The Korea Herald interviewed seven adventurous world travelers whose journey across continents could provide an inspiration for South Koreans for their next trip. Yoon Jin-young (right) and his wife, Shin Seon-a, traveled around the world in a Toyota SUV for three years. They said travels led them to exotic places and fun adventures, but somewhere along the way, they also experienced self-discovery and gained new attitudes toward life.From amateur stargazers on a quest to capture cosmic wonders

Shin Seon-a at the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve in Bolivia. She has traveled 47 countries in this rugged 4x4 off-load vehicle with her husband Yoon Jin-young for nearly three years. (Photo provided by Shin)A trip around the world may sound like an unrealistic dream. Especially so for South Koreans, for whom a two-week vacation from work is a rarity and taking years off work can risk a career altogether, unless one has special skills that are in unusually high demand. Yet there se

What is South Korea’s representative booze? Most people would probably say soju. But Lee Ji-min, a wine aficionado-turned-Korean liquor promoter, begs to differ. In her view, there are many local liquors more qualified for that title. “This may sound radical, but I want to see those green soju bottles on grocery store shelves replaced by our finest traditional spirits one day. I want to contribute to making that happen,” she said. Lee Ji-min, a PR expert and promoter of Korean traditional liquor

123rfLong overshadowed by soju and beer, makgeolli is poised for a grand comeback, with more brewers blending tradition with a modern twist. The oldest alcoholic drink in South Korea, the milky, unfiltered rice wine was traditionally the drink of farmers, but latest renditions have taken on a new variety of tastes and flavors, plus a premium image, to win over young, sophisticated sippers. At E-mart, the country’s largest retailer, makgeolli was the fastest growing liquor, logging a 24.6 percent

Feel like you’re missing out on the evolution of makgeolli? Don’t worry. The following are some of the hottest brews now for you to catch up with the ongoing revival of South Korea’s oldest booze. The selection is based on recommendations from industry insiders as well as sales tallies from traditional liquor shops. Premium line 1. Haechang Made from freshly harvested rice, glutinous rice and nuruk (a fermentation starter) from Haenam, South Jeolla Province, this premium makgeolli took the No. 1

In Apgujeong, Seoul’s southern mecca of high fashion, fine dining and plastic surgery, lies the tomb of Ahn Chang-ho (1878-1938), a legendary freedom fighter from the Japanese occupation of Korea. Named Dosan Park after his pen name Dosan, it has the tombs of Ahn and his wife Lee Hye-reon, a memorial hall and some statues across its 29,974 square meters. The memorial hall features a collection of photos, handwritten letters and journals of Ahn, along with historic documents that shed light on hi

In South Korea, spring outings are a grand, communal affair that bring people together. Schools, churches, companies and various social clubs and communities start planning way before spring arrives. It is one of the biggest annual events. The culture of grand picnicking can be traced back to “hwajeon nori” during the Joseon era (1392-1910) -- a picnic enjoyed mostly by women on the third day of the third lunar month. “Young Joseon wives would travel to an attractive outdoor site and pitch a ten

Branded pop-up stores play an increasingly important role in South Korea’s retail scene as a source of creativity, innovation and a brand new consumer experience. Many customers associate pop-ups with an experience different from what they expect from conventional brick-and-mortar stores.  (Louis Vuitton)“If this were a regular shop, I wouldn’t have stepped inside,” said Nam Yong-il, who visited LG Uplus’ fifth-generation-themed pop-up in Gangnam, Seoul, earlier this week. “But since it’s a pop-

It is the best season for outdoor markets right now -- whether they are flea markets, farmers’ markets or art markets. On weekends, stalls sprout up on streets and in parks, beckoning visitors to come enjoy a pleasant spring day at a lively marketplace. Some of them draw larger crowds, as they have made a name for themselves via word of mouth and social media. These markets have their home turf, but they also tour. They put up notices about upcoming dates and locations on social media, then shop

In Seoul, there is a paradise for music players.Nakwon Instrument Arcade, otherwise known as Nakwon Music Mall, is a one-stop shopping center of over 300 independent music stores -- selling virtually everything related to music.  (Park Hyun-koo / The Korea Herald)Located in the vicinity of the tourist-heavy Insa-dong and currently Seoul’s hippest street Ikseon-dong, this shop cluster occupies the second and third floors of Nagwon building, which also houses eateries, practice rooms, a concert st

