A Korean’s Take: Culture, Media & Everyday Life

Both of my kids are done with the suneung. On a personal level, that's a relief, I won't pretend otherwise. But I still remember how tense I was on their exam days, and it comes back every November. So, to this year's test takers: I hope all that work doesn't let you down. Good luck, every one of you. If you've never heard of it, the suneung is Korea's College Scholastic Ability Test. This year it lands on Thursday, November 19. 551,864 people signed up, about 2,300 fewer than last year. They have to be in their seats by 8:10 a.m., the Korean paper starts at 8:40, and anyone taking the optional last section walks out at 5:45 p.m. Scores come out December 11. You hear a lot of stories about this day. Some are true, some are half true, and one is basically a pun. Let's go through them. Myth Planes stop flying for the English test Fact This one's true, and it gets everybody. Last year, on November 13, 2025, the transport ministry stopped every takeoff...

Seoul has its big fireworks night on the Han River every fall. Busan's goes up over the sea, and to me that makes it a different show. The 21st Busan Fireworks Festival is on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Gwangalli Beach, with more barges firing off Igidae and Dongbaekseom. The backdrop is Gwangan Bridge, all lit up across the bay. It started back in 2005 as a side event for the APEC summit, and somewhere along the way it turned into one of Busan's biggest nights of the year. Here's what nobody tells first-timers. The fireworks? About an hour. The other ten or so hours go to finding a spot, not freezing, and then somehow getting home. For last year's show on November 15, 2025, the city was bracing for around a million people, and it had something like 7,000 safety staff out. So this is a day plan, not a "show up at seven" plan. The times follow last year's official schedule, because the 2026 program isn't out yet. Check the festival site in early No...

Seongsu-dong is where I grew up. These days it gets called one of the coolest neighborhoods in Seoul. I still find that a little hard to get used to. What I remember is a racecourse, and factories. Lots of factories. Which meant lots of scary-looking grown-ups, at least to a kid. That's the Seongsu in my head. Not latte art. Horses first, then a forest The racecourse was real, and it was big. Ttukseom got its racecourse in May 1954. The war had flattened the old one over in Sinseol-dong, so they needed a new home for the horses. It lasted 35 years. In August 1989 the races packed up and left for Gwacheon, south of the river, and the empty land eventually turned into Seoul Forest (opened June 2005). I've tried to picture a grandstand there among the trees. Can't do it. The name goes back further. Ttukseom comes from dok, the big royal banner that went up when Joseon kings rode out here to hunt. It was a royal hunting ground, flat land by the river. So: hunting field, ra...

Every November, a city best known for TV and phone factories turns its train station into one long noodle bar. The city is Gumi. Three hours or so from Seoul on a regular train. The party is called the Gumi Ramyeon Festival, and in 2026 it's on from Friday, November 6 through Sunday the 8th. Before we get to the festival, a small confession. I honestly don't know whether ramyeon started in Japan or in China. There are a few theories and I'm not going to pretend to settle them. The bagged instant kind is easier. That one is Japanese, no argument: Momofuku Ando put Nissin Chicken Ramen on sale in 1958. Korea took the idea and made its own. Samyang Ramyun came out on September 15, 1963, built with technology from Japan's Myojo Foods. Quick facts Fri Nov 6 to Sun Nov 8, 2026, around Gumi Station Free entry; you pay for the food Restaurant street: Fri 11-9, Sat 10-9, Sun 10-7 KTX stops at Gimcheon(Gumi), not Gumi Station Regular trains from Seoul Station take about three...

Here's what I'd tell a friend landing in Seoul this week: these days you basically can't get a taxi without an app. Okay, "can't" is a bit strong. You can still stand at the curb with your arm out, and sometimes a cab even stops. But on a rainy evening, or near any subway exit after 11 at night, you'll watch one taxi after another slide right past you, already booked by somebody two blocks away who just tapped a phone. The good news? Taxis here are cheap if you're used to New York or London, the meter is honest, and nobody wants a tip. The bad news is that everyone knows this, so they all want a cab at the exact same moment. Here's how I'd go about it, in order. Install two taxi apps before you fly Kakao T is the one Koreans use, and Kakao Mobility says it takes Visa, Mastercard, Amex and JCB cards issued abroad (in your own name). The phone check at sign-up is where some visitors get stuck, so grab a backup too: k.ride, Uber or TABA, more ...

Order "sundae" in Korea and nobody brings you ice cream. You get a plate of dark, glossy sausage slices, a little dish of salt and maybe a toothpick. Sundae (say it soon-dae) is our blood sausage. And yes, I still eat it. On workdays I'll have a bowl of sundae gukbap every now and then, which is probably the most Korean office-worker lunch there is. What's actually in sundae? The classic version is pig intestine stuffed with pig blood (seonji), glass noodles called dangmyeon, chopped vegetables and sometimes sweet rice. Then it gets steamed and cut into rounds. That's it. It's cheap, too. Walk through almost any traditional market in Korea and you'll see it piled up and steaming next to the tteokbokki, and every bunsik snack shop has it. Order a plate and there's a good chance a few slices of liver and lung come along for the ride. People eat it three main ways. Plain and steamed. In gukbap, the soup-and-rice bowl. Or stir-fried. Me? Gukbap, pretty...