Hongdae takes its name from the nearby Hongik University (with the Korean word for ‘university’ being ‘daehag’ so ‘Hongdae’ simply being the first half of each word smooshed together). The area of Hongdae, Seoul itself is considered by many to be the modern hub of the city. It’s not the place to go for traditional …
Gwanghwamun Square is one of the coolest, most historic, artistic, and beautiful parts of Seoul. It’s where you’ll find the epic statues of King Sejong and General Yi Sun-sin, as well as the Sejong Center and the grand Gyeongbokgung Palace. Just outside of Gwanghwamun Square is also the Bukcheon Hanok Village, where you can rent …
Mattho Mandersloot is a translator from Amsterdam. He holds a degree in Classics from King’s College London and one in Translation from the School of Oriental and African Studies. Formerly a competitive taekwondo athlete, he now spends most of his time translating Korean fiction. In 2018, he won the World Literature Today Translation Prize and …
More often than not, when a musician finishes an album, their first job is to figure out what order the tracks should be played in. There’s a craft to getting the flow of the album right; do you start with a bang, or a slow crawl? Is there a big finish or a fade-out? Messing …
Korea’s cafe culture is something to be reckoned with and it’s only when you head elsewhere you realise quite how impressive it is. From themed cafes to hipster joints, to cosy nooks, you could easily make a top-ten list for every city in South Korea and you still wouldn’t scratch the surface. Nonetheless, if you’re …
Even if The Underground Village were to be underwhelming, it is worth attention for being perhaps the only collection of stories to come out of Japanese-occupied Manchuria (written by a lower-class female Korean communist born in what is now North Korea) that you’ll ever read. Fortunately, thanks in no small part to some witty and …
Itaewon Foreign Bookstore (이태원 외국서점) When we travel or move abroad, there are often specific home comforts we seek out. For me, it’s English books. And so, what a delight it was to find the excellent Itaewon Foreign Bookstore in the heart of Korea’s capital. The store is owned by a delightfully grumpy old Korean …
Some of the best films (certainly some of the best horror) have been coming out of South Korea for years now. With so many places you could start, how do you know you’ll jump in on the right note for you? We’re going to assume you’ve seen the multi-Oscar-winning Parasite by legendary director Bong Joon-ho. …
They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and yet even as a fan of comics and manga I’ve always placed more value in a thousand well-chosen words than a single image. But Bad Friends has taught me that, perhaps, the meaning of the phrase is that sometimes a picture, in complete silence, can say …
The world is taking notice of South Korea with the explosion of K-pop groups like BTS. While there is a slim chance you will meet Jungkook, Jimin, or J-Hope in Korea, you can book a private Seoul tour with a just as equally-handsome man. First, make sure you know ‘how to date an oppa’ with …