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Korean Traditions

Fri, September 22, 2023 | 08:12

Suzy, Koreans' favorite White Day star

Suzy, Koreans' favorite White Day star

Few Koreans know how White Day started. It came from Japanese confectionery manufacturers in 1978 who emulated the Western version of Valentine's Day. The practice soon spread to all across East Asia, becoming a popular celebration.

2019-03-14 16:16

Descendants of patriots grappling with poverty

Descendants of patriots grappling with poverty

In the summer of 2017, Bae Jung-hun, producer of SBS TV's popular investigative program “Curious to Know,” posted a combined image of two houses - one was a luxurious mansion surrounded by a stone wall and leafy green trees and the other a shanty house in an unnamed rustic neighborhood - on his Twitter account.

Kang Hyun-kyung | 2019-03-01 15:45

Oyster's place in history

Oyster's place in history

While many cherish spring and the warmth it brings, I always view spring with a certain degree of regret for it signals the end of the oyster season. I prefer my oysters fried, which generates a good deal of kidding from Korean men who assure me that eating raw oysters will increase my male virility. They are convinced even more of the accuracy of this view when I inform them...

2014-04-18 15:52

The winter skies of Joseon

The winter skies of Joseon

The winter skies of Joseon Korea were often filled with combatants both natural and manmade. Percival Lowell, an American who lived in Korea during the winters of 1883 and 1884, often encountered ``groups of men and boys standing gazing up into the sky’’ during the Lunar New Year season. These observers would often stand in the middle of the street requiring passersby to go a...

2013-12-27 17:05

Prince Henry and the cuckoo clock

Prince Henry and the cuckoo clock

On June 8, 1899, Prince Henry of Prussia (1862-1929), arrived at Jemulpo (modern Incheon) aboard the German warship Deutschland.

2013-12-15 18:34

Dec. 8, 1941: the day of infamy in Korea

Dec. 8, 1941: the day of infamy in Korea

American President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Dec. 7, 1941, “a date that will live in infamy” due to the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Many elderly Americans probably still remember where and what they were doing on that date. For the Americans and British living in Korea, the attack on Pearl Harbor (Dec. 8 due to time difference) changed their lives as well.

2013-12-06 17:37

Ensuring to be seen

Ensuring to be seen

During the close of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) era, glasses were often viewed as a symbol of rank and prestige rather than a tool to enable the elderly to see. But that is not the way it was in the beginning.

2013-11-15 16:23

Frightening prisons of the Joseon era

Frightening prisons of the Joseon era

By Robert Neff Prisons, both past and present, are far from comfortable or safe, but at the end of the 19th century, prisons in Seoul were extremely appalling.These facilities were mainly made out of logs and planks with large gaps between them that served their purpose in preventing the inhabitants from escaping but did little to protect the prisoners from the elements....

2013-11-01 18:43

Pests of summer

Pests of summer

During the late 19th century, Westerners in Seoul found the summers to be filled with extremes. The bitter cold of winter was replaced with the sweltering heat of summer and the intense downpours of the rainy season. Food - especially fruits and vegetables - was abundant but so too were cholera and insects.

2013-09-16 18:43

Jewish community in late Joseon

Jewish community in late Joseon

It is unclear when the Jewish community in Korea was established, but following Korea's opening to the West in 1882 there were a number of Jews who lived and worked in the country.

Do Je-hae | 2013-08-16 18:24

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