Venerable Hyunjong performs funeral rites for animals, guided by Buddhist beliefs to care for oneself, other living beings

Find the answer at the bottom. South Korea has the world’s lowest birth rate, but it offers arguably some of the world’s best postpartum care for women who do give birth. Across the country, there are approximately 470 recovery centers for new mothers, where the primary focus is on their recovery after childbirth. Nearly 80 percent of South Korea's new mothers stay at these facilities, known as "sanhu joriwon." Most of these facilities are privately operated, but a

'I have never encountered someone who has lived contrary to their physiognomic traits,' says 85-year-old physiognomist Shin Ki-won

Confucian influences, preoccupation with survival during harsh times, more deaths occurring at hospital settings all contribute to Koreans' aversion to discussing, accepting the inevitable

"People rave about Fu Bao. I just didn't get it." Zookeeper Oh Seung-hee of Everland’s Panda World said of the rock star giant panda of her zoo. Fu Bao, born in 2020 to a panda pair gifted to Korea by China in 2016, was the first cub born in Korea through natural breeding. From the moment of her birth, there hasn't been a single day when the baby panda wasn't popular, with fans who just cannot get enough of the cuddly cub. However, Oh had no problem maintaining dis

Find the answer at the bottom. South Koreans have long held a deep appreciation for plant-based ingredients, with herbs, various leafy greens, and their seeds and roots playing a crucial role in their diet. "Namul" is a term that encompasses a wide array of seasoned vegetables, usually blanched. In particular, dishes made with tender spring sprouts are termed "bom namul," with "bom" meaning spring in Korean. As winter fades and spring greens shoot up across th

Korea’s ancient founding myth features two predatory animals, a tiger and a bear, both of which once freely roamed the hilly terrains of the Korean Peninsula. By the late 1990s, however, both species had become extinct or nearly extinct in the wild, while hikers and trekkers came to replace them as rulers of the mountains. In 2004, a government-led restoration effort was launched for Korean moon bears, starting with the introduction of six Asiatic black bears from Primorsky Krai, Russia. T

Korea becoming more accepting of homosexuality, yet trails behind other countries

A record-high 4.4% of people living in South Korea were foreign nationals in November 2022

Former drug sniffer dog settles into new home, blossoms into darling of local community in second chapter of life

Find the answer at the bottom. Just like any country, Korea has its own traditional beliefs and superstitions. One such superstition warns against whistling at night, as it is believed to attract ghosts, spirits or snakes. This notion is often used to scare children from making noise at night. Though the roots of this superstition remain unclear, it inspired Bang Young-woong’s novel, “Bun-rye's Story,” in which a man whistles to attract snakes. Many Koreans feel uneasy a

Fear of losing face, desire to appear significant are powerful motivations at personal, family and even national levels

At Korea's busy eateries, diners lingering after eating often get disapproving looks from restaurant owners or those still waiting for a table. While this tension between leisurely dining and the demand for tables exists elsewhere, it can be highly pronounced in South Korea, where meals typically don’t include a dessert course and the focus of diners is often more on the eating itself, rather than on conversation. In online discussion forum Nate Pann last December, an anonymous post

Find the answer at the bottom. Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year, is a time when many families come together to celebrate various traditions and connect with their ancestral heritage. On this day, which falls on Feb. 10 this year, many families perform a ritual called "jesa" or "charye" to remember and honor their ancestors and share a variety of foods. One essential dish to have on Seollal is rice cake soup, called tteokguk. It is believed that eating a bowl of tteokg

Quest for instant noodle mastery leads teacher to world of full-time blogging, giving rise to online ramyeon encyclopedia