Best of Korea

09/02/2026

📚 COMING SOON!! Min Jin Lee’s “American Hagwon”

Nearly a decade after “Pachinko,” Min Jin Lee returns with “American Hagwon,” a sweeping new novel about family, ambition, education, immigration, faith, and the price of success.

Susan Shin says in her review, “What has our striving given us? What has it cost? Min Jin Lee sees the strengths and failures of Korean and Korean American communities with remarkable clarity. She portrays a people and a culture without filtering out their hypocrisies, anxieties, or failures, while never losing sight of their humanity. Her criticism is grounded in affection. Its hope feels earned."

Plan ahead: Lee’s book tour kicks off in New York City on September 28, one day before the novel’s September 29 release, with events across the country and around the world.

Full review and Book Tour schedule:

https://bestofkorea.com/review-american-hagwon/

Nearly a decade after “Pachinko” established Min Jin Lee as one of the essential chroniclers of the Korean diaspora, she returns with a panoramic family saga about the generation shaped by the 1997 Asian financial crisis and its aftermath.   What kind of people are we becoming? That question qu...

07/23/2026

🎬 "The King's Warden" is finally streaming in the United States!

The historical drama became the highest-grossing Korean film of all time and won 4 major Baeksang Arts Awards, including the Grand Prize for Yoo Hae-jin's acclaimed performance.

Our latest feature explores the remarkable true story behind the film, uncovering the hidden history, fascinating ironies, and real people who inspired one of Korean cinema's most unforgettable characters.

Five months after becoming a box office phenomenon in South Korea, The King’s Warden has finally arrived for streaming in the United States, and it was well worth the wait. Credited with bringing audiences back to movie theaters in record numbers, the film became Korea’s highest grossing film of...

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day! 💕🪻🌸🌺🌻

Today we are thinking about mothers everywhere, not only for the joy and love they give so freely, but for the private burdens they carry quietly through the years.

A very personal essay by Patricia Liu explores how her mother arrived at motherhood with her own history of longing, sacrifice, disappointment, resilience, and hope, much of it invisible even to the people who love her most.

And then a plot twist. What began as a casual stop in a Brooklyn antique shop ends up being an unexpected journey into postwar Seoul, Korean immigration, and the life a mother lived long before her daughter knew her.

My mother closes her eyes at the moment of the camera shutter. She has done it all her life without meaning to, and the result is a running joke in our family, that she does what she wants, not what she is told. My mother is a beauty. At a time when the average Korean…

04/30/2026

"K-glasses tour" is officially a thing! Your entire eye exam and multiple pairs of prescription glasses. Finished in under an hour for less than $100 👓✨

That's not a typo, that's a Tuesday afternoon in Korea!

Find out why Korean optometrists examine eyes differently--you'll understand why people are building their Seoul itineraries around it.

Getting eyeglasses in South Korea is one of those rare experiences where convenience, speed, and affordability all come together in a way that feels almost effortless. Instead of the drawn-out process many people are used to—multiple appointments, long waits for lenses, and repeated follow-ups—e...

04/29/2026

🚨 BTS is BACK — and North America just got the first taste in Tampa 🔥

The Arirang World Tour officially launched its North American run with 31 sold-out stadium shows and the energy is already next level.

💜 Standout moment: Jin stepping out in a custom Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey mid-show

💜 Off-stage, fans tracked the group across Tampa — even turning a waterfront restaurant visit into a full-on ARMY pilgrimage spot

🎟️ There are still ways fans are getting into sold-out shows — we break down the strategy

🎶 Plus: what to know about BTS’s Arirang era and the new music shaping this comeback

👉 Link in bio for the full article, tour breakdown, and ticket tips

03/26/2026

Cherry blossom season in Korea is here — and it arrived early. 🌸

Jeju and Busan are blooming now. Seoul’s peak is expected around April 10. The window is roughly one week per location. Plan tight. Our full guide covers the official forecast, the best spots from Jinhae to Gyeongbokgung, the complicated history of Korea’s two cherry trees, and what comes after the blossoms fade.

