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On the subway operator’s books, a free ride is a cost. On a hospital’s books, a market’s books or an elderly courier’s household budget, the same trip may look very different.
This week’s new reads
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Is Free Subway Travel for Seniors Really a Loss?
On the subway operator’s books, a free ride is a cost. On a hospital’s books, a market’s books or an elderly courier’s…
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The Slow Death of Baekban, Korea’s Everyday Feast
Baekban was never “cheap food.” It was a surprisingly luxurious meal made possible by cheap ingredients, cheap labor and a culture that…
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Korea Is a Payments Paradise — If You’re Korean
Inside the country, paying for almost anything is effortless. Step outside the domestic ecosystem — or enter it as a foreigner —…
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Korea Had “Free” Delivery Before Delivery Apps. So Who Put a Price on It?
Long before food-delivery platforms, a phone call could send jjajangmyeon across town on a motorbike. Delivery was never free. The price was…
Browse by topic
Culture
Seven days of silence — rituals and their logic
Daily life
Convenience stores, bathhouses, and the small things
Society
Work, family, hierarchy — visible and invisible
Language
Why grammar shapes how people stand next to each other
Travel
Where to go, and what the place is actually like
Shopping
What Koreans buy, and where they buy it
Explore Korea
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Seoul
Heritage & Palaces
Gyeongbokgung Palace
The largest of Seoul’s five grand palaces, and the backdrop for the twice-daily changing of the royal guard.
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Seoul
Heritage & Palaces
Bukchon Hanok Village
A hillside neighbourhood of traditional hanok houses, still lived in, tucked between two of Seoul’s grand palaces.
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Jeonju
Heritage & Palaces
Jeonju Hanok Village
The largest hanok village in Korea — around 800 traditional houses in one neighbourhood, and the reputed birthplace of bibimbap.
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Gyeongju
Heritage & Palaces
Bulguksa Temple
A UNESCO World Heritage Buddhist temple, and one of the best-preserved examples of Silla-dynasty architecture.
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Seoul
Markets & Food
Insa-dong
Seoul’s traditional arts-and-crafts street — galleries, tea houses and antique shops packed into one alley.
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Seoul
Markets & Food
Gwangjang Market
A century-old market famous for bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) and mayak gimbap — go hungry.
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Busan
Nature & Coast
Haeundae Beach
Korea’s most famous urban beach, backed by a skyline of high-rises rather than palm trees.
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Jeju
Nature & Coast
Seongsan Ilchulbong
A volcanic tuff cone on Jeju Island, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site — best known for sunrise from the crater rim.
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Seoul
Modern Seoul
Myeongdong
Seoul’s busiest shopping street — cosmetics shops on every corner and street food stalls between them.
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Seoul
Modern Seoul
Namsan & N Seoul Tower
A mountain in the middle of the city, topped by a tower and a fence of padlocks left by couples.
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Photo credits
- Gyeongbokgung Palace — Photo: 서울관광 아카이브 / Wikimedia Commons / 광화문 월대 / KOGL Type 1
- Bukchon Hanok Village — Photo: Bgag / Wikimedia Commons / Bukchon Hanok Village 01 / CC0
- Jeonju Hanok Village — Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons / Jeonju- Part I – Jeonju3120 / CC0
- Bulguksa Temple — Photo: Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons / Lotus Flower Bridge and Seven Treasure Bridge at Bulguksa / Public domain
- Insa-dong — Photo: S h y numis / Wikimedia Commons / Insa-dong 인사동 October 1 2020 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gwangjang Market — Photo: Bgag / Wikimedia Commons / Gwangjang Market, Seoul 01 / CC0
- Haeundae Beach — Photo: Brit in Seoul / Wikimedia Commons / Haeundae Beach May 2024 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Seongsan Ilchulbong — Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service / Wikimedia Commons / Seongsan Ilchulbong from the air / CC BY-SA 2.0
- Myeongdong — Photo: 서울연구데이터서비스 / Wikimedia Commons / 명동8길 거리 (2020.03) / KOGL Type 1
- Namsan & N Seoul Tower — Photo: kallerna / Wikimedia Commons / N Seoul Tower view 2 / CC BY-SA 4.0