Apr 20, 2018

[Weekender] Slurping cold bowl of nostalgia

Many Asian countries have long been home to cold noodle dishes, and in contemporary times, they have become a popular way to fight the heat during summer. And in Korea, naengmyeon is the cold noodle...

Apr 13, 2018

[Weekender] Why more Koreans are working out at home

Working out at home, often referred to as “home training” in Korea, is rising as a trend among busy modern consumers. Without leaving the comforts of the home, people are able to carry out an extens...

Apr 13, 2018

[Weekender] No time for gym? Try ‘home training’

Park Seu-mi, a mother of two sons, once suffered from a crippling lack of self-esteem. The extra weight she had gained from having kids never melted away. The busy mom battling two children at home h...

Apr 13, 2018

[Weekender] Crushing stereotypes, Pilates not ‘for girls only’

Ed Sheeran’s chart-topping “Shape of You” blasted throughout King Fit, a private gym in Apgujeong-dong in southern Seoul. With summer just two months away, the treadmills were occupied with exercise...

Apr 13, 2018

[Weekender] ‘Gramming’ your way to fitness

In the age of social media, workout routines and diet plans are easily coupled with the desire to share these efforts with friends and followers online. At the last count, more than 1 million posts ...

Apr 6, 2018

[Weekender] Where styles are made

It does not take long to realize that Koreans care a lot about looking good. Just take to the streets of Gangnam, Hongdae or Itaewon to find a parade of the fashionably -- and sometimes scantily -- d...

Apr 6, 2018

[Weekender] Experiencing ultimate delicacy at Korean hair salons

In front of many local hair salons, signboards reading “Welcome foreign guests” and “We speak English” are put up, as a large number of foreign tourists seek to have their hair done while staying in ...

Mar 30, 2018

[Weekender] ‘The way we were’

As a college student in the late ‘90s, Park Hyun-mi remembers waiting nervously for her date to show up at a coffeehouse in Seoul’s university district of Sinchon. She had not much information about ...

Mar 30, 2018

[Weekender] Reality dating contents cater to viewers' fantasies

Lizz Warner, 26, senior manager of US-based online media company Buzzfeed, met Mexican Olympian skier Robert Franco, 24, through the popular dating app Tinder during their stay in South Korea for the...

Mar 30, 2018

[Weekender] Finding the love of life on mobile app

To begin a relationship, there are many things to consider about a potential partner, from age to personality, occupation and, for some, blood type. According to a survey conducted by Dooit Survey i...

Mar 23, 2018

[Weekender] Portrait photographs imbued with tradition, history

Photographs have the power to bring back memories associated with subjects presented within their four-sided frames. They can also arouse emotional responses in the viewers. Emotions and memories be...

Mar 23, 2018

[Weekender] Reading diseases in Joseon portraits

Gazing at portraits created during the Joseon era, one is struck by the extreme delicacy with which the models’ facial features are depicted, from the fine wrinkle lines to tiny spots and faint scars...

Mar 23, 2018

[Weekender] Perfect selfie requires more than just luck

A decade ago, the word “selfie” did not even exist, but almost everyone with a smartphone takes such photos these days. In Korea, there is even a word for a person who looks very different in selfie...

Mar 16, 2018

[Weekender] How effective are weight-loss products?

Anywhere you go either online or offline, it is easy to spot advertisements for diet supplements, spewing out enticing catchphrases that with their products, one can lose their weight in a short peri...