Korean Duty Free Shops complain of the hardships from revenue-based licensing fees. These fees are uncommon in Asian countries which more commonly use fixed annual fees.
Interested in learning about travel gifts?
2nd day of heavy snow.
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We are back at Seoul’s Incheon Airport today and it’s super busy again due to all the flight cancellations/delays from the heavy snow yesterday. Thankfully it mostly stopped snowing in Seoul/Incheon around 10am today.
If you plan to travel to Korea, download and register yourself in the free ICN SmartPass app for Incheon International Airport. This app allows you to use skip the departure security line going into the secure area of the airport simply by using your Face (Face ID).
And for those shopping, the Duty Free Stores in Seoul and at the airport have lots of end of year sales, many 10-20% and sometimes more. For vocab, see our article.
Record snow in Seoul
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Korean Gimbap takes off in US.
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Korean gimbap rolls have been trending in the U.S., specifically Trader Joe’s vegetarian type gimbap. Their frozen version is only $3.99 and contains vegetables and tofu. Videos and reviews can be seen in Reddit and TikTok. Continue reading
11/11 Pepero Day.
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November 11 is just around the corner. Often referred to as Pepero Day, young Koreans give Pepero (like Pocky) packs to friends, families, boyfriends, and girlfriends.
All of the “1’s” in the date 11/11 are similar in shape to Pepero sticks, hence the connection between the snack and the date. The day is a lighter and less serious version of Valentine’s Day. Large displays of this snack can be seen in convenience stores and supermarkets.
Learn dating vocabulary here.
Autumn in Seoul.
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Autumn season is a fantastic time to be in Seoul. Gyeongbokgung Palace is a wonderful place to see all the fall colors.
Want to learn autumn and fall season vocabulary? Also here and here.