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About

Hi, I’m Cools. I’m Korean, in my fifties, and I’ve lived in Korea all my life. Seoul, Cheonan and Suwon at different times, and Seoul now.

I started this blog because what English speakers read about Korea is mostly K-pop or the news, and neither looks much like my weekday. Mine is a bus, a subway transfer, work, and the same thing backwards. On weekends I ride a bike along the Han River. In October I walk to the office staring at my feet, because of the ginkgo seeds. (If you’ve smelled one, you know.)

So that’s what I write about, the ordinary stuff. Why rice bowls stay on the table. Why half of Seoul dresses for Everest on a Saturday morning. Why an alphabet gets its own holiday. Some food, some holidays, some TV, and the rules nobody explains to tourists.

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Korean Hiking Culture: Why Koreans Dress Like They're Climbing Everest

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Seoul Royal Palaces: Gyeongbokgung vs Changdeokgung vs Deoksugung

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