바야흐로 (bah-ya-hue-ro: at the height of, in full swing), we have reached the last post of Old and New Cultures in Modern Korean Society (Part 5).  I have been observing changes in Korean culture for a while and collecting ideas to share my personal opinions on it.  Today, I would like to talk about some of the distinctive elements of Korean life, such as technology in daily life and the unique house payment system. Image by Firmbee on Pixabay   IT 강대국 (kang-dae-guk: a powerful nation) 대한민국 (Dae-han-min-guk: Republic of Korea) As a native Korean, who has been observing Korean d ..read more

I often talk to a group of friends who I grew up with in Korea. Once I start having a conversation with my friends, I often feel how far away from my own country my life has taken me. There are new words that I literally have to research in the middle of conversations. It is natural that you could feel distanced from your childhood friends as you get older, but this phenomenon gives me a sense of how fast Korean society is changing in many aspects.    Image by Lars_Nissen on Pixabay Today, I would like to talk about Korean cultures that only exist in Korea.   빨리 빨리 문화 (Bbali ..read more

A year of 다사다난 (dah-sah-dah-nan: eventful) conditions and situations, 2021 is behind us and the new year, 2022 has arrived. The number of 2022 personally brings me back to some of my memories of the sci-fi movies I may watch when I was younger. These movies typically start with a quote, such as ‘In 2022, people in the world are moving to the Moon…’ and a story goes on. It sounded incredibly far into the future for a little girl in the 1990’s, yet it is here with us.   Image by KELLEPICS on Pixabay   2022 is called 임인년 (im-in-nyeon: the Black Tiger Year) or it is the Black Tiger, th ..read more

It has been over a decade since I left Korea. I try to keep up with Korean culture by being closely connected with Korean media. I enjoy watching talk shows or real-life tv shows because they teach me the raw reality of Korean culture. One of the reality shows I enjoy watching is 나혼자산다 (I Live Alone). This show features celebrities who live alone. It portrays their daily life over a long period of time. Considering celebrities as 일반인 (il-bahn-in: ordinary people) could be hyperbole, but this show definitely shines a light on disparate elements of Korean culture, particularly in 결혼 문화 (gyeol-ho ..read more

When I first moved to the States, I worked for a Korean company for a brief moment. A couple of young co-workers often complained about senior customers who were seemingly rude to them. They believed that people who left Korea in the ’70s were easily stuck in the 70s mindset. I didn’t know what exactly they meant back then. I just told myself that I didn’t want to be one of those people when I got older.   Image by Ronile on Pixabay   I now have different opinions about the comment. In my opinion, it is a dangerous idea to generalize a group of people only because they are from a c ..read more

As far as I remember, of the many Korean tv shows I had watched in the past, most were dramas. There are, however, many different types of television shows in the Korean market. A recent Korean TV show, 오징어 게임 (oh-jing-uh-game: Squid Game), is one of them. Set in a dystopian future, this series has become very popular.   Image by OmarMedinaFilms on Pixabay   As I promised in the previous post, I have more quizzes inspired by the TV show, 오징어 게임 for you. If you haven’t had a chance to read the previous post, please take the time to read them. I promise you that you won’t regret it ..read more

I don’t watch a lot of tv shows, but I can’t resist good shows, especially if it is a Korean show. One day, a group of my gym friends was talking about a TV show. I naturally joined the conversation and they asked me if I was watching the show: 오징어 게임 (oh-jing-uh-game: Squid Game). I had have never heard of the show before, but it, obviously, was one of the most popular TV show these days. I had to say no to the question, but I started watching the show on the same evening.    Image by DigitalDDay on Pixabay   I think the show is well-plotted and it has the power to draw the v ..read more

I believe colloquial expressions in any language demand that you use your imagination. A long time ago I had a generous friend who taught me colloquial expressions in English. It was almost 20 years ago, and I still remember how fascinated I was by the brilliance of this particular phrase.   “Does it ring a bell?” Ding, ding, ding!    Image by Peggy_Marco on Pixabay   A bell rang inside my head. I had never heard such an expression before, and it was instantly engraved in my head. The expression was too sensational to forget, and it still is in my 어휘 목록 (uh-hwei-mok ..read more

Learning a language is not an easy task, especially if you start later in life. Everything looks completely different and sounds strange. I know your agony in the journey of learning a foreign language because I, myself, have been there. In fact, I am still hanging in there. Mastering a language is hard work that requires patience and passion.    image by libellule789 on Pixabay   Unfortunately, the Korean language has a notorious reputation being one of the most difficult languages to learn for English native speakers. As a native Korean, this is a sad statement because many ..read more

추석 (Chuseok) is one of the big holidays in Korea. Chuseok will be on the 21st of September this year since Koreans use the lunar calendar system. This is the second year that Koreans face unusual 민족대명절 (min-jok-dae-myeong-jeol: national holidays) amid the Covid-19 pandemic.  Traditionally, 민족 대이동 (min-jok-dae-ee-dong: national migration) occurs during this holiday season and traffic is horrendous. In 2020, a large number of people cancelled the trip due to restrictions. This year might look the same, but more people seem to plan to make a trip home despite 지자체 (ji-jah-che: local governmen ..read more