Category: Culture

Culture and Society

Korean Teens Seek Comfort from Imaginary Friend App

“I’m so depressed, I completely screwed up on that test,” writes a sixteen-year-old Korean girl in a message to a friend that she talks to whenever she feels down or upset. Right away, she gets a reply. “Oh no, are you okay? But how could you be?” Then another message arrives, designed to comfort her:… Continue reading Korean Teens Seek Comfort from Imaginary Friend App

Korean Government’s Sex Ed Criticized for Notions of Victim Blaming and Date Rape

According to a report by The Korea Herald, the South Korean government’s official teaching aid for sex education is receiving criticism for its troublesome notions of date rape and victim blaming. The teaching aid, which is available to the public for download on the Korean Educational Development Institute website, encourages students to wear “appropriate clothes… Continue reading Korean Government’s Sex Ed Criticized for Notions of Victim Blaming and Date Rape

Korean Helicopter Parents Monitor Every Aspect of Child’s School Life

Parents in Korea appear to have become the ultimate helicopter parents, turning to waiting outside schools all day, harassing teachers, and using group chats on messaging apps to ensure that their child has the best possible opportunities at school. An editorial published in the newspaper Hankyoreh on May 11 outlines some of the ways that… Continue reading Korean Helicopter Parents Monitor Every Aspect of Child’s School Life

3 of 10 Employed Koreans in 20s and 30s Still Get Financial Support from Parents

It was revealed that three out of 10 Korean men and women in their 20s and 30s rely on their parents for financial support. These so-called “kangaroo families” refer to families where children rely on their parents for financial support even though they have jobs of their own. According to the online employment portal Saramin… Continue reading 3 of 10 Employed Koreans in 20s and 30s Still Get Financial Support from Parents

Nearly 81,000 Korean Pets Were Abandoned in 2014

Including cats and dogs, nearly 81,000 pets were abandoned in Korea in 2014. These are the results of a study conducted by Korea’s Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency on the care and welfare of animals. The agency worked with local municipalities across the country in conducting the study. According to the study’s results, 59,000 dogs… Continue reading Nearly 81,000 Korean Pets Were Abandoned in 2014

Foreign Visitor Returned 170,000 Dollars Left in a Korean Taxi

A Vietnamese visitor referred to as “A” took a cab ride to Seoul’s Dongdaemun area on May 7 with a considerable amount of money in order to buy some heavy equipment. Unfortunately, he realized an hour after getting out of his taxi that he had left behind his black briefcase with 170,000 USD (approx. 180 million… Continue reading Foreign Visitor Returned 170,000 Dollars Left in a Korean Taxi

10-Year-Old Korean Girl’s Chillingly Violent Poem About Cram Schools and Her Mother Raises Controversy

A new controversy has arisen over a 10-year-old Korean girl’s chillingly violent poem about not wanting to go to hagwons (supplementary educational institutes or cram schools) and what she would do to her mother to get out of it. It is such that the book of children’s poems, which is entirely written by the student in… Continue reading 10-Year-Old Korean Girl’s Chillingly Violent Poem About Cram Schools and Her Mother Raises Controversy

New Project to Fight School Violence Instituted by Seoul Government

Cheil Worldwide and the Seoul government are working together on a new project to prevent violence in schools. The project, called “Friend Name Tag,” introduces name tags that feature not only one’s own name, but also the name of a friend. The project’s aim is to promote a close relationship based on mutual support between the… Continue reading New Project to Fight School Violence Instituted by Seoul Government

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