A bowl of naengmyeon or cold noodles / Courtesy of gettyimagesbank It is natural to crave cold food or drinks when the weather gets scorching hot. Koreans do so too. But what is unique is that they also seek “boiling hot” foods, because they believe in the old saying, “ iyeol chiyeol ” (fight heat with heat). Cold staples   Apart from salads and some soups, many people in the West and other countries may be unfamiliar with the concept of willingly eatin

The D-Tower entrance to Pimatgol, an alleyway favored by commoners during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) that is now preserved inside four modern high-rises along Jong-ro. To the right, unearthed traces of that Dynasty are displayed under glass and a wooden pavilion with roof tiles. In Korea’s race to become a developed country, a lot of heritage was left behind and forgotten. But traces of Korea’s past can still be found all over the place, even among the skyscrapers of downtow

  Robert Fouser introduces his former Hanok home that he helped renovate in Seochon, central Seoul, June 5.   It’s been almost three years since Robert Fouser’s last visit to Korea. Previously, he’d come for a few months a couple times a year, but the pandemic put a stop to that. He returned in May, enthusiastic to be back. “It feels great to be back, and I'm enjoying every minute,” he said.   Fouser first came to Korea in 1983 as an American stu

Comedian Yoo Jae-suk playing a K-pop producer in the variety show “Hangout with Yoo” / Courtesy of MBC   Bu-kae  (secondary-characters) have become a new Korean show biz trend, with celebrities taking on an alias and new persona. Top comedian Yoo Jae-suk initiated the trend when he began playing different characters in his show, “Hangout With Yoo,” starting with the drummer Yoogo Starr. Under the alias, the show’s host took a stab at becoming a drummer and ended u

  From left, Head of the Planning and Management Office for the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan Yoon Sanghyuk, the Committee’s Secretary-General Park Jungwook and the Director General of the Tourism & MICE Industry Bureau at the Busan Metropolitan Government Cho You-jang speak at a June 9 press conference in the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, central Seoul. Courtesy of the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan    The Bid Committee for World EXPO 2030 Bu