Seoul, Right Now

 What people read can say a surprising amount about what is happening around them. In Seoul, the bestseller lists of 2026 tell a particularly interesting story. The most popular books have not simply been new releases. Some were rediscovered because of movies, some because of television or social media, and others because readers started recommending them to one another. So what changed between spring and summer? Spring: A Season of Fiction Spring began with fiction firmly in the spotlight. Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary was one of the biggest stories of the season. The novel spent weeks at the top of Kyobo Book Centre's bestseller list, helped by the popularity of its film adaptation. By late April, it had remained at No. 1 for five consecutive weeks. Other novels were also prominent. Kim Ae-ran's I Said Goodbye climbed rapidly after the author appeared on a television interview program. By late April, the book had risen 29 places in one week to reach the overall top 10. ...

 When summer arrives in Seoul, peaches start appearing everywhere — in supermarkets, fruit shops, traditional markets, and on kitchen tables. But eating a peach in Seoul is not always as simple as picking one up and taking a bite. People have strong opinions about how a peach should taste and feel. Is it better when it is firm and crisp, or soft and juicy? How sweet should it be? Does this year's weather make a difference? And what do you do when the peaches you bought are not as good as you hoped? Peach season in Seoul comes with surprisingly many questions. Hard or Soft? One of the most familiar peach debates in Korea is between 딱복 (ttakbok) and 물복 (mulbok) . 딱복 refers to peaches that are firm and crisp. They have a satisfying bite and are less likely to fall apart when you eat them. 물복 refers to softer, juicier peaches. They are tender, fragrant, and full of juice — sometimes so soft that you need to eat them carefully. Neither side is considered the “correct” way to eat a peac...

On August 13, something happened in Seoul that might seem ordinary at first. A supermarket opened its doors. But this was not an ordinary opening. After a temporary shutdown, Homeplus officially reopened 67 stores across South Korea. In Seoul, shoppers began lining up before the doors opened. Carts filled the aisles, checkout lines grew longer, and some of the first discounted products disappeared almost immediately. So why were so many people happy to see a supermarket come back? The answer may have less to do with shopping than you might think. “It’s Good to Have It Back” At the Homeplus Gangseo store, one shopper summed up the feeling simply: “It was inconvenient when it wasn't operating properly. It’s really good to see it open again.” That reaction says something about everyday life in Seoul. For many residents, a large supermarket is not just somewhere to buy groceries. It is part of the weekly routine. You might stop by after work to buy vegetables and fruit. You might pick ...

If you were walking through Seoul in mid-August, you might notice something curious. The air is still hot. The pavement is warm beneath your feet. People are carrying iced coffees, umbrellas, and fans. Yet somewhere in the city, people are sitting down to eat bowls of steaming-hot chicken soup. This is Malbok. In the traditional Korean calendar, Malbok marks the final of the three hottest days of summer, known together as Sambok. In 2026, Malbok fell on August 14, following Chobok on July 15 and Jungbok on July 25. But in Seoul, Malbok is not simply a date on a calendar. It is something you can see, hear, and taste. A Hot Day Calls for Hot Food One of the most recognizable sights of Malbok in Seoul is a line outside a samgyetang restaurant. Samgyetang is a whole young chicken simmered with ingredients such as ginseng, glutinous rice, garlic, and jujube. It is traditionally considered a nourishing summer dish, and it has become closely associated with Sambok. There is something almost a...

 Every year around Liberation Day, we talk about freedom. We talk about August 15, 1945, about the end of Japanese colonial rule, and about the people who fought for Korea's independence. But there is another way to think about that history. What if we looked at it through numbers? Not the number of years Korea was under colonial rule, or the number of battles fought for independence, but the number of people who might have been here today if history had taken a different path. It is a question that cannot really be answered. And perhaps that is what makes it worth asking. A population of 25 million In 1944, one year before liberation, the population of Korea was about 25.1 million. There were approximately 12.52 million men and 12.60 million women. The population was almost evenly divided between men and women. Among the men, about 5.5 million were between the ages of 15 and 49. That number is striking when we remember what was happening at the time. These were the years when Japa...

