A new Japanese-style "maid cafe" opened in Seoul on Wednesday, sparking controversy, with some raising concerns that the cafe's costumes and theme of female servers being dressed as anime-style "maids" could be degrading and commercializing sex. Located in Mapo-gu, the so-called "maid cafe" welcomes customers with overly accommodating waitresses dressed in ruffled miniskirts and fishnet stockings. A total of 28 workers or "maids" serve food and drinks whil

Social Affairs March 16, 2023

The number of food poisoning cases involving raw oysters has surged dramatically this winter compared to last year. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Tuesday, a total of 524 cases of food poisoning due to raw oysters were reported between November 2022 and February 2023. This figure is an eightfold increase compared to the same period between 2021 and 2022, which only had 68 cases. Oysters are rich in minerals and vitamins but can be one of the main sources of the norovirus, w

Social Affairs March 14, 2023

White liquid suspected to be animal fat has been found sprayed near a mosque construction site in Daegu amid continued discord between an anti-mosque committee and the Muslim community. CCTV footage revealed by Muaz Razaq, a representative of Muslim community members who support the mosque, shows two people throwing unknown white waste on the street several times at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The footage also shows one person holding an umbrella, apparently to hide his or her face from being

Social Affairs March 9, 2023

Many universities in South Korea held commencement ceremonies on Friday, filling the air with the excitement of new beginnings. With the coronavirus' spread slowing down in recent months, some schools held in-person ceremonies for the first time in four years. Freshmen of Sungkyunkwan University took part in a Confucian ritual for their commencement ceremony. The ritual, called "goyurye," traces back to the Joseon era (1392-1910). Cadets marched in file during a commencement cerem

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2023

Three South Koreans were arrested for smuggling 167 billion won ($127 million) worth of methamphetamine into the country in December, the prosecutors' office said Tuesday. The Busan District Prosecutors Office said Tuesday it has arrested and indicted three suspects on charges of smuggling 50 kilograms of methamphetamine through a port in the southern city of Busan from Thailand. The suspects face allegations of hiding the contraband in seven plastic pallets to clear customs. A pallet is a

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2023

It’s here – the final episode of our three-part interview series with the cast of the film “Asia”! Check out the other episodes if you haven’t already and let us know what you think!

Film Jan. 3, 2023

Have you been wondering what the film “Asia” is about? Check out our exclusive interview with the cast! This is the second episode of a three-part series, filmed on Nov.6 in Seoul. Check out the first episode if you haven’t already, and watch out for the final episode to be released on Dec. 22!

Film Dec. 16, 2022

India's Anushka Sen, Thailand's Pakorn Chatborirak and Malaysia’s Daiyan Trisha and Sean Lee sat down with the Asia 101 team for an off-the-wall interview about their Korean debut film with director Lee Jung-sub. This is the first episode of a three-part series, filmed on Nov.6 in Seoul. Check back for the next episode – the final one will be released on Dec. 22!

Film Dec. 16, 2022

Presenting Asia as it is. This simple yet determining idea is what brought together a number of superstars from across Asia to work together on an ambitious project. “Seeing hate against Asians escalate after the pandemic, I thought it’s time we bring such issues to the table. Asian communities should play leading roles in shaping the definition around Asia,” Director Lee Jung-sub said during an exclusive interview with the Korea Herald in early November ahead of the release of

Film Nov. 18, 2022

진행자: 최정윤, Beth Eunhee Hong 1. Twitter Korea sacks 25% of staff, with layoffs expected at Meta 기사 요약: 머스크 트위터 인수 후 소셜미디어 업계에 부는 ‘직원 대량 해고’ 바람 [1] Tech sector employment took a hit this week, with Twitter firing roughly half of its employees last week and Meta Platforms, operator of Facebook and Instagram, reportedly planning widespread layoffs. *take a hit: 타격을 입다, 피해를 입다, 비난/지탄을 받다 *layoff: 해고 [2] About a quarter of the 30 employees at Twitter Korea have received notifications t

Podcast Nov. 10, 2022

#prayforitaewon #korea #itaewon

Politics Oct. 31, 2022

#prayforitaewon #korea #itaewon

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2022

We sat down with Anupam Tripathi from Squid Game and got the full story behind his journey to the screen. From how Korea became his second home and exclusive behind-the-scenes stories, to his hopes for the future, we get the full scoop! Lee Ji-min, Lim Su-mi, Park Seo-hee and Park Ju-min contributed to this report. By Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com)

Film Oct. 31, 2022

진행자: 최정윤, Brolley Genster [1] Four out of 10 households in South Korea are projected to be single-person by 2040, with the portion of families of four or more – once the most common form of family here – shrinking to 10 percent, a report showed Monday. *portion: (더 큰 것의) 부분[일부] *shrink: (규모양이) 줄어들다 /줄어들게 하다 [2] According to a report compiled by KB Financial Group, the number of single-person households was 7.1 million, or 33.4 percent of the total, last year. And the figure is expe

Podcast Oct. 6, 2022

진행자: 최정윤, Beth Eunhee Hong 1. 'Angry young men' are turning their backs on Yoon [1] “Disgruntled young men” were one of the main forces behind the rise of a political novice named Yoon Suk-yeol to the highest office in South Korea earlier this year. Yoon, whose career had been entirely focused on rounding up bad guys as a state prosecutor, was hoped to restore justice in a society that they say was tilted in favor of feminists, labor unions and North Korean sympathizers. *disgru

Podcast Aug. 18, 2022