Kim Yu-na, the Japanese, and the Great Figure Skating Rivalry Posted by Tony Kitchen on Feb 11, 2014
“Queen Yu-na,” or Kim Yu-na, Korea’s eternal Olympic hero, can’t escape Korea’s history. The Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910-1945 is so deeply entrenched into the geopolitics of northeast Asia that even women’s figure skating brings a deep-rooted passion to the forefront. When Kim, the Bucheon native and gold-medalist at the 2010 Vancouver games, tries…
Shoe Store in Korea – Shopping Posted by Soo on Feb 3, 2014
Shoe Store in Korea – Shopping What is your shoe size? What unit does your country use? Koreans use Centimeter. If your shoe size is men’s US size 10.5, it is about 275 cm in Korea. It will be very confusing if you are not familiar with the unit. You had better have little research before…
Adventurous Korean Food: Korean Beef Sashimi (Tartare) Posted by Tony Kitchen on Jan 17, 2014
For the adventurous eater, running out of gastronomical options in Korea is like an empire running out places to expand. Yuk-whey (육회), Korean beef sashimi (a take on steak tartare), is one of the more ambitious, yet unknown, foods in Korea. And it’s a delight. Korean beef sashimi has stayed out of the mainstream conversations…
Korean Cuisine’s Best Kept Secret is Found in Busan Posted by Tony Kitchen on Jan 8, 2014
The first time I was offered dog soup–a very rare, intolerable meal in modern day Korea–I turned it down not because it was gastronomically unethical, but because it reminded me too much of what I always considered Korea’s greatest soup, Busan’s pork rice soup (Dwaeji gukbop, 돼지국밥). Busan prides itself on this little known, heavy…
As a Tourist in Korea – Useful Expression at the Bank Posted by Soo on Dec 30, 2013
Some tourists use their international credit card during the traveling in Korea, but they will find soon there are limited areas they can use their own credit card. Tourists will need some cash they need to take, and most Korean banks have a system to exchange money for foreigners. If they go to the bank…
A New Chingu (친구): The Korean Blog’s Newest Addition Posted by Tony Kitchen on Dec 17, 2013
Each week, I will be contributing to this blog, posting about Korean food, travel, culture, and occasionally language. After living in South Korea from 2008 to 2012, I spent the last several months with an itch I needed to scratch. That itch was to return to my second home, the Land of the Morning Calm…
Tourists in Korea – Useful Expression at the Airport and Hotel Posted by Soo on Dec 16, 2013
Tourists in Korea – Useful Expression at the Airport and Hotel Most employees work with the airport and hotel in Korea can speak English adequately. But, just in case, if you have little knowledge of Korean which can be using at the airport and hotel, you would feel much comfortable. In this blog, you can…