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  A Brief Overview of the History and Culture of Korea (.pptx - download powerpoint file)    A Brief Overview of the History and Culture of Korea (.pdf - with speaker's note)

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South Korea

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• National Geographic Kids - Countries - South Korea
• Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - South Korea
• Official Tourism Site of South Korea
• globalEDGE - South Korea
• Asia Society - Center for Global Education - Korean History and Political Geography
• South Korea - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• South Korea - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

South Korea , country in East Asia . It occupies the southern portion of the Korean peninsula. The country is bordered by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ( North Korea ) to the north, the East Sea ( Sea of Japan ) to the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west; to the southeast it is separated from the Japanese island of Tsushima by the Korea Strait . South Korea makes up about 45 percent of the peninsula’s land area. The capital is Seoul .

South Korea faces North Korea across a demilitarized zone (DMZ) 2.5 miles (4 km) wide that was established by the terms of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War (1950–53). The DMZ, which runs for about 150 miles (240 km), constitutes the 1953 military cease-fire line and roughly follows latitude 38° N (the 38th parallel ) from the mouth of the Han River on the west coast of the Korean peninsula to a little south of the North Korean town of Kosŏng on the east coast.

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Geologically, South Korea consists in large part of Precambrian rocks (i.e., more than about 540 million years old) such as granite and gneiss. The country is largely mountainous, with small valleys and narrow coastal plains. The Taebaek Mountains run in roughly a north-south direction along the eastern coastline and northward into North Korea, forming the country’s drainage divide. From them several mountain ranges branch off with a northeast-southwest orientation. The most important of these are the Sobaek Mountains , which undulate in a long S-shape across the peninsula. None of South Korea’s mountains are very high: the Taebaek Mountains reach an elevation of 5,604 feet (1,708 meters) at Mount Seorak in the northeast, and the Sobaek Mountains reach 6,283 feet (1,915 meters) at Mount Jiri . The highest peak in South Korea, the extinct volcano Mount Halla on Jeju Island , is 6,398 feet (1,950 meters) above sea level .

South Korea has two volcanic islands—Jeju, off the peninsula’s southern tip, and Ulleung , about 85 miles (140 km) east of the mainland in the East Sea—and a small-scale lava plateau in Gangwon province. In addition, South Korea claims and occupies a group of rocky islets—known variously as Liancourt Rocks, Dok Islands (Korean), and Take Islands (Japanese)—some 55 miles (85 km) southeast of Ulleung Island; these islets also have been claimed by Japan .

There are fairly extensive lowlands along the lower parts of the country’s main rivers. The eastern coastline is relatively straight, whereas the western and southern have extremely complicated ria (i.e., creek-indented) coastlines with many islands. The shallow Yellow Sea and the complex Korean coastline produce one of the most pronounced tidal variations in the world—about 30 feet (9 meters) maximum at Incheon , the entry port for Seoul.

South Korea’s three principal rivers, the Han, Geum, and Nakdong, all have their sources in the Taebaek Mountains, and they flow between the ranges before entering their lowland plains. Nearly all the country’s rivers flow westward or southward into either the Yellow Sea or the East China Sea; only a few short, swift rivers drain eastward from the Taebaek Mountains. The Nakdong River , South Korea’s longest, runs southward for 325 miles (523 km) to the Korea Strait. Streamflow is highly variable, being greatest during the wet summer months and considerably less in the relatively dry winter.

Most of South Korea’s soils derive from granite and gneiss. Sandy and brown-colored soils are common, and they are generally well-leached and have little humus content. Podzolic soils (ash-gray forest soils), resulting from the cold of the long winter season, are found in the highlands.

The greatest influence on the climate of the Korean peninsula is its proximity to the main Asian landmass. This produces the marked summer-winter temperature extremes of a continental climate while also establishing the northeast Asian monsoons (seasonal winds) that affect precipitation patterns. The annual range of temperature is greater in the north and in interior regions of the peninsula than in the south and along the coast, reflecting the relative decline in continental influences in the latter areas.

South Korea’s climate is characterized by a cold, relatively dry winter and a hot, humid summer. The coldest average monthly temperatures in winter drop below freezing except along the southern coast. The average January temperature at Seoul is in the low 20s °F (about −5 °C), while the corresponding average at Busan , on the southeast coast, is in the mid-30s °F (about 2 °C). By contrast, summer temperatures are relatively uniform across the country, the average monthly temperature for August (the warmest month) being in the high 70s °F (about 25 °C).

Annual precipitation ranges from about 35 to 60 inches (900 to 1,500 mm) on the mainland. Daegu , on the east coast, is the driest area, while the southern coast is the wettest; southern Jeju Island receives more than 70 inches (1,800 mm) annually. Up to three-fifths of the annual precipitation is received in June–August, during the summer monsoon, the annual distribution being more even in the extreme south. Occasionally, late-summer typhoons ( tropical cyclones ) cause heavy showers and storms along the southern coast. Precipitation in winter falls mainly as snow, with the heaviest amounts occurring in the Taebaek Mountains. The frost-free season ranges from 170 days in the northern highlands to more than 240 days on Jeju Island.

Korean Culture – Guide to History, Customs, People, and Modern Day

Last modified: Jul 05, 2024 | 19 min read | By Joseph Gerocs

Are you curious about  Korean culture ?  Many people are since the culture in South Korea is becoming more popular all across the globe.

Perhaps you’ve heard about  K-Pop , K-Dramas , Korean food , or Korean movies  but don’t know much about them. Or maybe you’ve just heard a lot about South Korea in general, and you’re curious what the country is all about .

Rest assured; you’ve come to the right place! This page is chock full of everything you’ve ever wanted to know about South Korean culture .

Read on to find out more!

• 1 History of Korean Culture
• 2 Basic Facts about Korea
• 3 Korean Beliefs
• 4.1 Korean Ancestral Rites
• 4.2 Korean Burial Sites
• 5.1 Korean dance
• 5.2 Korean painting
• 5.3 Korean Pottery
• 5.4 Korean music
• 6.1 Korean cinema
• 6.2 Korean dramas
• 7.1 Korean traditional homes
• 7.2 Modern Korean House
• 7.3 Korean clothing
• 8 Korean cuisine
• 9 Korean Concept of “Face”
• 10 What is South Korean culture like?
• 11 What is the History of Korean culture?
• 12 What does the dragon mean in Korean culture?
• 13 Korean Holidays
• 14 Understanding Korean Culture

History of Korean Culture

The Korean culture is one of the oldest continuous cultures in the whole wide world. Today, starker cultural differences exist in today’s Korea, which has been split into North and South Korea. However, originally this cultural and historical heritage was shared quite identically across the entire Korean peninsula and even southern Manchuria.

