​​​​​​​Coming home late at night from Ewha University subway station, I walked peacefully down the empty streets towards the international dormitory. With only a few people on the street, the atmosphere was already so much calmer than my home university in Philadelphia, USA. As I approached the inte

​​​​​​​“Is this your name? This is the Seoul Prosecutor’s office. We heard that a large sum of money has been taken from your account. To recover this loss, you should do as we say.” These days, we know this as a starter line for phone scam. Similar starter lines for a scam text message would be “Mo

​​​​​​​In 2004 British Council carried a survey of 40,000 people in 102 non- English speaking countries around the world about what the most beautiful English word is. It turned out to be “mother.” The word “mother” is the most beautiful word in the world whether it is the East or the West as the ep

Is there a place that is not home but makes you feel comfortable? We live at home and school or home and workplace every day, but these are not the only two spaces we need. Our lives would be very bleak if we only went back and forth between home and work. Accordingly, we need “a third space” to enr

I decided to dye my hair orange this summer. It wasn’t neon or bleached, and my sister’s homegrown hairdressing skills showed when the left half appeared more tinted than its right counterpart. Nevertheless, I was happy with the result. To me, the color symmetry was nowhere near as important as the

We are all aware of the fact that environmental problems are extremely serious, and they consistently influence us. Experts say that air pollution from fossil fuels could cut our lifespans by two to five years. This means that if we properly tackle climate change, it could add the same years back to

COVID-19 has hurt not only our physical health, but also our mental health. Along with increased online activities in the ‘untact’ society, the number of expressions of aversion is skyrocketing as well, and an epidemic of hate is spreading at an intimidating speed. The result of the survey conducted

Just a few days ago, I happened to see SNS posting of my British friend who now lives in Canada that on her way back from London to visit her mother, she was diagnosed with COVID-19. My friend in quarantine said she had already vaccinated and some people under quarantine were also vaccinated. Then,

At least once in a lifetime, most of us would have experienced a sudden desire for a pet before, and so have I. There was no specific reason. I simply adored animals, they were cute, and as an only child they seemed like the perfect substitute for a sibling. Unfortunately, my parents were not enthus

​​​​​​​Korea is relatively a late-comer in the global public diplomacy scene. However, some unique initiatives come out of the country and attract the attention of the global public diplomacy community. Last month, I was invited to give a lecture to the University of Southern California students on

Whom among us does not have a social media account? Whom among us has not experienced scrolling through social media until losing a sense of time and space? Whom among us does not find social media a must in this era? ‘Attention merchant’ is a term coined by Tim Wu in his book of the same title. Fac

Why did mankind face the unprecedented coronavirus crisis? All living things are conceived, born and live on Earth. To living things, the Earth is a mother. Animals are our brothers and plants are our sisters. However, we have abused and violated our Mother Earth and our animal brothers and sisters.

​​​​​​​capitalism got inside my head and made me think my only value is how much i producefor people to consumecapitalism got inside my head and made me thinkI am of worthas long as i am workingFrom “Home Body” by Rupi Kaur Three months ago, I was an enthusiastic self-tracker who kept record of how

When news of the Atlanta shootings broke, it hurt. Eight people suddenly gone, six of whom were Asian women. Although physically removed from the country where the attacks occurred, I could sense the Korean community here hurting as well. Friends and acquaintances flooded social media with messages

The very recent issue that is gaining the brightest spotlight is the fundamental transformation around labor and job market. Innovative digital technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) is replacing human labor and jobs in a rapid pace through industrial structure reformation. Of course, the soci

​​​​​​​Time runs at the speed of light. You do not have time to look back as the seasons replace each other, the years change, you grow up, and life runs with you, sometimes by you. In this cycle of life, we all strive to achieve something. Someone is chasing fame, someone is after love, someone is

In the past one year, the pandemic has rendered commercial flights not only between South Korea and Vietnam but also between Vietnam and many other countries in the world scarce and unpredictable. There are many Vietnamese students studying in South Korea who have boarded what is so-called a rescue

I get to know a lot of students through the courses I teach. Many students ask me for advice regarding their future careers: what should I do, what should I study, and so on. I’ve had many students in their final year of university tell me they really don’t know what they want to do after they gradu

For those of you who had been to academies when you were in elementary, middle, or high school, what kind of memories come to your mind when you think of those days? For me, not only teachers, the atmosphere of studying, and something related to education, but the moments of eating snacks, enjoying

About a month ago, an old student of mine sent me an unexpected e-mail. She reminded me that she took my course last winter, right before the COVID outbreak, and that the conversations we had in-between classes inspired her to achieve her goals: to be admitted into Law School. To share a bit more ab