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“NO CHICKEN, no eggs, and no cheese, please,” is a typical line said by vegans when ordering their menus at restaurants. A practice based on the absence of contact with animals, veganism is rising in popularity all around the world, and Korea is no exception. With its rise, the spectrum of such lifestyle is also expanding. Veganism in Korea is now evolving into a wider and more versatile philosophy, possible through its developing outlook as a commercial interest. A green philosophy According to Vegan Society, a vegan organization founded in the United Kingdom, veganism is defined as “a way of
Culture
Kim Kyu-ri
2019.09.04 00:48
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WHAT IS the perfect body? Or rather, what do you consider as the perfect body? Does a certain image pop up? It most likely will, but chances are your image of a perfect body will not be exactly the same as someone else’s, and this is a normal occurrence. “Perfect" is an abstract concept that is only achievable in theory, and it is also an ever-changing model that changes its appearance to fit the times. The standards for a perfect body differ in each time period and culture, but the idea of a perfect body lives on. In Korea, that standard has been envisaged as skinny. Though we may not actual
Culture
Kim So-yeon
2019.06.03 00:05
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A PATCH of denim, a scrap of silk, and strips of floral patterns are sewn together to form a vibrant, psychedelic scarf. Originating from clothing factories, each scrap of cloth was once worthless debris ready to be burned or tossed away at waste dumps. Now, the waste can be arranged and synthesized to fashion new clothing through what is known as upcycling. A combination of the words “upgrade” and “recycling,” this concept is an enhanced version of recycling where waste is transformed into a better product. Unlike recycled materials, whose quality often degenerates as the cycle progresses, up
Culture
Kim Kyu-ri
2019.05.07 13:04
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SPACE BA settled on the fourth floor of Sewoon Electronics Plaza in November 2014. With a cheap deposit of ₩2million and a monthly rent of ₩200,000, Song Yo-bi, an art director of Space Ba, an exhibition venue for artists, found the room a suitable place to start artistic projects along with other young artists. Song found the Sewoon Plaza inspirational for her art as it offered a unique atmosphere arising from the Euljiro neighborhood, which has served as Korea’s manufacturing hub since the end of the Korean War. Craftsmen who have been in the area since the 1960s welcomed the you
Culture
Lee Chae-wan
2019.04.04 01:28
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IF YOU open the pantry of any Korean household around the world, it is not unusual to find stacks of SPAM stored away, waiting to be cooked in a steaming bu dae jji gae* or fried up in a kim-chi fried rice. The beloved processed meat is an important facet of the Korean culinary experience: not just because of its compatibility with the cuisine, but also because of SPAM’s relationship with the U.S. military throughout World War Two, during which America had a strong presence in Korea. South Korea’s affinity with SPAM tells an interesting story about the nation’s post-war development and prosper
Culture
Ester Shim
2018.12.02 18:52
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DURING THIS summer vacation, I had a part-time job at a café franchise specializing in milk tea. Throughout my daily six-hour shift, I received more than 100 orders and alldrinks were served to the customers in disposable items. Drinks were poured into disposable cups, the tops were sealed with vinyl, the cups were then put into paper holders and served to the customers in plastic bags with straws. However, on the first day of August, a lengthy instruction came from the headquarters. It read that from the next day onwards, customers staying at the café must be given their drinks
Culture
Lee Chae-wan
2018.11.04 21:14
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OCTOBER, ONE of the more creative times of the year. We find ourselves entranced by the eye-catching Halloween makeup, the riveting costume designs, and the spooky illustrations posted on social media. This is a time in which boundaries in creativity do not exist. Say hello to Inktober, an art challenge that encourages both artists and non-artists to draw one ink piece per day for the entire month of October. A once simple concept that has now turned into a global trend, Inktober is more than a quirky challenge, as it has the potential to free the mind from its normally constrictive bubble. In
Culture
Kim So-yeon
2018.10.03 00:08
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YONSEI UNIVERSITY museum, at first glance, is just the art on the walls. It is the dimly lit artifacts of Go-Jong’s sword and the Sam guk yu sa memorabilia, a National Treasure. It is the soft music that soothes visitors. But with a deeper look, Yonsei Museum is also its caretakers, the individuals that manage and support the gallery space when no one is looking. As the final article of the “Museum Special” series, The Yonsei Annals offers insight into some of the jobs at the Yonsei University Museum. Curator: Yoon Hyun-jinThe Annals: Could you please introduce yourself and your job at the mus
Culture
Kim Min-jung
2018.06.04 20:24
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AMONG THE skyscrapers, palaces and Korean BBQ restaurants that surround the streets of Seoul, it is impossible not to notice the abundance of couples, either holding hands, wearing eerily similar clothes, or sharing a perfectly-marketed sweet at a café. This is all part of a trend that can be found across the city, with items that are specifically designed to be shared with your significant other. Clothing stores offer matching clothing pieces, from shoes to couple rings that commemorate 100 days of a relationship. Korea’s couple culture features not only outward displays of relationshi
Culture
Andreas Pavlou, Fabiola Torres
2018.05.07 22:15
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CONSIDER THE people of Korea as parts of one shared cultural puzzle; where would the pieces identified as gyo-pos fit? While the word, by definition, refers to those of Korean heritage residing outside of Korea, it evolved overtime to carry a loaded connotation; it is often used in a pejorative way to convey stigmatized ideas of those who lost touch with their ethnic culture. To some, the term is a simple identification of one’s background. But to others, it is a discriminatory slur. Breaking down the different aspects taken into account when identifying a gyo-po, as well as examining the impa
Culture
Claire Fox
2018.05.07 22:11
