SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker, is marching toward the next battlefield in its war against Apple. On Wednesday in Berlin, the Korean mega-corporation unveiled the long-anticipated Galaxy Gear, a wearable smartwatch set for release on Sept. 25.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Sep 9, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — If you’re a film buff, you may have heard of a Korean-made summer blockbuster that, strangely, hasn’t reached American shores quite yet.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Aug 22, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — Although the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) has been in effect for little more than a year, it is already drawing vehement condemnation from both sides of the Pacific.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Aug 7, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — If there’s one key art form where North Korea beats the South, it’s beer-making. Pyongyang is home to Taedonggang, a government-made, full-bodied lager that The New York Times called one of the finest beers on the Korean peninsula. The beverage is named after Pyongyang’s Taedong River.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Jun 27, 2013

In a workshop a few minutes away from the sprawl of downtown Kyoto, a young man walks up and down aisles of steaming vats filled with a soya milk mixture.

By Geoffrey Cain
South China Morning Post

Jun 21, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s household debt-to-income ratio hit a nine-year high in 2012, according to Bank of Korea data released Wednesday.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 24, 2013

Curious coffee lovers now have a reason to visit North Korea. Pyongyang is home to a hip new coffeeshop serving “third wave” coffee — a buzzword that marks a recent generation of specialty and artisanal brews.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 23, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — It’s been a mixed week for North Korea. The country reportedly moved mid-range Musudan missiles away from a launch site at the east coast, a possible sign that leaders won’t test a rocket as feared. But the Supreme Court also sentenced Korean-American Kenneth Bae, who NK News says was an undercover missionary, to 15 years of hard labor.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Mar 7, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — A crowd of young women wait nervously in the lobby of a popular plastic surgery clinic in Apgujeong, the affluent neighborhood at the heart of Gangnam. Photographs of Korean pop singers and actresses line the walls, winsome customers who smile next to their cosmetic surgeons.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Feb 26, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — It’s official: the hyper-wired tech center of Asia, South Korea, has joined the global space club, just weeks after its isolated archrival North Korea accomplished the same.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Jan 30, 2013