Korean Company Dinners: A Practical Guide to Hoesik
A practical, respectful guide to Korean company dinners: what hoesik means, how to handle drinking, conversation, and leaving early.
-
-
Why Korea Calls RESCENE a Miracle
K-Pop · Industry · Underdogs Why Korea Calls RESCENE a Miracle — and What That Word Really Means 중소돌의 기적 — 2년 묵은 노래가 1위를 한 밤에 대하여 Scroll On the night of July 8, 2026, five young women went on a live stream in pajamas and baseball caps—having just been dragged out of bed—and…
-
A bowl of broth, a spoon of rice – Gukbap(국밥)
Seoul Notebook · Issue 04 · Food A bowl of broth, a spoon of rice — and the only cure Koreans really trust the morning after. 국밥 — 해장의 정석, 그리고 한국 남자의 가장 정직한 위로 한 그릇. Scroll · 다섯 그릇 이야기 It’s 7:40 a.m. on a Saturday in Seodaemun, and the man two…
-
Summer Is Already Here in Korea
Seasons · Climate · Seoul Life Summer Is AlreadyHere in Korea 한국의 봄이 사라졌다 — 4월에 시작된 여름 이야기 Scroll I stepped out of my apartment building in seoul on Thursday morning wearing a light jacket, the same one I’ve worn every April since I can remember. By the time I reached the subway station…
-
From Vending Machines to Pour-Over Pilgrimages
Korean Life · Culture · Daily Rituals From Vending Machinesto Pour-OverPilgrimages 한국 커피 문화, 자판기에서 핸드드립까지의 여정 Scroll Two coins into the slot. A paper cup rattles down. Thin brown liquid fills it halfway, too hot to hold, too sweet to call coffee. It’s 1996, I’m a university sophomore cramming for midterms, and this vending…
-
The Haetae, Guardian of the Palace Gate
Korean Heritage · Mythology · Gyeongbokgung The Haetae,Guardian ofthe Palace Gate 경복궁을 지키는 상상의 동물, 해태 이야기 Scroll Stand before Gwanghwamun — the great southern gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace — and you’ll find a pair of stone creatures sitting in watchful silence, their wide eyes fixed permanently southward. Visitors snap photos, children climb their pedestals,…
-
Korea Trend 2026 — The Return of Retro Wellness: How My Grandmother’s Korean Table Became the World’s Hottest Food Movement
Korea Trend 2026 — The Return of Retro Wellness Looking back now, I realize that when I was growing up in 1980s Korea, everything we ate was wellness food. Every morning, my mother would set the table with japgokbap — rice cooked with a medley of grains like barley, millet, and black beans — alongside…
-
The Land That Knew Four Seasons(사계절)
The Land That Knew Four Seasons When I was a boy in 1980s of KOREA, I could tell you exactly what month it was with my eyes closed. Not by the calendar—by the air itself. The dry, razor-sharp cold of January that stung the inside of your nostrils. The sudden sweetness of April, when the…
-
Beyond Fine Dining:The K-Chef Wave You Didn’t See Coming
Let me tell you something that most food blogs won’t. When foreigners hear “K-Chef,” they picture a sleek Michelin-starred restaurant in Gangnam, maybe a tasting menu with tweezered microgreens and a wine pairing list longer than a novel. And sure, we have those. But that image barely scratches the surface of what’s actually happening…
-
“ARIRANG (아리랑)” — What This Word Means to Korean People
A Guide for BTS ARMY(Fans) As a Korean who has lived in Korea my entire life, I witnessed firsthand how people around me reacted when BTS announced that their fifth studio album would be titled Arirang. Surprise. Deep emotion. And a hint of tension. “Wait, they actually went with Arirang?” “Will Arirang even land with…
-
[SEOUL VIBE] 2026 S/S: High-Tech Meets High-Nature in Korea!
Hey everyone! It’s your editor here, bringing you the hottest real-time trends straight from the streets of Seoul. Spring 2026 is officially here, and the vibe in Seoul has shifted. It’s no longer just about wearing “pretty clothes”—it’s about wearing a philosophy. We’re seeing a fascinating harmony between smarter technology and a deep longing to…
-
The 2026 Vibe: A Shift Toward the “Hybrid” Festival
Winter in Korea is a test of endurance, but it’s also a specific sensory experience: the crunch of frozen river water under a boot, the smell of pine needles, and the steam rising from a freshly grilled trout. As we move into the 2026 season, however, the “classic” winter festival is undergoing a quiet transformation….
