Jeon Joo-yeon’s path to becoming the first South Korean to win the World Barista Championship is a typical “passion leads to success” story. In 2008, then a social welfare major at a local college, she started a part-time job at a big coffee shop in her hometown of Busan. At first, she did not even touch coffee cups. She was part of the shop’s online sales team. Slowly but naturally, she gravitated toward making coffee. In 2009, she made up her mind to become a barista.

Vibrant and young barista community sets out to make South Korea’s port city next coffee hub

A planned exchange visit to a US town by South Korean high school students last year was canceled after animal activists there raised the issue of dog meat farms operating in the area the students are from, it was revealed Friday. Palisades Park, New Jersey – a twin town of Gangwha County in Incheon-- decided to cancel the planned three-week exchange program in June last year. The decision was made after some activists reported to the borough’s council about illegal dog meat activi

Koreans' pursuit of famed teachers dates back to 1960s, but internet and online classes elevated their status to quasi-celebrities

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Since 2001, students can sit for a foreign language exam, one of five subjects of Suneung, Korea’s annual college entrance examination. Other subjects include Language Arts (Korean), Mathematics, English and Inquiry (social studies and science). Although not compulsory, many Suneung takers, especially applicants for humanities majors, choose to take it, because some universities require a foreign language test score. The nine categories are Jap

Military strongman who ruled South Korea for 18 years remains a divisive figure with reign of economic accomplishments and crackdowns on democracy

Retro shops offering analog music experience draw younger generation

    As mentioned in earlier columns, respect for older people is something that is ingrained in Korean etiquette and traditions. In Korea, it is common to wait until the oldest person at the table finishes before getting up and leaving. Also, you should try to eat at the same pace as those around you. Although it may seem like a long list of do's and don'ts for dining with Koreans, once you have dined a couple of times in South Korea, you will get used to it. Min Byoung-chul is an end

China's example shows soft power can't be achieved via government campaign

YouTube is home to a myriad of creators catering to people interested in Korean language and culture, but not many have the presence of Billy Go. The 36-year-old American has nearly 544,000 followers, amassed through a decade of engagement and several hundreds of tutoring clips and posts. His YouTube channel, which started in 2012, “Learn Korean with GO! Billy Korean” mostly features short-form videos of 10 minutes or less that teach the Korean alphabet, words and phrases, as well

Independence Gate, Seodaemun Prison and other memorials at the Line No. 3 station stand as testament to heroes' era in Korea's colonial past

Tragedies like Sewol, Itaewon play a part in breakdown of public trust, some say

In era of AI, good sense of humor becomes more valuable than exam skills

In 1957, first chartered plane took off for US carrying Korean war orphans, opening doors for massive 'baby exports.' Now adoptees demand answers, truth

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Birthdays are a joyous occasion, but some Koreans have an unusual way of celebrating them with saengil-bbang. Saengil-bbang is a combination of the word meaning birthday in Korean -- "saengil" -- and the word “bbang,” which usually means bread or cake. "Bbang" is used here as a suffix to indicate nasty violent celebrations. It refers to the practice in which close friends hit each other on their birthdays. Usually consi