When Son Heung-min arrived in Los Angeles in mid-2025, the response was immediate and overwhelming. Within weeks of his transfer to LAFC, his No. 7 jersey sold out across retailers, triggering major stock shortages for both the club and Adidas. Sales reportedly surged past 1.5 million units, making Son’s jersey the best-selling of any athlete…
For many people, opera still feels like a closed world. Formal. Expensive. Intimidating. In actuality, there is no dress code, tickets start at $35, and there are subtitles shown at every seat! Opera is one of the most demanding art forms in the world, requiring the work of countless artists and professionals to bring a…
On a cold January morning in 1890, twenty‑five‑year‑old Seo Jae‑pil stood in a Washington, D.C., courtroom and took the oath that made him the first Korean to become a citizen of the United States. In exile from his homeland, where the government had killed most of his family members, the young man had already lived…
Above: Korean refugees wait to board the SS Meredith Victory. On a frigid December day in 1950, as communist forces pushed toward the North Korean port of Hungnam, tens of thousands of Korean civilians gathered in desperation while American forces prepared to evacuate. With UN soldiers, weapons, and military equipment to load, they had no…
In 2025, global soccer superstar Son Heung-min stunned fans by joining LA’s MLS team for a record-breaking transfer fee and a previously obscure K-pop songwriter launched Golden into Billboard immortality; the South Korean government presented President Trump with a gold crown and its highest civilian honor; and I, armed with patience, curiosity, and a deep…
“The Dream Life of Mr. Kim” has a much better title in the Korean language version, namely: The Story of Manager Kim, Who Owns His Home in Seoul and Works for a Large Company. This wordy title is funny because it is actually a checklist of what is commonly considered success in modern Korean life,…
Korean dining in NYC is glorious these days. From late-night comfort food to beautifully polished tasting menus, the range of restaurants feels both expansive and delightfully varied. This year brought another surge of energy across the spectrum. While the top end continues to push boundaries, it’s encouraging to find real momentum among more accessible spots. …
If you’re not watching Just Makeup, you might be overlooking one of Korea’s most engaging new reality competitions, even for viewers who aren’t interested in makeup. “We used makeup as the theme, but we designed the show as a pure survival competition,” said producers Park Seong-hwan and Shim Woo-jin in an interview. Much like how…
This is not a drill: Olive Young stores are coming to the US! This week, Korea’s No. 1 Health & Beauty Store Olive Young announced plans to expand into the North American market with the opening of its very first store in Pasadena (CA) by May 2026. And shortly thereafter, more California stores, including locations…
In an age of spectacle, You and Everything Else (Korean title Eun-jung and Sang-yeon) arrives at a whisper. This Netflix original series is not built on grand plot twists or melodramatic saviors, but on the slow accrual of ordinary moments: glances, regrets, envy, affection. After what has felt like a long stretch of badly written,…