[Weekender] Businesses tap into Halloween fever in Korea

Less than a decade ago, Halloween was nothing more than a fancy-dress party known to Koreans through Hollywood movies. Now, it’s common to see people here donning masks and capes and stores promote Halloween-themed treats throughout October.The festive holiday has become a marketing dream here and everyone is keen to get their share. Models present various Halloween-themed products at Lotte Mart in Guro, Seoul. (Lotte Mart)Irene Park, 28, is planning to dress up as Alice from “Alice‘s Adventures

IndustryOct. 28, 2016

[Weekender] Halloween, a headache for some

Lee Suk-hee does not know much about Halloween, but last Sunday she found herself buying her first Halloween costume for her daughter.“I don’t really know what Halloween is,” she told The Korea Herald while browsing through rows of Batman, Snow White and witch costumes at a discount store in Yongsan, central Seoul. “It is my first time buying these clothes because my daughter’s kindergarten announced that they will have a Halloween party,” said Lee, who asked for her name to be changed to preser

Social AffairsOct. 28, 2016

[Weekender] Seeking sanctuary from stressful city life

For 48-year-old Yeom Deok-gi, settling in the countryside had always been the dream.Now a mushroom farmer, the former soldier said the pressure of South Korea’s competitive and hectic society had motivated him to take on the rural life.  Yeom explains greenhouse mushroom farming. (Yoon Min-sik/The Korea Herald)“It’s stress, really. You know how you try to hold it in, but sometimes feel like you’ve had enough and are about to explode? I felt I would explode someday, which is why I came here,” he

Social AffairsOct. 21, 2016

[Weekender] Chasing a rural dream

In much of the developed world, retirees dream of escaping the city and settling down in the countryside where the air is cleaner, and life is quieter and simpler. In South Korea’s hyper-competitive and fast-changing society, many mid-career professionals, too, fancy a rural life. (Bloomberg)This younger group is choosing rurality not to retire, but to have a more fulfilling working life in a healthier environment away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Many are drawn by the rural way of li

Social AffairsOct. 21, 2016

[Weekender] Center supports urbanites’ rural dream

After hesitating for a long time, Choi Hyeong-tae, a 64-year-old retiree in Seoul, finally made up his mind to live in the countryside for the rest of his life. Then he faced the next question, “Where and how?”Instead of hurrying to a real estate agency to buy a rural home as many do, he visited one of the nation’s support centers for people looking to move to rural areas, where systemized directions to relocating and living in the countryside are offered. From April, Choi took a course provided

Social AffairsOct. 21, 2016

[Weekender] Korean baseball’s big hit

When South Korea’s professional baseball league first began in 1982, it started small with a total season attendance of 1.4 million. Now, things have changed. A record number of 8 million fans flocked to stadiums across the nation this season alone, with tickets for many games selling out almost instantly. “There’s nothing like going to the ballpark,” said Kim Bo-gyung, a 25-year-old fan who was watching the LG Twins play at Jamsil Stadium on Tuesday. “I’m singing, shouting and dancing the stres

BaseballOct. 14, 2016

[Weekender] En-chanting times at ball games

Spectators come in representative colors. Electrically amplified cheering and sing-alongs by fans of each team echo throughout ball parks. Cheerleaders, dancing along to K-pop hits during the breaks, wow the tens of thousands in the crowd. The cheering culture of South Korean baseball fans can be overwhelming -- something akin to the overflowing emotions pioneered by the high-profile cheering squad at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Back then, a number of Korean soccer fans clad in trademark red

BaseballOct. 14, 2016

[Weekender] Delectable wonders at baseball stadiums in Korea

Hot dogs and nachos are often associated with baseball in the United States. For Korean baseball fans, however, the range of options is far wider. The variety of food available at ball games is a boon for Korean baseball buffs, including Kim Young-won, who frequented the Lotte Giants’ home ground Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan city during the time he lived there.“You only really go to the stadium for the food and the fun that comes with it,” Kim said, “The distance to the field is too far from

BaseballOct. 14, 2016

[Weekender] Dare to have hair

Every morning, 32-year-old office worker surnamed Cho in Seoul meticulously sprays an anti-hair-loss medicine on his scalp. Despite his young age, hair care has been one of Cho’s inevitable routines, as he has seen some signs of hair loss in the past few years. “I took anti-hair-loss medication for three months earlier this year and I did see some improvements. Concerned about the possible side effects, I quit the medication and started to use the hair spray. This also seems to be effective,” Ch

BusinessOct. 7, 2016

[Weekender] Lengths people go to stop hair loss

Some apply hair ointment, some spray herbal hair restorer, some take pills, some visit a hair clinic, and some even receive hormone injections, all to stop balding. From low budget daily regimens to pricey scalp treatments, there is a wide range of methods to put an end to hair loss.Scalp acupuncture is performed to increase scalp blood circulation at Thebom Korea Medicine Clinic Bundang Branch. (Thebom Korea Medicine Clinic)“I try to stay away from coffee, and make sure to blow dry my hair afte

IndustryOct. 7, 2016

[Weekender] Tourism or preservation -- what are zoos for?

