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Best Meat-Free Buddhist Places to Eat in Seoul
Typically known for fried chicken and barbecued pork belly, Korean food may not seem very vegetarian/vegan-friendly. But off the beaten paths in Seoul (and sometimes smack in the middle of it) stand Buddhist temples that offer clean and modest meat-free meals — even free of charge at times. In
Study: "Dating Violence Prevalent in Seoul"
88.5 percent of women living in Seoul have experienced dating violence, in some form or another, according to a report published on Jan. 30 by Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG). The report, titled “Dating Violence Leads to Domestic Violence After Marriage,” was based on an online survey of 2,000
The Artist Painting Seoul's Streets
Meet the street artist painting her impressions of Seoul — on Seoul. She illustrates the walls and buildings of the city, filling them with vibrant colors and characters.
How Influential Is Islam in South Korea?
Islam has a very small presence in South Korea. As recently as 2005, the religion section in the country’s census did not offer “Muslim” as a category. Currently, the number of Muslims in South Korea reportedly stands at roughly 200,000, or about 0.4 percent of the population.
Funerary Portraits for Those Who Can't Afford Them
Portraits are required at conventional South Korean funerals. But in a country where over half of the elderly population live below the poverty line, more Koreans can’t even afford that. Here’s a photographer who offered to take free portraits of the seniors in Jongno, Seoul.
The Palace's Painful Past
When it was built in 1909, the Grand Conservatory in Changgyeong Palace was the largest of its kind in Asia. After years of restoration, the conservatory has been opened to the public just last month. Is it a symbol of colonialists and capitalites tainting the royal legacy of the Joseon
Nightmare Before Christmas: Battle of the Solos
Even the rain on Christmas Eve did not deter couples in South Korea from going out on dates. “I feel like we both took for granted that we would be spending Christmas together,” said Alice Son, a 22-year-old college student in Seoul, about her plans with her boyfriend. She said
Female Bus Drivers in Seoul
There are some 20,000 bus drivers in Seoul. Only 2 percent of them are women. Korea Exposé spoke to a couple of them to find out more about their job experience. Many jobs are still assumed to be “men’s/women’s jobs.”
Sexist Books for Children
These books are for children, as young as three. How do they portray women and men in the workplace? Pretty conservatively. We visited Kyobo Bookstore in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, the biggest bookstore in the country. The portrayals of women in its top-selling “learning books” for children were disappointing,
"Black Protests" Call End to Outdated Abortion Law
These “black protesters” want to put an end to South Korea’s outdated abortion law, which activists argue places most of the burden on women, who must not only bear the brunt of the pregnancy, but also face the social stigma and shame surrounding abortion. Abortion
Nostalgia: Music for the Old
“Adding Memories” is a cafe in Jongno, Seoul, catering mostly to the elderly crowd, who remember the days decades ago, when people crowded around the jukebox or vinyl records. “Their song requests have a different level of longing,” the DJ said. Read more about Jongno, a
The Old Man’s Harbor
Everyday for the past twenty years, 78-year-old Kim Yun-sik has been going to Jongno in central Seoul. Around noon, he eats free lunch at the cafeteria where a Buddhist temple used to stand until the 1500s; until 5 p.m., he whiles away the time in Tapgol Park, and in