Korean culture comprises all of its history, customs, traditions, and beliefs . It has been shaped by each of its different dynasties, wars, changes in religious beliefs, the modernization of the world as a whole, and many other customs and traditions that have been passed on between generations, experiencing slight changes with each generational pass. The lasting tensions between North and South Korea, which were split into their separate countries in 1945, continue to shape up both countries today.

On a perhaps more visible surface, Korean culture also consists of its food, holidays, national sports, and societal norms, as well as its popular culture in the form of music, movies, dramas, and fashion. And those are just some of the small pieces of what the culture is as a whole.

Basic Facts about Korea

The Korean peninsula, consisting of North and South Korea, is one of the most homogeneous regions in the world. Meaning that almost everyone residing in any part of the region is ethnically Korean. In South Korea, the population of Korean people is estimated to be a little over 51 million, and a little over 25 million in North Korea.

Additionally, there are around 7.4 million ethnic Koreans living all around the world. The native language is Korean, which you can read all about  here . Lastly, their government type is a republic, with a president as the head of state.

Korean Beliefs

The spiritual ground and beliefs of Koreans are built mainly around the religions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Of these, especially Confucianism has a long record of influence in Korea, and its political and social philosophies can still clearly be seen in today’s Korea.

However, Buddhism and Christianity are also highly visible in the society where Buddhist South Koreans account for 46% of the population, and a lot of the areas in South Korea that are listed as world heritage sites are Buddhist temples.

For example, the concept of hierarchy in Korea comes from Confucianism. The hierarchy is built based on a person’s age , job status, education level, and general social rank. Thanks to Confucianism, a lot of emphases is put upon respecting one’s elders and ancestors .

And although especially the younger generations of South Koreans are becoming more and more individualistic, Korea is still a largely collective society, with the family, workplace, business, and others’ perception of you holding a lot of importance. Therefore, it is not rare to still see the type of family dynamics where the eldest son of the family holds additional responsibilities over the family. He is also expected to take care of the parents when they reach retirement age.

Korean traditions and customs

There are two major holidays in South Korea every year: Lunar New Year’s Day (설날, seollal) in January-February and Korean Thanksgiving (추석) in September-October. Both holidays are celebrated together with family, with respecting ancestors, certain holiday foods and family games playing a big part of the day. These are all part of Korean traditions and customs .

One of the most important parts of 설날 (seollal), both traditionally and today, is to perform a ritual called 세배 (sebae). In it, the whole family, dressed in 한복 | hanbok | Korean traditional dress), performs a traditional deep bow while wishing for the year to bring in a lot of luck. For food, it is normal to eat rice cake soup, savory pancakes, and stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables.

On 추석, on the other hand, it is 차례 (charye), an ancestral memorial rite, that is the most important part of the holiday. It involves a whole lot of preparation in order to create a table of offerings, and on the table will also be two candles at the edges, an incense holder in the middle, and the memorial tablet, symbolizing the spiritual presence of the ancestors, at the very center. For food, stuffed rice cakes (called 송편, songpyeon) are made as to the most traditional one, with a whole lot of others being enjoyed as well.

Korean Ancestral Rites

Koreans hold their ancestral rites for their ancestors through a memorial ceremony called 제사 (jesa) on different occasions, such as on holidays or on the death anniversary.

There are different kinds of Korean ancestral rites that are observed. They are 기제사 (gijesa), 차례 (charye), 성묘 (seongmyo), and 묘사 (myosa).

기제사 (gijesa) is held during the death anniversary of one’s ancestor. 차례 (charye) is done during the traditional holidays in Korea in each of the family’s homes to pay respect to their loved ones.  성묘 (seongmyo) is when Koreans visit the tombs of their ancestors to show love and respect to them. And finally, 묘사 (myosa) is done at the tomb site in the lunar month of October.

Korean Burial Sites

There are 2 common types of Korean burial sites where they enshrine and commemorate the remains of the deceased. One is called 묘지(myoji), which means burial ground. Cemeteries are called 공동 묘지(gongdong myoji).

The other one is called 봉안당 (bongandang), a place where the remains are enshrined after cremating the deceased. There is also 봉안담 (bongandam), which is an outdoor wall-style version of 봉안당 (bongandang).

Korean traditional arts

There are a variety of traditional arts in South Korea that can still be seen and enjoyed today. Thanks to the Korean people who are mastering these arts for many of us to enjoy. You can see them being performed in the country at special events and celebrated in exhibits around the world.

Korean dance

Based on Korean history , dances in Korea were formed as a part of shamanistic rituals an impressive five thousand years ago. Over time and the different dynasties, varieties of folk dances have evolved from these ritualistic dances. There were more than 12 types of Korean dances that were popular to perform in the court in front of royals, for example.

Some of the most popular and common traditional dances, well-known even today, are as follows:

• 탈춤 (talchum) = a dance performed while wearing a mask
• 가인전목단 (gainjeonmokdan) = a calm dance where a vase of flowers is placed at the center of the stage, and the dancers will dance around the vase, picking out flowers from the vase
• 농악 (nongak) = an energetic dance also including drums
• 부채춤 (buchaechum) = a fan dance

Korean painting

Painting is a type of Korean art that has been a part of Korean culture since prehistoric times. In its earliest form, Korean painting was a form of rock art, where images were created by carving out parts of a rock surface. Once Buddhism arrived in Korea, new painting techniques were introduced, quickly becoming the common and popular way to paint. This includes, for example, calligraphy .

Korean Pottery

The history of pottery and ceramics in Korea goes back thousands of years. The dominant ingredient used in Korean pottery and its style have changed over the dynasties (Goryeo dynasty to Joseon), ranging from coils and clay to pottery to porcelain. Korean ceramics have also had a strong influence on shaping Japanese ceramics.

Korean music

Besides K-pop songs , Korean music is made up of traditional Korean songs ranging from folk and court to religious.  This aspect of culture comprises the music in the Korean peninsula (North and South). As a whole, this genre that is made up of traditional Korean songs is known as 국악 (gukak).

Korean Folk Music

The Korean folk song or music is typically referred to as 판소리 (pansori), which has even been designated as an intangible cultural property by UNESCO. Pansori is performed by one singer and one drummer. Some pansori songs also include dancers and/or narrators. Another type of folk music is 풍물 (pungmul), which involves drumming, singing, and dancing; it is traditionally called 농악, which has been mentioned above.

Korean Court Music

Besides folk music, Korean court music is another traditional Korean music. It was developed at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty, getting some of its influences from Chinese court music. There are also similarities to Japanese and Vietnamese court music.

