In 2016 South Korea struggled with a historic triple whammy -- political chaos set off by a presidential scandal, ever-deepening economic difficulties and diplomatic and security woes in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests. This year posed pressing tasks of propping up the slowing economy. As workers have lost jobs, household debt began soaring. Industries that were once part of the mainstay of Asia’s fourth-largest economy, such as autos, shipbuilding and shipping, sta

Salvation Army’s red Christmas kettles and bell ringers landed here in 1928 and have withstood South Korea‘s harsh winters ever since. It seems though, it won’t be long before they disappear and are replaced with digital gadgets, as donors now tend to prefer convenient digital charity over traditional paper money donations.In line with the trend, fund organizers are rolling out easy and creative digital methods to draw more tech-savvy donors.They range from applications to digital gift certifica

 Lee Bo-ra, a 39-year-old housewife with three kids in Seoul, volunteered to read tales for children at a community cultural center in her neighborhood every Saturday for about a year. “I didn’t know that what I was doing was donating my ‘talent’ at the time, because I thought I was simply doing some community service,” said Lee, a professional narrator with a private license for fairy tale reading. “Now I recognize it can be a good way of serving my neighbors with my skill.”Students of a fine a

Donations culture widens to include more everyday citizens

Convenience stores have long been a part of South Korea’s quick, fast-changing lifestyle, and they have now taken a step further by producing their own private brands.What makes their private brands work is the convenience store chains’ wide distribution capacities.Omori Kimchi stew ramen released by local convenience retail brand GS 25 and instant noodle maker Paldo. (GS Retail)Most convenience retail brands do not spend large sums of money on ads for their private brands, because promotion is

Convenience stores reign over retail as consumers shop and live alone

Korean convenience stores, arguably a slump-free business in times of weak local demand, are increasingly teaming up with services firms to attract more customers and to differentiate their business models, industry officials said.The latest move came from Korea’s biggest convenience store franchise GS Retail, which joined hands with budget telco service firm Annex Telecom to sell a low-cost USIM card.A user of Ticket Monster’s mobile shopping app TMon picks up her delivered product at a CU conv

Desire for patience, refinement puts calligraphy in spotlight again

There was a time when Chinese character calligraphers criticized Hangeul calligraphy for being “too unsophisticated.” Luckily, a few calligraphers ignored the comments and mastered their craft in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. Looking back, they served as the trailblazers for the now-burgeoning market for Hangeul calligraphy.“Years ago, the term ‘Hangeul calligraphy’ was virtually nonexistent among graphic designers,” Kang Byung-in, one of the first-generation Hangul calligraphy gurus, told The K

Nestled in the design books section of Kyobo Book Center in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, calligraphy workbooks are displayed in a separate stall as a special collection.　According to Kyobo Book Center, calligraphy books began gaining traction since 2012, with the number of new publications and demand for them steadily growing each year.A reader flicks through books in the calligraphy section of Kyobo Book Centre in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. (Lim Jeong-yeo / The Korea Herald)In 2013, eight new books on calligra

Men shift focus from breadwinning to enjoying life, view looks as competitive edge

Brian Bae, 40, recently wrote on his Facebook wall, “I can’t believe it’s the 20th anniversary of the launch of Diablo -- yet more evidence that I’ve become an ajae.” Diablo is a popular role playing video he had taken up as a college student. Now he is the father of two children and holds a senior position at his company. A few years ago, he might have been called “ajeossi,” an appellation for middle-aged men in Korean, but his youthful fashion style

What was once a staple outfit for middle-aged men -- dress shirts and stoic suits -- is now considered outdated as they opt for a less formal look.Nowadays, it is more common to see men in their 40s wearing sweatshirts or crew neck knits, slacks and sneakers as they go to work or spend a day with their kids.The transformation of the traditional “ajeossi” style is now widely referred to as the “ajae” phenomenon. Both words refer to middle-aged men, with the former carrying an outdated connotation

Migratory birds visit South Korea from around October as the air begins to grow cool, heralding the change in season. These winged guests come annually from Russia, China and Mongolia, flying without rest for 15 hours per day to spend a “warmer” winter on the peninsula and nurture new life.Their arrival here makes winter prime time for bird-watching, with several spots that are especially popular. These sites are usually near river basins and deltas, where rivers meet the sea.  A flock of migrat

CHEORWON, Gangwon Province -- From October, hundreds of winged guests arrive at Cheorwon, a rural town near the northern border. On a long, arduous journey to southern wintering grounds, about 800 cranes make a stopover at Cheorwon for its some 10,500 hectares of rice fields, which provide abundant food and resting places for them. Kim Su-ho, a local vet for wild birds with over 20 years of experience, says he is able to tell the difference between cranes that have been there before and those vi