• How Korean age worksHow the traditional Korean age count works, why a baby born on December 31 turned two the next day, what the 2023 law changed, and how to convert Korean age to your real age.
• Why is 1 in 5 Koreans named Kim?Kim, Lee and Park cover almost half of South Korea. The reason is not only family trees: for centuries many Koreans had no surname, and when they got one, many chose the big names.
• How old Seoul kept ice through summerWith no fridge, Joseon-era Seoul cut ice from the frozen Han River in midwinter and stored over 134,000 blocks in the Seobinggo ice house for summer.
• Was kimchi always red?For most of its history kimchi was not red. Chili peppers reached Korea by the early 1600s but only appear in kimchi recipes in a 1766 household guide.
• What is ondol?Ondol heats Korean homes from the floor up. How the firebox, channels and flat stones work, what a 10th-century Chinese history said about it, and how it became today's hot-water floor.
• Before soap: Korea's bean powder face washFor over a thousand years, from the Silla period to the end of Joseon, Koreans washed with jodu, a fine powder of red beans, mung beans or soybeans. Here is how it was made and what replaced it.
• Can you learn Hangul in one morning?Hangul's own 1446 manual claimed a wise person could learn it before the morning was over. How King Sejong's 28 letters were designed, and why it really is quick to learn.
• Why Korean cousins share part of their nameIn many Korean families, everyone in the same generation shares one syllable of their given name. How generation names (hangnyeolja) work, the five-elements cycle, and why part of a name can be chosen before birth.
• Jukbuin: the "bamboo wife"Before air conditioning, Koreans slept hugging a jukbuin, a long hollow tube of woven bamboo. How it kept you cool, why it has no nails or string, and the Goryeo story that made it a "loyal lady".
• Doljabi: babies "pick their future" at oneAt a Korean first birthday, the baby grabs one object from a table and the family reads it as a sign of the future. What the objects mean, and what a Joseon prince picked in 1791.
• Joseon's tiger huntersTigers were a real danger in Joseon Korea, so the state created a special unit of tiger hunters, the chakho gapsa. Catch two tigers and you skipped the entrance test; catch five and you were promoted.
• Taekkyeon: the martial art that looks like dancingTaekkyeon is a traditional Korean martial art known for its rhythmic, flowing footwork. How it differs from taekwondo, its first written mention in 1728, and its UNESCO listing in 2011.