Weekender In series
Latest trends in Korean culture and society.
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Weekender In series
Latest trends in Korean culture and society.
Would you like to subscribe?
‘Poppamine’: New dopamine rush from luck-based toy machines
In an age of instant dopamine hits, more Koreans are chasing quick thrills through toy vending machines, or gacha — games of chance that keep them coming back for more. For about 5,000 to 10,000 won ($3.50-$7) a spin, each turn of the handle dispenses what’s known as a gachapon, a plastic capsule containing either the object of desire or a small disappointment, followed by the inevitable dopamine crash. Across the country, malls, arcades and even subway stations have embraced these vending fanta
Oct. 25, 2025 - 16:00:00
‘Korea Glow Up’: How beauty, antiaging industry is powering South Korea’s medical tourism
On her first trip to Seoul in 2023, Heidi Mae couldn’t take her eyes off the walls inside a Gangnam subway station lit up with glossy billboards for cosmetic surgery, especially the images of women with radiant skin and plump, youthful cheeks. Having lost nearly 10 kilograms at the time, she felt her skin loosen and her cheeks began to sag, and Korea appeared to be the ideal destination to address her beauty concerns. A year later, she returned to Korea for a full face-lift and rhinoplasty at Na
Oct. 11, 2025 - 16:00:00
Secondhand goes corporate: Korea’s used goods market comes of age
South Korea’s online secondhand market was once a network of consumer-driven trades, loosely overseen by companies offering little more than secure payments and basic fraud checks. Today, the market is being commercialized with unusual speed, swelling to a projected 43 trillion won ($30.6 billion) this year — nearly double its size in just four years — according to the Korea Internet & Security Agency. Hence the retail platform surge. From peer-to-peer swaps to business-run ventures, all are vyi
Oct. 4, 2025 - 16:00:00
More than a game: A trip through Korea's baseball culture
After garnering more than 10 million spectators for the first time in the country’s history last year, South Korea's top baseball league broke its single-season attendance record with 10.9 million baseball lovers, and counting, as of Sept. 5. Sports critics and experts insist the seemingly unending popularity of Korean baseball is attributed to strong performances from historically popular clubs like the Samsung Lions in Daegu, Kia Tigers in Gwangju and Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon, which led with m
Sept. 13, 2025 - 16:00:00
Final goodbyes: Pet funerals become part of Korean life
Kim Ji-hyun, a woman in her 30s from Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, said goodbye last year to Kong, her 17-year-old Maltese. She visited a pet funeral home in a nearby city, equipped with a crematorium, to hold a final farewell for her longtime companion. The ceremony for Kong closely resembled a typical Korean funeral for a person. The dog was gently washed, wrapped in hemp cloth and placed in a wooden coffin by a funeral home staff member dressed in black mourning attire. Kim’s family gathered in
Sept. 6, 2025 - 16:00:02
'Every parent needs a daughter': Why Korean parents are falling for girls
“It’s a boy. I need words of consolation.” An expectant mother on Korea’s largest online parenting forum, Moms Holic, expresses her frustration after learning about the gender of her baby-to-be. Others share that sentiment. “My husband and I plan to have a second child in two to three years, so we were really hoping the first would be a girl. Honestly, the prospect that we might have two boys in a row feels overwhelming," another expecting mom writes, after an ultrasound session showed her first
Aug. 23, 2025 - 16:00:00
Seoul’s night owls try daylight: coffee, dancing, and new friends at sunrise
At exactly 7 a.m., sunlight poured into a glass-walled cafe in central Seoul, splashing over a crowd ready to party. The bass thumped, not in the haze of a nightclub, but in the clean, crisp air of a new day. No cocktails, no cigarette smoke. Instead, lemon-flavored Americano and Matcha coconut were served as strangers grinned at one another across the dance floor. This is not a night out — it's the Seoul Morning Coffee Club’s "Morning Rave." The idea is simple but surprising in a city known for
Aug. 16, 2025 - 16:00:00
Why more Koreans are becoming side hustlers