From NYC to London and beyond, join the annual tradition of cherry blossom viewing coming sooner than you think!

🔗Full article at the link in bio

#벚꽃 #꽃놀이 KoreaTravel SpringInKorea JinhaeCherryBlossom SeoulSpring JejuIsland KoreaTourism 2026CherryBlossom

02/17/2026

Happy Seollal 설날! Today marks the Lunar New Year in Korea. 2026 is the Fire Horse year which arrives once every sixty years, and it does not arrive quietly. The Fire Horse is passionate, ungovernable, and constitutionally opposed to standing still. Traditionalists once warned that daughters born under its sign would be too fierce and independent! Traits that we hold in high regard today.

새해 복 많이 받으세요! May your year be prosperous and your tteokguk plentiful!
Swipe through for your 2026 forecast. 🐎🔥

https://bestofkorea.com/guide-to-the-korean-zodiac/

#설날 병오년 KoreanNewYear KoreanZodiac 사주 BestOfKorea

02/05/2026

📖✨ English Just Got a Little More Korean! ✨📖

The Oxford English Dictionary added eight Korean words in its 2026 update, officially recognizing terms that English speakers around the world are already using in daily life. Everyday words you'll recognize in media, menus, literature, and films like "KPop Demon Hunters"!

English has always been a language that picks things up along the way. Sailors brought back words. Immigrants carried others. And lately, English has been borrowing freely from Korean kitchens, bathhouses, offices, and everyday social life. By early 2026, the Oxford English Dictionary made it offici...

01/24/2026

Son Heung-min's first full season with LAFC starts Feb 21, and the MLS will never be the same 🔥⚽

When Son arrived in Los Angeles in mid-2025, MLS changed overnight. His No. 7 LAFC jersey sold out within weeks, triggering shortages across retailers and Adidas. With more than 1.5 million jerseys sold, Son became the best-selling athlete in the world, surpassing even Messi’s initial numbers.

The “Son Effect” didn’t just fill stadiums, it reshaped ticket demand, merchandise, and global attention.

Son’s record-breaking $26.5M transfer didn’t just pay off, it tripled MLS brand exposure and put the league firmly on the world stage. U.S. broadcasters are already competing for rights centered around him, and with the World Cup coming to LA, his influence is only growing.

📅 Mark your calendars:
Son and LAFC kick off the 2026 season on February 21 at home against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. This marks their first official meeting since the 2018-2019 Champions League. This high-profile matchup of the league's biggest stars will take place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a 77,500-capacity venue.

Full story:

Here's everything you need to know about Son Heung-min's 2026 LAFC schedule. Learn how to see Son play live and where to buy Son's jersey.

01/23/2026

⚽🔥 The Son Heung-min Effect Is Real 🔥⚽

Son’s first full MLS season starts Feb 21!!

When Son Heung-min arrived in Los Angeles in mid-2025, MLS changed overnight. His No. 7 LAFC jersey sold out within weeks, triggering shortages across retailers and Adidas. With more than 1.5 million jerseys sold, Son became the best-selling athlete in the world, surpassing even Messi’s initial numbers.

The “Son Effect” didn’t just fill stadiums, it reshaped ticket demand, merchandise, and global attention.

Son’s record-breaking $26.5M transfer didn’t just pay off, it tripled MLS brand exposure and put the league firmly on the world stage. U.S. broadcasters are already competing for rights centered around him, and with the World Cup coming to LA, his influence is only growing.

📅 Mark your calendars:

Son and LAFC kick off the 2026 season on February 21 at home against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. This marks their first official meeting since the 2018-2019 Champions League. This high-profile matchup of the league’s biggest stars will take place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a 77,500-capacity venue.

🔗Link in Bio for full story