On early mornings in Seoul, the city feels completely different. Before traffic builds and cafés fill with students, you can hear the soft echo of delivery scooters and the rustle of street vendors setting up stalls.
There’s a special kind of calm that appears in Seoul during winter. The city stays busy, of course, but step inside a warm café in Gangnam, Hongdae, or even a tiny alleyway in Ikseon-dong, and everything slows down. The windows fog, the heaters hum quietly, and people wrap their hands around hot drinks like they’re holding onto little pieces of warmth.
Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S., and it always reminds me of how much it feels like Chuseok, Korea’s major harvest holiday. Both traditions center on family gatherings, sharing food, and expressing gratitude. Even the atmosphere is similar—busy kitchens, traveling to see loved ones, and favorite comfort dishes that only taste right on this day.
They say the daily commute in South Korea is the longest in the world — an average of about 1 hour and 48 minutes each way. That’s 40 minutes more than the global average of 1 hour 08 minutes.
According to the Korea Herald, a 34-year-old man named Lee Han‑soo says his door-to-desk commute takes nearly 2½ hours every day.
11/2025 Flu cases in Korea are rising quickly this month, with health officials warning of an early 독감 (flu) 유행 (epidemic). The number of patients showing flu-like symptoms more than doubled compared to last week, especially among children.
Following Seoul’s long, lingering summer heat, the leaves have been taking their time to fall, stretching out over the past few weeks..
Vocabulary
낙엽 — nak-yeop — falling leaves
떨어지다 — tteo-reo-ji-da — to fall
서서히 — seo-seo-hi — slowly; gradually
몇 주 동안 — myeot jju dong-an — for a few weeks
더운 여름 — deo-un yeo-reum — hot summer
주변 지역 — ju-byeon ji-yeok — surrounding areas
지속되다 — ji-sok-doe-da — to continue; to last
가을 — ga-eul — autumn; fall
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Lately in Korea, we’re seeing a strong blend of tradition and global influence. For example, the iconic Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁 / gyeong-bok-gung) continues to draw visitors from around the world, reminding us that our past still lives in our present. Meanwhile, the Korea Trade‑Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA / 코트라) says Korea is stepping into a new phase where K-culture exports (K-컬처 수출 / K-keol-che su-chul) will fuel consumer-goods growth.
