Writer: Sarah Patel (Pune, Maharashtra, India) Editor: Ankita Panda (Kolkata, West Bengal, India) As you stand under the brightly colored, hand-painted eaves of an old Korean palace, your eyes naturally draw to the beautiful dance of five colors: blue, red, yellow, white, and black. These colors are hidden in the temple ceilings, flowing hanboks, and…
Category: K-culture
South Korea’s Spoon Class Theory: A Cultural Metaphor
Writer: Ayesha Zamar (Delhi, India) Editor: Prachi Vaid (Delhi, India) Have you ever heard the idiom “born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth” and wondered what does a spoon have to do with someone’s birth? Or listened to BTS’s song “Silver Spoon (뱁새)” and thought why is BTS singing about a type of spoon…
Meditation Culture in the Roots of South Korea
Writer: Pranjul Sharma (Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India) Editor: Prachi Vaid (Delhi, India) Hallyu Culture is the biggest sensation rising worldwide. I’m also deeply immersed in the Hallyu wave, and to better understand Hallyu Culture, I decided to participate in various activities; meditation was one of them. After joining the meditation classes offered by the Sangsaeng…
K-Education: Korean High School Life
Writer: Chhavi Sharma (Surat, Gujarat, India) Editor: Divya Sonawane (Pune, Maharashtra, India) The education system in South Korea operates on a 6–3–3–4 structure, consisting of six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, three years of high school, and approximately four years of college or university. According to the Korean age system, elementary…
Understanding 정 (Jeong): The Untranslatable Korean Emotion
Writer: Tejaswini Rao Itham (Telangana, Hyderabad, India) Editor: Arpita Jena (Baripada, Odisha, India) As a translator and interpreter, I frequently encounter certain Korean words that cannot be translated precisely. The nuances of these words are challenging to convey to another person without losing significant meaning in the translation. One such word is 정 (Jeong). 정…
Seollal: Korean Lunar New Year
Writer: Chanchal Bharti (Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India) Editor: Prachi Vaid (Delhi, India) The first day of the Korean Lunar Year Calendar, commonly known as “Seollal,” is the Korean Lunar New Year, which the people of South Korea ecstatically celebrate between January and February. This year, “Seollal” is on February 17th. People in South Korea return…
Nakhwa Nori: A Korean Festival of Light
Writers: Anika Chopra (Delhi, India) & Prachi Vaid (Delhi, India) Editor: Prachi Vaid (Delhi, India) South Korea is home to numerous traditional cultures and customs. One of them is Nakhwa Nori. Nakhwa Nori is a representative folk game of Haman-gun, held in spring around April-May, where charcoal powder produced by the village itself is rolled…
Indian and Korean Culture: Surprising Similarities You Might Not Know
Writers: Pratyusha Dash (Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India) & Ankita Panda (Kolkata, West Bengal, India) Editor: Ankita Panda (Kolkata, West Bengal, India) Have you ever found yourself deep into a K-drama, only to realise a few scenes or actions feel strangely close to home? It turns out that the two Asian countries we love so…
5 Supernatural Creatures In Korean Folkore
Writer: Bhavika Sachan (Delhi, India) Editor: Prachi Vaid (Delhi, India) Korean mythology comprises folk tales and legends from various regions of North and South Korea that have become an integral part of Korean culture. It is a combination of local traditions and influences from religions such as Korean Shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The earliest…
Traditional and Modern Korean Fashion Trends
Writer: Neital Sharma (Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India) Editor: Divya Sonawane (Pune, Maharashtra, India) “The joy of dressing is an art.” This timeless thought perfectly captures the spirit of Korean fashion. From the flowing elegance of traditional hanboks to the bold, experimental styles of today’s streetwear, Korean fashion has always been about more than just clothing—it’s a…