Skip to main content

Posts

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...

How was the English keyboard layout created?

Until the shift key came out, another key was needed to print capital letters, so the keyboard was arranged in eight to ten rows. Early typewriter keyboards were arranged strictly in alphabetical order. Who invented the QWERTY keyboard?  In 1873, Christopher Latham Sholes of the United States typed himself when the fast-handed typists struck a strike and realized that the typewriter arrangement was in alphabetical order, which was quite inconvenient. After consulting with his younger brother who is teacher, he found that it was efficient to arrange frequently used texts in opposite directions. Christopher Latham Sholes's brother also is one of the inventors who made the QWERTY keyboard we use today. The layout of this keyboard was previously used by typists to type using only two fingers, but the invention of this keyboard layout prevents a situation where the hands crash on the keyboard when people type To reduce the rejection of those who were accustomed to the existing...

The best season to visit Korea is.

The hottest period in Korea is from late July to early August. During this time, the temperature can soar to 40 degrees Celsius, (104 °F), with overnight temperatures extending past 25 degrees Celsius (77 °F), producing humid tropical nights.  The best season to visit Korea Considering both the cold winter and the hot and rainy summer, the best times to visit South Korea are spring and autumn, especially the months of May and October. The latter can be preferred because it's less rainy (and it's outside the so-called yellow dust season). Moreover, in autumn, you can admire the fall foliage in national parks. As previously mentioned, the sea is warm enough for swimming from July to September, especially in the center-south.  What to pack In winter: for Seoul and the center-north, Bring warm clothing, such as a down jacket, gloves, a scarp, and a hat.  In summer: Bring light clothing of natural fibers, a light raincoat or umbrella, a scarp for the wind, and a light sweatshi...

About Korean fetus name, Tae-myeong (Why do Koreans name fetuses during pregnancy?)

One of the old customs of Koreans is to give their baby a name during pregnancy to call the unborn baby before the baby is born. The first thing Koreans ask after greeting congratulations on their pregnancy is to ask what Taemyeong is. The reason to make Tae-myeong (fetus naming)  Koreans usually do not name the baby until delivery, so there is kind of a nickname that is used to call the fetus in the stomach which is called Tae-myeong in Korean. The fetus in the belly has not yet appeared in the world, but this is to give the child a little more speciality, and recognize it as a living being.  It is also a way to communicate by increasing the bond between the baby and the mother. What is the most popular Tae-myeong in Korea? Tae-myeong is very casual and named wit the meaning of blessing for baby because it is a name that they will only use for a few months.   Korean star Kim Hee-seon once gave a baby the name 'Jackpot'.  The most common Tae-myung is   sal...

What is the function and role of the appendix(=Vermiform Appendix)?

The appendix is ​​one of the organs that are easily removed by surgery when a problem occurs because it is called " an organ that does not need an appendix".  Liberato John Didio called the cecum 'a tonsil in the intestine'. This means that even if it is removed, organs such as the intestine and gallbladder have a lot in common with the appendix. The importance of the appendix William P. Jolie, professor of anatomy at the University of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, noted the potential importance of the appendix. what are the lymphocytes? These are all lymphatic organs that produce white blood cells. 'Lymphocytes are one of the white blood cells and serve to eat cells that eat bacteria. ' There are two types of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes. T-lymphocytes aggressively remove bacteria, toxins, and viruses, and help the body find and eliminate bad cancer cells. B-lymphocytes produce antibodies, which are a protective membra...

Brief history of American football and Rugby Ball

When looking at the shape of an American football ball, it is more weird than other round sports balls. There is quite an interesting history until this football ball has this shape. Football ball made of human skull In early football games, human skeletons were said to be used instead of balls. So it may have been called 'headball'. Competition with a cow's bladder Shortly after the Danes were expelled from England in 1042, the British dug the skeletons of Danish soldiers out of the ground, kicked them and ran through the fields. While they were kicking a headball, they realized that this object was too hard to kick, so they started looking for a sporting product that could be used as an alternative, and the alternative they found were a cow's bladder. Game rule with a cow's bladder.  With the use of a ball using a cow's bladder, football games began to gain popularity. In the game, the bladder was placed on the border with the neighboring village, and the cow ...

