This week on Arirang Travel Diaries, we’re going back to school: new semester, new notebooks, same old anxiety. We’ll look at Korea’s latest school debates, from phone bans and AI textbooks to hagwon pressure and “friendflation,” then visit two very different school stories: the teacher drama Black Dog and the wonderfully strange indie film 막걸리가 알려줄 거야. Finally, we’ll head to Sinchon, Seoul’s classic student neighborhood, for campus nostalgia, cheap eats, and the legendary Doksuri Dabang.

This week on Arirang Travel Diaries, we return to the KOSPI chart — because apparently the market heard our July episode and chose violence. On July 16, we talked about KOSPI fever: AI, semiconductors, retail investors, leverage, FOMO, and the emotional life of Korean “ants.” But just two weeks later, the market gave us a historic roller coaster: a brutal late-July selloff, a shocking rebound on July 31, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix surging nearly 30%, and investors asking whether this was 시황–market analysis or 신앙–market faith.

On this week’s Arirang Travel Diaries, we honor Liberation Day in Korea—Gwangbokjeol—the day light was restored after the period of Japanese colonial rule. But today, our core theme is resistance. We remember not only the moment of liberation in 1945, but the decades-long resistance of Koreans who refused to fade away: those who organized, fought, wrote, taught, and marched. Afterwards, we’ll dive into two films that capture the essence of resistance, and finish with a guide to key sites and events you can visit yourself this week.

This week on Arirang Travel Diaries, we step into Korea&s record-breaking heat wave – the kind of weather where corn visits Busan and comes back as popcorn, but visits Yangsan and comes back burnt. We&ll look at this week&s extreme 폭염, from Yangsan&s 42.5°C record to severe heat alerts in Seoul. Then we slow down with Yoon Dan-bi&s Moving On, or 남매의 여름밤, before cooling off with 냉면, 콩국수, 빙수

This week on Arirang Travel Diaries, we continue our 납량 특집 with two Korean horror films that turn modern media itself into a source of fear. We look at 더 웹툰: 예고살인, or Killer Toon, where murders happen exactly as drawn in a webtoon, and 씬, or The Sin, where a film shoot in an abandoned school turns into a ritualistic nightmare. Then we explore ghost-repelling traditions and the very modern late-night snacks Koreans eat while scaring themselves on purpose.

On this week’s Arirang Travel Diaries, we’re beating the muggy summer heat with a classic Korean tradition: a chilling Nablyang (납량) special!

We’ll explore the true meaning of Nablyang—literally 'inviting in the cool breeze'—and look into Korea’s long-standing tradition of summer horror stories. Then, we’ll step inside the haunted palace and dark curses of Netflix’s new series Donggung, starring Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo, and Cho Seung-woo.

To top it all off, we’ll introduce traditional red bean dishes believed to ward off evil spirits, along with the best modern late-night snacks to munch on during a horror drama binge!

In this week's Arirang Travel Diaries, we are unfolding stock charts instead of travel maps.

We’ll dive into the KOSPI—Korea's benchmark stock index—and the unique trading culture of Korea's retail investors (locally dubbed "ants"). We'll also examine the recent market shocks triggered by leveraged ETFs and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in the wake of the AI and semiconductor rally.

Next, we'll connect today's investment anxieties with memories of the 1997 IMF financial crisis through the lens of the film Default. Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a highly relatable look at the everyday comfort foods of retail investors—from convenience store lunchboxes and "panic coffee" to cup noodles, fried chicken, and comforting stews.

This week on Arirang Travel Diaries, we discuss the onset of the intense summer heat, 'Sambok,' which arrives following a brief rainy season. We explore the meanings of 'Chobok,' 'Jungbok,' and 'Malbok,' and delve into Korea's summer culinary culture for restoring vitality in the sweltering heat. We then focus on the summer scenery, seasonal vegetables, and refreshing summer dishes featured in the movie 'Little Forest,' starring Kim Tae-ri. Finally, we compare two starkly different methods of surviving the summer: the piping hot Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) and the chilled Kongguksu (soybean noodle soup).

This week on Arirang Travel Diaries, we are heading back to school to mark the end of the spring semester and the start of summer vacation! We will look back at school memories—from report cards and hagwons (cram schools) to emailing professors about grades, and the nostalgic snack shops right outside the school gates. Next, we will dive into the hit Netflix series Vigilante (True Education) to examine the breakdown of teacher authority, school violence, and the ongoing debate surrounding juvenile offender laws. Finally, we will wrap up by treating ourselves to some classic comfort foods: tteokbokki, sundae (blood sausage), fried snacks, and the ultimate convenience store recipe combinations.

This week on Arirang Travel Diaries, we take on the Korean War through Park Chan-wook’s JSA – a film that proves sometimes the most dangerous thing at the border isn’t a weapon, but friendship. We’ll talk about 6.25, separated families, televised reunions, and why Korea’s unfinished war still lives in memory, media, and everyday life. Then we head north of Seoul for a DMZ day trip through Imjingak, Dora Observatory, the Third Tunnel, and Paju’s surprisingly delicious borderland food scene.