An article in the Korea Herald today discusses why some Koreans may be less inclined to entertain small talk, outside of the workplace and more so with strangers. The suggested reasons include anxiety from answering personal questions and fatigue from politeness at work.
We covered small talk in a vocab-filled post.
잡담 – (japdam) small talk
The Korean cosmetics industry blossomed into a $10.2 billion dollar export in 2024. While still in their infancy, the Korea Heralds sees “Korean consumers growing attuned to the nuances of fine fragrance and younger generations seek individuality over mass-market appeal,” And a Vogue Singapore post on Korean fragrances.
Want to learn who to say perfume and more in Korean, here’s our post.
As of March 27, 2025, the North Gyeongsang Province fire has spread to over 36k hectares. At least 26 deaths and 30 injuries have been reported since March 14 when the fire started. Sadly, the Gounsa Temple, built in 681AD, was completely destroyed. The fire is only 54% contained.
We have covered quite a bit of related fire topics:
Firefighters part one
Fire prevention and Safety: part one and part two.
The 2025 season for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) kicked off to sold-out games on Saturday March 22, 2025. According to the Korea Herald, this was the third season that opening day games sold-out for Korea Baseball.
Want to learn vocabulary on attending a baseball game? And there’s a part two. And vocabulary about playing baseball.
Continue reading
The Korea Herald has an article today suggesting that ceetain middle-aged men are becoming cool with younger generations. Whether it’s a TV personality or someone famous on social, young people are finding these middle-aged men to be authentic, down to earth, and relatable.
아저씨 (ajeossi) – middle-aged man
Check out part 1 and part 2 of our series on men.
Update 4/3/2025 Cherry blossom season has begun!
Cherry blossoms will start to bloom on Jeju Island around March 22 and then work their way up the Korean Peninsula. They’ll start to bloom in Seoul around April 1 and reach peak bloom there by April 8.
For those in Seoul, Yeouido is a famous place to see the cherry blossoms.
Cherry blossom – 벚꽃 beot-kkeot