Why should I drink a lot of water when I catch a cold?

  The reason why you should drink a lot of water when you catch a cold.  When you have a cold, you may have heard of the idea of drinking a lot of water.  It is to prevent dehydration. When people are sick, they read their desire to eat or drink, which leads to dehydration.  Also, when you get a fever, you lose moisture in your body. Even if the body temperature is about one degree higher than normal, the water in the body does not evaporate rapidly, but body heat accelerates metabolism, exhaling more carbon dioxide and requiring more oxygen. Therefore, your breathing speeds up and every time you exhale, moisture is carried away. It spouts   water like a whale with hot air. David takes a similar example of the accumulation of saliva inside a brass instrument.  The body tries to fight against heat because it is dangerous in many ways when the fever rises.  The main way is to release moisture through the skin. Although this moisture is invisible, it can ...

Famous coffee lovers and Characteristics of tea

Famous coffee lovers Voltaire drank more than 70 cups of coffee a day. Nevertheless, he lived to age 84. A century earlier, the insightful Marquis of Sevine was convinced that the coffee trend was temporary. But this is completely wrong.  Seizures couldn't get inspiration without the help of coffee, and he said he would have drank nearly 50,000 cups of coffee in his lifetime. That's the number assuming he's been drinking coffee since at least 18. The seizure died at the age of 51. People thought his death was due to coffee. However, his death was actually joint rheumatism. These stories about the history of coffee are exaggerated, but show how much the French enthusiasm for coffee was. Until the 18th century, <Coffee House> was said to have been a man's exclusive property. Characteristics of  tea In addition to coffee, teas such as green tea or black tea also contain caffeine, so their characteristics are the same as coffee.  However, the characteristics of tea ha...

Is Korea a safe country?

A: Yes, Korea is very safe to travel. As a Korean, we pride ourselves on being a pretty safe country. In fact, I have traveled to the United States for about 3 months. At that time, I learned how safe Korea is and how friendly it is to travelers. I've been through a lot of really absurd things that I couldn't get it in America, but I won't mention it here. There are many places in Korea that open 24 hours a day. Strictly speaking, it is mainly in big cities like Seoul or Busan. Many people go shopping at night, meet up with friends, and go out to the downtown area to hang out with their friends at cafes, restaurants, and bars that are open 24 hours a day. Especially on Friday or Saturday nights, this place is crowded with many people until late at night and even in the morning. It is an excellent environment for people who really enjoy nightlife like drinking and dancing at clubs or bars. This means security is relatively good enough to enjoy the nightlife compared to other...

Why do Korean surnames come first and where do korean surnames come from?

The story of the family and first name in Korea A Korean name usually consists of three characters. The first name is the family name and the latter two characters make the given name. Unlike Western people write their first name in front, the family name is written first in Korea, followed by the first name.  Why do Korean surnames come first? Korea is a culture that values the family name. That is why we write our surname first when we write our own name, as opposed to Westerners.  Koreans often say when making an oath to others, 'If I lie, I change my last name. So, Korean family names are not diverse. Korea is one of the fewest surnames in the world.  Where do Korean surnames come from? The country with the most surnames in the world is the United States. There are about 1 million surnames. Finland has about 60,000 kinds and Britain has about 15,000 kinds, compared to Korea's 300 kinds of surnames, the least. As such, it is a fact that Korea has lived in a...

Food combinations that Koreans love.(Kimbap(or Gimbap) + noodles)

  A combination of ordinary and everyday Korean food.  One of the most common and popular food combinations that Koreans like are kimbap and ramen( or instant noodle). The reason why we like is that they are not only cheap and tasty but also full of stomach. Korean food culture is based on soup and rice, so you can think of it as a basic combination that is faithful to the basics.  Historical records from the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897 CE) show that Koreans were already eating Bok-ssam made by rolling rice and side dishes in Gim (dried seaweed) hundreds of years ago. The Industrial Boom:   Why did Gimbap become Korea's number one picnic and fast food?  The cause goes back to South Korea's rapid industrialization in the 1970s and 1980s. As society became incredibly busy with factory work and rapid economic growth, people needed a meal that was highly nutritious, cheap, and easy to carry. Gimbap was the perfect result—a full balanced meal packed into a portable...