Kim Sol-nim, 33, writes blogs for hospitals and law firms after returning home from her main job at around 6 p.m. She spends one to four hours daily on side work, earning between 600,000 won and 800,000 won ($430-$575) per month as extra income. She used to run an Airbnb and gave weekend lectures related to her current job in insurance in the past. Now, she is preparing a pet furniture design business with friends. This does not mean that she plans to quit her main job anytime soon. Her main job
July 26, 2025 - 16:00:00
'Aboha': Koreans who opt for a life less extraordinary
Every evening, 31-year-old office worker Choe Sung-ha used to scroll through social media platforms and browse online portals, looking for something to fill her after-work hours. “I wanted to do something that made me look put-together,” Choe told The Korea Herald. “Something that would make me look cool and on top of my game, like going to book club meetings, trying CrossFit when I’m far from being athletic and so on.” Over time, Choe added that those activities left her “more drained than fulf
July 19, 2025 - 16:00:00
‘Teto’ or ‘egen’? Young Koreans turn to hormone-inspired identity tests
Bae Sung-jin, a 30-year-old office worker, says there’s now one more way to check compatibility during blind dates. “I get emotionally drained easily and tend to be very sensitive in relationships. So I make sure to check their MBTI and whether they’re a 'teto' or 'egen' type,” he said. Twenty-two-year-old Lee, who recently got into so-called “identity tests,” introduced herself as follows: “I’m an ‘egen woman,’ so feminine clothing suits me well. But my personality is more like a ‘teto woman.’
July 12, 2025 - 16:00:00
Summer reads: Books for the hottest days
By Culture Desk Reading is one of the simplest ways to beat the summer heat. From gripping page-turners that whisk us away to reflective essays and self-help titles that gently guide us back into daily life after a break, this season’s recommendations span genres and moods. The Korea Herald asked people from a wide range of fields what books they’ve recently enjoyed and which ones they’d recommend for summer. Their picks might just lead you to a perfect companion for a lazy afternoon or a long-a
July 5, 2025 - 15:58:00
Will Korea’s barely-there stand-up scene stir to life?
When Netflix launched its first Korean stand-up special in 2018, the strategy seemed solid. The plan was to sign big-name comedians, tap into their star power, and introduce local audiences to a genre that had taken off in the US. But the jokes didn’t land. The debut, “Yoo Byung-jae: Discomfort Zone,” received a lukewarm response. The follow-up specials, “Park Na-rae: Glamour Warning” in 2019 and “Lee Su-geun: The Sense Coach” in 2021, didn’t perform any better. None generated the kind of buzz N
June 28, 2025 - 16:00:00
Murder, mystery and make-believe: Inside Korea’s booming role-play game cafes
The lights are out, and the air is thick with tension inside an abandoned psychiatric hospital -- shuttered just a week ago after a devastating fire. Armed with only a flashlight, you step cautiously into the darkness to find three other suspects standing in silence, each tasked with uncovering the truth behind the murder of the hospital director. As you sift through the wreckage together for evidence, every second counts -- before one of you is accused of being the killer. This is not a real cr
June 14, 2025 - 16:00:00
Floral refuge at heart of Seoul
In Seoul, a city defined by its high-rises and sprawling infrastructure, green spaces like Hangang Park, the silver grass fields of Haneul Park, and the tree-lined Seoul Forest offer a chance to slow down and reconnect with nature. For those looking for more than just a scenic stroll, Boramae Park in Dongjak-gu offers something different, starting this week. This year, it plays host to the 10th edition of the Seoul International Garden Show — an immersive event that turns public gardens into liv
May 24, 2025 - 16:00:00
Buffets are back: Diners seek bang for their buck amid inflation
Cho Ha-eun, a woman in her 30s, waited in line for over an hour to enter a casual buffet chain in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, for lunch on a weekend in March. When she arrived around noon, more than 50 groups were waiting outside the restaurant, as it was offering strawberries as part of a seasonal event. “I expected there would be a wait because of the event, but not for 1 1/2 hours. There were several other locations of the same chain across Suwon (offering the same event),” Cho said. The chain
May 17, 2025 - 16:00:00
