Job Search
I am now trapped in a tight, borrowed business suit. My hair is tamed into a tidy ponytail. I ditched red lipstick in order to look modest. Such a stereotypical job interviewee. Anyone could tell what I am up to. Today’s destination is a satellite city in Gyeonggi-do. The
Preponderance of Workers
When I’m in South Korea what always surprises me is the number of employees in department store food corners, usually women middle-aged or older. They welcome customers, let them taste dumplings, tofu and so on. It almost seems there is one person for each shelf of goods. I don’
Halmeoni
During my recent research visit to Seoul, I had a long conversation with my halmeoni. No, it was more like a story time, much like the ones we shared years ago when she raised me. I named certain events in her life and she would promptly supply her memories. “
Seoul Train Station
This morning, a middle aged man in tattered clothes sat down in the road at the Seoul Station bus stop. The buses went around him. I asked a woman at the bus stop to call emergency services; the police told her to call welfare. While she did, he got up
South Korea's Real Culture of Shame
Academic literature has extensively documented the so-called ‘culture of shame’ in East Asia, and South Korea is no exception to the phenomenon as a national collective that suffers acutely from fear of losing one’s face — chemyeon as they say in Korean. Shame over possible loss of one’s
Breaking Soles, Saving Seoul: Teenage Missionaries of the Mormon Church
My name is Elder Johnson. I’m nineteen years old. I came to Seoul thirteen months ago as a Mormon missionary. I’m in Korea because I have something I really want to share. I’ve seen what it’s like to live in accordance with the Mormon Church, and
Dating for Dummies
A couple, obviously bored out of their minds, stare intently at their smartphones in a Seoul coffee shop. The small talk, if there is any, is painful to eavesdrop on. Despite their matching clothes, ubiquitous couple rings, and obligatory selfies together, they seem to have little in common. So why
Welcome to Korea Exposé
exposé [ɛkspoʊˈzeɪ]: A French noun meaning project or presentation. Also means to be exposed. In the English language, the word also refers to investigative journalism. The Korean Peninsula has been divided for more than six decades, with a fast-developed capitalist state and a