It’s not every day you stumble across a naturally carbonated spring. In France, there’s Badoit. In Italy, San Pellegrino. These are more than just mineral waters — they’re bottled expressions of terroir, tradition, and time. And in Korea, there’s Chojeong. Tucked away in the countryside of Cheongju, Chojeong is home to a spring that has…
At 7:30 a.m., most restaurants in the neighborhood were still closed. The only one open was a modest, old-school diner with a teal awning and an unmistakable name printed in red and blue: Bogwang Gisa Sikdang. A row of yellow plastic jugs and orange cones lined the front — a simple but effective way to…
When a hex becomes a story. When redesigning the site, I realized the previous accent color lacked intention. So I began searching — experimenting with HEX codes that could hold meaning as well as aesthetic value. Then came #82C0DE.It caught my eye, and then it made perfect sense. 82 for Korea.C0DE for structure, design, and…
Korean Everyday Icons #3 Open any drawer in Korea and you’ll probably find one. You don’t remember when you picked it up. Maybe it signed a lease. Or filled out a delivery form. Or added a name to a list. The pen isn’t special. But it’s always there. Its name is Monami 153. Though most…
Where literature isn’t just remembered. It’s folded into daily life. Located on Korea’s eastern shore, Gangneung is a midsize coastal city in Gangwon Province, home to just over 200,000 residents. Nestled between the Taebaek Mountains and the East Sea, the city feels suspended between ridgelines and waves. As a sub-host city of the 2018 PyeongChang…
Before idols ruled the charts, Korean music hit its creative peak. Today, K-pop commands a global fanbase, captivating audiences across continents with synchronized performances and high-concept storytelling. But nearly 30 years ago, back in 1995, Korean pop music marked a very different kind of peak — a golden age that captured the spirit of a…
How a London-trained designer left high fashion behind to weave culture, teaching, and tradition into a new kind of garment. I didn’t meet the designer by accident. In December last year, I drove down to Keimyung University in Daegu to meet Ali Ruth, who teaches fashion design there. That visit became the basis for a…
How the Seoul Olympics became a symbol of national rebirth and global reordering No one expected Seoul to win. In the early 1980s, Nagoya seemed like the obvious choice to host the 1988 Summer Olympics. Japan had submitted its bid years earlier, while South Korea jumped in late, armed with little more than determination —…
“This isn’t a date-night pasta place. It’s where you show up in slippers and eat something honest.” A minute’s walk from Samgakji Station’s Exit 6, D’asti the Hidden faces an elementary school across the road — a quiet slice of the city where horns fade, children’s voices carry, and time feels slower. It’s calm here…
In 2000, one song would forever alter the course of Korean pop music. At the time, J.Y. Park was an emerging producer, fresh off the success of g.o.d, a group he had carefully crafted into a national sensation. With their emotional storytelling and melodic hooks, he had begun to define his signature style. But producing…