Seoulful Urbanist's Selective Lens

In Korea, the road to becoming a doctor with a specialty normally takes eleven years . It consists of six years of education in a medical college and one year of internship in a training hospital, usually one of the university hospitals, followed by four years of training in a specific medical specialty, such as internal medicine. If a doctor with a specialty decides to remain in the university hospital, they will move up the hospital ladder in phases over a few decades according to the following stages: fellow, assistant professor, associated professor, and (full) professor. Perhaps the lives of medical students and medical interns are not far away from what the general population can imagine. However, residents and fellows' lives are quite different according to their respective specialty , so residents and fellows from each department don't know clearly what their friends do in other departments. However, there is one thing that almost every resident and fellow does ...

If you're going to be working in a new position or for a new company, you might be concerned about the time and energy required to adapt to a new working environment. (When I recently began a new position, I certainly was!) New workplaces have particular cultural standards, from their regular etiquette to their dress code. Also, it takes time to understand how typical processes run and how the systems function there. Starting a new job usually requires learning the ins and outs of confusing new software, and even a simple thing like finding a pack of copy paper can be challenging on the first day. Some aspects of Korean culture seem to make the transition much tougher. When we were children, my generation was taught to obey our teachers and elders. We learned a relatively strict age and social hierarchy. Objecting to someone who entered an organization or came into the world far before you did can brand you as a rude and discourteous person. At work, a boss often gives you a c...

As people are becoming more aware of the excessive plastic waste problem, the Korean government has begun implementing a few policies in stages to cut back on plastic use. First, grocery stores were forbidden from providing free plastic bags to shoppers. After that, the government placed an outright ban on the use of plastic bags at supermarkets, with only a few exceptions. Also, it recently banned providing packing tape to customers at supermarkets' DIY packing stations because it eventually ended up as plastic waste. Since 2018, plastic cups can only be used for take-out drinks in all cafes in South Korea. It's against the rules to provide takeaway cups to in-store customers. Despite the measures, the severity of microplastic pollution seems to keep getting worse. It's moved beyond the oceans and into our daily surroundings. It seems that most of us are carelessly making plastic waste every day. Researchers reported that bottled water often contains microplastic fibe...

What is a hagwon ? Hagwon (학원) means a private academy. Any private academy where people learn something can be referred to as a hagwon ; however, it mostly conjures up the image of a cram school that caters to most students, ranging from elementary to high school students. In particular, math and English hagwons are in high demand. Hagwons are not only for slow-learners who have difficulty keeping up with their regular classes in school; some are specialized in teaching advanced curriculum taught in high school and college. Other forms of private education are also popular, such as gwa-oe (과외, one-on-one private tutoring at home), and in-gang (인강, an abbreviation for 인터넷 강의, literally translated as online classes, but I'd like to describe it as an online version of the cram school). Why do students go to hagwon ? The reasons are complicated. Most Koreans view superior academic performance as a sure way to climb the social ladder, and also achieve materialistic...

A few years ago, video clips with an unusual theme began to spring up like mushrooms across YouTube channels. They usually showed a person reading a book, turning the pages, and jotting things down in their notebook for hours. These were "study with me" videos in which a person studies on camera while other people watch and study as well. Those who regularly upload or stream the footage use it to stay focused for a fixed amount of time, and their viewers also get motivated to continue to study. That's why creating and watching such videos have emerged as a trendy study method among the young generation. The upgraded version of "study with me" is now available. Now South Korea's Generation Z uses a similar but upgraded method to get focused, thanks to the app Gooroomee Camstudy  (구루미 캠스터디). It was originally made for real-time video communication, catering to companies that needed video conferencing services. However, when the owner noticed that a grow...

