Sujeonggwa is fragrant traditional drink, usually served after the meal. It is made by brewing cinnamon and ginger, then adding honey or brown sugar, cooling the drink, then adding dried persimmon. It has long been loved for its clear deep color and unique harmony of two different flavors. A favorit
Makgeolli, Korean rice wine, goes best with some traditional dishes, first of which is pancake, called ‘jeon’ in Korean. There are many various kinds of pancakes of various sizes, and a dish of assorted pancakes is both good to taste and good to look at. Other conventional accompaniments to makgeoll
According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, last year’s domestic tobacco sales dropped by 3.8% from the previous year, from 3.66 billon packs in 2016 to 3.52 billion in 2017. (A huge number considering South Korea’s population of 51.7 million.) The Ministry explains that the decrease was due
One of Korea’s most popular snacks, Choco Pie is also known to have charmed the taste of North Korean workers at the Kaesong Industrial Region (presently closed) to the point that the North Korean government considered to ban the snack. Recently in particular, Choco Pie made headlines as the North K
Korean drinkers enjoy bomb cocktails. Beer and whisky bomb has a longer history, but more people today enjoy beer and soju bomb, called ‘so-maek.’ There’s no nickname for whisky bomb cocktail. In many company dinners, a line of so-maek bombs are ‘manufactured’ for the first toast, (or maybe the seco
Seoul is traversed by the Hangang river which flows from east to west. The whole area north of the river is called Gangbuk, and the south of the river is called Gangnam. (Korean word ‘gang’ means river, ‘buk’ is north, and ‘nam’ is south.) So, this is the wider definition of Gangnam. Then, there is
On July 28th, the first day of his Summer holiday, Korean President Moon Jae-in visited UNESCO World Heritage Site Bongjeong temple, one of seven Korean temples on the list. Despite being a Catholic, Moon – who has a baptismal name of Timothy, meaning a man who serves God – has a large amount of int
Naengmyeon is a Korean dish composed of noodles in a cold, meaty broth. Easily one of the most popular dishes among Koreans seeking a way to cool down during the hot summer, the best naengymeon is traditionally found in the North Korean capital of Pyeongyang, but as few people are able to visit the
Garakguksu, or Korean-style udon, was a specialty food of Daejeon station. Its origin goes back to the early 20th century. Most trains in the past had to stop at Daejoen station for switching or servicing, which allowed passengers to use a few minutes to get off and have noodles at the snack bar on
Seoul Art Space Sindang is housed in an underground shopping arcade in Sindang-dong, an old neighborhood in Seoul. Unused or abandoned shops in the arcade, which had once thrived with bed clothing and traditional dress shops, were remodelled into workshops for young artists of design and craft, as a
Instant noodles, generally and collectively called ‘ramyeon’ (Korean pronunciation of the same word ‘ramen’ in Japanese), usually occupy a considerable space in a supermarket. Hundreds of various instant noodles fill in the ramyeon racks, which are usually positioned beside the pre-cooked rice racks
Seoul is Korea’s the only Special City. The Hangang river runs through the city from east to west, roughly dividing the land into parts: gangbuk (north of the river) and gangnam (south of the river). Seoul City is divided into 25 administrative districts, of which 14 are in gangbuk, and 11 in gangna
