“And you know, sir, if you’ll excuse me saying it, there ISN’T a wholesale shop, not for Genuine Magic goods, sir. I don’t know if you noticed our inscription – the Genuine Magic shop.” He drew a business card from his cheek and handed it to me. “Genuine,” he said, with his finger on the word, and a

University has such a huge meaning in Korea. “Which school do you go to?” is a common question that young people in their 20s ask when they first see each other. In the 2000s, universities seem to have become a means to represent the identity of young people, more than a place to learn. “I’m a stude

The very pedantic tone I have acquired over the years in my writing comes from my attempt at shameless self-promotion. It feels good to tell people that you feel smart, and to attract attention for that fact. In fact this entire country runs on that one ideal that a good and supreme education is the

It’s been almost two months since more than half of the population in South Korea has stayed indoors. Just when the quarantine had started, it felt like time had stopped just as our daily lives had, and yet, without notice, spring has silently arrived accompanying pinkish cherry blossoms. It is almo

The recent Nth room sex crime has grabbed the attention of the public. What I found very weird about this incident was the public having to demand severe punishment to the perpetrators. As of March 23, more than two million people have signed the online petition demanding the disclosure of those rel

Recall your childhood memory. What is your favorite spot in the playground? Among many apparatuses, riding the seesaw was one of the enjoyable spots in the playground. It is fun to balance the seating position for equilibrium. Being lifted up provided a conquering feeling and as I was being lowered,

Philosophy or people from ancient times thought about how life works since they were made. While inspecting it, they reasoned death, destiny, and god. Is there a certain destiny that we can’t deny? Is there an afterlife? Or the grand question: is there god?When people started asking questions about

Let’s face it – we’re not used to dealing with international affairs. Or, at least a large proportion of us are. For a typical Korean student who was born, raised, and educated in this country, “Foreign affairs” stays in its vaguely alien space where you’ve read that it’s a big problem, you’ve heard

What is your body made of? Your body is made of skin tissues, bones, blood, fat, and more. You need nutrition to maintain your body. Your body needs to be healthy or else you might not be able to normally survive LIFE. So, everybody knows that your body is important. Without bodies, we cannot live a

Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay / To mould me Man, did I solicit thee / From darkness to promote me?Parenting videos and cartoons seem hot on Instagram these days. Maybe it’s just some prejudiced Facebook algorithm that automatically sort users in their twenties as either married or preparin

The world has changed. There is no need to study by conventional methods. Books have transformed into electronic tablets and music CDs have transited to streaming sites. Libraries have been digitalized. People carry smartphones to search through the internet using wireless connections. These outbrea

Before 2006, the English word frame was just a cinema terminology in Korean media. In December that year, professor Hong Seung-min wrote on Hankyoreh, “people who have gone through the Korean War understand socialism through the bbalgaeng-i(reds*) frame”, and was one of the first cases where the wor

“Sorry for being late. I haveso many things to do. Yeah, that includes…some projects I do for my club and anassignment, my study.” “(Sending some gifticon that thereceiver might like) Sorry for not visiting your show. I’m sending this coffee couponjust in case… got busy with my work.Good luck with y

Influence is something we all have, everyone has influence on others. However, the source or the degree of influence may vary depending on the person. The source of the influence may be the relationships one has with others or one’s social status can be what creates such power of influence. This pow

Recently, celebrities’ past hateful tweets has been resurfacing and has sparked huge controversies among people, especially to those who were seriously offended by the tweets. The 2019 Academy Awards went host-free due to the Kevin Hart’s (host-to-be, comedian and actor) tweet from 2011 and his stan

“There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You'd think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not the opposite is t

It is not a recent phenomenon where a surge of interest in companion animals has taken place in our society. Korea is a country where more than one fourth of the households have a companion animal whe

If you ever watched the Pixar movie “Coco,” you’ll probably notice the title as one of the most heartwarming soundtracks. For those who haven’t watched it, basically the main c

"I have eaten/ the plums/ that were in/ the ice box// and which/ you were probably/ saving/for breakfast// Forgive/ they were delicious/so sweet/ and so cold.” These twelve lines are everyt

October 6th, 6:08 a.m. Ha Jeom-yeon, a Korean victim of Japanese military’s wartime sexual slavery passed away. October 30th, South Korean Supreme Court delivered a final verdict ordering the st