Tipping and VAT (부가세). In America, it's what we do. We tip. It's a short discussion at the end of a meal, but just like the credits at the end of movie, who really sticks around and pays attention? Leave the tip and be on your way. Who cares? Answer: anyone who's waited tables before. The tip makes or breaks a server's day. A generous tip will make your shift 20x more tolerable and a dinky tip will leave you wondering why you even try to be nice let alone flirt with that girl who was clearly not your type. What was I talking about? Oh yeah the analogy. So, if we follow the movie theater comparison, then Koreans hit the road as soon as the guy gets the girl and doesn't so much as stick around to see who directed the flick. In short,... Show more

Constitution Day in South Korea takes place on July 17th each year. It celebrates the exact day that the Korean Constitution was put in effect since 1948. The decision to make this day the chosen day for this holiday came three years after the defeat of Japan in World War II as well as after the elections and when the members of the national assembly were selected. Soon after all of this took place including the announcement of Constitution Day, on August 18th, the First Republic of Korea was formally launched. The laws on public holidays in South Korea was agreed upon in October 1948 and that is the same time that July 17th became the designated holiday for Constitution Day in South Korea. The main attraction during... Show more

Korean Flight Attendants I hate traveling. Driving is lame. Airports make me nervous. Airplanes provide an expensive and ultimately unsatisfying napping experience. But on a Korean company's airplane, you will find little to complain about (other than the fourteen hour flight). Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the fine men and women that make up the flight attendants of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. Let's talk about the flight attendants. They are young, let me tell you. Younger than their average Western counterpart. I don't have numbers to prove it (which is usually a bad sign, but hey) but think about it. American flight attendants are working a job. They represent a fairly broad age demographic - some young, some old.... Show more

Korean post production. It's annoying as all get out. It's unnecessary. It's shiny. It's colorful. It's embarrassing. It's a staple. One cannot watch Korean TV without noticed the astronomical amount of post production. You've seen it - even if you never noticed it before. May 12 1956 marked a special day in Korean history. The event? The first Korean television broadcast. Small but soon to become a mind-numbing ritual for families all over the country. This ingenious invention might not have inspired the miracle on the han but it may have at least entertained the masses. Now, it doesn't take much to know that much of early imported media came from Japan. Yes, Korea's history with Japanese media is rather interesting given the... Show more

Nine member SM Entertainment girl group 소녀시대 (So Nyeo Shi Dae, or Girls' Generation) released a new MV recently. You might remember the 'Gee Virus' they spread at the beginning of the year, with their super catchy song Gee. Even if you didn't like the song much, you probably had "gee gee gee gee baby baby baby~" stuck in your head for a while. (Did you live under a rock and never hear the song? Now's your chance!) I definitely don't think that they've necessarily done it again with 소원을 말해봐 (Genie), but the song is still cute, catchy, and I really enjoy it (and I love the outfits! Rawr~): The original album cover caused a bit of a stir, because netizens have hawk-like eyes (and maybe not much of a life). This is the original... Show more