living in korea

Why Young Koreans Can’t Buy a Home (But Won’t Stop Trying)

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High-rise Korean apartment blocks lining a river with a green walking path in front

There’s a Korean word you should know: youngkkeul (영끌). It literally means “scraping together your soul.” It’s not some spiritual thing — it describes what people do to buy a home here. You gather every won you can, borrow every loan you qualify for, and put your soul up as collateral too. The joke stopped … Read more

Why Koreans Ask Your Age First (And What It Actually Means)

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Two women talking over coffee at a cafe window table, one gesturing mid-question

The first time a foreigner asked me how old I was, I froze for a solid two seconds. Not because the question was rude — it wasn’t, at least not to me — but because I genuinely didn’t know which answer to give. My Korean age? My international age? In Korea I’d just say a … Read more