There are three types of court music. The first form is 아악 (aak), which was drawn directly from the Chinese, performed in state sacrificial rites, and still exists today as music performed in some Confucian ceremonies. The second form is 향악 (hyangak), which was created entirely by Koreans. 향악 was often accompanied by traditional country dances, with the dances being performed for an audience. The third one is 당악 (dangak), which mixes Chinese and Korean court music styles into one style. There are specific types of dances that go along with 당악.

Korean popular culture

Often referred to as “ hallyu ” or the Korean wave, the Korean popular culture is no longer only famous and popular in Korea but becoming widespread across the globe.

Korean wave mainly includes Korean pop music, dramas, and movies. In fact, although K-Pop, through acts like BTS , is a hot topic these days, it was originally Korean dramas that became famous for watching in other countries.

Korean cinema

When speaking of Korean cinema , it usually counts the time from 1945 onward. The movies take a lot of influence from Korea’s own past, featuring a lot of material from the Japanese occupation, the Korean War, the road towards democratization and globalization, and so on. Although there is still present some shyness to putting certain materials on film, simultaneously Korean filmmakers are bold in expressing their views of society through internationally well-received movies like The Handmaiden  and  Parasite .

Korean dramas

Korean dramas differ from a lot of Western TV content, as they are typically only made to last for one season, with one overarching plot lasting 12 to 16 or so episodes. Historical stories and sitcoms may last longer, even up to 200 episodes, but the majority of prime-time television is set up this way. The dramas range on a variety of topics, from history and action to school and work life.

However, many of the most popular dramas have had a romantic story as their main element. Love stories on screen in Korea often play out quite differently from what is common in the West, with bedroom scenes and even deep kisses still remaining relatively rare to see. In the past few years, Korean dramas have also become more interested in tackling today’s societal issues, such as classism, mental health, bullying, spy cameras, corruption, and so on.

K-Pop is short for Korean pop, Korea’s response to Western mainstream music. The music itself samples different genres, from rock and jazz to hip-hop and techno, influenced by worldwide trends.

However, despite the influences, K-Pop is also quite different from Western pop, with idol groups being its leading force. The K-pop groups are formed by entertainment agencies from hoards of young trainees, who have been signed to the agencies in hopes of debuting as an artist at a young age, often years before getting lucky. In each group, each member plays their own role: there’s a dancer, a rapper, the main singer, a pretty face, and so on.

And although the songs themselves are important, the entire concept of each “comeback” – the term used whenever a group or an artist releases new content – is carefully crafted. From hair styling to dance moves and music videos, there is often a specific theme behind each single or album release, which also influences the mood and tune of the songs.

Korean homes and clothing

As with other aspects of South Korean culture, traditional homes and clothing continue to be visible in today’s Korea, and you’ll be able to see them in your daily life in South Korea. For example, in neighborhoods like Seoul’s Gwanghwamun, it is possible to see modern Korea’s glassy high-rise buildings blend in seamlessly with historical Korea’s traditional palaces, all in one spot, complete with locals and tourists walking about wearing traditional attire.

Korean traditional homes

A traditional Korean home is called 한옥 (hanok). It was thought that they could not be built on any random spot, but the site to build the house on needs to be carefully selected. In detail, this means that the houses should be built against a hill so that they’d receive as much sunlight as possible, a way of thinking that is still shared in modern Korea as well.

These traditional houses typically comprise an inner wing and an outer wing. How these “wings” are used depends on the wealth of the family, and in general, the size of the house was also directly correlated with how rich the family was. However, even if it was the richest family in Korea, the right to the largest house was reserved for the king.

A basic design of the inner wing would include a living room and a kitchen, as well as a central hall. The richer families may have some more rooms attached to this layout. Meanwhile, the poorer families would use the outer wing for their cattle. The most common building materials were wood and clay, followed by tile, stone, and thatch. That is one large reason why so many of these houses are no longer preserved in today’s Korea.

For heating, 온돌 (ondol) was used. 온돌 means floor heating. It has been in use in Korea since prehistoric times, and it is still the main form of heating today, in modern apartments as well, typically heated up using gas.

Modern Korean House

The majority of Koreans live in a modern Korean house . And there are many types of modern Korean houses: apartments, villas, officetel or studios, service residences, and private houses. 

A few common characteristics of these houses are having an area where sunshine can come in, open areas, lots of windows, and crystal doors.

Apartments are usually high-rise buildings that you’ll commonly see around the country, especially in Seoul.

Villas are low-rise buildings that typically don’t exceed 5 stories. Officetel, on the other hand, is also known as one-room. This house is inexpensive and is mostly located near subway stations. 

Service residences are apartment buildings that have facilities and services similar to a hotel. 

Private houses, also known as stand-alone houses, are the most expensive type of house among all the types of houses mentioned above. And you’ll not often see this type of house in urban areas.

Korean clothing

The traditional outfit in Korea is called 한복 (hanbok). It consists of a long-sleeved shirt and a long wide hemmed skirt. The specific styles and colors of each 한복 differ. Even today, it is normal for 한복s to be worn during the big holidays of 설날 and 추석. In addition to which they’re often also worn at weddings by the bride and groom’s parents, as well as the bride and groom at some point after the ceremony. Or even during the ceremony if it’s held in a traditional Korean style. It can also be worn on special events in the family, in the company, or on business events.

There were different types of 한복s in use. There was the kind used for every day, the kind for ceremonial events, and the special kind, which was usually restricted for the use of shamans, officials, and the like.

In general, clothing used to be an important mark of someone’s social rank, with people of different ranks dressing differently. Those of lower ranks typically wore plain clothes of plain colors, whereas upper classes and royals wore heavy and flashy outfits, complete with jewelry.

Korean cuisine

At the very center of Korean cuisine is rice. Korea has a long history of being nearly exclusively an agricultural country, with this having changed only recently, and you can still clearly see this in today’s cuisine. Fish and other seafood also play an integral part in shaping Korean cuisine.

Besides them, fermented dishes are largely important, kimchi being the most famous of them, rich in nutrients. The most common ingredients to use for cooking are 된장 (doenjang) which is a fermented bean paste, ginger, chili powder, fermented hot pepper paste, garlic, salt, sesame oil, and soy sauce.

In general, Koreans eat a lot of rice, vegetables , and meats. It’s typical for each meal to consist of multiple different side dishes, called 반찬 (banchan), in addition to the main course. Of them, kimchi is the staple side dish present at every meal.

Pork is perhaps the meat eaten the most in Korea , with 삼겹살 (samgyeopsal), which is grilled pork belly, one of most Koreans’ favorite foods. Several different chicken dishes also exist, including chicken feet. Beef is seen as the meat with the highest value, which explains its comparatively higher price, although since the latter 20th century, it has become more common to eat on a regular day instead of solely on special occasions.

