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모든 것 Everything맛 Taste멋 Style소리 Sound화면 Screen놀이 Play말 Words길 Streets삶 Life
Cover story, Vol. 10Life 삶
김장
gim·jang   noun   The late autumn ritual of making a household's winter kimchi in one big batch.
People inside a Seoul market
A market stall in Seoul; the photo does not show the kimjang cabbage counters in the report.

Cabbage is 23.5 per cent cheaper this 김장 season and the state wants you to make one more head

Korea's winter kimchi season opens on a bumper cabbage crop, with fewer households planning to make their own. On 3 November the agriculture and fisheries ministries announced a 64 billion won discount plan running from 9 November to 6 December, the largest yet. What a head costs now, what went up, and where the discount lands.

Written by the Kverything editors from the sources below. Photograph by Robson Hatsukami Morgan on Unsplash.

Read the story

A busy street in Seoul, pink and white storefronts, young people walking한본어WordsA turntable with a record playing in low light이세계아이돌SoundWater near buildings in Busan by day포차StreetsBaseball players on the field of a large stadium under floodlights한국시리즈PlayA restaurant with a lit Korean sign at night하이볼TasteA busy street in Seoul, pink and white storefronts, young people walking올리브영Style
Today's word눈치nun·chi
noun   The skill of reading a room before anyone says anything. You have it, you lack it, or you are told to get some. Said when someone reads the mood of a table before anyone speaks.
Yesterday: 눈치
Before that: 눈치

On the radar

Short and checked, added through the day. Each one links to the source and shows when we looked.

멋 StyleNEWMusinsa’s winter 무진장 sale is expected in the second half of November. Dates circulating from third parties differ, 15 to 25 or 18 to 28, so wait for the app notice.First News on Naver Premium, 21 October, Nov 3, 2026, 5:00 AM삶 LifeNEWThe college entrance exam, 수능, is on Thursday 19 November. Offices open later that morning and the roads around test sites are closed early.Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, Nov 3, 2026, 5:00 AM놀이 PlayNEWGwangalli drone show in November: Saturdays 14, 21 and 28 at 7 and 9 p.m. No show on 7 November. Weather cancellations are posted by Suyeong-gu on the day.Suyeong-gu Office, Nov 3, 2026, 5:00 AM맛 TasteNEWGS25’s pizza seolgi, a rice cake with pizza toppings made with 설빙, goes on sale in every store on 5 November at 3,900 won for two. The 5,000 app pre-orders sold out.Yonhap, 26 October, Nov 3, 2026, 5:00 AM길 StreetsNEWD-13The four Seoul palaces, Jongmyo and the royal tombs are free until 15 November. Gyeongbokgung is closed on Tuesdays 3 and 10 November; the others on Mondays 2 and 9.Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, Nov 3, 2026, 5:00 AM

This week

Earlier weeks
말 Words한본어han·bon·eoTokyo's Gen Z is saying 괜찮아 and 언니, and Korean news has a name for it소리 Sound이세계아이돌i·se·gye·a·i·dolISEGYE IDOL comes back on 9 November with a second mini album called Across Dimensions길 Streets포차po·chaBusan is fencing the quay at Yeongdo's tent bar street after four people fell into the harbour this year놀이 Play한국시리즈han·guk·si·ri·jeuKT and Samsung open the Korean Series in Suwon on 3 November after a five game fight in Daegu맛 Taste하이볼ha·i·bolSuntory's Kaku highball comes to Korean convenience stores in a can for the first time멋 Style올리브영ol·li·beu·yeongWhy searches for Olive Young doubled on Sunday, and what is on offer until Saturday

Clips

Under a minute each. Official channels or a credited creator, played on YouTube.

'진짜' '괜찮아'가 日 유행어? NYT도 주목한 '한본어' [뉴스플레이리스트] / 채널A 채널A, official channel. YouTube.
Tokyo's Gen Z is saying 괜찮아 and 언니, and Korean news has a name for it
[100일의 거짓말 OST Part 4] 소수빈 - 나를 잊지 마요 (Remember Me) MV STONE MUSIC, official channel. YouTube.
tvN's 100일의 거짓말 climbed every week and pushed Doctor X off the top of the buzz chart
[100일의 거짓말 OST Part 1] 김태래 (ZEROBASEONE) - Together MV STONE MUSIC, official channel. YouTube.
tvN's 100일의 거짓말 climbed every week and pushed Doctor X off the top of the buzz chart
[암살자(들)] 티저 예고편 hivemedia_corp, official channel. YouTube.
암살자(들) passed three million viewers while protesters stood outside its lead actor's home

The dictionary

Entries that stay. Each one is a word with what it is, a line to say, where to go, what it costs, and how Korea searched for it this year.

쿠션ku·syeonFoundation in a sponge-filled compact, pressed on with a puff. Patented in Seoul in 2008.이 쿠션 테스터 있어요? 21호 발라볼게요.올리브영ol·li·beu·yeongA drugstore chain with a green sign, found on most busy streets in Korea.즉시환급 부탁드려요. 여권 여기 있어요.웨이팅we·i·tingThe queue outside a restaurant, and the app you joined it with. From the English word waiting.두 명이요. 웨이팅 등록할게요.성수동seong·su·dongA shoe-factory district east of the river where brands open first and close fast.팝업 대기 등록은 어디서 해요?배달bae·dalDelivery. Anything, anywhere, usually within thirty minutes, often at two in the morning.문 앞에 놓아 주세요. 벨은 누르지 마세요.인생네컷in·saeng·ne·keotFour cuts of your life. An unmanned photo booth with frames to choose from, open all night, on every corner.영어 화면으로 바꿀 수 있어요?

Kits

Checklists for one thing done properly. Tick what you have done; it stays on this device.

6The Olive Young kitOne visit to the green sign, done properly: the refund, the labels, the testers.5The singing room kitAn hour in a room with two microphones, from the desk to the last ballad.5The palace autumn kitFree entry until 15 November 2026, the leaves at their best, and the rules the residents asked for.5The first-day kitWhat to put on your phone before you land, and what to do with it once, so Seoul works from the airport on.

November

The calendar writes a third of the magazine. Holidays, exam day, comebacks, pop-up closings and the first snow come back every year with a new story each time.

Late November
첫눈Seoul’s first snow usually falls in late November. The date is a story every year.
Late November
김장A winter’s kimchi made in one weekend. Markets sell cabbage by the twenty-kilo net.
11 November
빼빼로데이Boxes of chocolate sticks at every till. The limited editions are gone by noon.
19 November
수능The college exam. Offices open late, extra trains run, and planes hold during the English listening test. Confirm the date each year with KICE.
This week's question

What did you bring home from Korea that you still use?

Pick one or add your own. We read every answer on Monday; the thing named most becomes a story the week after.

104 answers so far this week. One vote each; you can change it.