Life&Culture
AtoZ into Korean Mind In series
Decoding the Korean psyche through keywords
#Psychology
# Korean mindset
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AtoZ into Korean Mind In series
Decoding the Korean psyche through keywords
Would you like to subscribe?
From 'soft no's to hidden anger: Why Koreans communicate indirectly
A few weeks ago, Kim working for a government agency was reprimanded by his boss after a misunderstanding spiraled out of control. The boss, fresh from being scolded by his own superior, turned to Kim with anger in his eyes and demanded, “Do I have to go through this because of you?” Kim froze. He knew the situation had been caused by an unforeseen complication, not by any mistake on his part. He wanted to say, “It wasn’t my fault,” but the words wouldn’t come out. “If I talked back, I thought h
Nov. 30, 2025 - 14:44:18
Why Korea loves monochrome fashion
The Korea Herald is launching a new season of "A to Z into the Korean Mind." In the previous series, we explored keywords selected by our staff to delve into the Korean psyche and its cultural nuances. For this second season, we're turning to our readers and answering the questions you've submitted. This installment begins with a question from @ramneeksekhon on Instagram: "Why do young people not wear colorful clothes?" — Ed. When Isabel Smith, 32, first arrived in Seoul from the United States a
Nov. 17, 2025 - 09:05:00
Koreans brush teeth openly and together from childhood. Why?
Even after two years of teaching English at an elementary school in Seoul, Clare Mitchell from Canada still finds herself surprised by her students’ after-lunch ritual of brushing their teeth together in the restroom. “When you brush your teeth, you spit and sometimes bits of food come out. It’s not exactly something you want to show others. Watching kids do it so casually, even from such a young age, was a bit of a shock,” she told The Korea Herald. Back in her country, personal grooming ritual
Nov. 8, 2025 - 16:00:00
Why are Korean weddings so fast?
The Korea Herald is launching a new season of "A to Z into the Korean Mind." In the previous series, we explored keywords selected by our staff to delve into the Korean psyche and its cultural nuances. For this second season, we're turning to our readers and answering the questions you've submitted. The first installment begins with a question from @0214sam on Instagram: "Why are Korean weddings so fast?" — Ed. In Korea, speed and efficiency define almost every aspect of life, and weddings are
Nov. 5, 2025 - 09:27:00
S. Korea's generational labels keep failing — so why do we keep using them?
In Korea, it doesn’t matter if generational labels make sense. They just need to go viral. "They all started as marketing terms. But as social descriptors that actually reflect reality? 'MZ' was too broad and vague. 'Young Forty' is politically charged. But in a crowded culture, lazy categories always win, I guess," Chun Young-woo, 43, a marketing executive at Seoul-based Metric Studio, told The Korea Herald. "MZ Generation" is a blurry hybrid of Millennials and Generation Z that landed in Korea
Nov. 2, 2025 - 09:00:00
Why Koreans keep buying books they admit are shallow
When "I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki" appeared in 2018, it opened up something rare in Korean publishing. Part memoir, part therapeutic dialogue, the book was grounded in the author’s experience of clinical depression. Classified as a “Korean Essay” by local bookstores, it stood out because it offered a vulnerable personal narrative. Seven years on, the same category looks very different. Bookstores across South Korea showcase row after row of pastel-colored volumes repeating variati
Sept. 22, 2025 - 10:54:53
On bended knees for ballots
As the election nears, South Korea’s presidential hopefuls are once again lowering themselves — literally — before voters. Kneeling down, they bow deeply, bending their entire upper bodies until their faces nearly, or even fully, touch the ground. This traditional gesture, rooted in Confucian customs, is one of the highest forms of respect and expressions of obedience in Korea — typically reserved for parents or ancestors during rituals. During election season, however, these deep bows transform
May 26, 2025 - 09:48:23
The case against small talk, according to Koreans