South Korea’s filmmaker Hwang Yoon shot a movie titled “Farewell” in 2002 featuring a baby tiger who lives at a zoo in Seoul. Being born out of incest encouraged by zookeepers, the little tiger – named “Crane” -- was predisposed to cataracts and had a deformed face. Ten years later, Hwang reunited with Crane, who was relocated to a zoo in Gangwon Province after losing popularity among Seoul spectators when it became bigger and older. By the time Hwang saw Crane, the tiger had fallen ill because

PoliticsSept. 30, 2016

[Weekender] ‘Zookeeping requires constant study’

Han Hyo-dong, 58, a master zookeeper supervising carnivores including tigers and leopards at Seoul Zoo, first joined the zoo’s animal welfare team in 1985. Seoul Zoo, located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, opened its doors in 1984 with 77 species of animals on a 196,000-square-meter plot. “I had the intention of learning about deer when I first joined, because I was thinking of operating deer farms in my hometown,” said Han, reminiscing the past when antlers could be sold at high prices.Han Hyo-dong,

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2016

[Weekender] A day at the zoo

A day for zookeeper Han Hyo-dong, Seoul Zoo’s master zookeeper who has worked there for the past 32 years, begins at 6 a.m.At the crack of dawn, he arrives at his office next to the Beast Pavillion, located at the very back of the Seoul Zoo in Gwacheon. As soon as he changes his clothes and puts on his boots, he walks around the breeding cages and checks each tiger’s condition.(The Korea Herald)Every morning he writes down detailed logs of the zoo’s 24 Siberian tigers on their conditions and hea

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2016

[Weekender] Frustrated youth seek opportunities overseas, but reality is harsh

On an early September morning, Jung Yun-jin arrived in Seoul from her hometown of Busan. Clad in a black jacket and skirt with neatly combed hair, she was to attend a 30-minute job interview for a Korean-run company in New Zealand in the afternoon. The 24-year-old hoped that the interview would lead to the end of a year of unemployment. “I hope I stand a better chance abroad,” Jung told the Korea Herald after the interview on Sept. 6. A graduate from a four-year university in Busa

EconomySept. 23, 2016

[Weekender] Cramming for a Samsung job

As the summer heat fades, the cooler weather heralds not just autumn but also the nation’s biggest hiring season. It’s a crunch time for college graduates and graduates-to-be, who have been polishing their resumes in hopes of landing a job at big companies like Samsung, LG and Hyundai. An impeccable resume, however, won’t guarantee the applicant an interview. One must first pass a written exam, for which previous successful applicants strongly recommend old-fashioned cramming, brushing up of one

IndustrySept. 23, 2016

[Weekender] Tough job market prompts stiff competition to build ‘specs’

For 25-year-old student Chung Yu-jin, it has become routine to head to a cafe every morning to search for job openings and squeeze her life story into the limited space on application forms in the hope that she can finally land a job. At a glance, her job prospects look bright. Besides a degree in business administration from a prestigious university in Seoul, she has a near perfect English score and Chinese language skills, as well as various overseas internship experiences. (Bloomberg)“I could

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2016

[Weekender] Elusive jobs, elusive dreams

Finding one’s first job can be a difficult task. But in a country where over 70 percent of high school graduates advance to four-year universities and the economy is visibly slowing with a bag of some serious problems, competition is reaching new heights. “With a gloomy business outlook, companies aren’t in a big hiring mood this year,” said Song Won-geun of the Federation of Korean Industries. According to its survey of some 201 major companies in Korea this week, nearly 50 percent plan a cut i

Sept. 23, 2016

[Weekender] Making full use of Chuseok leftovers

Chuseok is usually a time of gluttony. Meals during the Korean Thanksgiving holiday typically include copious amounts of the following: “jeon,” slices of vegetables, fish, or meat thinly coated in batter and grilled; “namul” or seasoned vegetables; “japchae,” vermicelli noodles with assorted vegetables and meat; and songpyeon or a type of traditional rice cake. Overwhelmed with inevitable leftovers, Chuseok observers often let them go to waste by forgetting about them in the fridge, or even wors

FoodSept. 9, 2016

[Weekender] Dealing with holiday stress in all shapes and sizes

Chuseok, or the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving in the West, offers Koreans a few days' break in September, but it can turn out to be both physically and psychologically draining. In traditional homes, wives face the daunting task of preparing a feast for the extended family, while the younger generation cringe as relatives assail them with questions about marriage, jobs and plans to have children. There are various ways to deal with the stress, but above all, people should strive to be less e

CultureSept. 9, 2016