[Weekender] Smart gadgets make pet parenting easier

Technology is making our lives easier. So why not make our pets’ lives easier too? Evolving technology and creative new ideas are bringing changes in pet parenting, with a dazzling array of smart products that make feeding your pets, playing with them and watching them from afar easier. Pet gadgets, some too gimmicky for a mainstream push, come mostly from small tech startups -- but big home appliance brands are going pet-friendly too, introducing new functions to existing products. I

CultureOct. 18, 2019

[Weekender] Pet care industry thrives with creative services

An aging dog gets acupuncture treatment for its aching joints. A young puppy attends a “dog kindergarten” two to three days a week to nurture social skills. With nearly 1 in 5 Korean households owning pets and many treating them as full-fledged members of the family, a pampered pooch is no longer restricted to Hollywood celebrities. Korea’s fast evolving pet scene is churning out creative new products and services from smart pet trackers to nonalcoholic pet beers. Pet care

CultureOct. 18, 2019

[Weekender] The pink invasion

Pink is the most sought-after autumn color in South Korea right now. Do an Instagram search for #pinkmuhly and you’ll get an idea of what’s going on. There are over 300,000 posts, many showing couples, children and young women posing in picturesque gardens full of pink grass. Surreal displays of pink and purple inflorescences, floating above tall grass like soft clouds, have popped up in so many cities and towns that they are difficult to keep track of: Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Ulsan, Yeo

TravelOct. 4, 2019

[Weekender] Into the red, yellow and orange

The air is crisp and the trees are getting ready to change color. Now is the time to be outdoors. With nearly 70 percent of its territory covered by mountains, South Korea is spoiled with choices for fall getaway destinations where the scenery is a magnificent display of vibrant colors. Autumn reds and oranges have already started to emerge at some high peaks in northern parts of the country. The fall foliage is expected to be most spectacular in late October to early November. Just be

TravelOct. 4, 2019

[Weekender] N. Korean rice cakes and candies anyone?

INCHEON -- Hong Eun-hye carries on the tradition of her late mother and grandmother, crafting rice cakes, snacks and candies the North Korean way. Born in Hamhung, the reclusive state’s second-largest city, she grew up watching them prepare “finger sticks” -- stick-shaped donuts coated in sugar -- and bean candies -- tiny bean curd balls stir-fried and glazed in sugar -- to sell at local markets. “My mom and grandma used to make these to support my family,” Hong sai

FoodSept. 27, 2019

[Weekender] Three restaurants for contemporary North Korean cuisine

Restaurant Bukhyang (Songdo, Incheon) Bukhyung is a bright, inviting restaurant with a vintage vibe that sits among trendy eateries and cafes in Songdo’s multiplex shopping center Triple Street. However, its specialty -- North Korean home-style meals -- does not conform to South Korea’s fast-changing food trends. A joint venture between traditional liquor bar Wolhyang and spicy sausage stew franchise Nolboo, Bukhyang is the first real attempt here to market North Korean cuisine

FoodSept. 27, 2019

[Weekender] Taste of the North

North Korea is a forbidden land for South Koreans. But there is a way to experience the contemporary culture of the reclusive communist state without actually crossing the border: Visiting restaurants here that specialize in North Korean cuisine. With over 32,000 North Korean refugees calling South Korea home now, such eateries, either targeting fellow homesick defectors or curious South Korean diners, are easy to find with a quick search on the internet. “Having been separated for nearly

FoodSept. 27, 2019

[Weekender] From eyesores to hot spots

Rusty, abandoned factories and warehouses are often massive eyesores, shunned by neighbors for safety concerns. But increasingly, some of these run-down structures are finding new life as venues for the arts, drawing artists, hipsters and tourists with their remarkable aesthetic combination of old and new and historic backgrounds. More than just the visual appeal, creative repurposing is a very economic decision, according to one construction industry insider. “It doesn’t just c

Arts & DesignSept. 20, 2019

[Weekender] Top repurposed spaces in Seoul

Seoul is keen on repurposing and reinventing city infrastructure, embracing adaptive reuse as an innovative way of unlocking the hidden potential in old buildings, warehouses and factories. According to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield, this trend of transforming old industrial factories and warehouses into new, hip cultural spaces is still very much popular for developers and consumers alike in Seoul, and is spreading to other aged pockets of the city. Here are some of the inspir

Arts & DesignSept. 20, 2019

[Weekender] Bank branches reinvented

As banking goes mobile, retail banks are trying to figure out what to do with their increasingly empty branches. One idea is to give customers more reasons to stop by, like a cup of Paul Bassett coffee, a Krispy Kreme doughnut or a chance to browse through some new books. Woori Bank, one of South Korea’s three major retail banks along with Kookmin and Shinhan, was the first to sublet space in its branch to a retail business in 2016, opening up a corner of its branch in Seoul’s Ichon-

CultureSept. 20, 2019

[Weekender] Mala, mouth-numbing sauce from China, captures spicy food fans

While gochujang -- Korean red chili paste -- is captivating the taste buds of many overseas, a Chinese sauce known for its tongue-numbing heat is the latest obsession among spicy food lovers here. Mala, a fiery, oily sauce that originates from China’s southwestern region of Sichuan, is the flavor behind this year’s popular malatang hot pot and the stir-fried version, mala xiang guo. As fans can’t seem to get enough of these fiery dishes, Korean food companies and eatery fr

FoodSept. 6, 2019

[Weekender] Like it hot!

