[Weekender] Explore the heart of Seoul by bike

Biking in Seoul, you can come across historic traces of the city which you may otherwise miss when taking bus, subway or car to get around. Here is a bike-ride course that takes you around the heart of Seoul -- from Deoksugung Palace’s stonewall road to Insa-dong. If you don’t have a bike – don’t worry – the city has a bike rental service named Seoul Bike or Ddareungi, through which you can rent bikes at Ddareungi stations across the Seoul. You can start your bik

CultureJuly 10, 2021

[Weekender] With an eye on the future, financial firms don VR goggles

The emergence of the “MZ generation” -- those born in the 1980s and ‘90s -- has brought significant change in South Korea’s financial landscape, pushing its conservative players to navigate uncharted territory in the technological era. Financial institutions are embracing the technological shift from physical space to digital sphere with big-name bankers experiencing the virtual world via VR headsets and holding executive meetings in “metaverse” online setti

MarketJuly 3, 2021

[Weekender] Invitation to Metaverse

To those who have difficulty in grasping the characteristics of the younger generations of millennials and Gen Z -- pay attention to the “metaverse.” A combination of “meta” and “universe,” the term refers to a virtual world shared by people from the real world. Built on the convergence of all things sci-fi such as augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality, artificial intelligence, fifth-generation networks, edge computing and so on, this digita

TechnologyJune 26, 2021

[Weekender] Can four-day workweek cure the Monday Blues?

When Kim Hyun-kyung, 31, was thinking about changing jobs a year ago, she was drawn to education firm Eduwill’s four-day workweek. Although she was a bit suspicious at first of whether it really worked, she now fully enjoys the policy. Kim takes a day off every Wednesday because she says it is the best day to take a break. “It makes me think on Monday ‘Oh I am OK because I rested yesterday,’ and on Tuesday, I think, ‘I am fine because I will rest tomorrow.&rsq

Social AffairsJune 19, 2021

[Weekender] Domestic bliss: Distancing brings happy hour home

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, drinking at home has become the new norm. It is nearly impossible to grab a drink after work with friends in the Seoul city area, with drinking and dining establishments only allowed to operate until 10 p.m. and nonessential gatherings of five or more people banned. Rather than just quenching the immediate thirst with beer from a supermarket or reaching for the same old green bottle of soju, more people -- not just alcohol aficionados -- are joining in on t

FoodJune 12, 2021

[Weekender] Gardening blossoms in COVID-hit Korea

For viewers of MBC’s popular reality show “I Live Alone,” K-pop boy band SHINee Key’s new hobby struck a chord with their COVID-era lifestyle. His passion of cultivating scallions and other plants at a corner of his home veranda is an illustration of a trend that has been sweeping across South Korea: home gardening. Though raising one or two plants at home may be nothing new, the pandemic has spurred people to take the hobby to the next level. Koreans are now splurging

CultureJune 5, 2021

[Weekender] The truth about biodegradable plastics

For average customers, one of the easiest ways to pursue a green lifestyle is to purchase eco-friendly products. To target these customers and raise their brand images, companies in South Korea are rolling out eco-friendly products one after another, including some made of biodegradable plastic. Typically made from natural materials such as corn starch, biodegradable plastic is designed to break down naturally when it goes to landfills. However, these efforts – and extra expenses -- m

IndustryMay 29, 2021

[Weekender] Tired of green-bottle rotgut, drinkers turn to traditional soju

Drinking in South Korea almost invariably involves soju. The ubiquitous green bottle filled with watered-down alcohol has been, and is, at center stage of Seoul’s drinking scene. The soju most people usually think of -- a mixture of water, alcohol and sweeteners -- is very much an integral part of Korea’s social fabric, and accounts for close to 40 percent of all alcohol consumed in Korea. But while it may be an iconic feature of Korean drinking, many say its taste doesn’t l

Social AffairsMay 22, 2021

[Weekender] [#WeFace] Green architecture brings fresh air

While going green has become an urgent agenda for many industries from retail, fashion to the performing arts and architecture is no exception. Amid the climate crisis, more individuals, companies and the government are paying attention to sustainable architecture, aware of the impact of the lasting footprint left by construction. “Green architecture” refers to an approach to architecture which acknowledges the necessity for improvement in both environmental impact and our healt

Arts & DesignMay 13, 2021

[Weekender] Living without cash

Oh Jong-gyun, a 35-year-old in Seoul, had an awkward moment when he went to pay for valet service during a blind date last week. Not only was he feeling shy in front of a lady he had just met that evening, Oh also realized that he hadn‘t carried ”real money“ for months. “I risked losing face, on my first date, to ask her for 3,000 won. Well, she didn’t have it either,” he said. Oh is one of growing number South Koreans living without physical money as they