A lot of Korean food is served grilled, steamed, fermented, or pickled. There are also a large variety of soups and stews, as well as noodles. In addition, several specific foods, such as salty pancakes or tofu with kimchi, are commonly eaten while enjoying alcohol.

Korean Concept of “Face”

To fully understand the way of behaving and thinking of Koreans, you need to understand the concept of the face – 체면 (chaemyeon) in Korean . It is among the most integral and important things in influencing how Koreans behave in their daily life and interactions with others.

체면 (chaemyeon) in meaning translates as the appearance a person wants to – or seeks to – offer others of themselves. It is especially prevalent when it comes to one’s status in society. For example, if someone is going through hardships with a relationship, an employment situation, finances, or even something more simple as struggling to do well in school, they will want to disguise that and instead show a more poised version of themselves.

This concept is also important for interactions with interpersonal relationships. Largely because of Confucian influences, Koreans hold maintaining harmony in high regard. And therefore, all conflict with others is to be avoided, and it is even feared that it could lead to saving face. Thus, it is more sought after to keep harmony and hold in negative thoughts and emotions.

This is an age-old concept in Korea. However, due to the hardships that came from being under Japan’s rule and then the war that led to Korea being split into two, it has regained importance in Korean society.

What is South Korean culture like?

South Korea is a unique culture with influences from China , Japan , and the West. When you first come for a visit, you will notice some things that are familiar to your home country. For example, you will likely see chain restaurants and global stores that are popular back home. At the same time, you’ll notice customs, styles, and social norms that are uniquely South Korean.

What is the History of Korean culture?

Korea is one of the oldest cultures in the world. Koreans have passed down their traditions and stories for centuries. The country started to become split between North Korea and South Korea in 1945, and since then, the two Koreas have increased cultural differences.

Some of the South Korean traditional arts are ceramics, music, crafts, dance, and paintings. You can often see these displayed if you’re visiting the cultural and tourist areas of South Korea, such as 인사동 (Insadong) or 명동 (Myeongdong).

What does the dragon mean in Korean culture?

If you visit traditional buildings or  look at Korean artwork , you will often see dragons. For Koreans, the dragon has a positive meaning. It symbolizes water, rain, clouds, and farming. Therefore, Korean dragons are often said to have lived in bodies of water such as oceans, rivers, and lakes. The word for dragon in Korean is 용 (yong).

Korean Holidays

South Korea shares many holidays with the rest of the world but also has some holidays unique to its culture. The most popular holidays are 추석 (Chuseok | Korean Thanksgiving) and 선랄 (Seollal | Korean Lunar New Year). During these two holidays, many Koreans return to their hometowns to visit their families.

During public holidays in Korea, most offices, banks, and government buildings are closed. However, places like museums, restaurants, cafes, amusement parks, and shopping malls remain open. The night before most public holidays, it is usually very busy in Korea with people going out to celebrate and meet friends.

There are some Korean holidays that are culturally celebrated but are not public holidays. Some examples of those are Pepero Day , Valentine’s Day , White Day , and Black Day . Koreans do not get a day off during these holidays.

Understanding Korean Culture

Korean culture is truly full of history, tradition, and uniqueness. If you want to properly learn about Korea, it is important to educate yourself on its basic pillars, which you have just done by reading our article. Korea’s speedy rise from a war-ridden and undeveloped country to one of the global economy’s high hitters is one reason that allows for South Koreans, and for us, to enjoy such a blend of tradition and modernism in their culture today.

What aspect of the culture are you most excited to get to explore once you’re in Korea yourself one day: the food, the music, the history, or something else?

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41 thoughts on “Korean Culture – Guide to History, Customs, People, and Modern Day”

I have been into K-pop for such a long time (probably about 7 years), now I am a senior in High School doing a research based essay on the history of Korean culture and this article was extremely helpful to me. It provided a lot of information about the history of Korea (both South and North Korea).

Awesome! Glad to hear that, Ella! ^^

Thank you for sharing information about Korea. It was amazingly informative and interesting!

It’s our pleasure, Tetyana! ^^ I appreciate your kind words! If you want to know more about the Korean language and culture, you can also check our blog and visit our YouTube channel for articles and videos with great Korean content.

ALWAYS GREAT INFORMATION…THANK YOU!

Awesome, thanks for your comment, Tim!^^ If you want more lesson on Korean, you can also check our check our blog and visit our YouTube channel for articles and videos with great Korean content.

Quite informative article. Thanks for sharing it!

Awesome, thanks for your comment! I’m glad that our article has been helpful to you. ^^ If you want more lesson on Korean, you can also check our check our blog and visit our YouTube channel for articles and videos with great Korean content.

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57 Interesting Things to Know about Korean Culture and Traditions

Korean culture has special birthdays, blood-type dating rules and enough drinking games to put you under the table.

This guide covers what you need to know about Korean culture and tradition . 

It includes:

• Pop Culture

Most importantly, it will help you understand why Korea is the way it is.

Quick Summary

• Koreans take their shoes off before entering a home.
• It’s polite to give and receive items with two hands.
• Taekwondo, Taekkyeon, and Ssireum are Korean martial arts.
• Fermentation is a cornerstone of Korean cuisine.

Introduction

The first kingdom in Korea was founded in 2,333 BC, making it one of oldest continuous cultures in the world. 

Korean culture is very distinct, partly due to its location.

Common Korean Words and Phrases you Need to Know

Like they say, geography determines destiny. Being surrounded by large and sometimes hostile neighbors influences how Koreans think to this day. 

Korean culture has 4 main themes : 

• Speed – Koreans skipped the whole dial up phase most countries went through and started off with fast broadband internet . Food deliveries that take more than 30 minutes are considered late. It can be contagious even for non-Koreans. After a few years in Korea I found myself jumping into a gallop with the locals when I saw a crosswalk signal turn green. I have to adjust when I go abroad or I’ll be running people over on the street.
• Competition – even before preschool, Koreans are ranked from shortest to tallest, head size and later by test scores. This only picks up steam throughout life. If you don’t believe me, try getting a seat on the subway during rush hour in Seoul.
• Appearances – looks can be everything. Not just physical, but also the clothes and makeup you wear, the car you drive and the company you work for. I was the most poorly dressed and groomed person when I first arrived in Korea. I had to adjust in order to fit in. People will treat you according to your appearance. If you look like a student, then you’ll be treated like one.
• Jeong (정) – the unspoken bond that keeps the country going. It’s formed with everyone from coworkers to the convenience store ajumma who straightens your tie in the morning. This explains why in business in Korea, contracts are more of a flexible roadmap, and the relationship is more important.

A 5,000 year mix of Shamanism, Buddhism and Confucianism, Korea has some very interesting customs.

