TourKorea365: Uncover the Real Korea

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Showing posts from September, 2026

Why are there so many homeless people around Seoul Station?

You may notice quite a few homeless people around Seoul Station. A lot of visitors ask me, “Why are there so many homeless people here?” One of the biggest reasons goes back to 1997, during the Asian Financial Crisis. In Korea, we usually call it the IMF Crisis . A lot of companies went bankrupt, unemployment rose very quickly, and many people suddenly lost their jobs and income. Some people eventually lost their homes as well. And many of them came to Seoul Station . Why here? Because this was one of the main places to find day labor and temporary jobs , and it was also the main railway station if they wanted to go back to their hometowns. But some had no money left and nowhere else to go, so they stayed around the station. That is one reason Seoul Station became one of the main gathering places for homeless people after the 1997 crisis. Then another thing happened. Once many homeless people were here, churches, charities, NGOs, and the government started providing help here. Th...

Soju = The "green bottle that makes you spill secrets

The "green bottle that makes you spill secrets" refers to soju, Korea’s famous alcoholic drink. The iconic green bottle of soju is known for making people relax, lower their guard, and sometimes reveal things they didn't plan to after a few drinks. It's a common joke in Korea that after sharing enough soju with friends, secrets just tend to slip out. Soju is smooth and easy to drink, and because of that, it can catch people off guard. In Korean culture, drinking together is often seen as a way to bond and break down barriers, and soju plays a big role in these social moments. The green bottle symbolizes more than just alcohol—it's about connecting with others, sharing personal stories, and sometimes, spilling those secrets! It's a phrase commonly used to describe soju, Korea’s beloved and iconic alcoholic drink. Soju is traditionally sold in a small green bottle, and it has a long history of being enjoyed in social settings—from casual dinners to big celebra...

Buddhist temple food : osinchae

사찰음식 /오신채 In Buddhist temple food, monks traditionally avoid five pungent vegetables: garlic, green onion, chives, wild chive, and heunggeo . Heunggeo is a strongly scented plant that is hardly used or cultivated in Korea today. These five ingredients are called osinchae , literally meaning “the five pungent vegetables.” Chemically, many of them contain strong sulfur compounds that create their sharp smell and taste. Garlic, for example, produces allicin , which gives it that strong, spicy aroma. So why do Buddhist monks avoid them? Traditionally, Buddhism teaches that eating these vegetables raw can stimulate anger, while eating them cooked can stimulate desire and the appetite. The basic idea is that strong flavors stimulate the senses. For Buddhist monks, controlling desire and keeping the mind calm are important parts of meditation and spiritual practice. If food strongly excites the senses, your attention can shift from the mind back to the body. That is why Buddhist temple ...

What are the origins of vampires, and why do vampires hate garlic?

How Tuberculosis Created the Vampire (And Why Garlic Was the Cure) The image of a vampire running away from a clove of garlic is one of the most famous tropes in horror history. But this legend didn't come from a writer's imagination—it was born from a tragic combination of a deadly disease and a lack of medical science. The Bloody Cough: The Real Origin of Vampires In the 18th century, rural communities in the Balkans (Eastern Europe) were terrified by unexplained wasting illnesses. The biggest culprit was Tuberculosis (TB) , known back then as "Consumption." Before the discovery of germ theory, people did not understand how bacteria spread through the air. What they saw was terrifying: One family member would die of a bloody, coughing illness. Soon after, other family members living in the same house would start getting pale, weak, and eventually waste away. Because they couldn't see the germs, they blamed the supernatural. They believed the first person who d...

Why Rain Makes Every Korean Crave This Cloudy Bottle : makgeolli/ How to make nuruk.

Every country has a food people want when the weather changes. In England, it might be tea and biscuits. In Italy, maybe a hot bowl of soup. And in Korea, when it starts to rain, people think of jeon and makgeolli . Jeon is a Korean-style pancake, and makgeolli is a traditional rice wine. So, why do Koreans eat jeon on rainy days? Listen to the sound when it cooks— sizzle, sizzle . People say it sounds like the rain. That’s why jeon and makgeolli have become a classic rainy-day combination in Korea. How to make nuruk. The key ingredient in makgeolli is nuruk , a traditional Korean fermentation starter. To make nuruk , wheat is mixed with warm water to make a dough. It’s wrapped in cloth and pressed into shape, traditionally by stepping on it. Then it’s dried and fermented. **The wheat is roughly crushed so the good microorganisms can get inside more easily and help with fermentation. ** So, why do they step on the nuruk ? It’s to press out the air. Less air mean...