From simple words like “waiting” and “keeping” to “gaslighting” and “jump defection,” the invasion of English loanwords shows no sign of stopping soon

Ever wondered how Koreans in ancient times -- for some of us, our ancestors -- spent Seollal? For curious souls, three Seollal events that showcase traditional culture and crafts are happening around central Seoul, where one can partake in the spirit of Seollal by learning, experiencing and, for the most part, having fun.  Although events have partially moved online due to the worsening pandemic situation, there are still many opportunities to participate in festivals and events. Details

Italian haute couture house Maison Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2022 show held on Jan. 24 in Paris displayed an artistic interpretation of this era of uncertainty.  Titled “An Age of Discipline”, Creative Director Daniel Roseberry created a collection consisting of only three colors: black, white, and the signature Maison Schiaparelli gold.  Roseberry explained that the simple use of colors connects to the current era of uncertainty and exhaustion. On the of

Koreans might have left on an exodus for their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday, or Seollal, before the COVID-19 era. But the growing concerns about the rapid spread of the omicron variant and the upsurge in the number of infections may lead many Koreans, expats and travelers to scratch their heads as to how to spend their Seollal weekend, without leaving their homes. Though you may not be eating a bowl of tteokguk, or rice-cake soup, or enjoying the Lunar New Year surrdounded by family

Yu Kyoung-suk found joy by making special tteokguk, or rice cake soup, this year. As the year became 2022, he came up with a fancy tteokguk -- topped with flower-shaped dumplings and jidan (egg garnish) -- to share with his wife and their two sons. He squeezed juice from beets and carrots to add colors to the dumpling dough to make a special tteokguk this year. “When the New Year comes, Koreans eat tteokguk made using rice cake slices from garaetteok (a stick of long rice cake) which sy

Experts say Koreans are obsessed with fake designer goods due to conspicuous consumption tendency, lack of awareness about intellectual property rights

Songpa Book Museum, situated in eastern Seoul, is an establishment dedicated to reading.  The museum, which opened in 2019, is the first public book museum in Korea. At the museum, visitors can learn more about the practice of reading through various exhibitions. Some exhibitions explain how Korean ancestors read books during the Joseon era (1392-1910) or during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945). It also has a vast reading space for those who want to indulge in books.  The baseme

Aqua Planet Gwanggyo, an aquarium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, celebrated the Lunar New Year ahead of schedule on Jan. 24. For this eye-catching ceremony, divers wearing traditional Korean clothing called “hanbok“ swam with stingrays. Stingrays are closely related to sharks, and feed on clams, shrimp, and mussels. Aside from stingrays, there are over 30,000 sea animals of 210 unique species in the aquarium. The facility also provides diverse educational programs and interactive ex

On Jeju, Korea’s largest island, it’s common for women to wear the pants in the family. For a long time, the Jeju women, many of whom are primary income earners for their households, are literally responsible for putting seafood on our tables. Jeju haenyeo, which roughly translates to “women of the sea,” are free-diving seafood gatherers who can hold their breaths for long periods as they harvest from the sea floor. “They used to call us ‘jomnyeo’ whic

Having a dish full of spicy Korean rice cakes, or tteokbokki, recently in a busy Korean street market brought me a lot of nostalgia. The chewy rice cakes with mildly spicy gochujang sauce … mmm! It was like a taste of my childhood. I recently went to Korea to visit my family. The two weeks of mandatory quarantine upon arrival was well worth the effort. After the quarantine was over, I was thrilled to go out and hit different places for meals. Enjoying Korean street food was no exception

Basic ingredients - 400 grams rice cake slices (tteokguk tteok) - 130 grams minced beef - 2 green onion stalks - 2-3 eggs For beef seasoning - 1 tablespoon soy sauce - 1 tablespoon sesame oil - 1 teaspoon minced garlic - 1 teaspoon sugar - pepper to taste - a little cooking oil to coat frying pan For soup - 5 cups of dried kelp (dashima) broth - 1/2 big spoon soup soy sauce - 1 small spoon minced garlic - salt and pepper to taste Directions - If rice cake slices

The Busan International Film Festival decided to renew Lee Yong-kwan’s term as chairman in an extraordinary general meeting held Thursday at the Busan Cinema Center‘s BIFF Hill. Lee will lead the annual film festival for the next four years. As one of the founding members of the BIFF in 1996, Lee has held several posts at the organization, including programmer-in-chief, vice-director and director of the board before being appointed as chair of the board in 2018. “Not only has

If you are interested in learning about Joseon, the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, watching local broadcaster JTBC’s period drama “My Country: The New Age” (2019) via its official website or streaming platforms Netflix and Tving might be the perfect way to spend your weekend. The series, a fictional story based on historical facts, centers around characters who led the charge to establish a new kingdom at the end of the Goryeo period. Aside from the political rivalry between

E-World Miracle Winter Night E-World Miracle Winter Night is running through Feb. 28 at E-World in Daegu. The festival features a garden of 10,000 light-emitting diode roses, a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and 100 photo zones ready for Instagram. While all activities will still be masked and socially distanced, visitors can still enjoy rides and attractions in the E-World theme park. Ticket prices vary by age. Updates can be found at www.eworld.kr. Yangju Snow Festival The Yangju Snow Fes

Andaz Seoul Gangnam launches ‘Romance at Andaz’ package Andaz Seoul Gangnam, a lifestyle hotel under Hyatt Hotels & Resorts located in Apgujeong, is offering a special package for couples’ staycation. The “Romance at Andaz” consists of a night’s stay at a room of your choice, and breakfast for two at the hotel’s luxury restaurant Jogakbo. A bottle of sparkling wine, cake, and a La Cuvee Maison bath bomb set is also included in the package. Access