Road names – Another way to know great Korean historical figures

**Last updated on: 15 October 2020**

In my blog post dated 6 May 2017 on Korean banknotes, you may learn more about some famous Korean historical figures through their portraits on the banknotes.  In fact, you also have the chance to do so when you’re walking around in South Korea – some of the roads are named after some great Korean historical figures.  In this blog post, I will share some examples with you. Continue reading

Korean “방” (“Bang”) culture

**Last updated on: 15 October 2020**

In Korean, “방” (“bang” – pronounced as “bahng”) means “room”.  In the Western world, “room” usually refers to some private spaces used by restricted groups of people, e.g., dining room, bathroom, bedroom and living room at home or conference room at the office. However, in South Korea, you can find a lot of “방” (“bang”) which are places for public entertainment. Let’s talk about some of them in this post. Continue reading

Seollal : Differences between the two Koreas

Seollal (the Korean Lunar New Year), which is an important festival among the Koreans, has just passed.  While the people living in North Korea and South Korea share the same ethnic origin and may have similar customs, there may be some cultural differences between people living in the two Koreas mainly due to the differences in their political systems.  Let’s discuss some key differences in the Seollal-related customs between the two Koreas in this blog post. If you want to know more about the Korean customs for Seollal in South Korea, you may refer to my blog posts dated 18 February 2015 and 23 February 2015, respectively. Continue reading

Chance to know more about Korean sports history

With the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics drawing near, there are special exhibitions held to celebrate this great event in South Korea. Apart from the tiger-related special exhibition held in the National Museum of Korea mentioned in my blog post dated 28 January 2018, a special exhibition entitled “Korean Sports, a History Written in Sweat” is currently held in the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History until 4 March 2018.  Continue reading

Tiger in Korean Culture

Q: What do the Seoul 1988 Olympics, the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea 2017 and the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have in common, apart from the fact that they are hosted in South Korea?

A: They all use tigers as the official mascots.

According to a poll run by the National Institute of Biological Resources, part of the Ministry of Environment, tiger is Koreans’ favourite animal. In fact, tiger has a close connection with the Korean culture – let’s discuss about this in this blog post. Continue reading

Incheon Airport Terminal 2 Opens

In the past, you didn’t need to check the terminal for departure from the Incheon Airport in South Korea as there was only one terminal. Starting from 18 January 2018, with the opening of Terminal 2 of the Incheon Airport, you should double-check the terminal before getting off the train or bus when going to the airport. In this blog post, let’s talk about this new terminal. Continue reading

Trends associated with individualism in South Korea

You may have heard a lot about the group mentality among Koreans which is heavily influenced by Confucianism.  However, recently, there has been a rise of individualism in the Korean society, especially among the younger generations.  There is an increasing number of people in South Korea who live alone and do a lot of activities alone, e.g., eating out, drinking, watching movies, etc.  In my blog post dated 12 March 2017, I have talked about the rise of solo economy which is associated with individualism. In this blog post, let’s talk about two more trends associated with individualism in South Korea.

Untact Marketing for Shopping

Continue reading

Merry X’mas (메리 크리스마스) from Seoul!

X’mas lighting on the walls of Myeongdong Shinsegae Department Store

Merry X’mas!  Tomorrow is the X’mas day – wish all of you Happy Holidays! Although X’mas is a western festival, in South Korea, X’mas is also a great day for celebration with the family members and friends.  If you are not in Seoul, hope you may be able to get some X’mas greetings from Seoul from the two photos in this blog post. Continue reading