 August in Seoul can feel almost endless. The sun is strong, the air is heavy, and even a short walk can leave you looking for the nearest air-conditioned café. The city continues at its usual pace, but summer seems to ask a little more from everyone. Then Malbok arrives. Malbok, or the last of the three “dog days” of summer, marks the final stretch of the hottest part of the season. The three days are called Chobok, Jungbok, and Malbok, collectively known as Sambok. Malbok comes after Ipchu, the traditional beginning of autumn, which makes the timing especially interesting: according to the seasonal calendar, autumn has already begun, while Seoul can still feel completely, stubbornly, like summer. And perhaps that is what makes Malbok interesting in Seoul. It is not really a day when summer suddenly disappears. It is more like a small marker in the middle of the heat—a reminder that we have made it this far. The tradition of getting through the heat For generations, the hottest da...

 I didn't expect a 400-year-old Shakespeare play to feel so close to Seoul. But after seeing the response to The Merchant of Venice at the National Theater of Korea, I found myself thinking about that question. Why did so many people stand up and applaud? Was it simply because the performance was impressive? Or was there something in Shakespeare's old story that still spoke to people living in Seoul today? The play was performed at the Haeoreum Grand Theater from July 8 to August 9, 2026. For a story written in a very different time and place, it certainly found a warm response in a modern Korean city. And perhaps that is what makes this play interesting. Venice, But Also Seoul At first, The Merchant of Venice seems to belong to another world. There is Venice, a city of merchants and contracts. There is Belmont, with its romance and elegant atmosphere. And there is the complicated relationship between Antonio and Shylock, built around a dangerous financial agreement. The stor...

  Ipchu — the traditional beginning of autumn in Korea This summer, Seoul was hot enough to make people wonder if summer would ever end. Temperatures climbed close to 104°F (40°C), and the heat was exhausting. It was not the kind of heat you noticed only when checking the weather forecast. You felt it the moment you stepped outside. The pavement was burning hot. The air felt heavy. Even a short walk could make you want to find the nearest air-conditioned building. After days and days of this, people in Seoul were simply waiting for a break. Then came Ipchu. What Is Ipchu? Ipchu is one of Korea’s 24 traditional solar terms. It marks the beginning of autumn. Of course, autumn does not suddenly arrive on that particular day. The calendar cannot simply switch off summer. And yet, people in Korea have a long-standing feeling that something changes around Ipchu. There is even a familiar expression: “Ipchu magic.” It describes the almost mysterious feeling that the weather begins to chang...

“What is there to see in Seoul?” It may sound like a strange question. Seoul is one of the largest and most dynamic cities in the world, and millions of people visit every year. Yet many people who live in Seoul have probably asked this question at some point. When you live in a city for a long time, the things that make it special can become ordinary. A palace is simply a place you pass on your way somewhere. A traditional neighborhood becomes just another neighborhood. The Han River becomes part of the daily scenery. Even the food, cafés, markets, and busy streets can feel completely normal when you see them every day. But what feels ordinary to a local can feel fascinating to a visitor. Seoul Is a City of Contrasts One of the most interesting things about Seoul is how naturally different periods of history exist side by side. You can walk past a modern glass building and, only a short distance away, find a traditional hanok neighborhood. You can spend the morning visiting a historic...

There are many ways to describe Lee Kang-in. He is a talented footballer, a South Korean international, and a player who has already played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Now, at 25, he has begun another chapter of his career with Atlético de Madrid. But none of these descriptions fully explain why Lee Kang-in means so much to so many Koreans. Perhaps the better question is not how good Lee Kang-in is, but rather: Why do so many Koreans feel that his story is, in some small way, part of their own? We Remember the Boy Before We Knew the Star For many Koreans, Lee Kang-in did not first appear as a professional footballer. We remember him as a child. We watched a young boy who seemed unusually comfortable with a football at his feet. Long before he played in the biggest stadiums in Europe, many Koreans had already seen his face and heard his name. That makes his story different. When a player becomes famous overnight, fans may admire him. But when you have watched someone grow from c...

  What Happened in Seoul? When The Odyssey opened in South Korea on August 5, something bigger than a new movie release began to unfold in Seoul. Christopher Nolan's latest film opened at No. 1 at the Korean box office, attracting more than 290,000 moviegoers on its first day. By Sunday, just five days after its release, the film had reached 1.87 million admissions nationwide. It also remained the most heavily pre-booked film in Korea on Monday morning, accounting for 63.5% of ticket presales. But the numbers tell only part of the story. In Seoul, much of the excitement has centered around one particular cinema: CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall. The theater's IMAX auditorium, known locally as “Yong-a-mac,” is the largest of Korea's 27 IMAX theaters and the only Korean IMAX screen capable of showing the film in its full 1.43:1 aspect ratio. For a film made entirely with IMAX 70mm cameras, that difference matters to serious moviegoers. The result has been an unusual rush for seats. I...