Everyone puts on a mask. Sometimes it is a persona of a good son, a model parent, a dependable co-worker, a trusted friend, or a combination of these. Or perhaps even all of them. But what if the mask gets stuck and you feel your life is a masquerade and a fraud? Lisa Son, professor of psychology at Barnard College of Columbia University, points out the risks of what is known as “impostor syndro...

Last Thursday, the Constitutional Court kicked off open hearings on the constitutionality of the death penalty, which is stated in law but has not been carried out for over two decades here. The country currently has 59 men on death row, but the last time anyone was executed was Dec.30, 1997, when 23 were hanged. Categorized as “abolitionist in practice” by Amnesty International, South Korea ha...

Seoul currently boasts one of the longest metro systems in the world, exceeded in length by only seven regions including Shanghai, London, Moscow and New York. What started out as a single line system in 1974 has expanded exponentially to nearly 300 kilometers connecting some 300 stations scattered across 11 lines, not counting the nine additional routes like the Suin-Budang Line that connects t...

An autopsy on the family of three that were found dead last month in a submerged car found that they had taken sleeping pills, police said Wednesday. Officials at the Gwangju Nambu Police Station said they were recently notified of this from the National Forensic Service, although the NFS is currently conducting additional analysis to determine the amounts that the family took. Ten-year-old Cho...

In late 2019, South Korea was shocked by an online sex crime ring that blackmailed over 70 young women, many of them minors, into filming explicitly sexual content to be sold for profit on Telegram chat rooms. The ensuing public outrage resulted in a series of legal changes, collectively known as the “anti-Nth Room” legislation. The case, widely referred to as “Nth Room” after one of the chat r...

Initial investigation by the police into the deaths of 10-year-old Cho Yu-na and her parents found no evidence of foul play, fueling suspicion that the child has been a victim of so-called “family suicide.” The family of three, who went missing in late May, were found inside the submerged family car that was salvaged near Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province, on Wednesday. It was discovered that the...

A friendly gathering of co-workers is by no means a custom exclusive to South Korea, but the “hoesik” culture here is more than just a leisurely gathering. Usually conducted after work hours, hoesik generally consists of dinner, booze -- usually a lot of it -- and occasionally a trip to karaoke joints. Colleagues sharing good food and drinks on the company’s dime while getting to know each othe...

Honorific titles are tricky in many cultures but can be particularly baffling in South Korea, where things like social status, age, work experience, and even social prejudice can be factored in. This is part two of a series on the many ways to address another person in Korean. – Ed. In fact, ajumma is strongly associated with the stereotypical image and behavior patterns that are widely mocked i...

BTS going on a hiatus was expected. Like many other male celebrities in South Korea, the band members must fulfill their mandatory two-year military service, with the oldest, Jin, obliged to enlist by the end of this year. It is a fate many K-pop boy bands have faced before. In a country where military duty is compulsory for all able-bodied men, failure to serve can have consequences ranging fr...

Venturing into a narrow street of Nogosan-dong, western Seoul, one would stumble across a quiet neighborhood cluttered with small houses. Some of them have small trays laid out in front, one with a sign that reads, “A small diner for stray cats. Our regulars will briefly visit for a meal and be on their way. Please turn a blind eye to them.” Ask any Korean who they are, and the answer will proba...

President Yoon Suk-yeol’s unusual tendency of mixing English words into official comments has sparked controversies in South Korea, with some accusing the country’s leader of toadyism toward the US and the West in general. The most recent case of Yoon’s supposed preference for English expressions occurred during a meeting with leaders of the ruling People Power Party, when he suggested a name ch...

South Korea’s fight against smoking has had some success. In 1998, when the first nationwide survey of smoking prevalence was conducted in the country, more than 35 out of every 100 Korean adults were smokers. Now, it is just about 19. A closer look at the data, however, reveals some disturbing trends: e-cigarettes and unconventional tobacco products are gaining a strong foothold here, on top o...

Honorific titles can be tricky in many cultures, but can be particularly baffling in South Korea -- where various factors like social status, age, work experience and even social prejudice can be factored in. This is part one of a series on the myriad ways people address each other in the Korean language. -- Ed. In a scene played for laughs in the 2016 movie “Doctor Strange,” the titular protago...

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories -- a Korea Herald series exploring subway stations and their surrounding areas across the city. – Ed Step out of Exit No. 12 at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station on the Seoul subway and turn left at the second corner, and you will yourself surrounded by the Cyrillic alphabet. The area is commonly known as the Gwanghui-dong Central Asia Stree...

Unlike Europe, South Korea does not ban expressions of hatred against individuals or groups, unless it is tantamount to defamation. This may change soon, as some lawmakers move to protect former President Moon Jae-in from loud, vulgar rallies outside his retirement home. On Wednesday, a total of 15 lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, to which Moon belongs, proposed a le...