Korean age. I love this topic. It's fitting too, because a few days ago everyone just got a year older. Plus that Brad Pitt movie made me think about crazy age systems. But before I get into this, I'll have to apologize for beating a dead horse. This topic has been covered in countless blogs, forums, and usually tops a beginner's guide to Korean culture. Of course, the good people here at KC101 covered this topic in Culture Class #4. So, why is it so hard to understand sometimes? And more importantly why break the mold? Why does Korea differ in how age is recorded? First off, I'd like to volunteer a piece of something personal. I am discalculic. I don't get along with numbers. So, even the "normal" western system provides plenty... Show more

Merry Christmas, everyone!

태극기.  Not the brilliant movie made back in 2004, but the national flag of South Korea. The name comes from the 태국 circle found in the middle of the flag. Take note of the yin-yang circle and how it flows counterclockwise and is horizontally aligned; as opposed to the vertically aligned clockwise Taoist symbol. Koreans have a unique interpretation of the symbol, in particular. However, one unifying theme between the Chinese and Korean symbol is "balance". Below is a specific breakdown and interpretation of symbols: Below is a collection of previous versions of the flag. Note the eight trigrams instead of the modern four. I guess even back then Koreans were cutting corners in the name of efficiency (joking!). It is interesting to... Show more

Last week the 23rd 골든디스크상, the Golden Disk Awards, were held. I'm not entirely sure but apparently the results are calculated by a formula that consists of : 60% music sales, 20% popularity vote and 20% committee evaluation from December 2007 to November 2008. There's a whole lot of politics under the surface though, some labels in the past have boycotted the event, and it's all really just a big mess waiting to happen. But instead of getting into that, we'll just take a look at who won what. There's a few awards you can grab for yourself at the Golden Disk Awards. The biggest is the 대상, it's the holy grail of the night. The next is the 본상 award, and then finally there are YEPP awards for various categories. 동방신기 grabbed themselves the... Show more

Korean sleeping arrangements Let's draw a picture. I prefer pencil and paper. It's a nasty hot summer night. I'm in a one room hotel room with twelve (count them) twelve other people in a room smaller than anything Holiday Inn has to offer. Air conditioning comes in the form of a thick piece of paper attached to a wooden handle. I'm on the central west coast of Korea in a small resort town with a bunch of warm and friendly Koreans aged anywhere from newborn to unmentionable. I've got a single buckwheat shell-filled pillow the size of a large ziplock bag and a tissue-thin blanket to keep me covered. Everyone is occupied with something. The older people are up late playing card games while the younger ones are watching a variety show.... Show more