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weekender
Spiritual, but not religious: For more Koreans, mindfulness matters more than membership

In Korea, being 'spiritual but not religious' means trading rigid doctrine for personal rituals, from temple meditation to shamanistic traditions South Korea, at least in modern times, has never had a religious identity centered around a single faith. People have followed various major established religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism and shamanistic traditions, often mixing and matching beliefs to suit their needs. Despite this diversity and fluid approach, nearly half of th
March 8, 2025 - 16:00:00
Social affairs
New names, new life

In Korea, changing one's legal name can be powerful motivation for new life A fresh start can be embraced in many ways. Some South Koreans make a major change by renaming themselves, replacing their first names given by their parents with one they can create themselves. “Gaemyeong,” which literally means “legal name change” in Korean, is used to signify an actual change to one's legal name. It differentiates itself from some overseas celebrities who take professional or stage names but keep thei
March 1, 2025 - 16:00:00
weekender
[Weekender] Goodbye Gyeongbokgung, hello hair salon

Twenty-eight-year-old Janell Ng from New Zealand, who is visiting Korea with her family, knows her priority. Their first stop is a hair salon in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where each family member hopes to experience a trendy Korean-style makeover. "It's our first time visiting Korea. We are here for a week, and the first thing on the itinerary is to get our hair done at a Korean hair salon," she said while having her hair permed at Suin Style Hair and Spa in Samseongdong, southern Seoul. The
Sept. 14, 2024 - 16:05:57
Social affairs
[Weekender] 'Blood doesn't make family, love does'

Adoptive families call on government to streamline adoption process, address stigma through education When Jeon Sung-shin, 45, was looking to expand her family without going through childbirth again, she met her then 50-day-old daughter at an orphan care center 11 years ago. Jeon fell in love with her at first sight and knew adoption would be a beautiful way to build her family. Growing up with the family, Jeon's youngest daughter is now in the sixth grade and is a promising tennis player. But J
May 24, 2024 - 16:08:12
Hashtag Korea
[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea

S. Korea's mainstream casts favorable light on nerdy personalities with stylish homages to their quirky, brainy charms The stereotypical nerd with glasses who gets straight As in school has never been so fashionable in South Korea. Once relegated to the corner of the school cafeteria, geeky individuals have stepped into the limelight, as the mainstream warms to the intriguing blend of their characters and fashion, encapsulated by the term, “geek chic.” The term is not new. But the fashion is und
May 17, 2024 - 16:00:00
weekender
[Weekender] Pet food makers bet big on ‘recession-free’ pet food market

With 1 in 5 households raising pets, Korea’s pet food market is expected to triple by 2027 Kwon, an office worker in her 30s residing in Seoul raises a small white Maltese called Seolgi. She says that she is increasingly feeling the pinch from prolonged inflation that has also hit the prices of her dog's food. A 20-kilogram bag of dog food, equivalent to about a month's worth of food for Seolgi, was priced at 38,000 won ($28) last year, but now the price has reached more than 44,000 won. However
May 10, 2024 - 14:55:10
Culture
[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok

Shamanism. It resonates with Koreans -- in private. Rarely is it endorsed openly, however. Accusing someone of having acknowledged its power in any official capacity forces the person to counter the assertion, at all costs. How this plays out in real life was on vivid display last week. K-pop giant Hybe, the company behind BTS, cornered its sublabel Ador Chief Executive Min Hee-jin over plotting to take independent the lucrative subsidiary that manages popular girl group NewJeans. A shaman was i
May 3, 2024 - 16:00:00
Social affairs
[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul

Under new slogan, 'Amazing Tomorrow,' DDP hopes to shape future of city after 10 rocky years When the Dongdaemun Design Plaza first opened its doors in March 2014, the structure, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, was met with mixed reviews. Replacing a baseball stadium built in 1959 and another sports stadium dating to 1925 nestled in the fashion retail district of Dongdaemun, the DDP faced criticism for its perceived lack of harmony with its surroundings, with some likening it to "a spaceship
April 26, 2024 - 16:00:00
Hashtag Korea
[Weekender] Why aren't K-pop stars cashing in on cosmetics?

