On early mornings in Seoul, the city feels completely different. Before traffic builds and cafés fill with students, you can hear the soft echo of delivery scooters and the rustle of street vendors setting up stalls.
There’s a special kind of calm that appears in Seoul during winter. The city stays busy, of course, but step inside a warm café in Gangnam, Hongdae, or even a tiny alleyway in Ikseon-dong, and everything slows down. The windows fog, the heaters hum quietly, and people wrap their hands around hot drinks like they’re holding onto little pieces of warmth.
Lately in Korea, we’re seeing a strong blend of tradition and global influence. For example, the iconic Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁 / gyeong-bok-gung) continues to draw visitors from around the world, reminding us that our past still lives in our present. Meanwhile, the Korea Trade‑Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA / 코트라) says Korea is stepping into a new phase where K-culture exports (K-컬처 수출 / K-keol-che su-chul) will fuel consumer-goods growth.
An Illustrated Guide to Korean is 18.93 on Amazon (free shipping for Prime members). It’s also on sale for 10% off at Hank’s Bookstore (Seoul Selection Bookshop) in Seoul (13,320Won).
The Korean internet and TV programs are chattering over the comeback of round head plastic surgery. If the back of your head appears flat or un-rounded, look no further than the surgeons of South Korea for a fix. A small cut is made at the back of the head and bone cement is injected to form a rounder surface. This is not a popular surgery, but it’s certainly the most talked about one.
뒷통수– dwit-tong-su – backside of the head
성형 – plastic surgery
뒷통수 성형 – Back of head plastic surgery
More here (in Korean) with pictures.
Ryan Estrada is responsible for a fantastic Korean comic book entitled Learn to Read Korean in 15 Minutes. The comic does a wonderful job of teaching by association. He teaches the Korean alphabet by choosing English words and sounds which are pictorially similar to Korean letters.
For example, ㅂ, which sounds like a ‘b’, is associated with the a “bucket” (b)ucket. Continue reading
Korean KAIST engineers have dreamed up a wireless charging system for buses that offers 85% energy efficiency. This allows for smaller and cheaper batteries than are found in today’s electric vehicles. Continue reading