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Mon, June 5, 2023 | 01:49

Phone-free Fridays

Phone-free Fridays

On my way to work this morning I peered around in a quasi-somnolent state at my fellow commuters, probably over a hundred of them, all crammed into a carriage of the Seoul Subway, and I pondered. How did people cope with long commutes before we all had mobile phones? With the exception of a fair few sleeping passengers, almost everyone on the carriage, including me, was engag...

2022-06-11 12:05

566 Days Later

It's been a little over two weeks since the requirement to wear masks outdoors was lifted, but a visitor to Seoul would be forgiven for thinking that the rule is still in place. The majority of the population still seems keen to keep their noses and mouths firmly covered by the thin swatches of fabric we've come to associate so closely with the pandemic.

2022-05-21 09:00

Self-help?

Once when I was walking out of the British Library, I saw a woman outside on the floor having some kind of fit or seizure. It was a wintery evening - it may even have been snowy if I remember correctly - and the library was just closing, so there were dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people all leaving through the main entrance, hurrying to beat the rush-hour traffic. And althoug...

2022-04-16 11:50

White House Easter Egg Roll returns after 2-year hiatus

Ukraine needs Korea's support

Ukraine needs Korea's support

Time goes past so quickly. Dear reader, you may not remember, but last month everyone was fixated on the Beijing Olympics. Look, she's wearing a hanbok! Hey, the referees are biased! Let's boycott the Games! It all feels like another age, an innocent time of relative peace when no world leaders were ominously hinting at nuclear war.

2022-03-12 09:33

Hanbok stealing?

Hanbok stealing?

Nearly everyone in Korea is furious, it seems, because a Chinese national woman in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony wore the traditional Korean dress, hanbok. Numerous editorials and opinions have been published in condemnation, calling it another item in the long list of China's aggressions toward Korea. Last year it was kimchi, the argument goes; this year ...

2022-02-12 11:46

Behind China-Korea skating row, a deeper cultural rift

Stop giving us unnecessary drugs

Stop giving us unnecessary drugs

Almost immediately after moving to Korea, I developed pretty unpleasant stomach problems, probably related to the stress of migrating to the other side of the world. Although it did not seem serious, it certainly wiped me out for a while.

2022-01-15 09:30

Korea's strict asylum policies and unkind officials

Korea's strict asylum policies and unkind officials

I once flew in an Airbus A380. It's a big plane, so big that it actually has two decks; in fact, it's the largest passenger plane in the world.

2021-12-12 13:24

Reform 'Suneung'

Reform 'Suneung'

Last week saw Korea's yearly university admissions exam take place, accompanied as usual by an autumnal flurry of headlines. Given the world's current obsession with Korea, it's hardly a surprise that the test made international headlines. The test's English name is the College Scholastic Ability Test, or CSAT, but it is known more commonly as the “Suneung.” The news often hi...

2021-11-27 14:44

Expert criticizes Korea's college entrance exam for being too difficult

Our obsession with unreal beauty

Our obsession with unreal beauty

Somewhere to the right of this text there is a picture of me. It's publicly visible, but on the rare occasions that I go outside, I can stroll the streets, dodging the motorbikes and busses safe in the confidence that any beloved Korea Times reader who happens to pass me will almost certainly fail to recognize me.

2021-11-06 09:32

Korean language is not degrading - it's evolving

Korean language is not degrading - it's evolving

Hangeul Day 2021 is, sadly, over. The last crumbs of the “batchim”-themed cakes have been swept away, the Hangeul board games are back in the cupboard gathering dust, the balloons in the shapes of “nieun” and “rieul” lie deflated in the corner. Yet, as this year's celebration of King Sejong's ingenious alphabet system fades into memory, we can't seem to escape from news and o...

2021-10-23 09:10

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Top 10 Stories

1	LIFE'S OLLE TRAILS 1How hiking Jeju's 437km of trails changed my life

2	Korea denies discussion with EU on sending ammunition to Ukraine

3	Election watchdog under fire for refusing to accept inspection

4	Concerns rise over Samsung SDS' growing intra-group transactions

5	S. Korea, Japan agree to prevent recurrence of radar dispute

6	K-food transforms global culinary industry

7	Public welcomed to rediscover newly demilitarized land in Yongsan Children's Garden

8	Shipbuilding stocks rally over hope for 'super cycle'

9	Korea sees record-high number of flu patients for late spring

10	Korean bio firms to seek new opportunities at int'l convention in Boston

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