south korean culture
Who Is to Blame for the Ills of South Korea's Musical Industry?
At a quarter to ten on a Friday evening, the glass door of a theater in Hyehwa, Seoul, opened, letting out a group of young women. Instead of leaving, they slowly queued just beyond the stone path that led up to the building. They were fans of Mama, Don’t
Stop Attributing Everything to Confucianism
To some, Confucianism is synonymous with East Asia. Anything and everything about East Asian countries, good or bad, seems to be explicable through Confucianism. Perhaps sociologist Max Weber set the trend when he argued in 1915 that Confucian values had discouraged capitalist development in China. A century later, the Economist
Quiz: Are You A South Korean Hipster?
For hipsters, the hipster culture is so yesterday. (Or, if you’re a hipster, you probably won’t call yourself one) Many contemporary subgroups have now, ironically enough, become mainstream enough to no longer be deemed “cool,” as in fringe, niche, or esoteric enough to decorate the consumer with a
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
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
Dear Customer, I Love You: Emotional Labor at South Korean Call Centers
One call center is bringing back its old greeting: “Dear customer, I love you.” The needlessly romantic phrase appeared in mid 2006, but was put to an end in little more than two years after accusations that forcing call center workers to address callers “with love” constituted “emotional
What's in a Name: Can a Fortuneteller's Advice Change Your Fate?
“I changed my name to Mi-eun. From now on, please call me by my new name only.” My friend kindly corrected me when we met for the first time in seven years. “I wanted to get a new start in my life. You know, my grandmother always said my
Public Wedding Ad Angers Young South Koreans
A beaming young bride and groom step through a door into a sunlit future, accompanied by the strings of Wagner’s Wedding March… only to be confronted by a daunting row of hurdles. So begins a public-service advertisement from Kobaco (Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation) released on