TESL Korea News

Welcome to TESL Korea News! This month we have some great stories on crazy driving, places to go, and festivals to see - even in the chilly weather. The latest story touching the hearts of many is in Gwangju, where locals are helping to gather B- blood donors for much-loved radio personality, husband and father, Michael Simning, who was diagnosed ... Read More

By Denton Josey I thought about writing about how frustratingly difficult the E-2 Visa process is nowadays, but something more important came up. I daily read a blog called Korea Beat. It does a great job finding stories in Korean media and translating them into English. It's invaluable because it allows foreigners living in Korea to understand what is going on in ... Read More

  By Brooke Petersen If you’re looking for an experience that will make you pee your pants, the DMZ tour is sure to do it. Often referred to as one of the most dangerous places on Earth, the Korean Demilitarized Zone stretches 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula from the mouth of the Imjin River in the west, to the town of Goseong ... Read More

By Brooke Petersen It may seem a little naive of me, but my first reaction to Korea as soon as I jumped off the plane some seven months ago now wasn’t about how “eastern” the country seemed to be but about how “westernized” it was. I’ll admit the stereotypes I’d created about Korea were based on temples, Buddhism, foreign languages, dog ... Read More

By Darrell Slater Finally the match-up in the English Premier League that Koreans had been waiting to see for some time materialized last Sunday evening with superstar Lee Chung Yong and national hero Park Ji Sung finally going toe-to-toe on the field. Playing for Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United respectively, this game had been widely anticipated for over a year in Korea ... Read More

The cool breeze of Autumn has finally swept into the country and although beach season has officially ended, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to see or do in Korea. This month sees a number of great artistic, cultural, and cuisine loving festivals emerge. Must-sees this month include the Seoul International Fireworks Festival, the Jinju Namgang Yudeung (Lantern) Festival, and ... Read More

For those who have lived in Korea for some time, seeing a crazy Korean on a motorcycle suddenly swerve into oncoming traffic to cross the road, is hardly surprising. The youtube clip below shows just how crazy they really are! ... Read More

Etiquette can be quite hard to pick up on in Korea. It is a widely known fact that the elderly are respected in Korean culture, and that they have the right of way. For foreigners, it's the small things like table manners and the correct way of stooping that can have them sometimes misunderstood. Etiquette is as important in Korea ... Read More

By Megan Clancy October has come.  Besides the Halloween theme at Everland and Lotte World, Korea also has numerous festivals for everything—music, food, fireworks, and lanterns, to name a few. Most of the festivals are free to attend, although food and hands-on activities may cost money.  Additionally, most of the festivals are accessible by public transportation which is a plus for ... Read More

Aside from Kimchi, Bibimbap is a staple Korean dish and is available in almost every Korean restaurant you enter. Meaning “mixed rice” it consists of a bunch of side dishes rolled into one, with beef, and egg, and a spicy sauce. The following recipe is an easy-to-make bibimbap suitable for quiet nights spent at home or for hosting large house ... Read More