Bowing – it’s important to greet with a slight bow at the waist, and a two-handed handshake if offered. Don’t skimp on the shaking part.

Shoes – like in most Asian countries, it’s customary to take one’s shoes off before entering a home. Koreans are especially appalled to see people wearing shoes in bed on western TV shows.

Kinship terms – Korean has fun titles for siblings and friends like unnie , hyung , oppa , noona and dongsaeng . Learning these will help you make friends.

Two hands – it’s polite to give and receive items with two hands. This is especially true when pouring drinks.

Signs of Affection – Koreans are warm people in the right setting, but public shows of affection are rare. Hugging is also not common among friends or family members and is reserved for couples. If you try to hug a friend of the opposite gender, you’ll be met with surprise at best.

Hierarchy – a remnant of confucianism, age, gender, seniority and marital status determine your position in society. In the past, there were 4 separate classes:

• Yangban (양반) – noble class who were scholars and government officials
• Jungin (중인) – middle class who were subordinates of Yangban
• Sangmin (상민) – working class including farmers that made up 75% of the population
• Cheonmin (천민) – lowest class including butchers, ditch diggers, etc.

Smiling – it’s uncommon to smile on the street for no reason, especially at people you don’t know. Smiling is reserved for loved ones and friends.

Koreans believe that, “if you see someone smiling on the street, leave”. The reason being is they’re either selling something or are a cult member.

Excusing – it’s also not necessary to say “excuse me” if a little bit of jostling occurs in public. Otherwise you’ll be saying it all day, especially in Seoul. Contrary to what your Korean textbook tells you, no one says “실례합니다”.

Baekil (백일) – celebration of 100 days. Given the aforementioned strife, infant mortality rates were high until 50 years ago. This ceremony is still important though, but more for family and tradition. 

Doljabi (돌잡이) – when a child turns one year old, he/she is placed in front of a table with some objects. It’s believed that the one they pick up will determine their destiny.

Some of the common items are a thread(long life), pencil(studious), money(wealth), and stethoscope(doctor). The items can be selected according to the parent’s hopes for the child. 

Blood type (혈액형) – Koreans believe your blood type determines your personality. For example:

• Type A are narrow-minded perfectionists
• Type B are passionate but self-centered
• Type AB can be either ambitious or crazy
• Type O are outgoing/popular but sometimes ruthless

They will be surprised if you don’t know yours. 

Couple style (커플룩) – it’s not uncommon to see couples wearing the same shirt, even when they’re not on their honeymoon. I’ve even seen complete matching outfits with socks and shoes that are identical.

Regardless of your opinion on couple shirts, it’s hard not to be impressed with the effort.

Hwangap (환갑) – 60th birthday celebration. Life wasn’t easy in Korea, and making it to 60 was kind of a big deal. This celebration is still very important even though life expectancy is higher than 60.

Children are supposed to give their parents fancy gifts or a swanky dinner at a 5-star hotel.

Baek il (백일) – if you’re looking for another reason to celebrate your child’s birth, this is it. Baek-il is a party for newborns after their first 100 days!

Just like Hwangap above, it’s related to the shorter life expectancy that Korea had in the past. If a baby made it 100 days, people would throw a nice party for their family.

Weddings (결혼) – in the past, weddings lasted 3 days. But during the period of economic growth, Park Chung-hee limited them to a brief celebration to reduce waste.

Now, weddings tend to last a few hours , buffet reception included. I’ve been to ones where people left early to eat and watch the ceremony live on CCTV.

But, some traditions like hahm are still going strong. After the wedding, understanding the relationships between husbands , wives and in-laws will help you live more peacefully.

Ancestral rites (제사 or 제례) – according to traditional Korean beliefs, a person’s spirit visits their house to eat 제사상 on the anniversary of their death. The deceased are still considered part of the family for a few generations.

Funerals – a three day affair with an outpouring of emotion. A picture of the deceased is displayed in black and white and mourners come with cash envelopes and flowers.

Only immediate family stays for 3 days. Usually the firstborn son plays the role of host (상주) and wears all black while greeting visitors.

Protests – so maybe not an ancient tradition but one that seems to be catching on. It seems like there’s always one going on in Gwanghwamun (광화문) or Yeouido (여의도).

Koreans fought hard for their democracy and continue to be politically active. They impeached their previous president in a few months with peaceful protests of over 1 million people in the dead of winter. 

A Complete List of South Korean Presidents and Their Accomplishments

From Pansori (판소리) to Kpop, music has been an important part of Korean life for a few millennia. Music from Baekje (백제) even influenced Japanese royal court music.

Most music before 57 BC was played with string instruments for shamanistic harvest rituals.

During the Three Kingdoms period, each region had a musical instrument they favored. 

In the Goguryeo (고구려) kingdom, people would gather every night to sing and dance.

Music became more uniform in the Goryeo (고려) period after the Three Kingdoms were united. Music in the Royal Court incorporated styles from United Shilla (통일신라) into their Buddhist celebrations.

Music further evolved during Joseon (조선), especially under King Sejong (세종대왕), who even wrote a few songs himself. He also developed an independent musical notation, Jeongganbo (정간보) , for different instruments. Many songs were recorded in Akhak Gwebeom (악학궤범).

Due to Korea’s class system, music for Yangban, the noble class and music for peasants became different.

While court officials and nobles enjoyed instrumental music during ceremonies and celebrations with acrobats and performers, the public enjoyed more oral traditions like pansori, sanjo (산조) and namsadang (남사당).

Fast forward a few centuries and Kpop is a dominant force around the world. On top of its traditional Korean roots, Kpop is influenced by nearly every genre of music on the planet. They even have their own music apps . 

Just like how religion influenced western art (for example, Catholic influence during the Renaissance), Korean art transitioned with the major religions of the time. This includes:

• Shamanistic art during the bronze and iron age
• Buddhist art during the Three Kingdoms and Goryeo periods 
• Confucian art during Joseon

Korean art is known for its beauty from simplicity, spontaneity and harmony with nature.

Korean art dates back to 7,000 BC with pottery. Pottery and jewelry then show a Siberian influence with similar comb designs and curved beads representing bear claws.

One of the most interesting art discoveries was 7,000 year old petroglyphs (반구대 암각화) of whales, tigers, deer, turtles and other marine life carved into a cliff in Ulsan.

Art blossomed during the Three Kingdoms period with the rise of Buddhism. 

Baekje was considered the kingdom with the finest art with concepts borrowed from Chinese dynasties that in turn influenced Japan. They even used a signature smile on many statues that was mysterious as the Mona Lisa’s.

Shilla was the last kingdom to adopt Buddhism, since they were furthest away from China. They developed unique art and excelled at gold smithing.

