors to one cafe in Gye-dong, central Seoul, get into hammocks and doze off, indulging in a short break from a hectic day in Korea’s busiest city.Nazzzam has attracted a lot of attention since opening last year as the nation’s first “nap cafe.” But its owner, Jeong Ji-eun, claims the place offers more than just shut-eye. “It’s not a sleeping area per se, but a place where people can take a break from their busy lives,” she said. Originally a freelance English teach

CultureMarch 13, 2015

[Weekender] Good dreams, bad dreams and baby omens

Lee Jae-in woke up one day from an uneasy dream. The 31-year-old, who rarely dreams, could vividly recall what was disturbing her. “Someone was pulling my teeth out,” she said. Feeling leery, she grabbed her smartphone to search online for clues about what the dream meant. Immediately, a portal site pulled up a long list of dream-interpreting websites and Q&A pages filled with answers. “Everyone said losing teeth was a bad omen,” said Lee. “I don’t trust dream interpretation 100 percent, but the

CultureMarch 13, 2015

[Weekender] Prophetic dreams?

What do Abraham Lincoln, Adolf Hitler and Yi Seong-gye, the 14th century founder of the Joseon Kingdom, have in common? They all claimed to have seen their future in their dreams ― years and sometimes days before the actual events occurred.Abraham Lincoln told friends a few weeks before he was killed in April 1865 that he had seen his own body lying in state in the White House.“Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments,” Lincoln allegedly said about his dr

CultureMarch 13, 2015

[Weekender] The ‘Samsung Man’

One out of 100 salaried workers in Korea works at Samsung Group ― the nation’s largest conglomerate with 30 affiliates. There are around 490,000 Samsung employees, with half of them working outside Korea. Most Koreans have respect for big family-run businesses that have contributed to laying the foundation for today’s economic prosperity over the past decades. Working at Samsung, among others, has long been considered a social status symbol. The so-called “Samsung Man” refers to the most talente

TechnologyMarch 6, 2015

[Weekender] Shifting corporate culture

Samsung Group, the largest conglomerate in South Korea, was founded as a small trade firm by the late founder Lee Byung-chull in Daegu in 1938 that shipped dried fish to China. Now managing the world’s largest electronics firm under its wings along with many other businesses, Samsung has become the most coveted workplace here.Its flagship unit Samsung Electronics topped the list of the most desired employers in Korea for six consecutive years, according to a 2014 survey by Saramin, a job portal.

TechnologyMarch 6, 2015

[Weekender] ‘Samsung Man’ not just a job

Kim, 45, vividly remembers when Samsung Group divested all shares in its discount store retail chain to U.K.-based retailer Tesco in 2011. His company was subsequently renamed from Homeplus Samsung Tesco to Homeplus, which meant it was time for him to give up the pride of being a “Samsung Man.”Kim says he felt like being deprived of his social status and respect from his family and friends. Now, some 7,500 Samsung workers whose companies were sold to Hanwha last year are going through the same a

TechnologyMarch 6, 2015

[Weekender] The embattled state of satire

From Aristophanes of ancient Greece to the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo, satirists and their trade have been an influential part of society throughout history.The genre has existed even before literacy was a factor in our lives. In the words of British actor and comedian David Walliams, “Social satire has been around since people have been around.”U.S. journalist Molly Ivins described satire as “the weapon of the powerless against the powerful.”As such, the “powerless” across the globe in al

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2015

[Weekender] Political satire under threat

Only a month ago, the terror attack in Paris against satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that claimed more than a dozen lives sent the world into shock. What was rather shocking for university professor Lee Dong-yeon, however, was the level of political satire allowed in French society.“France has respected political satire, viewing it as a right for free speech,” said Lee, who teaches Korean traditional art at Korea National University of Arts. “In Korea, however, there are certain subjects that c

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2015

[Weekender] A sword that cuts both ways

Satire, which was pushed to the fore following the Charlie Hebdo affair in January, is an irreverent art form that intends to shock, provoke and offend, aiming to elicit a change in perspective through sometimes taboo representations.But the shock and grief in the wake of the Jan. 7 Paris shootings was accompanied by considerable anger by more moderate Muslims. Their reaction to the cartoons showed that satire is a double-edged sword that can be used against marginalized people, and should there

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2015

[Weekender] ‘Spirit of March 1 movement lives on’

This Sunday, South Korea marks the 96th anniversary of the March 1 independence movement in which millions of people across the peninsula waved their national flag and bravely rose up against Japan’s colonial rule in 1919.Though nearly a century has passed since the campaign pushed for the noble causes of self-determination, liberty and humanity, its sprit still lives on and can help address today’s conflicts on the peninsula and beyond, according to Kim Hak-joon, president of the state-funded N

Foreign AffairsFeb. 27, 2015

[Weekender] Get in the mood for Seollal

Seollal, or the Lunar New Year, is one of the few times in Korea when tradition comes out from behind its ultramodern facade and to the fore. During the holiday, which this year falls on Feb. 18-20, most Koreans rekindle with distant family members and pay respects to one’s ancestors through “charye,” offering up a table full of food on the first morning of the New Year. Koreans and foreigners exchange Lunar New Year greetings. (The Korea Herald)Aside from the ancestral rite, one of the most com

CultureFeb. 13, 2015

[Weekender] Lunar New Year entertainment guide

After eating a bowl of tteokguk (rice-cake soup) and giving older family members a big bow on Seollal, chances are you will consider seeing a movie, a TV show or both, during the five-day holiday.From local family-friendly flicks to beloved animations and star-studded variety shows, here’s the handy guide to this year’s Seollal holiday entertainment on the small and silver screens.Movies For those searching for local films to watch with their family, the comedy flick “Detective K: Secret of the

FilmFeb. 13, 2015

[Weekender] Celebrating holiday with tradition

The Lunar New Year holiday is a great opportunity for locals and expats to experience traditional Korean activities. For those who are at a loss for how to spend these five days off, we suggest you take advantage of the various holiday promotions being offered at cultural sites around Korea. The National Gugak Center’s folk music group giving a “pangut” percussion performance (National Gugak Center)Palaces, tombs and games On Feb. 19, Lunar New Year’s Day, the Cultural Heritage Administration wi

CultureFeb. 13, 2015