As borders were closed by travel restrictions due to COVID-19, one photographer in South Korea decided to embark on a new challenge at home: photographing Seoul in his own way. K. Chae, a 43-year-old street photographer whose full name is Chae Kyung-wan, has traveled to 85 countries for his photography work. His goal was to take his camera to 100 countries. But his last planned trip to Central Asia in 2020 was forced to be canceled due to COVID-19. And in a way, his latest exhibition and photo

Culture April 11, 2022

Apple CEO Tim Cook welcomed the opening of a new Apple Store in the shopping district of Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on Saturday, “Apple Myeongdong opened its doors as our newest store in the heart of Korea. We‘re thrilled to further support our Korean customers in a space as unique and vibrant as the community it serves,” Cook tweeted Saturday. In another tweet Sunday, he congratulated K-pop group Seventeen’s appearance on Today at Apple -- a creative initiative offere

Technology April 10, 2022

Should BTS perform at the inauguration ceremony for South Korea’s incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol? Some fans say just leave the group alone. After a member of Yoon’s transition team said Tuesday that a BTS performance is being discussed for the May 10 event, fans of the K-pop juggernaut flooded the committee’s website with posts opposing it. “Please do not politicize BTS,” one post uploaded on Wednesday read. On the presidential office’s website, a simil

K-pop April 6, 2022

Working class heroes or underdog stories are a beloved topic in pop culture. Take John Lennon’s 1975 song “Working Class Hero” in which he sings “There’s room at the top they are telling you still.” The next line goes, “But first you must learn how to smile as you kill.” In the 2017 single “Mic Drop,“ BTS sings, “Who says my spoon is dirty” ”I don’t care, when I grab the mic, I have several gold spoons.”

Social Affairs April 5, 2022

A group of Koryoin -- ethnic Koreans living in Central Asia as well as Ukraine and Russia -- who fled the Ukraine war arrived in South Korea to seek a new home on Wednesday. The latest group to arrive includes eight children and infants and 13 women, according to Korean Cooperative, also known as Koryoin Village, a Gwangju-based incorporated association representing the ethnic Koreans. Nearly 30 people, consisting of children, women and seniors, will come to the country this week alone

Social Affairs March 30, 2022

The night of March 9 marked the closet election in modern South Korean history as exit polls had predicted, defying expectations that it was a clear win for now President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. But when results of ballot counting in the richest areas in southeastern Seoul -- Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa -- started to come in, the balance began to tip in favor of Yoon. In Gangnam and Secoho, he carried over 67 and 65 percent of the vote, respectively. In the end, Seoul turned red, which is the color

Social Affairs March 27, 2022

If you are fully vaccinated in South Korea or elsewhere and have your vaccination status registered in the country, you can now enter without quarantine on the way back. Those who are fully vaccinated abroad but have not been able to register their vaccination status in the COOV system will also be free of the seven-day long self-quarantine, which is currently required, from next month. As of Wednesday, 54 countries and territories around the world have banned entry from foreigners, of which 2

Mobility March 23, 2022

The craze over Pokemon Bread shows no signs of abating, as the popular pastry series that has recently been revived has induced scenes of people waiting in line at supermarkets and adults posting their search to social media. According to manufacturer SPC Samlip, the supermarket pastry that comes with a sticker of one of the characters from the global hit anime and video game series Pokemon had sold 6.1 million rolls as of Monday. That means some 234,000 rolls were sold each day on average

Consumer March 21, 2022

More than 400,000 people have signed petitions against President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s plans to move the presidential office from the current location to the National Defense Ministry’s building in Yongsan, central Seoul. “The term of office for president is only five years…the public cannot accept spending billions of taxpayer’s money on President-elect Yoon’s office for his single five-year term,” read one petition on the president office’s web

Politics March 21, 2022

Feminist author Rebecca Solnit has said the anti-feminism sentiments amplified by president elect Yoon Suk-yeol is similar to racism under the presidency of Donald Trump in the United States. “In a way this almost seems more analogous to racism in the United States,” Solnit said of the current political climate in South Korea during an interview on Tuesday. “Trump was elected because of his racism by racists and part of the racism is to claim that there is no racism: Black peo

Culture March 17, 2022

When a TV psychiatrist in South Korea recently gave advice in hopes of correcting the gender nonconforming behavior of a child, some experts and LGBT activists expressed concern. Critics say that seeing such behavior as “problematic” and “something to be corrected” can limit children’s gender expression and can also be harmful in worse cases. The latest episode of “My Golden Kids,” which aired March 11, centered on a boy who likes to wear makeup and fe

Social Affairs March 17, 2022

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories -- a newly launched Korea Herald series exploring subway stations and their surrounding areas across the city. – Ed.  Located in Yongsan in central Seoul, Samgakji Station sits one stop away from Noksapyeong Station, where people would ride past to go partying in Itaewon or head to dine out at restaurants in Gyeongnidan and Haebangchon. It is also within walking distance of Sinyongsan and Yongsan stations. Stuck between the more popular d

Culture March 13, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will not adopt a gender or regional quota for his presidential transition committee or his Cabinet when he begins his presidency. A key official on Yoon’s team has said that his personnel will be based on their talent and ability, Yonhap reported Sunday. “To serve the public, you need to look at their talent, not their story,” the official was quoted as saying by the news agency. The move is a departure from a gender quota during the Moon Jae-i

Politics March 13, 2022

“What do you think is feminism?” This question, put to conservative candidate Yoon Suk-yeol by his rival Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, was one of the highlights of the final TV debate on Wednesday. “I think feminism is a kind of humanism, respecting women as human,” Yoon answered as Lee pushed back, “It’s a movement that accepts the gender discrimination and inequality that women face as reality and seeks to tackle them.” Their ex

Politics March 6, 2022

Last month, a group of men who identified themselves as feminists held a press conference in central Seoul. The move made headlines, bucking the trend in a country where young men, often characterized as anti-feminist, have emerged as an important voting bloc in the upcoming presidential election. “Abolishing the Gender Equality Ministry or sending women to the military will not improve gender equality or solve the issues young men face,” the group, named Ordinary Guys Who Take Acti

Politics March 3, 2022