Why Are Floors in Korean Hanok Houses Yellow?
Whenever I’ve been to a traditional Korean hanok house or watched a historical drama set in the palace, I’ve noticed that the floors are always yellow.
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LANGUAGE&CULTURE
What happens on April Fools’ Day in Korea?
It’s probably not a great day to be a school teacher on April Fools’ Day (만우절 man-oo-cheol) as pranks might
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The Impeachment of President Park Geun Hye
It was an historic moment last Sunday evening. Former President Park Geun Hye finally left the Blue House after her impeachment.
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What is the difference between these two Korean flags on Independence Movement Day
The front page of today’s Joongang Daily newspaper has a picture of two Korean flags. (here’s the joongang daily online version
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What is a Korean custom on the first day of spring? ipchun
ipchun is the first day of spring. And ipchun daegil 입춘대길 (立春大吉) is a wish for good luck in the
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What are Lunar New Year Gift sets?
Spam season is here again. Yes, it’s Lunar New Year next weekend. So we are being inundated with flyers advertising
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Who are the Kakao Friends?
Is it just me or are emoji and animated sticker characters taking over the world? The Kakao Friends were once unassuming
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Korean idioms: chak shim sam il (short-lived resolutions)
If you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution and then struggled to keep it, then this idiom is for you.
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What is a ka-ul namja, Autumn Man?
As September began, one of my single adult male students told me that he had become a ka-ul namja –
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Does the Devil Wear Prada Shoes?
Here’s the most famous shoe in Korea. And no, it doesn’t belong to Cinderella. The picture appeared on the front
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How does the Kim Young Ran Law affect weddings?
This week I’ve been writing about the new anti-corruption law, The Kim Young Ran Law, and in particular the 3-5-10
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What is the Kim Young Ran Law? part 2: 50,000 won gifts
50,000 WON GIFTS In my last post I wrote about the new anti-corruption law – Kim Young Ran Act –
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What is the Kim Young Ran Act?
The Kim Young Ran Act, a new anti-corruption law, came into effect in 2016. It was big news and fascinating
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How are Suicide and Status Anxiety related in Korea?
A horrific case in Gwangju, south Jeolla province, just made the news. In this post I’ll take a look at the case in relation to status anxiety in Korea with notes from the book Status Anxiety , by Alain De Botton
Read MoreHow do Helicopter Parents Harass the Korean Army?
picture: news.chosun.com June 6 is memorial day in Korea (현충일 hyeonchung-il 顯忠日) So I thought that today I would do an army-themed post. This
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How far will a man go to pass the Korean Civil Service?
picture 머니투데이 The civil servants exam takes place in Seoul every year. It was just held in March but this year a
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What do people do on April Fools’ Day in Korea?
Here’s a poster for a promotion taken from the CGV cinema chain’s website. It explains that if you want to get a
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Korean Greeting Card: 부자 되세요 Be rich!
I was in Kyobo Bookstore and saw this greeting card nuzzled in amongst the Christmas cards. On the front is
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What happens at the temple on Buddha’s Birthday?
In May the streets of Seoul are lined with lanterns looking forward to the celebration of cho-pa-il (초파일, 初八日, Shakyamuni’s
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