EconomyMay 8, 2021

[Weekender] The rise of curated fashion platforms

Having a lot of tabs open while browsing for clothes online? For a growing number of shoppers, those days are over. Similar to how going to a shopping mall with a wide range of brands seems more of a safe bet than having to travel between stores far apart from each other, more people in South Korea are turning to platforms like Musinsa and Zigzag -- algorithm-driven e-commerce fashion platforms where shoppers are presented with items from thousands of brands. Musinsa, which boasts some 6,000

ConsumerMay 1, 2021

[Weekender] Seoul faces tough road ahead to stop Fukushima wastewater release

Since the Japanese government announced plans to dispose of radioactive wastewater from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant by releasing it into the sea, Seoul is scrambling to stop it from happening. At the very least, it wants Tokyo to provide transparent information to the international community. South Korea, Japan’s closest neighbor, views the discharge of more than 1 million tons of contaminated water as a threat to its people and the surrounding marine environment. Even though

Foreign AffairsApril 24, 2021

[Weekender] Starting the day with a miracle morning

  Hong Ha-hyun, an ad designer in her 30s, has an important Zoom meeting to attend at 5 a.m. every day. The meetings are not about work, but about boosting positivity in her life, she said. With 35 people she met online, Hong reads books, meditates or drinks a cup of tea before dawn. Since September, the online community Dawning Designer has given her a chance to practice “miracle morning” rituals, leaving her feeling empowered and relaxed. “I believe the daily lives o

EconomyApril 10, 2021

[Weekender] New era opens for frozen mandu

Dumplings have long been one of the popular staples Koreans have in their daily meals. Served steamed, fried or boiled, the dish, called mandu here, would make for a good snack, or a tasty and filling meal. Yet there was also nothing spectacular about the humble dish of chopped meat, seafood or vegetables wrapped in dough. That is until food companies began to rediscover the potential of frozen mandu, propelling it into a new heyday with growing global recognition. According to data from Ni

ConsumerApril 3, 2021

[Weekender] A trip around unique bookstores in Seoul

While some head to mega bookstore chains like Kyobo Book Center and Aladdin Store to find books, others head to smaller neighborhood nooks or unique retailers in hopes of coming across interesting titles. Unique bookstores like Seoul Book Bogo, Arc N Book and Starfield Library have attracted both tourists and Koreans alike looking to both check out books and take lasting photos of the stores’ stunning interior. However, smaller independent bookstores are vastly different from those which

BooksMarch 20, 2021

[Weekender] Step closer to new economy -- shopping with crypto

Near Cheonggye Plaza, Seoul’s iconic recreational area along the Cheonggye Stream, top coffee brands from Starbucks to Blue Bottle Coffee compete toe-to-toe, luring coffee lovers with distinctive flavors, brand images and cozy sofas for a relaxing moment. While coffee giants engage in an invisible war, one lesser-known coffee franchise is taking a different tactic, with a signboard that reads, ”Get a free cup of coffee if paying with the cryptocurrency Paycoin.” A 40-somethi

MarketMarch 13, 2021

[Weekender] Cycling, a pandemic-perfect sport

From going out late at night to traveling abroad, the coronavirus pandemic has prevented us from doing many things we love -- except for cycling. On the weekend, serious cyclists with racing bicycles and more casual riders on Seoul Bikes mingle on the cycling lanes alongside the Han River in Seoul which cuts through the city and stretches nearly 500 kilometers. Kim Tae-gyun, a 37-year-old marketing director and a former PE teacher in Seoul, said cycling has become his go-to exercise as of lat

ConsumerMarch 6, 2021

[Weekender] North Korean defector runs in UK election to defend ‘voiceless’

Park Ji-hyun still remembers the feeling when she first arrived in the UK in 2008. Having fled repression and poverty in North Korea and human trafficking in China, she was glad to find a refuge, but also nervous to start a new life thousands of kilometers away from home.   　 “Many people welcomed me when I got here,” Park told The Korea Herald in a recent interview via Zoom. “Back then, I couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the word ‘welcome,’ but just

North KoreaFeb. 27, 2021

[Weekender] 60 is the new 40, literally

Kang, a 65-year-old resident of Gyeonggi Province, had an eye lift surgery three years ago to restore her vision and to give herself a younger appearance before she got any older. “I am very satisfied with the surgery because it made me look younger and more lively. I strongly recommend that my friends get the operation if they want to,” Kang said. “I also have a friend who recently got a face lift surgery to look younger.” Kang and her friend are among the growing num

CultureFeb. 20, 2021

[Weekender] Something special to celebrate a pandemic Seollal

The fear of the pandemic has forced many to cancel plans for visiting families and friends during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday this year, but instead, has made Seollal gifts more special. Many gift sets are still practical ones, with popular and affordable choices being daily items such as canned tuna or Spam, cosmetics products and health supplements. But local retailers have rolled out a list of eye-catching items for customers wanting to lift up the holiday spirit and deliver their

CultureFeb. 6, 2021