Korea Pulse
Booking an ITX train Korea ticket for a family on short notice is not a fun way to start a Sunday. Every convenient seat within two hours of our target time was gone, and the last option on the board was a 7:06 AM ITX-Maum out of Andong Station, bound for Cheongnyangni. It turned out …
I spent years living in the UK with my family, and from there we’d fly out to places like Vietnam or Dubai for cheap. In every one of those countries, I could grab a local SIM for less than ten dollars at the airport. So when I started digging into the best Korea travel SIM …
This is Part 4 of our Gwangjang Market series. If you missed Part 3 — the market’s legendary twisted donut alleys, that’s worth backtracking for. But if you’ve already filled up on bindaetteok and mayak gimbap, you’re in exactly the right place, because everything you’ve eaten so far only tells half the story. Before Gwangjang …
Three days ago, I watched Episode 1 of Agent Kim Reactivated and told you it might be the K-drama to beat in 2026. I’m not usually one to gloat, but I’m going to allow myself exactly one sentence of it here: I was right, and I underestimated by a wide margin. Episode 2 didn’t just …
There’s a version of Seoul that doesn’t appear in travel brochures. No polished storefronts, no English menus, no influencer lighting. Just narrow alleys, plastic chairs on the pavement, cold draft beer, and smoke rising from charcoal grills into the evening air. That’s Euljiro outdoor dining — what locals call 야장 (yajang) — and on a …
My Friday nights usually involve washing dishes or quietly wondering if my middle school daughter is annoyed at me for something I did three weeks ago. Last night was different. Agent Kim Reactivated hit Netflix, and I forgot about the dishes entirely. 9.5% Episode 1 ratings(Nielsen Korea) 10 Episodes total(2 per week) 17 North Koreaninfiltration …
It’s 3:59 AM in Johannesburg. My former colleague Louis — a South African who I worked alongside in Ethiopia years ago — sends me a WhatsApp: “Good luck with the game, or should I rather say, it will be a good win for Korea 🇰🇷” followed by four laughing emojis. Even a South African thought …
This is Part 2 of our family Korea rail series. If you missed Part 1 — our KTX ride from Seoul Station down to Dongdaegu with companion seats — that’s a great place to start. But if you’re already standing on a Dongdaegu platform wondering what train to take, you’re in exactly the right place. …
This is Part 3 of our Gwangjang Market series. If you missed Part 1 — the history, the gates, and how to navigate — that’s a great place to start. And if you haven’t read Part 2 on the food alley, the bindaetteok and yukhoe are waiting for you there. But if you’re already inside …
This is Part 2 of our Gwangjang Market series. If you missed Part 1 — the history, the gates, and how to get there — that’s a good place to start. But if you’re already inside and hungry, you’re in exactly the right place. Monday. Lunchtime. And Gwangjang Market food alley was absolutely heaving. 3 …