Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed. Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Oct. 3 is the National Foundation Day, which is a public holiday in South Korea. Called Gaecheonjeol (개천절) in Korean, meaning the day when the sky opened, it commemorates the foundation of the very first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula more than four millennia ago. Dangun, the mythological forefather of the Korean ethnicity and the son of

Koreans choose the order of something or the 'It' person when playing games with the 'rock-scissors-paper' game. This culture continues into adulthood and so when making minor decisions as a group, they will often play rock-scissors-paper. In schools or daily life, they may decide who has to present first or who should pay after having lunch together. By Min Byoung-chul Min Byoung-chul is an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University who is widely known as a mu

Police mugshots not released without consent of the photographed in controversial practice in S. Korea

Guryong Village, a shantytown in Gangnam, becomes a symbol of wealth divide in Seoul

Farmers' markets return to Seoul, connecting producers and consumers

Chicken fight is a traditional game that children enjoy playing around the neighborhood individually or as a group. It is also played as an exciting event on holidays or in marketplaces. In the game, contestants raise one leg and grasp their ankle with both hands. The contestants then hop on one foot and try to push their opponent off balance. The last person left standing wins. Chicken fight requires strength, skill and a good sense of balance. It can be played one-on-one or by several people

For those unacquainted with Korean cuisine, kimchi can taste and smell a bit strong. But don’t let that first impression scare you off from the amazingly rich, versatile and savory world of kimchi, says Son Jong-won, executive chef of L’Amant Secret, a Michelin-star restaurant at L'Escape Hotel in Seoul. At a cooking demonstration on Tuesday with 20 foreign guests, the chef showcased how the fermented cabbage, which has a varying mix of pungent, sour and spicy tastes, can ta

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. The popular resort island of Jeju is often referred to as the island of three abundances, or Samdado. In an essay published in 1968, Korean lepidopterist Seok Joo-myung identified characteristics of the southern island as samda and sammu – three abundances and three scarcities. Sam in Korean language refers to the number 3 while da means many, or large in quantity, and mu means nothing or nonexistence. The three things that are plenty on J

Station a popular filming spot due to unique structure, says Seoul Metro
　

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed.       Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Despite having one of the smallest economies in the world, North Korea appears to be among the most belligerent when it comes to military confrontations. Not that it has actually been involved in any major engagements since the 1950-53 Korean War, but it has openly expressed hostilities against South Korea and the US, an

When you go to a restaurant in most parts of the world, you generally expect one or two side dishes to be served with your entree. But in Korea, you might be pleasantly surprised that with every meal, at least three or four side dishes, called “banchan,” are provided. Some traditional restaurants even provide as many as 12 different banchan, along with the main dish! What might shock you even more is that most banchan dishes can be replenished for free. When visiting a Korean res

In what is commonly dubbed by local media as “the great migration of the nation,” flocks of people travel across the country to gather with their relatives each Chuseok, which this year falls on Saturday. Some people make the trips clad in “chuseokbim,” new clothing and shoes specially prepared for one of Korea's biggest holidays. Although commonly referred to as “Korean Thanksgiving,” Chuseok is actually not really about giving thanks for the year’

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed.  Find the answer at the bottom of the page. North Korea is one of the most unusual states in the world, led by a dictatorial regime that saw the power succession to a third generation a decade ago. But according to South Korea’s law, it is not even a real country. The Constitution of South Korea states that its territory is the Korean Peninsula and its islands, d

  There will be plenty of instances where, despite ordering your own separate meal, you will be asked to share some part of your food with Korean friends. And, when it comes to sharing food, Koreans always offer to share more than once, as we believe that offering just once lacks consideration of others, or "jeong." So, be sure to always offer to share your food more than once and don't be shy about accepting an offer of food from others. By Min Byoung-chul Min Byoung-chul is

Myers-Briggs personality types used by some as tool to predict romantic compatibility