[Weekender] One coat that conquered street fashion in South Korea

Whether you’ve noticed it or not, long padded coats are all the rage in South Korea. PyeongChang Winter Olympics' official down jackets flew off the shelves, with people lining up overnight in front of stores to get hold of the limited item. School commute scenes nowadays can’t be described without mentioning a new quasi-uniform look, complete with black, hooded, knee-length padded jackets. Despite the striking uniformity, the coats are not a uniform. They are the season’s latest ‘it’ item among

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2017

[Weekender] Exploring Seoul’s hidden underground world

From a slain dictator’s covert hideout to a forgotten subway station, secret bunkers have been lying for decades underneath the bustling city of Seoul. Recently, some of these spaces were unveiled to the public for the first time under a special one-month tour program. Although city-run tours of the “ghost station” in Sinseol-dong and the air-raid shelter underneath Gyeonghuigung Palace are to end this weekend, one underneath Yeouido, turned into a museum, will remain open for visitors. (Shot by

North KoreaNov. 24, 2017

[Weekender] Inside NK’s underground invasion tunnel

North Korean-built underground tunnels designed for a surprise invasion of South Korea pose a bone-chilling reminder that the 1950-53 Korean War never actually ended. After the first was discovered in November 1974, three more tunnels were uncovered in the following decades. All four run either below or nearby the Demilitarized Zone in the South and have been altered since to deprive them of their initial purpose. The Korea Herald visited the third tunnel Tuesday. The tunnel is 73 meters below t

North KoreaNov. 24, 2017

[Weekender] What lurks beneath

Beneath the bustling cities of South Korea lie underground bunkers that have hardly been entered for decades. From a dictator’s covert hideout to infiltration tunnels dug by North Koreans near the Demilitarized Zone, some of these secret underground places are pieces of the country’s checkered history, although there are not many records that explain their mysterious existence. Late strongman Park Chung-hee’s secret shelter, or so believed by most people today, was discovered in 2005 during cons

Social AffairsNov. 24, 2017

[Weekender] Good old radio receivers are back

With mobile devices offering radio service through apps, radio receivers were thought to be machines of the past. Some “listeners,” however, still tune in to the receivers as of a way to connect with the past. Hwanghak-dong Market, located in the heart of Seoul, is a place that takes visitors straight back to the 1970s. The market, filled with old sewing machines, cameras and LP players, seems to be indifferent to the passing of time. At the market, radio receivers are enjoying their second heyd

CultureNov. 17, 2017

[Weekender] Can radio kill the video star?

In short, the answer is no. But while radio probably won’t get to outshine video, it also won’t lose its place, either. Technology has changed quite a lot since The Buggles released “Video killed the radio star” in 1980 -- but it has not always changed for the better.Screens now have a dominant presence in Korea, where the most common sight of people is with their faces glued to their smartphones that have thousands of videos and other contents demanding simultaneous attention.But has video real

TechnologyNov. 17, 2017

[Weekender] Listen to your favorite book this autumn

Yoo Jong-ho, 24, listens to podcasts every morning in the subway. The college student, who spends five hours each day commuting to school, said listening to book podcasts was the best way to pass the time productively.Since podcasts began in 2005, book podcasts have emerged as a powerful social platform for avid readers to gather and share their thoughts on books. The form or duration may vary, but the content of most book podcasts focuses on book-related reviews, news, commentary and discussion

CultureNov. 17, 2017

[Weekender] Radio waves from outside keep N. Koreans in loop

Amid tight controls on the flow of information, radios in North Korea come with their dials fixed to government-controlled broadcasters. But risk-takers willing to defy the regime reset their dials behind closed doors, trying to catch signals from the US, UK, South Korea and Japan that float across the border every night and slip past state censorship.It is illegal to listen to foreign broadcasts, and they are often jammed by North Korean authorities, but they rank as top sources of information

North KoreaNov. 16, 2017

[Weekender] Trevari CEO offers ways to make reading yours

Trevari is different from most people’s idea of a conventional book club. Instead of a single group of people who enjoy books, Trevari does things on a much bigger scale. The company does all the “annoying administration” of running and managing 111 separate reading groups so people can just enjoy being members. “For a regular meeting to occur with a group of people, it is important that someone manages the schedule and reminds members of the topics. And a lot of people don’t realize that it is

CultureNov. 10, 2017

[Weekender] Book lovers’ paradise

With the popularity of book clubs and independent bookstores here, libraries and stores are offering seminars, lectures and even drinks inspired by novels, taking the literary experience to a new level. Here are some of the best spots for bookworms to explore the literary world in Korea. Starfield LibraryLocated inside Starfield Coex Mall in GangnamThe 2,800-square-meter library, which opened in May, features some 50,000 books on towering two-story bookshelves. It is located at the center of the