From potential fan backlashes and missing out on endorsement opportunities to navigating a saturated market, the path is risky for K-pop stars K-beauty is trending globally. Many Korean celebrities, particularly K-pop stars, command vast, devoted fan bases, influencing fashion and beauty trends. Combine the two and one might naturally assume there would be numerous cosmetic brands launched by Korean stars, similar to Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics or Selena Gomez's Rare B
April 19, 2024 - 16:00:00
Culture
[Weekender] How young Koreans find peace of mind in pet stones

From suseok to pet stones, Korea’s rock-collecting culture makes a turn Some perhaps remember a stone slab from director Bong Joon-ho’s Academy Award-winning film “Parasite,” which Ki-woo, one of the main characters, holds onto throughout the film. In the film, his friend Min-hyuk delivers the stone, stolen from his grandfather’s collection, telling Ki-woo the stone will bring wealth to his family. The stone, which is known as "suseok" or scholar’s rock here, is a collectible item that was promi
April 12, 2024 - 16:00:00
Culture
[Weekender] Jeju commemorates its deepest scar

Memories of massacres in 1940s, 1950s still haunt surviving Jeju Island residents The home of the late Jin A-young sits overlooking the rocky shores at Weolryeong-ri 381, Hanrib-eup in Jeju City, in the west of Jeju Island. The unassuming house, preserved in almost the exact state as it was when Jin died on Sept. 8, 2004, at the age of 90, is about the only earthly remnant of her life, torn apart by the massacres that took place there over half a century ago. On a table in her home was a dust-co
April 5, 2024 - 16:00:00
Arts&Design
[Weekender] Qatar opens up path for next generation with art

DOHA, Qatar -- As you near the National Museum of Qatar in Doha, a large-scale layered structure comes into sight. The museum, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, is reminiscent of the “desert rose,” a crystal cluster of gypsum formed in the desert that indicates the presence of water. The museum, which opened in 2019, presents the story of Qatar from prehistoric times to the present, and also houses contemporary art collections that include some of the world’s most renowned artists. Swiss
March 22, 2024 - 09:00:00
Social affairs
[Weekender] A new equation in sharing costs of marriage

Old idea of groom alone buying house blown away by skyrocketing housing prices, calls for equality “The groom provides the home, and the bride furnishes it" has been a long-standing custom in Korean marriages. But, with evolving perspectives on gender roles, and home prices virtually beyond reach for average Korean men of marrying age, the way couples manage the finances of their marriage is undergoing severe changes. Newlyweds, single men and single women interviewed by The Korea Herald general
March 15, 2024 - 10:21:13
weekender
[Weekender] 'C-commerce' on rise in Korea

Chinese e-commerce trio AliExpress, Temu, Shein gobbling up market share from Korean rivals with ultracheap prices Chinese e-commerce platforms, equipped with ultracheap deals, have been gobbling up market share from domestic rivals here. Even as local retailers suggest there has been no serious impact from the Chinese surge, they can be seen ramping up their readiness. According to market tracker Wiseapp, the monthly user counts for AliExpress, Temu and Shein, three big Chinese players, have co
March 8, 2024 - 16:00:00
Industry
[Weekender] Startup innovation can solve Korea’s quagmire of aging society

A key hurdle the Korean economy faces is the fast-aging population. One way to coax a soft-landing of this problem is to speed up deregulation so that local startups can carry out innovation and improve productivity, according to Startup Alliance Korea Managing Director Lim Jung-wook. “Considering how fast South Korea is aging, we really should have a sense of urgency. Instead of spending too much time and energy fighting superficial issues such as whether or not to allow carpooling services, we
Jan. 31, 2019 - 18:18:15