Why do Koreans generally not engage with strangers? We asked locals and experts Ava Miller, an avid K-drama lover, traveled to Seoul in July last year to practice her Korean and immerse herself in authentic Korean culture. Staying at a hostel in Seoul, she tried to engage with locals, but whenever she started a conversation, they responded with short answers, and the dialogue didn’t flow as she had hoped. “Everyone was quietly eating or washing dishes, not making eye contact with each other,” th
March 30, 2025 - 17:11:34
Why Koreans don't apologize when bumping into others
Crowd density isn't the only reason minor physical contact is tolerated in South Korea During William Smith’s first experience riding the subway in Seoul several years ago, he initially felt that some Koreans were rude and didn’t respect other passengers’ personal space. People would push past him and walk away without apologizing. “In the United States, if I accidentally bump into someone — even after apologizing — I could be accused of something like sexual harassment. But here, people seem mo
March 24, 2025 - 10:17:00
Not so free: The irony of Korea’s ‘free size’ fashion
Free size in South Korean fashion is a label that fits the industry better than the consumer Choi A-ra, 24, entered university with a goal: to fit into "free-size" clothing. "In places like Hongdae or Gangnam Station's underground shopping centers, most of the pretty clothes I wanted to buy only came in 'free-size,'" she said. "Back in high school, I was overweight — 170 centimeters and 65 kilograms — so my goal was to lose 10 kilograms to fit into them." She reached her target weight. But even
March 12, 2025 - 10:09:50
Who are the real Gen Z? Breaking down Korea's latest workplace stereotype
They show up to work in sweatpants with hair curlers dangling from their bangs. They wander the office with AirPods firmly planted in their ears. And when the clock strikes 6, they're already hovering by the door, bags packed and ready to bolt -- unfinished projects be damned. At least, that's how the story goes. Tales of Generation Z workers have taken on almost mythical proportions in Korean offices. In break rooms and boardrooms alike, stories of their workplace misdeeds and faux pas spread l
Feb. 16, 2025 - 14:29:24
Baby face obsession: Why Koreans strive to look younger
In a society that celebrates youth and fears aging, pressure to stay young runs deep In South Korea, conversations with strangers traditionally begin by sharing one's age, which helps determine the proper use of honorifics, an important aspect of Korean language, and shapes expectations around people's roles in the relationship. Once ages are shared, it’s very common -- almost expected -- to compliment how much younger someone looks. “You don’t look your age,” one might say, and the other person
Feb. 2, 2025 - 10:45:28
'It's just subtle, not serious': What Koreans miss when downplaying racism
Confronting xenophobia, prevalent but largely unrecognized as a problem, is crucial for South Korea‘s transition to truly multicultural society, experts say Online comments dismissing xenophobia in South Korea as insignificant are surprisingly common. For example, when Chosun Ilbo, a major Korean news outlet, published an article in March about racial discrimination and xenophobia in Itaewon, many readers argued it exaggerated the problem. Reactions included: “Don’t talk nonsense, reporter. It’s
Jan. 4, 2025 - 16:00:00
Not just moms, wives: Korean women's daily struggle for identity
For generations, womanhood in South Korea has been inextricably linked to motherhood, a role often defined by self-sacrifice. But today, Korean women are questioning these norms, striving to reclaim their identities as individuals, not just as daughters, wives or moms, and to redefine what it means to be a woman. To capture a snapshot of this change, The Korea Herald spoke with seven women, ranging from a stay-at-home mom in her 50s who bitterly regrets the limited choices she had compared to to
Dec. 21, 2024 - 16:15:33
‘Tell me I fit in’
Behind endless streams of social media comments, validation-addicted Koreans seek group acceptance “Do you think it’s okay to go for a test-drive of a Mercedes Benz car in track pants?” Kim, a veterinarian in her 30s living in Seoul, posed the question via a yes-or-no poll on Instagram. To her relie
Dec. 2, 2024 - 14:43:13
