David Chang was making kimchi on national television this week on the Today Show, and we all know that Korea is trying to evangelize the wonders of Korean food.  So there’s a lot of news bits about Korean food overall, but are we taking it a little too far with kimchi donuts?  Really?  I know you all have kimchi on the side next to the turkey at Thanksgiving, but imagine eating kimchi with custard.  Well Dunkin Donuts just launched the kimchi donut in South Korea or kimchi croquette.

The Wonder Girls are Trending Up
The Wonder Girls were in the top ten trending topics on Twitter. Say that 5 times real fast. That’s right, the lovable teen Kpop group from South Korea not only made it to the top 100 on the Billboard charts in the U.S., they became a top tenner on Twitter this weekend. We’re going to guess Rain as the next Korean entity to become a Top Ten Trending Twitter Topic (TTTTT).


There are Three Ways to Say “Thank You” in Korean
According to the Korea Times, there are three ways to say “thank you” informally in Korean, depending on where you live. This is a result of the Korean language evolving as Koreans have spread out across the world.

For North Koreans it is “고마와,” for the Koryo-saram in Central Asia it might be “아슴챠이타” and in standard Korean, based on the dialect of Seoul, it is “고마워.” On top of this, the occasional English “thank you,” can be heard.

I wonder if there are three different ways to say “Can I have your number?”

Korean Wave of Plastic Surgery
Do you want to look like Lee Byung Hun or Hyori? Koreans are famous like Brazilians for plastic surgery. Well, Kpop and Korean dramas seem to be the rage lately and all of Asia is enamored with the singers and actors.  It also helps that we’ve got some good looking Koreans. Anyway, looks like Asians (that are not Korean) are opting for surgery to look more Korean, this according to the Plastic Surgery Channel.

People from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong are flocking to Korea these days for facial bone contouring and cosmetic surgery on their eyes and noses.

The trend was reportedly spawned by what many are calling the “Korean Wave” – the rising popularity of Korean celebrities.

Asians from other territories want to look more like popular Korean actors and musicians. And they’re willing to travel and pay up to three times more for plastic surgery than they would in China.

Currently, the number of foreign patients in Korea is 33 percent higher than it was in 2008, and they reportedly spend twice as much money as regular Japanese tourists.

In South Korea, men account for 15% of all plastic surgery compared to 9% of men having similar procedures in the U.S.  So what’s with all the nip and tuck among South Korean men?  How about trying to keep your job and also advancing your career.

Appearance is one of the most important aspects in getting, and keeping, a job in a nation where men are the main breadwinners in 80 percent of households, said Kang, Choi’s surgeon.

“Men have cut down on their bar bill and vacation budget. But they are still investing in their appearance,” said Kang. “People believe it pays to look good.”

About 31 percent of Korean job-seekers said they were willing to undergo plastic surgery because appearance has become an important factor in finding a job, according to a survey last month by recruiting firm Saramin.  Read more…

But turmoil coursing through the financial world and then into the global economy has hit South Korea hard, as it has many middle-income countries. The downturn drove down the stock market and the currency by a third or more last year, and the resulting anxiety forced many South Koreans to change their habits.

A particular chill has seeped into the plastic surgery industry, emptying waiting rooms and driving clinics out of business.

“In hard times, people always cut back on luxuries like eating out, jewelry and plastic surgery,” said one plastic surgeon, Park Hyun, who has seen the number of his patients drop sharply. “If this is a normal recession, then these desires will eventually get reignited, and our patients will come back.”  Continue reading at NYTimes>