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[Weekender] VIB treatment: Luxury market surges for ‘very important babies’

Despite South Korea’s notoriously low birth rate, its childrenswear market shows no sign of abating, especially led by the binge spending of young parents. “Most parents that I know think that putting a luxury onesie that costs hundreds of dollars on a baby is excessive because they grow out of clothes so quickly. But, there are also some parents, particularly those who are well-off, who are willing to buy expensive clothes for their kids,” said a 38-year-old Seoul resident sur
July 6, 2024 - 16:01:08
Arts&Design
[Weekender] Traces of war, migration, otherness everywhere at Venice Biennale

VENICE, Italy -- Depending on where you live, you may or may not directly feel the effects of the world's wars in your daily life. But you will gain a stronger awareness of them walking around the Giardini in Venice, one of the main sites of the Venice Biennale, the world's oldest international art biennial. Though the Venice Biennale attracts artists, curators and art aficionados every other year -- an architecture biennale is held on alternate years -- this year feels different, with
June 29, 2024 - 16:01:11
Social Affairs
[Weekender] Meet my green friends: Home gardening for healing, companionship

Lee Won-young, a 26-year-old graduate school student, has recently added a new routine to her busy life -- taking care of a potted plant that she called “Chris.” Chris sits by Lee’s desk in her room. Lee’s routine every Monday is to water her potted plant to make sure it survives another week. Throughout the rest of the week, Lee spends time moving her plant in different locations around the house to make sure it gets enough sunlight and putting it under an LED light to b
June 22, 2024 - 16:01:28
Social Affairs
[Weekender] IV drips: A quick energy shot for overworked Koreans

“Feeling burnt out? You’ve come to the right place,” the doctor said during my consultation at a clinic in Yeouido, Seoul's financial district, before prescribing what he called a “garlic injection.” As an average South Korean national, I am used to eating tons of garlic, but I wasn’t quite ready to have it injected into my veins. It turned out that the “garlic injection” wasn't actually a shot of garlic extract or anything similar. It&
June 15, 2024 - 16:01:16
weekender
[Weekender] K-food reaps benefits of subtler global marketing

Samyang Roundsquare, the South Korean food giant renowned for its spicy Buldak ramyeon series, acknowledged that it wasn't until 2014 that the company recognized the importance of social media marketing after a viral video by Joshua Daryl Carrott, creator of the YouTube channel Korean Englishman, showcasing Buldak products. “We cannot say that the very beginning of the Buldak series, which launched in 2012, was successful. However, as it gained more traction with the Buldak Challenge
June 8, 2024 - 16:01:00
Social Affairs
[Weekender] 'Blood doesn't make family, love does'

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 Jeon said rearing her hadn't always been easy, mainly because adoption still carries so much
May 25, 2024 - 16:00:39
Hashtag Korea
[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea

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 undergoing a revival amid a growing appreciation for nerd-like qualities, making geeky style elements all th
May 18, 2024 - 16:01:36
weekender
[Weekender] Pet food makers bet big on ‘recession-free’ pet food market

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, Kwon said she has no intention of reducing her spending on her beloved companio
May 11, 2024 - 16:01:11
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 4, 2024 - 16:01:01
Social Affairs
[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul

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 that crash-landed in Seoul." Now, a decade after it opened, the DDP has finally s
April 27, 2024 - 16:00:58
Hashtag Korea
[Weekender] Why aren't K-pop stars cashing in on cosmetics?

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 Beauty in the US. The reality, however, is quite different. Korean stars might be the faces of top beauty brands, but they rar
April 20, 2024 - 16:00:53
Culture
[Weekender] How young Koreans find peace of mind in pet stones

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 prominent among scholars during the J
April 13, 2024 - 16:00:52
Culture
[Weekender] Jeju commemorates its deepest scar

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-covered pack of antacids, one of her daily necessities. Jin had suffered from chro
April 6, 2024 - 16:01:37
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 renow
March 23, 2024 - 09:02:03
Social Affairs
[Weekender] A new equation in sharing costs of marriage

“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 generally envisioned an equal partnership founded on equal contributions -- be it financially,
March 16, 2024 - 16:01:31