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2017

[Weekender] Taking reading to a new level

When it comes to books and reading culture, South Korea has many reasons for pessimism: Book consumption is at a 10-year low and only 35 percent of Korean adults finish a single title a year. But this does not mean that there are no avid readers here. On the contrary, a trend is emerging among local bookworms, with book clubs and community-oriented independent bookstores connecting readers. Trevari is at the heart of this trend. The venture organizes and manages book clubs for a four-month fee o

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2017

[Weekender] Meet change-makers in corporate world

A picture of President Moon Jae-in kneeling to pay his respect to the dead during the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement ceremony went viral online this year. It became a talked about issue not just because the ceremony was held a week after the presidential election, but because of a pair of the president’s old shoes that were exposed to cameras. The shoes that Moon has worn since 2012 were made by a small social enterprise set up by the blind and the hearing-impaired. But even with Cheong

IndustryOct. 29, 2017

[Weekender] Tycoon’s unusual dream

For Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, it all started with one question. For years, the second-generation chaebol scion was seeking a way to inherit his father’s legacy of nurturing scientists and scholars for the nation’s future. Though SK was making social donations and running corporate responsibility programs under his lead, Chey wasn’t sure whether those outreach efforts -- worth billions of dollars a year -- were making any progress in society, where problems of unemployment and the incom

IndustryOct. 27, 2017

[Weekender] Heyground provides safe community for social ventures

Step into the lobby of Heyground and it‘s like falling through a rabbit hole.The building’s sleek tile floors, stylish neon signs and hoodied entrepreneurs zooming around on electric scooters seem worlds apart from the surrounding industrial sights of Seongsu-dong in eastern Seoul.“We call it the scrap metal view,” joked Jeong Da-hyun, a manager at impact ecosystem builder Root Impact, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window from the seventh floor. “It’s got its own charm.”The Heyground building

IndustryOct. 27, 2017

[Weekender] Playground shortage hits low-income families

Children in Korea, especially those living in low-income areas, are missing out on play opportunities because of a shortage of accessible playgrounds, according to a report by Save the Children Korea on Sept. 5.The lack of safe open spaces in urban areas means play options for children from low-income families are lackluster, it said. They often cannot afford pay-per-use playgrounds or the kids cafes now proliferating across cities. Many playgrounds in poorer residential areas also have been clo

CultureOct. 20, 2017

[Weekender] Falling in love with baking at specialty kids cafes

For tired parents and bored children, kids cafes have become a top option to spend family time in Korea. Since the concept was first introduced into the country in the late 2000s, the themes of the cafes also have evolved. Most kids cafes these days feature specific themes, such as racing, swimming and crafting. The interior of Bonbon Kids Goyang (Park Ju-young/The Korea Herald)Baking kids cafes are part of the fast-growing kids cafe businesses in general, targeting children and their parents. B

CultureOct. 20, 2017

[Weekender] Parents with children go for alternative space to relax

Korea is witnessing a boom in the kids cafe business due partly to a shortage of space in which parents with young children can idle away the time. A handful of big shopping malls have noticed the potential for such demand and are taking steps to catch up. One case in point is Starfield shopping mall, which recently opened in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, just west of Seoul. The mega shopping center comes with a variety of children-friendly stores to allow families to spend a day together.While sho

CultureOct. 20, 2017

[Weekender] More than just a playground

Son Tae-wook, a father of an 8-year-old, thinks kids cafes have become indispensable for both children and adults in Korea. Son has raised his daughter with trips to kids cafes since she was 3 years old.“There aren’t enough play spaces for children in the urban environment. And the world isn’t safe enough to let kids just frolic about on their own outside,” Son said. News of children abducted and inappropriately touched at public playgrounds has raised alarm among parents, many of whom dote over

CultureOct. 20, 2017

[Weekender] Busan film fest beckons film buffs, star gazers

Since its founding in 1996, the Busan International Film Festival has marked the transition from summer to fall in Korea. Asia’s largest film festival is screening some 298 films from 75 countries from Thursday to Oct. 21 this year. The main categories are New Currents, which awards the two best feature films by up-and-coming Asian directors; Gala Presentation, the screening of works by master filmmakers; and A Window on Asian Cinema, which showcases films that push boundaries by Asian directors

FilmOct. 13, 2017

[Weekender] Hop on the subway to delve into K-pop, nature and history

With a long Chuseok holiday starting this Saturday, it’s almost certain that roads and highways will be jam-packed with honking cars. Rather than stress out sitting in crawling traffic, there is another option for a getaway: Hop on the subway, roam around Seoul and visit places you’ve never been. For your convenience, The Korea Herald has sorted Seoul attractions that are reachable by subway.K-pop hot spots  K-Live (Korea Tourism Organization)For fans of K-pop, there are spots around Seoul where

CultureSept. 29, 2017