Seong Eon Ha (하성언)
University of Calgary
Correspondence to: haseongeon@gmail.com
In light of some recent events, perhaps “nuclear” and “north” may be a hot keyword in current affairs. However, this article will explore a different “nuclear” regarding the “South”- recent nuclear policy in South Korea. The election of President Moon Jae-in last May has brought numerous changes to […]
“Do you eat Kimchi?” One of the most iconic Korean foods recognized by people worldwide is Kimchi. In fact, it is a staple food in most Korean households. As Korea makes its presence known in the global stage, Korean foods are becoming increasingly popular. However, unless you visit […]
Planning to visit Korea? You will realize that you can’t find a “Seoul Airport.” That is because the biggest airport in Korea is not in Seoul. Your journey in Korea starts about 50 kilometres away from Seoul, in Incheon International Airport. So what is so special about this […]
Ever since Apple released the iPhone in 2007, smartphones have dominated the mobile phone industry. Nowadays, it is hard to see someone without a smartphone. Some of the biggest players in the smartphone market include two Korean firms, Samsung and LG. The phones run Google’s Android mobile operating […]
What internet browser are you using to read this post? It wasn’t so long ago that we did not really have a choice in this regard. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was more or less our only option, at least that’s from what I can remember. Now, there seem to be a […]
There was a friendly soccer/football match between Korea and Canada today (Nov. 11/ 20:00pm KST/4am MST/6am EST). The republic of Korea national soccer team, led by Uli Stielike, faced off Canada’s national soccer team led by Michael Findlay at Cheonan Stadium, South Korea. Korea won 2:0 with two goals in […]
2016 has proven itself to be an eventful year, and the month of June has come to an end. As we head off into the second half of 2016, let’s see a quick summary of what has been trending in Korea for the month of June 2016. […]
Pun intended. Korea, well South Korea, is well-known for its internet connectivity. It is one of the most connected nations in the world, consistently ranking at the top in terms of internet connectivity and internet speed. Since the age of the internet, numerous corporations have taken full advantage, […]
My most popular post so far, at least based on the number of views, is about Webtoons. If you haven’t read it, you can check it out here. I was surprised to not only find out that there were a lot of people interested in them, I also learned that there was an established […]
Are you aware of a game called Baduk [Bah-dook], widely known as Go? I will refer to this game as Baduk(바둑), which is how it is called in Korea. Baduk is a board game played mostly in the Eastern Asian countries Korea, Japan and China, and is quite unknown to Westerners. […]
Have you seen my earlier post about slang? You can find it here: Slang/Abbreviations/Emoticons [2014 Edition] An extremely popular topic for people interested in Korea or Korean seem to be Korean slang. New slang words are constantly devised, and it seems impossible to keep up with the latest […]
“Do you have KakaoTalk?” Have you ever been asked this by a Korean friend or acquaintance, but had no idea what “KakaoTalk” is? KakaoTalk, often abbreviated to “KaTalk/카톡,” is a Korean cross-platform messaging application like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger. It is available in most smartphone platforms including […]
We have now officially entered June, where one of the largest sport competition in the world is scheduled to take place. Held every four years, this year’s FIFA World Cup will kick off in Brazil on June 12th. The World Cup is one of the most popular events in Korea. Korea’s […]
Also check out my 2016 version of Korean slang! Click here Do you text? Use social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter? If so, you would most likely have used abbreviations or slang such as “lol,” “brb,” and “ttyl.” These mean “laugh out loud,” “be right […]
Korea and Canada has reached terms for a free-trade agreement (FTA) on March 11, 2014 (KST). Having started talks since July 2005, this agreement has taken about 9 years and 14 rounds of negotiations to establish. The FTA will diminish trade barriers between the two nations: both […]
First of all, I would like to express that as a Korean, I am not and cannot be free of bias. Kim Yuna (23) of Korea has won the silver medal in the ladies’ figure skating in Sochi, earning a total score of 219.11. She earned a score […]
Many of you that are interested in Korean culture may have listened to K-pop, or watched K-dramas. The popularity of these forms of Korean culture in the global stage has been dubbed as “Hallyu,” or the “Korean wave.” Amidst the popularity of these forms of Korean culture, I […]
It has been four years since the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Both Korea and Canada enjoyed tremendous success that year. Canada became the nation with the most gold medals ever at a single Winter Olympics, managing to collect 14 gold medals in the 2010 games. Korea obtained […]
