Dating in South Korea: When Even Your Chiropractor Becomes a Pain in the Neck
After a few years of living abroad, I returned to South Korea single but maybe not so ready to mingle with the opposite sex. I wanted to pursue other priorities first. But people around me didn’t see my indifference to dating very kindly, as I, at 25, was reaching
Okja's Success Challenges South Korea's Love Affair With Meat
Okja may be an imagined creature, brought to life by computer graphics. But the giant “super-pig” with emotive button eyes that hops around the steep yet idyllic mountain ridges of South Korea’s countryside may be changing the landscape of her country’s dinner tables. Despite the fact that major
Please Don't Walk Away Next Time You Hear a Scream
Imagine this. After a late evening golf practice, you light a cigarette and walk into the parking lot. Then, you hear a scream of a woman and see a pair of legs sticking out of one car. What would you do? On June 24, a woman surnamed Kim was abducted
Yeot: The Sweet Taffy With a Nasty Aftertaste
When South Korea’s national football team came home after giving a lamentable performance at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, an anonymous fan threw a handful of candies at the players as they lined up for a press conference at the airport. “Eat taffy!” he shouted twice at the
Education Blues Pt. 1: South Korea Cracks Down on Elite Schools
I suffered through an existential crisis in my second year of high school. By this, I don’t mean over my existence, but over my school’s existence. That year, abolishing foreign-language high schools hit the headlines for weeks, like it has been lately. We’d fret about the future
Text Bombs Are S Koreans' Latest Political Tactic
During the Cultural Revolution, millions of students across China went on a rampage against any perceived dissident, inflicting both physical and emotional violence. Half a century later in South Korea, to silence critics, supporters of political parties are using what the country is best known for: technology. More specifically, text
We Need to Tak about Hyeon-min
In a chapter of “A Manual for the Male Mind,” author Tak Hyeon-min provides a succinct bit of mansplaining. He recommends the old-fashioned pull-out method during intercourse as a means of birth control, his point being that since using a condom impedes the formation of “a next-level emotional rapport,” women
The Petals Around the Stigma
For a 91-year-old, Kim Bok-dong looks hale and hearty. Cheeks dotted with liver spots, wispy grey hair neatly combed. Kim doesn’t stand out in the crowd. But once she starts to talk about the “comfort women” issue, her eyes beam with passion. “Comfort women” is a euphemism, referring to
Money Is Key: Weddings for the Willingly Unmarried
While myriad reasons are causing young South Koreans to shun putting rings on their partners’ fingers, money is often the definitive factor. An average wedding costs 270 million won (24,000 U.S. dollars); not only that, finding affordable housing in major cities is close to impossible for newlyweds. As
Seoul's Seniors Seek Refuge in the City
For a behind-the-scenes glimpse, read Reporter’s Notebook: Summer in Tapgol Park.
Menstruation: I Don't Want to Whisper. I Don't Want to Wear White.
In the two minute ad, a youthful man beckons the unseen female behind the camera into his kitchen. “This special restaurant has opened just for you,” he says with a sheepish smile. After fumbling with kitchen utensils and ingredients, he serves the dishes on the table. The table is covered
How S. Korea's Abandoned Schools Return to Life
Perched in the highlands of Gangwon Province, Hwacheon is a rural county within reach of the armistice line between South and North Korea. Some parts are as close as nine kilometers from the demilitarized zone; unit after unit of troops stands in the county’s silent mountain ranges, in areas