Category Archives: News

Samsung suspected leukemia cases to be addressed.

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151 Samsung factory workers have been diagnosed with leukemia since starting work at Samsung Electronics in Korea. 58 of them have also died at a very young age. The high number of cases is very unusual and it’s surprising that accountability and liability have been swept under the rug. For years, Samsung has hushed the issue and denied any link between the hazardous chemicals at their plants and leukemia, refusing to make any apologies.

The Korea Times reports that on Monday, Samsung announced that they will soon take an official position on the issue. Many families have been suffering in their fight against the largest conglomerate in Korea. It’s nearly impossible to stand up against a bully who controls everything, especially what people can say about them publicly. Continue reading →

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Restaurants begin catering to those eating alone.

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In the past, takeout or delivery were the only options for Koreans not dining with friends or colleagues. Delivery is normally free and offers all the side dishes included with dine-in meals. With the large number of groups, be it friends or the frequent company team dinner, it feels weird to sit alone next to a table of 8. Add to the fact that many Korean specialty restaurants cater soups, stews, and bbq to parties with a minimum of two people.

The trend for 2014 is the individual. Restaurants like Lotteria, TGI Friday’s, and Pizza Hut have changed menus to offer dishes-for-one. They’ve also changed table seating to be more comfortable for those eating alone. Experts look to the rising number of singe-person households as well as people getting married at a later age as catalysts.

포장 pojang – takeout (“to wrap-up”)
회식 hoesik – company/team dinner (“dining together”) Continue reading →

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Happy Black Day (Singles Day)!

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There are three unofficial “love” holidays on the 14th:
2/14 – Valentine’s Day – guys receive gifts
3/14 – White Day – girls receive gifts (Japan and Korea)
4/14 – Black Day – single people buy black-bean noodles to celebrate/cry about their single hood (Korea-only)

블랙데이 beullaek-dei – Black Day
짜장면 jjajang-myeon – Korean-style (Chinese) black bean noodles

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Korean credit card payment terminals hacked.

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Adding to the long list of insecure banking and payment systems in Korea, POS (Point Of Sale) terminals were recently hacked. 200,000 credit card users had their information stolen last Friday. As a result, $115,000USD in 268 transactions was stolen. If you bank in Korea, ensure that you’re enrolled in (free) mobile phone transaction notification via SMS.

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Seoul’s electronic flea markets.

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This article reminded me how much fun the electronic markets were before internet shopping became popular. Yongsan and Hwanghakdong’s electronic street are still popular places to buy PC parts and other electronics. Yongsan, in particular, is especially good for PC parts. Continue reading →

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Food trucks to finally become legal.

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Food trucks, like the ones found in US cities, will become legal in Korea as early as May. As part of sweeping de-regulations intended to help create jobs, the Park Geun-Hye administration will soon allow commercial trucks to be converted into moving restaurants (with wild menus). As long as food safety and cleanliness are maintained, this is a huge win for the citizens of Seoul and other big cities.

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Working in Korea.

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Of the 50 millions residents of South Korea, 1.4 million are foreign workers. The number has dramatically increased in recent years as Korean companies seek highly skilled international workers. The process to obtain a working visa has also been simplified since it moved online.

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