Once Shilla unified Korea, art really took off. One of my favorite experiences was visiting Seokguram (석굴암) in Gyeongju and seeing the perfectly preserved Buddha statue in the only artificial granite cave in the world.

Pictures don’t do the experience justice and you’ll be amazed at how surreal it is.

Celadon pottery from the Goryeo period was covetted by China and considered the best in the world. It was popular for its unique blue-green “King-fisher” color and the different shapes they could blend into one piece. 

With the start of the Joseon kingdom, Buddhism was out and Confucianism was in.

But that didn’t stop the Buddhist influence on art. Even though the royal court didn’t officially favor it, the public still appreciated its beautiful simplicity.

Over time, Chinese influence on Korean art fizzled out and the country underwent its own art renaissance. During this time, Korea developed a unique style of painting, which was more realistic and colorful.

During Japanese colonization and the Korean War, Lee Jung-seob created revolutionary art. Too poor to buy art supplies, he used tin foil from cigarette packages and anything else he found laying around.

He’s known for his iconic White Ox oil painting that embodies the spirit of Koreans who never give up.

There’s a popular art gallery featuring his work on Jeju Island that I highly recommend.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy became a major art form in Korea after the invention of paper. Five major types of calligraphy developed over time:

• Jeonseo (전서) – real script
• Yeseo (예서) – official script
• Choseo (초서) – cursive script
• Haengseo (행서) – semi-cursive script
• Haeseo (해서) – block script

You can see the elegance in calligraphy’s simplicity and minimalism. It allows for more expression than you’d imagine, since artists show their personality through their brushstrokes.

Paper made from Mulberry roots from 751 was discovered in the 1960s, proving the old saying that “Korean paper can last 1,000 years”. Unfortunately, most paper art was destroyed during the numerous wars Korea hosted.

Poetry started to catch on during the Three Kingdoms period. It was mostly reserved for nobility. Joseon kings would play a drinking game with a cup of refined rice wine(소주 or 청주) that they’d float on a circular stream.

The object was to come up with a poem before the cup came back to them. The person who couldn’t keep up would drink.

Hyangga (향가) was developed in unified Shilla. It’s the first purely local poetry that transcribed Korean sounds in hanja(Chinese characters). It’s known for its formal rules that dictate structure, the longest of which was 10 lines.

Goryeo songs lacked clear form and tended to be longer. They were mostly oral with some recorded later during the Joseon period. Here’s a surviving example of one.

Sijo (시조) is the most notable Korean poetry style and was developed in late Goryeo but became popular in Joseon. They’re characterized by having 3 lines with 14-16 syllables.

Sijo are usually about nature, love, nostalgia, past events and moral lessons. While mostly created by yangban, Kisaeng (기생), or “female entertainers” were also allowed to write and recite Sijo.

Gasa (가사) were long poems originally sung by Yangban to show off their free time and loyalty to the king. After the development of Hangeul in late Joseon, women and peasants were able to make their own.

The themes were often related to love and nature.

It’s theorized that this form of poetry evolved into modern Korean music including Kpop.

10 Enriching Korean Art Museums in America

Martial Arts

The Korean peninsula is a geopolitical hotbed that has hosted more than a few invasions and wars. As a result, martial arts have flourished and evolved into separate disciplines.

The first recorded evidence of Martial arts in Korea was on the walls of royal tombs dating back to 1st century Goguryeo. Some of the more notable ones are:

Ssireum (씨름) – not well-known outside of Korea, it’s a form of traditional wrestling where the winner gets a cow. The object is to throw your opponent to the ground with grappling without the hitting and pushing seen in sumo.

While more of a strategy than a rule, Sirreum competitors tend to be leaner than those of sumo.

Tournament winners still get a golden cow trophy along with prize money.

Taekkyeon (택견) – billed as a sort of proto-taekwondo, the two styles have little in common. It’s more of a Korean Capoeira with throws, since the basic steps look like a dance. 

Taekwondo (태권도) – literally means foot fist way, but places more emphasis on kicking. It’s a competitive sport practiced all around the world and even at the Olympics. Speed and agility are the focus. 

Hapkido (합기도) – a hybrid style of martial arts with striking techniques from Korean martial arts and grappling from Japanese Judo developed after World War II.

More about fitness in Korea

MMA and Boxing – Not traditional Korean martial arts but ones that they’ve excelled at.

From the 70s to mid-90s, many word class boxers in the lower weights were from Korea.

Now, there are many Korean MMA fighters who do well in the UFC and One Championship.

Other Sports

Archery (양궁) – while archery was invented in multiple regions around the same time, Koreans dominate the sport now . It was also the main focus of warfare throughout the history of Korea.

So Ssaeum (소싸움) – think bullfighting without the bullfighter. Probably won’t be endorsed by PETA any time soon, this traditional event pits bull against bull. Fortunately, no animals are harmed in this sport as the first one to back down loses.

E-Sports (e스포츠) – took off in Korea during the 2000s with the advent of fast broadband. Koreans have helped this sport grow into the multi-million dollar industry it is today.

If you don’t believe me, play any online game at 2am against someone with hangeul in their username.

Hiking (등산) – While not exactly a sport, it’s treated that way in Korea. It’s not uncommon to see groups of hikers in matching outfits and gear dominating mountain paths.

Business Culture

Koreans have their own distinct way of doing business influenced by military hierarchy and Confucianism. 

It’s important to understand the gab (갑) and eul (을) relationship and where you fit in. Here are some helpful articles on Korean business culture:

• Gifts for business visitors
• Business fashion guide
• Korean email etiquette
• Business card etiquette
• Phone etiquette
• Texting etiquette
• Important Korean statistics

The most iconic Korean outfit is Hanbok (한복). It consists of a jeogori, or blouse shirt/jacket and chima or wrap around skirt for women. Men wear a jeogori and baji or pants.

Hanbok is still worn today as formal attire for ceremonies and holidays. It’s even having a resurgence in pop culture .

From Doenjang (된장) to Soju (소주), fermentation is a cornerstone of Korean cuisine.

After traveling to 50+ countries, Korean food is still my favorite for everyday eating, since it’s healthy, filling and delicious. 

Korean food is based mostly on garlic, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochujang(red pepper paste), and toasted sesame oil.

With these ingredients, they’re able to make a wide variety of dishes. Even after a decade in Korea, I’m still trying new things. 

More about the Korean diet

Some of the more popular dishes are:

• Bulgogi (불고기)
• Samgyeopsal (삼겹살)
• Bibimbap (비빔밥)
• Naengmyeon (냉면)
• Tteokbokki (떡볶이)
• Kimchi (김치)
• Ramyun (라면)

Even though vegetarianism is only common at Buddhist temples, there are many great vegetable dishes. I was surprised at how Koreans can make vegetables taste great without using cream or butter. 