Young South Koreans have recently been facing the worst job crunch in generations. Only a small number of job openings are available, and getting a highly sought-after permanent white-collar job with a decent income is just a pipe dream. 69.6% of 25- to 34-year-olds in South Korea have a college degree, compared with the OECD average of 44.5% of those in the same age group in 2019. In this situation, the idea is reinforced that attaining a college degree is merely one of many hoops to jump through before being hired, and getting into one of the top universities is regarded as an initial advantage. This is the main reason Korean teenagers begin studying for the national university entrance exam as early as 13 or 14, so it is safe to say that Korean students begin preparing to get a job during their middle or high school years. Students attend extracurricular study academies and cram schools for hours each day after their regular classes, dreaming of entering Korea's top-tier uni...

It's been about seven weeks since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Korea on Jan. 20, and now the number of cases is jumping by a few hundred every day. Concerns over the contagious disease have penetrated daily life, affecting people in different corners of the country. As the government encourages people to take part in "social distancing" efforts to halt the spread of the virus, I'm also refraining from going out except for when it is absolutely necessary [1, 2]. Whenever I hesitantly go grocery shopping, I see unusually deserted streets [3]. There is far less foot traffic in the neighborhood compared with two months ago. 100% of people out there are wearing masks. Coughing and sneezing in public space have started to invite suspicious stares from others. With many people staying home, it is rare to see the infamous traffic jams in Seoul and neighboring urban areas. Buses and subways are still running, but they are sparsely used because the fea...

If you are from another culture and enjoy a delicious meal with Korean friends, you may begin to calculate the cost of what you ate, expecting to split the bill. However, you might be doing that mental math in vain. Koreans have interesting unwritten rules dictating who pays for a meal. Knowing this protocol may save you from unnecessarily feeling awkward after a nice meal. Generally, three scenarios are possible. I'll introduce each possible situation. 만약 여러분이 다른 문화권의 사람이라면 한국인 친구들과 맛있는 식사를 한뒤에 따로 계산을 할 것을 예상하고 자신이 먹었던 음식 값이 얼마인지 셈을 할지도 모릅니다. 하지만 불필요한 셈을 하고 있는 것일 수도 있어요. 한국에는 누가 밥값을 계산할지를 결정짓는 흥미로운 규칙이 있습니다. 여러분이 이 규칙을 알고 나면 근사한 식사 뒤에 쓸데없이 당황하는 일은 없어질 수도 있습니다. When one person pays for the entire meal with nothing in return  한 사람이 식사비를 전부 계산하는 경우 In Korea, people pay particular attention to each other's ages because age plays an important role in cultural situations. The oldest person in a group is often expected to lead and take care of the others. In that sense, it ...

Some people say, "Life gets harder after college graduation. Studying as a student is the best part of your life." This saying has made me ponder about what my life in school and college was like; looking back, I can't be certain that it was the best moment of my life. Honestly, I'm not sure I could be happy if I went back to school. From high school through college, the one thing I remember is studying for exam after exam. I sometimes had quality time hanging out with my friends, but only on those days when the exams were finally over. Even worse, such times were just short and transient pleasures, because just a few days after completing my mid-terms or finals, I used to start carrying the psychological burden again. It was a constant reminder: "You should plan, and start studying for the next exams." Korean society is overly fond of standardized tests as an objective measure of one's qualifications. Achieving good scores is not always easy, but...

One trillion won ($840 million). That's the value of the transactions made through KakaoTalk's mobile gift service in 2017. Kakaotalk is the number one mobile messenger app in Korea. Other than messages and emoji, users can also send a gift or mobile gift voucher with a couple of taps. According to a report by Kakao, the developer of the app, an average of 200,000 gift items were purchased per day, and a total of 17 million users used the service in 2017. Industry insiders estimated that transactions totaled about 2 trillion won in 2018 and 3 trillion in 2019. Thanks to skyrocketing sales, Kakao took hold in the e-commerce market. 1조원. 2017년에 카카오톡 선물하기를 통해 거래된 금액입니다. 카카오톡은 한국에서 가장 많이 사용하는 모바일 메신저 어플입니다. 메세지와 이모티콘은 물론이고 사용자들은 몇 번의 터치만으로 선물이나 모바일 상품권도 보낼 수 있습니다. 카카오톡의 개발업체인 카카오의 공개 자료에 따르면, 2017년에 하루 평균 20만개의 선물이 판매가 되었고, 한 해 동안 1700만명의 사용자들이 선물하기 기능을 이용했다고 합니다. 업계 관계자들은 2018년에는 거래액이 2조원에, 2019년에는 3조원에 달하는 것으로 추정하고 있습니다. 이렇게 엄청난 판매 덕에 카카오는 이커머스 시장에서 입지를 다지게 되었습니다. Many people...

