The Soul of Seoul

Last Updated on July 24, 2026 I started noticing this cute little whimsical caricature studios popping up all branded the same and started wondering where these sort of nostalgic photobooths got their start. If you have spent any time scrolling Seoul travel content lately, chances are you have seen one of their caricatures. They are hand-drawn portraits, a little exaggerated ...

Last Updated on July 21, 2026 Coming to Korea, I thought I knew how to spot sugary food. I certainly didn’t expect so many Korean foods to be sweeter than the versions I grew up eating. I grew up in the United States, after all. We practically invented neon-colored cereal, frosting that glows in the dark, and desserts so sweet they make your teeth hurt just looking at them. S...

Last Updated on July 21, 2026 I’ve been using Sulwhasoo for over a decade now, and it wasn’t until I hit my later thirties, heading into my forties, that I really understood why so many Korean women swear by this brand for the long haul. I’ve seen Sulwhasoo products sit on my mother-in-laws bureau for years. I’ve written before about how much I love the First Care Activating ...

Last Updated on July 13, 2026 Every other Sunday, just outside exit six of Yeongdeungpo Station (영등포역) in Seoul, a group of volunteers gathers to hand out food and treat Seoul’s homeless community with respect and kindness. I saw firsthand what a difference this makes, not just for the roughly 180 people who show up around 5:00pm for food and supplies, but for the volunteers ...

Last Updated on July 6, 2026 Most people heading to Gyeongju are going for the tombs, the relics, the sites with history from 1,000 years ago, but there is a coastal stretch of Gyeongju that I like to add whenever there’s time and a part of it has history dating back millions of years! Worth the Gyeongju detour are: the underwater tomb of King Munmu (경주 문무대왕릉), a submerged ro...