Every meal comes with side dishes or banchan that can be refilled once or twice depending on the ajumma’s mood.

Those small side dishes you may have noticed at Korean restaurants or in Korean dramas. Anything in Korean cuisine besides kimchi can be considered banchan if it’s served in a small dish. They’re a great addition to daily meals and lunch boxes .

Alcohol is a big part of the dining experience.

There are over 1,000 types of alcohol for every occasion. When it rains, it’s customary to drink rice wine (막걸리) with savory Korean pancakes (전).

After a rough day, Koreans tend to drink soju. Soju goes well with raw fish (회), pork belly or soup (탕). People drink beer with fried chicken and call it chi-maek (치맥), meaning chicken and maekju (맥주).

This is common during sporting events like World Cup. Koreans even have their own fun drinking games .

Ssam is a great way to eat your veggies. It’s a method of wrapping pretty much anything in a leafy vegetable and eating it. I recommend giving it a try to add some variety to any meal.

Tea is a way of life in Korea. On top of green tea , they make it out of nearly everything including:

There’s a Korean tea for everyone and they even have health benefits.

Koreans have unique snacks that have spawned elections and black markets. They combine sweet, savory, salty and spicy into a delicate bouquet of flavors.

Korean Year End Party (aka Friendsmas) Explained

Korean is a unique language spoken by 77 million people around the world. The linguistic family it belongs to has been disputed for many years.

For a while, Korean was included in the Altaic family along with Mongolian. Most linguists currently consider it a language isolate with no genealogical relation to others.

It now has its own family called the Koreanic family. It’s a fun language to learn with many unique expressions as well.

South Korean vs North Korean

While people from the two countries can understand each other; pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar are diverging .

Chinese characters or Hanja arrived during the Three Kingdoms period along with Buddhism. Only the elite could learn them and most of the population was illiterate.

In the 15th century, King Sejong the Great developed Hangeul, an alphabetic writing system to increase literacy. Now literacy rates are nearly 100% and one can learn how to read in an afternoon.

Words that are uniquely Korean or very useful. Konglish is mostly a combination of Korean and English words.

Onomatopoeia

Korean sounds are fun to compare with their English counterparts. Here’s a guide to Korean onomatopoeia .

The Korean language changes constantly. Here’s a guide to new Korean slang .

Modern Culture

Korean culture evolves at light speed. Here are some new trends that are uniquely Korean.

Hallyu (한류) , or the Korean Wave is a large part of modern culture. It started in the 1990’s and has helped popularize Korea around the world.

Started in 1996 with the boy band H.O.T., it’s an unstoppable force that has reached every corner of the globe.

Another driver of the Korean Wave. The first global hit was Autumn in my Heart (가을동화) in 2000, but Winter Sonata (겨울연가) took it to the next level in 2002. K-dramas are popular for their relatability, emotional connection, complete stories and attractive actors .

They’ve even started taking over Netflix with shows like Squid Game .

The Korean fashion industry is represented by male and female models who are setting trends worldwide. It comes out with versatile outfits like modern hanbok that make an impression while being comfortable.

It was only a matter of time before Koreans developed their own skincare and cosmetics . K-beauty is a newer part of the Korean wave popularized by K-pop and K-dramas.

Daum invented digital comics called “ Webtoons ” in February 2003 in light of the waning popularity of print comics and the adoption of smart phones. “Love Story” by Kang Full was the first success that popularized the industry. 

Naver founded Line Webtoon in June 2004, and launched their own website on July 2, 2004. Many K-dramas are now based on the medium and are becoming increasingly popular.

Other countries including Taiwan, Mainland China, India and Southeast Asia have followed suit and have localized versions of Webtoons.

Korean Culture Abroad

From the US to the UK, Korean culture is a big hit abroad. Here are some more articles on things you can do in Koreatowns around the world.

• Sing noraebang
• Go to a spa
• Get your hair done at a Korean salon
• Play drinking games
• Explore the town
• Listen to Korean music
• Get involved in a Korean American Association

I hope you enjoyed my guide to Korean culture.

It should give you a good foundation to understand Korea. 

Even after a decade living there, I’m still learning new things about their sophisticated culture.

Let us know if I missed anything in the comments!

Related Articles

How to Survive in South Korea as an Expat

21 Korean Drinking Games for an Epic Night

28 Interesting Ways Korean is Different From English

About the author.

Richard is a writer for Lingua Asia who has lived in South Korea for more than 10 years. While growing up, he won numerous writing awards and developed a passion for it. He has a B.A. from U.C. Irvine in Criminology, Law and Society. Richard has worked as an actor, interviewer, marketer and ESL teacher in Korea. He is fluent in Korean and is an amateur tour guide. Richard started a translation business in 2013 that he operates with his partner, Minjung. His areas of expertise are Korean language and culture, jobs for expats, Koreatowns in the USA, food, and doing business in Korea.

5 thoughts on “57 Interesting Things to Know about Korean Culture and Traditions”

Excellent article. As I enjoy the Korean series on netflix it helped me to understand more of the f there culture. Thanks a lot.

Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. There’s so much to cover, it was hard to stop writing:) Which series on Netflix do you like?

Hello i am new user and i would to ask you, How to disable avatar?

Hi, not sure what you mean, but your avatar is blank now.

please dear contact me on my email ok

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About Korea

Aug 09, 2014

180 likes | 1.35k Views

About Korea. By: Kim Seung Yu Class: 2B . Korean culture. hangeul (Korean alphabet), hansik (Korean food), hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), hanok (traditional Korean houses), hanji (traditional Korean paper), as well as Korean music. Korea’s Traditional costume.

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Presentation Transcript

About Korea By: Kim Seung Yu Class: 2B

Korean culture • hangeul (Korean alphabet), hansik (Korean food), hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), hanok (traditional Korean houses), hanji (traditional Korean paper), as well as Korean music.

Korea’s Traditional costume Korea’s tradition costume is very beautiful. I love Korea because Korea’s traditional costume is very colorful and it is very beautiful.

Korea’s Language • Koreans speak Korean. I think Korean is the most easiest Language in the world. • Why? Hangeul(the Korean alphabet) was invented by King Sejong in 1446 with assistance from some scholars to give the people an alphabet that was easy to read and write. • Hangeul written in syllabic units made up of two, three, or four letters.

Korean food KOREA Has kimchi. It taste very delicious. ilovekim chi . Kimchi is AN Kim chi is spicy.kim chi is difficult to make. essential side dish.

The weather Korea has four seasons, Spring, summer, autumn and winter. I love winter because I can make a snowman and I love spring too. I think most of people love autumn because the autumn is cool.