CHEONGYANG, South Chungcheong Province -- Deep in the countryside in Cheongyang County, best known for its ultra-spicy chili peppers, an aspiring Olympic marathoner lives in an old hanok residence. Born in Kenya as Wilson Loyanae Erupe and naturalized in South Korea as Oh Joo-han, he runs several kilometers along a branch of the Geum River every morning, aiming for a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. “I like (it) here,” said the 31-year-old athlete, standing in his front yard where clothes

If you haven’t heard of ASMR, believe us, it is huge. On YouTube, videos of people whispering in their microphone, or creating certain sounds that are supposed to trigger an “autonomous sensory meridian response” -- a tingling sensation that typically starts from your scalp and moves down your spine -- are aplenty. And they are being watched tens of millions of times globally.  (Illustration by Nam Kyung-don)In South Korea, never too far behind a global trend, ASMR has really caught on recently.

If you are living outside Korea and happened to have just finished your first volume of Korean fiction, the chances are that the book you’ve read was brought to you by literary agent Joseph Lee and his partners around the world. Specializing in foreign rights of Korean titles, both fiction and nonfiction, Lee, 54, has a pretty impressive list of clients, including Shin Kyung-sook, the author of the 2011 New York Times best-seller “Please Look After Mom,” and Han Kang, the author of the 2016 Man

For Ven. Jeongkwan, spring sprouts are the very essence of spring. Every tiny shoot has come to be what it is by enduring the cold winter months. “It is that energy of nature that we’re sharing today and that will help us to stay strong this spring,” she said as she kicked off a cooking demonstration featuring temple-style rice porridge with wild spring herbs. If it wasn’t for this event, organized by Sempio, South Korea’s No. 1 soy sauce maker, it would have been difficult to meet her in person

In South Korea, now is the time to enjoy fresh spring greens, or bom namul.Found everywhere from mountain slopes to roadsides, these wild plants come in many varieties and each has its own unique charm. Although some namul are now cultivated and therefore available year-round, the arrival of freshly foraged leaves -- plentiful and cheap for just over a month -- at local markets is a welcome harbinger of spring.  (Yonhap)“For me, it’s naengi (shepherd’s purse) that tells me winter is almost over,

Plant-based eating is emerging as a healthier and more sustainable alternative amid repeated global warnings about climate change. For most South Koreans, however, the concept is pretty familiar. Despite recent Western influences, for centuries Koreans have been a plant-loving people. “We are indeed a namul people,” said food and nutrition professor Jung Hye-kyung of Hoseo University, referring to edible wild plants and the important role they have played in the Korean diet throughout history.Th

Fashion trends come and go. What was once old-fashioned suddenly comes back in style, as nostalgia for the good old days brings back elements of the past. But the latest retro trend here is being fueled more by curiosity than nostalgia, with its main followers being youths born and raised in this era of dizzying technologies. Locally dubbed “new-tro,” this craze is reaching far beyond the boundaries of fashion and design. In Ikseon-dong, the retro mecca of Seoul, young people dressed up in retro

Aspiring Korean speakers are virtually all over the world now, thanks to the borderless travel of Korean pop culture. To reach them, the King Sejong Institute plans to go beyond its physical limitations and provide an extensive range of online classes, said Kang Hyoun-hwa, chief of the state-run institution that oversees some 170 Korean language centers worldwide. “On a recent business trip, I looked down from the airplane window on the so many islands that make up Indonesia. Then it struck me.

When King Sejong invented Hangeul, the Korean alphabet and writing system, hoping to “broadly benefit mankind,” he couldn’t have possibly meant people on the other side of the planet. But five centuries later, thanks to YouTube, video calls and mobile apps, the Korean language is being taught in places far, far away from its native land. On DuoLingo, a hugely popular free language-learning app with over 300 million users worldwide, some 3.3 million are taking the Korean course.“It is the sixth-m

In a country where 4 in 10 adults read less than one book written in their native language per year, an unlikely segment of the book market is thriving: English books for children. Lee Seung-a, an 8-year-old elementary student, is one contributor to this boom. A child reads an English picture book inside Mapo English Literacy Center, a public library of English books for children in central Seoul. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Currently on a challenge to read 1,000 English books, she tries to