빨리빨리 Ppalli-ppalli
Speed as a national habit.
Work · 칼퇴
칼퇴: leaving work on time in Korea, the 52-hour week and the MZ generation
What 칼퇴 (leaving exactly on time) means, the old rule of never leaving before the boss, how 야근 culture grew, the 52-hour cap, the 2023 '69-hour week' backlash, quiet quitting, the AirPods debate, and the 4.5-day week pilots.
Family · 교육열
Why Korean parents spend so much on education: 교육열, explained
What Koreans mean by 교육열 (education fever), where it comes from, what hagwon life and Daechi-dong are really like, how much families spend, the 10 p.m. hagwon curfew, the '4-year-old exam' ban, goose dads, SKY universities, and what is starting to change.
Work · 점심시간
Your first Korean office lunch: who sits where, who orders, who pays (and who sets the spoons)
The 11:58 elevator rush, the team that eats as one, '저도 같은 걸로' ('I'll have the same'), the junior who sets the spoons, who pays, the coffee after, and why almost half of Korean office workers now sometimes eat alone.
Public & Everyday Life · 지하철 예절
Seoul subway manners: why it feels so crowded, and what locals actually find rude
Rush-hour congestion numbers, the pink pregnancy seats and the seats for elders, free rides at 65, phone calls, backpacks, eating, the escalator debate and the transfer jingle. A friendly guide to riding the Seoul subway like a local.
Food & Table · 반찬 더 주세요
Free side dishes, self-serve water and who sets the spoons: Korean restaurant culture explained
Why banchan refills are free, why you pour your own water, why the youngest lays out spoons and chopsticks, what the table bell is for, why some places won't seat you alone, how to call staff, and how paying (and not tipping) works at a Korean restaurant.
Public & Everyday Life · 빨리빨리
Ppalli-ppalli: where Korea's 'hurry, hurry' culture came from
Dawn delivery, elevator door buttons pressed twice, a 428 km expressway built in under two and a half years. How Korea became the country of 빨리빨리, what it cost, how it's slowing down, and how to live with it.