-
Why these Gen Z women are ditching heels for good, or have never worn them
High heels — once a staple in many women’s wardrobes — have long been loved for how they add height, elongate the legs, and elevate an outfit. But today, it’s quite hard to spot anyone wearing them on the street. For many women in Generation Z, heels feel almost foreign, as they have never owned a single pair or seen their peers wearing them either. To find out why high heels have lost their place in Gen Z women’s wardrobes lately, we spoke with four women in their twenties about why heels no lo
June 17, 2025 -
Working in Korea as a foreigner: Must-know laws and tips
Traveling to a foreign country can be taxing, from adjusting to a different language and culture to navigating unfamiliar social norms. But getting a job there and working under completely different laws, regulations and workplace customs can be even more daunting. Under Korean labor law, foreign nationals with legitimate employment contracts are, in principle, entitled to the same rights as Korean workers. However, the reality can vary significantly, depending on your field and the bosses you w
June 10, 2025 -
Digital gifting was convenient — until it started to feel like new social obligation
Twenty-three-year-old Kim begins her day the way many young Koreans do — by checking her phone. As she scrolls through unread messages on the messenger app KakaoTalk, a small gift icon appears next to an old classmate’s profile. It’s his birthday. Kim hesitates. They haven’t spoken in over a year, but she remembers he sent her a delivery food coupon last fall. After a moment of deliberation, she returns the gesture with a Starbucks "gifticon" of equal value. That tiny icon, built into Korea’s mo
June 10, 2025 -
Petting zoos in day cares, education or animal exploitation?
When Kang, a 32-year-old resident of Uijeongbu in Gyeonggi Province, was out for a walk with her puppy, she noticed it suddenly sniffing intensely and staring at the yard of a day care center inside her apartment complex. What she found was a miniature zoo, where animals like baby goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, and parrots were kept in plastic cages — something she would normally expect during a zoo trip, not a walk around her apartment. "I was curious and kind of excited when I first saw
June 8, 2025 -
How much is enough to raise a child in South Korea?
South Korea’s dwindling birth rate has become something of a global curiosity and a national crisis, making frequent headlines. Yet behind the statistics lies a quieter, more personal calculus — one that plays out in the homes of young adults weighing whether to have a child. More often than not, the key factor is cost. So how much do young parents — or would-be parents — believe it takes to raise a child in South Korea today? And what feels realistic, or essential? To find out, we spoke with si
June 5, 2025 -
How one December night set S. Korea on the path to a new presidency
For the second time in a decade, South Korea held an early presidential election to fill a leadership void following the impeachment of a sitting president. And once again, the vote comes on the heels of months of political turmoil that shook the country‘s young and vibrant democracy to its core. But this time, the crisis ran even deeper. What began with a failed self-coup escalated into a riot at a courthouse, conspiracy theories about election fraud, and a political climate more divided than a
June 3, 2025 -
Can a city cure loneliness? Seoul is spending millions to try
In Seoul, you can call a city hotline at 3 a.m. just to say you feel lonely. You can walk into a “Maeum (Korean for 'heart') Convenience Store” to eat free ramyeon and talk with someone about the emptiness you’ve been carrying for months. These are not gimmicks. They are part of a sweeping five-year, 451.3 billion won ($330 million) effort by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to confront a crisis few cities have dared to name outright: loneliness. South Korea is facing a growing epidemic of soci
June 1, 2025 -
The best (lesser-known) things about Seoul for solo residents
I love to sing, but as a kid, belting out tunes on a karaoke machine usually meant rallying at least one friend to go to the local noraebang (singing room). For a boy who was a bit of a loner, this could be challenging. Then came the 2010s — and with them, a delightful invention: the coin noraebang (pay-per-song karaoke). A sanctuary for solo singers, it offered sweet salvation to those who want to sing their hearts out without the judgmental stares of others. Coin noraebang is just one of many
May 27, 2025 -
On bended knees for ballots
As the election nears, South Korea’s presidential hopefuls are once again lowering themselves — literally — before voters. Kneeling down, they bow deeply, bending their entire upper bodies until their faces nearly, or even fully, touch the ground. This traditional gesture, rooted in Confucian customs, is one of the highest forms of respect and expressions of obedience in Korea — typically reserved for parents or ancestors during rituals. During election season, however, these deep bows transform
May 26, 2025 -
Are you red, blue or orange? How color is defining politics this election season
In South Korea’s rushed presidential election, color is doing a lot of the talking. With policy plans still vague and party alliances in flux, the candidates have leaned heavily on clothing and color to communicate who they are. Mixing red, blue and white has become shorthand for everything from unity to rebranding. On May 12, the Democratic Party of Korea’s candidate Lee Jae-myung drew immediate attention when he changed into blue-and-red sneakers while on the stump, marking the launch of his o
May 25, 2025 -
What are robot chefs cooking up for Korea’s struggling school kitchens?
At a middle school in Daejeon on April 7, a special lunch menu, including rice with seaweed soup and a slice of cake, was served to celebrate the birthdays of students born that month. But students were left disappointed when they looked down at their lunch trays -- the seaweed soup had no seaweed. “I didn’t mind too much because there were other side dishes. Still, it felt odd not having seaweed soup in the birthday lunch. You know, it’s kind of a tradition in Korea,” said the seventh grader, w
May 24, 2025 -
For 15 years, Apple’s Find My app didn’t work in South Korea. This guy changed that
Apple is not the type of company that explains itself. It doesn’t respond to petitions. And it almost never makes country-specific feature changes, especially not for one person. Except in South Korea, where that’s exactly what happened recently. For over 15 years, one of Apple’s most critical device-tracking features, called Find My, was quietly and almost entirely disabled in South Korea. Millions of Korean users owned iPhones, AirPods and AirTags that were, in practice, untrackable if lost or
May 21, 2025 -
With about 2 weeks left, Korean voters use YouTube to 'feel out' candidates
After months of political upheaval, from last December’s martial law crisis to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment this April, South Korea has entered a full-blown election sprint. In an early presidential race few saw coming until late last year, candidates and voters alike are navigating a compressed, high-stakes campaign ahead of the June 3 vote. Amid this rush, voters across the country are increasingly turning to YouTube for candid, unfiltered glimpses into the personalities, values and a
May 20, 2025 -
Why Google Maps is still broken in South Korea: It might not be about national security anymore
It’s 2025, and if you try to get walking directions in Seoul using Google Maps, you will still run into the same dead end: the "Can't find a way there" screen. For many tourists, it’s both frustrating and baffling. Google Maps offers turn-by-turn walking directions in cities as far-flung as Pyongyang, the capital of the hermit kingdom of North Korea — yet, in Seoul, one of the most digitally advanced cities in the world, it can’t guide you from your hotel to the nearest subway station? For almos
May 17, 2025 -
Artificial? Yes. Still, an urban oasis
As you stroll along Hongje Stream in western Seoul, the gentle sound of flowing water grows with each step, while the breeze carries the scent of grass and spring flowers. These are signs that you're approaching the city's hidden oasis, where time slows and your thoughts fade simply by watching the water move. It is the "Hongje Steam Artificial Waterfall" in Seodaemun-gu, where water flows down a 25-meter-high, 60-meter-wide concrete structure built into the cliffs of Mount Ansan. On a breezy we
May 5, 2025