The final day of the year is a big day in most cultures but Koreans take things a step further, seemingly dedicating the entire month of December to wrapping up the year. In the run up to the Dec. 31 ringing of the Boshingak bell, December is packed with year-end events that range from heavy drinking with colleagues and friends to fortune-telling. The Korean word for end of year events “songnyeonhoe” literally means “send off for the year” and many choose to send the year off in a sea of alcohol

Peaceful silence is broken. The two police officers, Han Ji-hyun and Choi Jong-min turn on their patrol car’s siren and accelerate to an old building near Hongik University as the navigation system directs them to the scene of the crime. They quickly run up to the jewelry shop to see if someone broke into the shop. It was a false alarm. “When reports come in one after another at night, we are actually thankful for false alarms because then we can quickly move on and handle the next report,” 28-y

Kim Ye-ji, a 26-year-old job-seeker worriedly looks at eight Chinese characters and carefully listens to what the fortune-teller tells her. The predictor stares at the characters with a serious face and contemplates for awhile. “Around March and April next year, you’re going to find a job. Until then, no good news,” the fortune-teller says. “And you’re likely to meet a guy around autumn. He will probably be younger than you.” Kim finally feels relieved.Their discussion, which lasted for an hour,

The New Year is about wishing for a better year, or perhaps, about repeating a good one. But it is also about saying goodbye and letting go of the year past. For those on what some call the outskirts of Korean society, however, sending away the year means, for the most part, wanting a better year than the one gone by. And so, for these minorities ― North Koreans living in the South, foreign laborers who work in Korea’s burgeoning factories, or 20-somethings striving to beat over-competitive nati

Korea is beginning to see new trends emerge for “sending the year off,” perhaps to complement the nation’s health habit trends, some analysts have said.Year-end celebrations in Korea, which have been traditionally dominated by drinking, are now embracing various cultural, artistic and recreational activities. Similar to the drinking campaigns that quickly caught on among domestic firms to help moderate excessive indulgence in alcohol at their year-end gatherings, more people each year are pursui

Negotiations to end a drawn-out rail walkout broke down Friday, with the state-run rail operator issuing an ultimatum for thousands of strikers to get back to work by midnight or face punitive measures.Labor and management of the state-run Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) gathered at the negotiating table earlier in the day after resuming the second round of their working-level negotiations to discuss key issues, including a government plan to establish a subsidiary to run some high-speed train ser

Korea Railroad Corp. and its union resumed talks Thursday, raising hopes to resolve the railway workers’ strike that has crippled the nation’s cargo transport for 18 days. The first working-level negotiation in 13 days was arranged during a meeting between its chief executive Choi Yeon-hye and union deputy chief Park Tae-man at Jogyesa Temple, where union leaders have holed up since Tuesday.Both labor and management expressed optimism after the 30-minute meeting brokered by Ven. Dobeob., chief o

The country’s largest Buddhist order Jogye on Thursday took the side of railway workers in their ongoing strike, putting the government in a dilemma after last week’s botched police raid on the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. “(The Jogye Order) cannot look away when laborers have come in to the folds of the Buddha in desperation,” the order said in a statement on Thursday. The statement also said that helping and protecting those who are seeking refuge was the only right thing to do. “(The

South Korean webtoon artist Jeong Cheol-yeon on Thursday removed a cartoon that satirized current affairs including disputes about the privatization of public firms and the alleged election meddling of the National Intelligence Service.“The dispute (concerning the cartoon) was more serious than I’ve anticipated, which led me to remove the cartoon. From now on, I will post such ‘rebellious pieces’ only on my blog,” Jeong said on his personal blog Thursday.In the latest edition of his webtoon "Maj