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TWO YEARS ago, the Academy Awards—also known as Oscars—gave its heaviest trophy to a gay boy who grew up in a drug-ridden neighborhood. Seven months later, a female director’s motion picture starring a female protagonist became the most profiting original superhero film for Universal Pictures. This January, a two-hundred million-dollar picture based on Africa swept the world and people are still recovering from its charm. The films were met with avid acceptance around the globe and became a testimony against the fixed formulas for a film’s acceptability. These three films are the b
Culture
Lee Ha-eun
2018.04.11 21:42
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PEOPLE IN South Korea no longer have to go all the way to the crowded zoo to see adorable animals. These days, people are able to easily take a 20-minute bus ride and go to cozy cafes to enjoy a cup of tea while petting cute, furry animals. Sounds fun and simple, right?However, while people comfortably enjoy their time, many seem to neglect the harmful conditions for both the animals and customers in the “miniature zoos.” It is time to think about whether it is fair to repress rights of animals for our pure pleasure. What are animal cafes?In South Korea, pets are usually not allowed in cafes a
Culture
Ko Eun-biy
2017.11.13 20:45
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THE NATURAL cycle of the life on earth grants many things in our world: the rise and fall of the sun, the birth and death of organisms, the ebb and flow of the seas, and…menstruation. Equally as natural as the cycle of the heavens, the workings of the ecosystem and the movement of the waters is female menstruation. Despite its perfectly natural state of being, however, menstruation has long been regarded as an inappropriate matter for public discussion. Seen as the symbol of impurity and contamination, menstruation stands with a long history of neglect and disdain. Even to this day, the
Culture
Shin Yesun
2017.10.16 21:12
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THE SOCIAL organization of South Korea is in disarray; the Sewol ferry incident, President’s corruption scandal and subsequent impeachment, and *chae-bol’s** role in the corruption scandal has seriously undermined social justice and principle of noblesse oblige. These social chaos mean “Hell *Joseon*” mentality has gained leverage over many young generations. “Hell *Joseon*”. It is a neologism that has spread like wild fire from its first usage in 2009 through internet communities to indicate abhorrence for the motherland. It combines hell and *Joseon*, a Korean Kingdom that existed for approx
Culture
Lee Ha-yun
2017.08.25 22:34
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LAST MONTH, there was the international conference, “Computing in the 21stCentury: Human and Machine Working as a Team” held at Yonsei University. The conference dealt with advanced technologies that will increasingly have a major influence on people’s daily lives in the future. One of the audiences asked what skills the future society would require and how people could prepare. At the core of historical changes were always technological innovations. Advanced technology causes huge changes in social and economic structures around the world. Many experts predict the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Culture
Lee Kyung-chul
2016.12.08 13:14
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PEOPLE ARE deeply running out of breath these days. The world is increasingly becoming more competitive, brutal and hectic. So, where exactly do people go to find refuge? When do they have the time to enjoy their lives or to express their creativity, and, take a step back to breathe a little? Not to worry, because snack culture is ready for those who do not have time for a full-course meal but are eager to make up for it with a delectable snack. The world of snack culture offers a legion of entertainment, information, and culture; all compacted and designed to be revealed in just a few minutes
Culture
Kim Yeon-seung
2016.03.06 16:38
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LET’S BE completely honest. Who has never taken a selfie? Never participated in a trend so ubiquitous that 93 million selfies are taken every day, according to CBS local? What seemed like a passing fad has become more of a cultural phenomenon, stimulating the creation of hundreds of apps for modifying selfies and the “selfie stick,” a stick that enables a selfie from farther away, to become one of the most omnipresent items of 2015. How did this prevalent trend come about and why are so many people seemingly addicted to this simple activity? Following the footsteps of a selfieA selfie is “a ph
Culture
Kim Yeon-seung
2015.12.05 23:59
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HAVE YOU ever heard of infotainment? It is a mixture of “information” and “entertainment,” and it refers to a fusion genre of TV program that has been created by either adding factors of entertainment to educational programs or adding educative factors to entertainment programs. Programs that you may have heard of would be "Sponge" (KBS2), "Vitamin" (KBS2), "Jjak" (MBC), "Sseol-jeon" (JTBC), and so on. The term infotainment seems extremely ideal in that viewers can learn while having fun, but the categorization of "infotainment" often arouses controversy. This ambiguousness is becomi
Culture
Han Ye-seul
2014.11.07 15:11
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“THE CUSTOMER is the audience, the employee is the actor, and the work setting is the stage.” Just as the phrase by marketing scholars Grove & Fisk indicates, many of today's employees have become actors forced to suppress their emotions to please their audiences. Of course, an act of kindness can always be a positive energy boost, but should the ‘actors’ bow down and kneel down on their knees even when their audiences blurt out abusive language, sexually harass or physically assault them? This unthinkable humiliation is, in fact what a category of workers now classified as ‘emotional laborer
Culture
Han Ye-seul
2014.11.07 14:55
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BABY KANGAROOS are raised in their mother’s pouch until they become old enough to live on their own. Now, the same phenomenon is being sighted among young people in Korea. Most notably, high school students have the propensity to be under their parents’ absolute control. Hence, they swell with anticipation for the freedom they would be given after being accepted to universities. However, their expectations shatter as they become college students, and realize that there is still little freedom granted to them. In fact, this has become a social issue, with more and more parents intervening in th
Culture
Seo Hyeon-dong
2014.09.06 00:26