According to the Ministry of Labor, South Korea’s average monthly wage reached ₩3.97 million in April 2025 (~$2,900 USD), up 2.7% from 2024. However, real wages—adjusted for inflation—barely grew, showing just a 0.6% increase. Income gaps remain wide as financial workers earned over ₩7 million (~$5100USD/month), while restaurant and hotel staff earned around ₩2.18 million (~1600USD/month). Minimum wage in South Korea is 10,030Won (~$7.35USD) per hour.
South Korea is forecasted to welcome over 20 million foreign tourists this year—surpassing the previous high of ~16.4 million tourists in 2024. This boom is expected to generate around $20.2 billion in revenue, accounting for approximately 2.5% of national consumer spending. This data comes from a report by the Hyundai Research Institute.
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Serving salads, poke bowls, wraps, hot bowls, sandwiches, and soup, Salady is a Seoul chain with 6 locations. We visited the Seoul Gangnam location.
Tucked along the peaceful Yangjae Stream in Dogok-dong (도곡), you’ll find a charming lineup of cafés, bakeries, and restaurants perfect for a relaxing stroll or a quiet bite. One standout is Sim Jae (心斋), a specialty dessert café known for its creative fusion-style cakes sold by the slice. While this location focuses on cakes, Sim Jae’s other branches also serve up tarts, bagels, brownies, and a variety of other handcrafted treats—each one as thoughtfully made as its serene name suggests.
유자쌍화 (Yuja Ssanghwa) is a Korean herbal tea that blends yuja (yuzu citrus) with ssanghwa, a traditional tonic made from multiple medicinal herbs.
The drink is known for its immune-boosting, energizing, and warming properties—excellent for fatigue or on cold days. 쌍화 provides a gentler long-term energy boost, a bit different than a caffeinated energy drink.
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It was announced on 6/16/2025 that T-Money, a rechargeable pre-paid transportation card in Korea, will soon support Apple Pay. This means that you’ll soon be able to add a digital T-Money card to your iPhone and Apple Watch.
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Spicy stir-fried chicken rice bowl (닭갈비 덮밥). A comforting meal during the current heavy rain. Boneless skinless chicken thigh marinated in a gochujang-type sauce (Korean red chili paste) with garlic, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and sometimes ginger.
