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Open Thread #923 » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

b>NOTES FROM 9TAILEDVIXEN’S FINAL WEEK OF JUNE 2025:

1. LIFE NOTES

I’ve been gradually learning how to make Korean banchan – a dish here, a dish there. And it’s actually pretty helpful in terms of meal prep since many of the dishes can be cooked ahead of time and eaten either hot or cold.

Most of the dishes are surprisingly simple as well compared to Chinese homecooking. My current faves include Gamja-salad (Korean Potato Salad), Oi-muchim (Korean Cucumber Salad), Gamja Jorim (Korean Braised Potatoes), Sigeumchi-namul (Korean Blanched Spinach), and Dobu-jorim (Korean Braised Tofu).

While Korean cuisine is meat-heavy, I appreciate that they have a wide variety of banchan that are vegetarian-friendly for those of us on plant-based diets.

Now I just need to master making crispy Korean vegetable jeon

2. THIS WEEK IN KOREAN WOMEN’S NEWS

(i) Matchmaking North Korean women with South Korean men

It took Yujin Han four attempts to defect from North Korea. Each time she was caught, she’d be sent through a re-education camp and eventually returned to her family. However, as soon as Yujin got back home, her grandmother would insist she try to flee again. Yujin had a relatively comfortable life in North Korea. It was actually once she landed in South Korea, she says, that she endured greater hardship. In order to survive, Yujin had to work multiple jobs including as a tollgate operator, a used-car salesperson and cosmetics vendor. But when she began working at a matchmaking agency, Yujin found her calling. Since then, Yujin has set up her own company and prides herself on her ability to successfully pair North Korean women with South Korean men. She has particular advice about how to date a North Korean woman and universal advice about the quest for love.

https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct6x4f

(ii) Female superstars: How North Korean propaganda portrays women in sports

North Korean female athletes have been on a dominant run in international competition, capturing seven medals at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships earlier this year and winning both the U-20 and U-17 Women’s World Cups in 2024.

But even as DPRK women have consistently outperformed their male counterparts, achieving success that might win them sponsorships and even celebrity in other countries, questions linger about how much autonomy and agency these athletes have over their own lives.

https://www.nknews.org/2025/06/female-superstars-how-north-korean-propaganda-portrays-women-in-sports/

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