Boknal 2026: Why Koreans Eat Scalding Chicken Soup on the Hottest Days
Boknal 2026: Chobok is July 15. Why Koreans eat boiling ginseng chicken soup in a heatwave, what samgyetang costs now, and the dog-meat question, answered.
S.H. Kim
What Is a Joriwon? Inside Korea’s Postpartum Care Centers (And What They Cost)
A joriwon is Korea’s postpartum care center where 85.5% of new mothers recover for ~2 weeks. What a stay includes, what it costs, and the government money foreigners can get.
What Is Doljanchi? Inside a Korean Baby’s First Birthday (Doljabi, Explained)
Doljanchi is a Korean baby’s first birthday feast — the doljabi fortune game, the round dolsang table, and the gold dol ring that now nears ₩1,000,000.
Does Google Maps Work in Korea Yet? (2026 Update: Still No, Here’s Why)
Korea ‘approved’ Google Maps in February 2026 — but it still won’t give driving directions. Here’s why, and the Korean map apps to install instead.
Why Your Korean Paycheck Is Smaller Than Your Contract (2026 Payslip, Decoded)
Your ₩4,000,000 Korean contract pays out in the mid-₩3-millions. What the four insurances (9.7% in 2026) and income tax take — and what foreigners can get back.
How Do You Throw Away Trash in Korea? Five Bins Explained
How trash works in Korea: general waste needs a paid district bag, food waste is weighed and billed, and recyclables are sorted by material.
What Jangma Actually Feels Like: Living Through Korea’s Monsoon Season
Jangma is Korea’s summer monsoon (late June–late July). A Seoul insider on the soggy commute, the damp, and the rainy-day pajeon + makgeolli ritual.
Why I Haven’t Touched Cash in Months: How Koreans Actually Pay for Everything
Koreans pay for almost everything by phone — cash is under 16% of in-person spending. A Seoul insider explains Toss, KakaoBank, KakaoPay, Samsung Pay and bill-splitting.
Going to the Doctor in Korea (병원·약국)
A few weeks ago my throat started doing that scratchy thing it does every time the office air conditioning wins. It was lunchtime. I walked out of the building, found an ear-nose-throat clinic on the second floor of the building across the street, took a number, sat down, and was back at my desk within … Read more
What a Korean Family of Three Actually Spends in a Month
On the 25th of every month, my credit card statement lands. Last month I caught myself staring at the total, thinking, “Where did all of this even go?” So instead of shrugging it off like usual, I opened my banking app and broke it down, line by line — me, my wife, and our seven-year-old … Read more