When I was feeling it so hard, I couldn't see through my scars; you light the way through the dark; my eyes were opened with love; I'm seeing colors flowing through my mind, colors, colors on the wall of Inwol Temple in Gangneung, Gangwon, on Aug. 1YONHAP
Oh, don't give us none of your aggravation; we had it with your discipline; Saturday night's alright for newslettering!
In this weekend’s longer reads, we'll look at looking at Seoul from above, the terror of the taps and how affluent, trendy moms are beating the heat with the pleat (which I have deduced is a type of apparel; I am neither affluent, trendy nor, at least as far as I know, a mom).
In other news, water is wet. And free — at least in Yongsan District, central Seoul, where the local government has set up vending machines that dispense, not vend.
Also, did you know Korea has a jury system? Neither did most Koreans.
Stay cool out there!
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Five free Seoul observation decks for intimate city views off the beaten path
When it comes to observation decks, higher isn’t always better, especially in Seoul. Because sprawling apartment complexes dominate most of the city’s urban skyline, it can be difficult to tell one building apart from another from hundreds of meters above the ground.
From just the right altitude, the capital becomes a unique blend of metropolis and nature with skyscrapers and high-rise buildings alongside mountains, rivers and even traditional palaces in the downtown area.
Four percent — only 4.4 percent of Korean households drink water straight from the tap, unboiled, unfiltered, poured into a glass as it comes.
Another 35.2 percent drink it boiled. Beyond that, 53.6 percent of Korean households use a water purifier and 34.3 percent buy bottled water, a 2024 government survey of some 72,000 households showed, with households free to name more than one method.
It's not outright rejection, though: 66 percent of households still cook with tap water. Tap water is used everywhere in the Korean kitchen. For rice, for soup, for barley tea. It's just that people are not drinking straight from the tap.
The granny look no longer: Seoul's young, affluent moms make pleats trendy this summer
What are moms in Seoul’s affluent neighborhoods wearing this summer?
The answer is pleats.
The late summer heat and humidity have hit Korea hard, and in this weather, getting dressed is an exercise in surrender. Comfort, coolness or looking like you made an effort — you can choose two, but not all three. What women have been finding this season, mothers of small children first among them, is pleats, which ask for no such concession.
Free for all: Seoul's bottled water 'vending' machines go viral, douse sweltering heat wave
On a hot summer day in Itaewon in Yongsan District, central Seoul, Kathrine Coleman noticed district officials installing a new vending machine in her neighborhood.
The machine looked like any other, with rows of bottles, except one thing seemed very unusual: There was no way to pay. The machine had no credit card reader and its coin slots were taped shut.
However, with just the touch of a button, the machine dispensed bottled water — refreshingly cold — completely free of charge.
