South Korea’s capitol building, the National Assembly Proceeding Hall, is located in Yeouido, Seoul. Completed in 1975, the current building has been criticized for its inharmonious exterior design, (not many people know about its interior design) which is known to have been many times revised and a
Though the majority of coffee sold at coffee shops in Korea is americano, cold brew is rapidly expanding its market. Last year, Starbucks alone sold 83,600,000 cups of americano, an average 1.6 cups per capita for the whole South Korean population, but the sales of cold brew coffee(11,300,000 cups)
Gujeolpan, or nine section plate, is one of the most colorful dishes in Korean traditional cuisine. Nine different foods are assorted on an octagonal plate with nine sections, sorted by color and ingredients. Eight sections are filled with meat, seafood, and vegetables, and in the center section is
Designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Korea, Bangjja is a type of traditional brassware, called ‘yugi’ in Korean, made from an alloy composed of 22% tin and 78% copper, a different ratio from most brass compositions. Being hand-forged brassware, Bangjjaa yugi has been regarded t
If you visit Busan, the second major city of Korea, order a jjajangmyeon in a typical Chinese restaurant, and you will have a hard fried egg on top of the noodles. This is Busan style. At first it’ll look interesting, and soon you’ll find egg and jjajangmyeon match very well, and then you may be sur
There are over 1,000 Starbucks stores in Korea. Most stores are in modern buildings in urban centers, but some are different. Here is a Starbucks in hanok (traditional Korean house) at the entrance of Mungyeong Saejae, a historical mountain pass at the height of 642 meters above sea level. The area
Despite the rapid increase of aged population in Korea, the cultural infrastructures for those generations are barely in the beginning. Opened only a few years ago, the Silver Cinema in Jongno, Seoul, is one of a few cinemas specialized for the elderly citizens. Housed in the old building of Nagwon
18th-century Korean painter Shin Yunbok is known for his genre paintings. In his famous work titled Jusa Geobae, meaning having a drink in a public house, we see how a public house worked in the late Joseon Dynasty era. Held in the collection of the Gansong Art Museum in Seoul, the painting depicts
Hidden among the high buildings of an apartment complex in Daejeon, a metropolitan city of Korea, lies a sample of peaceful coexistence of a church and a convenience store. Many big churches in Korea have stores and coffee shops in their own buildings, but this small church chose to share its home w
Many of Seoul’s old restaurants are located in the old districts of Euljiro, one of which is Andongjang, a Chinese restaurant where loyal, elderly customers gather for lunch. The oldest Chinese restaurant in Seoul (though there are older Chinese restaurants in other cities in Korea.), Andongjang beg
Buam-dong had long remained to be a quiet traditional neighborhood in central Seoul, until it began to attract visitors thanks to a successful K-drama 10 years ago. Today there are more galleries and more cafes, many of them are positioned in remodelled old houses. People go there, willing to pay mo
Hongdae is one of Seoul’s most popular spots, visited by both local and foreign tourists. Unlike other busy tourist destinations in Seoul, Hongdae is also well-known for the cute-size colorful guest houses, mostly remodelled from residential houses, and usually operated by the house owners themselve
