Culture
From travel to subculture stories
What a British Food Critic Doesn't Know About Korean Food
Arguably the most reputable restaurant guide in the world, the Michelin Guide is a matter of life and death for some seasoned chefs. Earning a star not only drives hundreds of eager gourmets to the restaurant, but also vests the chef with a sense of accomplishment. The debut of the
KÉ Interview: British Food Critic Roasts Michelin Guide on Seoul
Andy Hayler claims to have dined in all, and we mean all, Michelin three-star restaurants in the world. He is an independent food critic and the author of books including The London Transportation Restaurant Guide. He also contributes to the National Geographic, has appeared on the BBC series Masterchef, and
Führer Causes Furor: Absurd "Mein Kampf" Edition Irks Expats
Earlier in August, British expatriate author Michael Breen was wandering around a branch of Kyobo Book Centre, one of the capital’s largest bookstores, in downtown Seoul. Amid the hundreds of rows of books, something odd caught his eye: On a shelf of recommended reads, next to Deborah Lipstadt’s
When Your Child Goes Missing For 18 Years
What would you do if your child went out one day and never came home? In South Korea, when a child goes missing, over 99 percent of them are found in the first two days. But the families of the remaining 1 percent may suffer for as long as
Dongdaemun Postcard: From Stall to Tower, Merchant to Tourist
The stalls are set up like tiny stores; an air-conditioned box designated for each merchant. Most hide behind their goods like hermit crabs in their shells, recoiling at the sight of the hot summer sun. Others yell out prices and wave signs on the sidewalk, trying to catch the attention
Alpabet or Alphabet? The Case for a New Hangeul
“I heard from the horse’s mouth it’s the most scientific alphabet in the world,” I once overheard a South Korean student say as he showed a Westerner a display on Hangeul, Korea’s indigenous alphabet, at the National Museum of Korea. Get over it, I thought, annoyed at
Heat Shelters Are So Hot Right Now
On its website, Seoul’s Gwangjin District has a map scattered with a total of 99 red pins that make the landscape look like it has broken out in heat rash. But contrary to its heated appearance, the red shapes denote air conditioned oases where people without other options can
Education Blues Pt. 3: A Deported English Teacher
English education is arguably the holy grail of South Korea’s infamous education craze. The private sector market for English education, rife with private cram schools called hagwon, amounted to 61 trillion won (about 55 billion U.S. dollars) in 2014. Among these hagwon is a group of
The Cleanest Race
Just before a race begins, loudspeakers pipe in bouncy music suggestive of a military procession. The hundreds of spectators rise from their seats, waving programs and yelling encouragement to the horses as they break from the gates. “Giddy up!” one elderly men yells in heavily accented English. As the horses
ké cast S1 E5: Wide Waistlines, Narrow Roles
“Fat” female comedians in S. Korea are often reduced to narrow roles that highlight their weight. They’re even seen as an empowering counter-current to conventional ideals of femininity. Is fat comedy for female comedians a tool for empowerment? Or a reinforcement of stereotypes? The
Education Blues Pt. 2: Sex Education Without Sex
How can students prevent sexual assault while on a trip with their friends? Don’t go in the first place, said the Ministry of Education’s first standardized sex education curriculum in 2015. And to prevent sexual assault when home alone with a friend of the opposite sex? Don’t
You Say Melon, I Say Lemon: Deborah Smith's Flawed Yet Remarkable Translation of "The Vegetarian"
When news hit that novelist Han Kang’s The Vegetarian (Korean: Chaesikjuuija) had won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize last year, a jolt of excitement surged through the country. In terms of prestige, the Man Booker is perhaps second only to the Nobel Prize for Literature. And in a