In South Korea, the hyper-local app KarrotMarketplace (당근마켓) isn’t just for selling used items anymore — it’s quietly becoming a social experiment. The app connects neighbors who live nearby, encouraging face-to-face meetups for simple trades. But lately, something funny has been happening after these exchanges.
A growing trend on Karrot and social media shows neighbors casually suggesting, “Want to grab fries?” after completing a deal. Not coffee. Not a full meal. Just french fries. It’s low-pressure, inexpensive, and universally loved. A sofa pickup turns into a five-minute fry break. A book sale becomes a sidewalk snack date. Fries have somehow become the unofficial friendship starter of Korean neighborhoods.
Following the merger with Korean Air (completed December 2024), Asiana Airlines has fully relocated its Seoul–Incheon Airport (ICN) operations from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 as of January 14, 2026 — a key step toward the integrated carrier launch in 2027.
Incheon Airport’s Terminal 1 (T1) served as Asiana’s home for over 25 years, with four lounges — Business Suite, Business Lounge East, Central, and West — spread across the departure hall. Terminal 1 remains a major hub for many other international airlines, including Star Alliance carriers like Air Canada, Air India, EVA Air, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines.
With the move, Terminal 2 (T2) — modern, spacious, and opened in 2018 — now hosts both Korean Air and Asiana flights as part of the unified operation. Korean Air is actively expanding T2 lounges (Prestige, First, Garden) to accommodate the increased network, nearly doubling overall lounge space and adding reservation systems to improve passenger flow. They’re a big step up from T1’s existing Asiana lounges.
Korean Air lounge at Incheon Airport (ICN) Terminal 2, now serving Asiana customers
Good news for United Airlines (UA) Star Alliance Gold members: you can still access the existing Asiana lounges in T1 as well as the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge before your move, even though main operations have shifted.
Singapore Airlines – SilverKris Lounge at ICN T1, a Star Alliance member
There’s two shower rooms and an LG Styler (sanitize and deodorize) in the SilverKris lounge.
Airport Auto-Immigration (SES) – arrival auto-immigration available to US residents who have Global Entry and signup- 100,000KRW fee. Departure auto-immigration is free and available to all travelers departing Incheon Airport
Tourist SIM card part one and part two – now easier to use e-SIMs such as the Asia Pacific APC package from Nomad (no affiliation with ETLK – cheap and works great in north Asia incl Korea. (And bypasses the Great Firewall in China)
Seoul is rolling out English-labeled taxi receipts to make rides clearer and safer for foreign visitors. Until now, receipts were issued only in Korean, making it difficult for tourists to understand base fares, late-night surcharges, or extra fees.
2026 is the Year of the (Red) Fire Horse. 丙午年 Fire Horse years are known for intense energy, bold movement, and a strong desire for independence. The Horse symbolizes freedom, speed, and confidence, while Fire adds passion, ambition, and dramatic change.
Tuesday February 17, 2025 is Lunar New Year’s Day.
They say the daily commute in South Korea is the longest in the world — an average of about 1 hour and 48 minutes each way. That’s 40 minutes more than the global average of 1 hour 08 minutes.
According to the Korea Herald, a 34-year-old man named Lee Han‑soo says his door-to-desk commute takes nearly 2½ hours every day.
11/2025 Flu cases in Korea are rising quickly this month, with health officials warning of an early 독감 (flu) 유행 (epidemic). The number of patients showing flu-like symptoms more than doubled compared to last week, especially among children.