Late last month, two giant chili statues occupied a corner of Seoul Plaza, in front of City Hall, drawing interest from foreign tourists and passers-by. The air carried the unmistakable scent of the fiery spice. Farmers’ booths nearby had loads of freshly harvested, sun-dried red chilies, ready to be ground into gochu-garu -- chili powder -- or to be aged into thick, fermented chili paste, gochujang. The Aug. 27-29 Yeongyang H.O.T. Festival led to on-the-spot sales and delivery orders

FoodSept. 6, 2019

[Weekender] Betting on money-for-waste business model

Pictures of dead or dying sea turtles, whales and birds have gone viral recently, warnings of an escalating waste problem that causes animals to choke on plastic debris. Although such heartbreaking pictures are effective in increasing awareness about environmental issues, they often fall short of motivating the general public to reduce their waste output in the long term. To build momentum for saving the earth, a South Korean recycling startup offers financial incentives for recycling as a way o

TechnologyAug. 30, 2019

[Weekender] A peek at upcycle art in Gwangmyeong

The city of Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, has the country’s first gallery dedicated to upcycling and runs programs for both artists and the general public. The ongoing exhibition at the Gwangmyeong Upcycle Art Center has a child-friendly zoo theme: A tiger, an eagle and other wild animals have been recreated out of various waste materials. But the message isn’t just for kids. “The ‘Upcycle Zoo’ exhibition intends to provoke thoughts about what’s happening on

Arts & DesignAug. 30, 2019

[Weekender] From trash to art

A fancy new building with an inviting lawn yard, public art installations and plenty of Instagrammable photo spots, Seoul Upcycling Plaza looks just like a hip place to be. And that’s what city officials hope it will become -- a magnet for trendsetters and a hotbed of new lifestyle movements. Upcycling is, according to the center’s public relations manager Cho Ara, a step beyond recycling. “It is not just about using things again (recycling). It is about giving them a new

Arts & DesignAug. 30, 2019

[Weekender] Vegan bakeries gaining traction in Seoul

Vegan bakeries started to emerge in Seoul just a couple of years ago. 　Eschewing the usual wheat, butter, yeast, milk and eggs, vegan bakeries create their goods with alternative ingredients such as soy milk, brown rice or coconut oil. In addition to vegans, these shops attract people with food allergies or atopic diseases, mothers of newborns and customers simply seeking healthy alternatives. The Korea Herald checked out four of the most talked-about shops in Seoul. Yummyyomil “

FoodAug. 23, 2019

[Weekender] Going vegan on the face

The vegan way of life is not limited to diet or eating but encompasses the full spectrum of a person’s life choices, including things like skin care and cosmetics. With more consumers opposing animal testing and the use of animal-derived ingredients, a number of vegan beauty brands have popped up in recent years.To qualify as vegan, a cosmetics maker must not use any animal products or by-products. Animal testing is out of the question too. South Korea, a country that is keen on keeping up

Arts & DesignAug. 23, 2019

[Weekender] Korea’s vegan scene, through eyes of an expat

The following is a Korea Herald copy editor’s personal account of her encounters with the local vegan community. The writer, a vegan since the early 1990s, has lived in Korea for more than 15 years. -- Ed. It was Aug. 7, three days before “A Piece of Vegan Festival” at Seoul Innovation Park in Eunpyeong, northwestern Seoul. One of the organizers, Kang So-yang, posted a picture of the venue on Facebook. Some rooms still had signs left behind by the previous occupants, reading &l

CultureAug. 23, 2019

[Weekender] Won, dollars and supernotes: How fake bills are detected

An average of 1,000 counterfeit bills are spotted and seized annually in South Korea -- many of them via KEB Hana Bank’s anti-counterfeiting center. With 15 employees and technology worth 1.5 billion won ($1.3 million), the unit handles 37 currencies and is responsible for nearly 80 percent of all counterfeit bill detection in the country. Situated in the basement of a KEB Hana Bank branch office in Euljiro, central Seoul, the center scrutinizes banknotes worth about 12 billion won every d

MarketAug. 16, 2019

[Weekender] How far off is the ‘cashless society’?

For 35-year-old office worker Kim Seong-soo, carrying a wallet loaded with cash or plastic is a thing of the past.  In Pangyo Techno Valley, where he works, he can easily buy a cup of coffee and get a haircut without any cash or cards -- as long as he brings his phone.The tech cluster, located south of Seoul in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is often called the South Korean equivalent of California’s Silicon Valley. To access any service in the area, all Kim needs to do is place his pho

TechnologyAug. 16, 2019