Honsul (혼술, drinking alone) is a combination of two words, honja (혼자, alone) and sul-masigi (술 마시기, drinking). It has become a trendy and widely used word to describe how people have been drifting away from drinking with company since the 2010s. This trend is generally thought of as driven by the growing number of people in their 20s and 30s who are living alone. '혼술'은 '혼자'와 '술 마시기'의 합성어입니다. 이 단어는 사람들이 무리지어 음주를 하는 것을 기피하는 현상을 나타내는 단어로 2010년대 이후 유행하여 널리 쓰이게 되었습니다. 혼자 사는 20대, 30대 인구가 늘어나면서 이들이 이러한 문화를 주도하는 것으로 알려져 있습니다. Honsul at home (only two days ago) Honsul as a counter-reaction to hoe-sik 혼술, 회식 문화에 대한 반작용 Drinking alone never used to be common in Korea. Many people who were born in the 1960s and 70s are heavily group oriented. They highly value group activities and like to do everything "together." Members of their groups aren't allowed to say "no" to group activities. As they are now in key positions of companies, the...

Have you ever tried Korean food? If you haven't, consider trying it. Korean dishes will bring you a novel experience. Dining out at a Korean restaurant is more than just tasting Korean food. Other than the foods, you will be able to feel the unique Korean vibe there. There are also some interesting things you can find at typical Korean restaurants. Let me introduce you 4 things that may surprise you while dining in Korean restaurants. (Spoiler Alert!) 한국 음식을 드셔본 적이 있나요? 아직 못 드셔보셨다면 한 번 드셔보세요. 한국 요리들은 여러분에게 새로운 경험을 선사할 것입니다. 한국 음식점에서 식사를 하는 것은 단지 한국 음식을 맛보는 것 이상의 경험이지요. 음식은 물론이고, 한국의 독특한 분위기를 느낄 수 있을 것입니다. 또한 한국 음식점들에는 신기한 것들이 있지요. 제가 한국 음식점의 4가지 신기한 물건을 소개해 드리겠습니다. 1. Call bells 호출벨 Once you get seated, the first thing you may notice on the table will be this. It is a call bell. In most Korean restaurants, you don't need to raise your hand or wait for a server to come around. You can simply press the button, then a server will check the number of your table th...

Jajangmyeon (also jjajangmyeon, 짜장면, Korean noodles in a black bean sauce) was originally introduced in Korea by Chinese merchants but its flavor has evolved over time to suit Koreans' taste buds. In the 1970s and 80s, people used to enjoy it when celebrating special occasions, such as school entrance or graduation ceremonies. Now it is a common and easily affordable dish, but still it appeals to many Koreans regardless of age. 짜장면은 본래 중국 상인들을 통해 한국에 전해진 음식이지만 시간이 가면서 한국인들의 입맛에 맞게 변했습니다. 짜장면은 1970-80년대에 입학식이나 졸업식처럼 특별한 날에 먹는 음식이었습니다. 지금은 적당한 가격에 쉽게 사먹을 수 있는 음식이지만, 여전히 남녀노소 상관없이 많은 한국인들에게 사랑받고 있습니다. This dish also appears in Korean popular culture. In Korea, April 14th is a special day called "black day" when single people get together with their single friends and have these Korean black bean sauce noodles. Jajangmyeon even appeared in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite." In the film, jjapaguri (짜파구리, translated as "Ram-don (Ramen + Udon)" in the E...