About Korea’s flag The Korean flag is called "Taegeukgi" in Korean. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal elements:from the left heaven (3), fire (4), and water 5). earth (6), Korean flag is divided into two equal parts. The upper red section represents the proactive cosmic forces of the yang. Conversely, the lower blue section represents the responsive cosmic forces of the yin.

Culture and tradition Jongmyojerye is the ancestral memorial rite held for the repose of the spirits of the kings and queens of the Joseon period at Jongmyo (the Royal Ancestral Shrine) where their spirit tablets are enshrined. Jongmyo-jeryeak was performed during the rites. Accompanied by ritual dancing, Botaepyeong (Maintaining the Great Peace) was a suite of 11 pieces praising the civil achievements of the dynastic founders and Jeongdaeeop (Founding a Great Dynasty) was a suite of 15 pieces praising their military accomplishments.

Geographical Location • Dokdo is 92km southeast of Ullungdo. It as the most eastern point of Korea. The exact location is Long. 132。 52' 22" E. and Lat. 37。 14' 18" N. It falls under the administration of San 1~37, Dodong-ri, Ullung-eup, Ullung-kun, Kyeongsangbuk-do. It is composed of Dongdo (121m above sea) and Seodo (151m above sea). There are about 60 reefs distributed nearby. •   The total area of Dokdo is about 18.6 ㎢.The following is a description of Dokdo by Kim Jisu (called Sambongdo at the time) recorded in the 'King Seongjong Records' of the Chosun Period. ""Anchoring about 17-20 miles west of the island, three rocks stand high in the north followed by little islands. There is an island in the middle and another little island in the west of that island. The ocean water flows through all of them. There are about 30 doll-like figures on the ocean island, but it is too fearful to approach so I came back with a diagram.""

 The island in the middle is Seodo and the ocean island is Dongdo. By ocean water flowing through, he refers to the 110 - 160m width waterway in between the two islands. The Ullung-kun office explains the 30 dolls as referring to sea lions that used to live there about 20 years ago. They have all disappeared due to hunting by the Japanese.

Past Olympic heroes He was soon followed by swimming sensation Park Tae-hwan in the men's 400-m freestyle and the men's and women's archery teams. Park Tae-hwan, also known as 'Marine Boy' in Korea, brought the country's historic first-ever swimming Olympic gold in the men's 400-meter freestyle. Park, who turns 19 next month, set a new Asian record of three-minutes and 41.86 seconds, defeating Australian favorite Grant Hackett, a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

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Korean corn dogs offer a surprising twist on the classic American snack

• Updated: Aug. 15, 2024, 9:43 a.m.
• | Published: Aug. 14, 2024, 7:00 a.m.

A crispy rice corn dog from Two Hands. Chiara Profenna

• Chiara Profenna | The Oregonian/OregonLive.com
• Lizzy Acker | The Oregonian/OregonLive

In Portland’s vast and diverse corn dog scene, few varieties stand out more than the up-and-coming delicacy that is the Korean corn dog. More photogenic and exciting than their American counterparts, these distinct creations put a spin on what defines the classic snack.

After a long summer of ranking the best corn dogs in Portland , we found that Korean corn dogs deserved their own moment in the spotlight.

Korean corn dogs differ from the traditional fair-food variety in their filling, batter, breading and toppings — which is to say, basically everything. Their fresh take draws a newer and younger audience, said Jessie Welker, who recently took over Sweet Seoul Korean Street Food in Beaverton’s largest food truck pod, BG’s Food Cartel .

Since relocating from the West Salem food truck pavilion Checkpoint 221 in May, the food truck has seen its business boom in Beaverton.

“It’s been a humongous increase, honestly, from where it was, especially in Salem,” said Welker. “We’ve been very, very popular since being here.”

A staple element in most Korean corn dogs is the panko breading and the balance between sweet and savory.

“We use yeasty batter, and then we roll it in Japanese panko breadcrumbs, as opposed to a cornmeal, like the typical fair corn dog,” Welker said. “We also dust it in sugar, which I think is, like, the best part.”

With options ranging from cheese-filled to spicy mayo and flaming hot Cheeto dust-topped dogs, variety is key. The family-run business, started by Welker’s aunt, Nicole Fisher, was inspired by her Korean heritage and the exciting street food options she saw in Korea.

As an assortment of Korean corn dogs have been popping up in restaurants and food trucks around Portland, we set out to try each one and find out what makes them special.

A spicy corn dog from Sweet Seoul Korean Street Food. Chiara Profenna

Sweet Seoul Korean Street Food

First on the list, the tasty Korean food truck, Sweet Seoul Korean Street Food , lived up to its name, offering a mix of sweet and savory menu items. The cart specializes in Korean street food favorites, including corn dogs, gochujang chicken and taiyaki, a filled Japanese fish-shaped waffle.

The most popular item on the menu is the spicy corn dog, which comes topped with spicy mayo and flaming hot Cheeto dust. Another top choice is the churro dog with cream cheese, cinnamon and sugar.

I opted for the spicy corn dog, with half cheese and half beef with an extra drizzle of gochujang, a red chili sauce. This corn dog was definitely one of my favorites with spicy, sweet and savory flavors all mixing together in one bite.

I would also recommend going back for a dessert taiyaki, if you can manage it. With a long list of filling options, I chose a classic chocolate cream filled waffle to reward my first step into the realm of Korean corn dogs.

Sweet Seoul Korean Street Food, noon to 8 p.m. Monday and Thursday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, 4250 S.W. Rose Biggi Ave., Beaverton, @sweetseoulpdx on Instagram.

— Chiara Profenna

A regular corn dog from TwoZone Chicken. Chiara Profenna

TwoZone Chicken

With two locations in Portland, TwoZone Chicken specializes in Korean fried chicken and corn dogs. The options include beef, cheese, half and half and potato corn dogs.

The quick, diner-like atmosphere makes this stop a fun and easy way to try some classic Korean food in a pinch.

As this was one of the earlier stops of my list, I went for the good old regular corn dog with soy garlic sauce. The sauce options are where TwoZone Chicken shines, with 10 varieties to choose from. At just under $5, the regular corn dog was a tasty and budget-friendly treat.

It came unadorned in a brown takeout box, but the flavor was certainly there. The shop’s menu also includes a large selection of ramen, rice bowls and sandwiches.

TwoZone Chicken, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday, 1200 N.W. 18th Ave., 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m. through 4 p.m. Sunday, 111 N. Failing St., twozonechicken.com

A hot dog from 1st Street Pocha. Chiara Profenna

1st Street Pocha

A family-owned Korean restaurant in Beaverton, 1st Street Pocha , is a newer addition to Beaverton’s dining options.

The restaurant specializes in a variety of Korean foods, including jjamppong, a seafood noodle soup, and tteokbokki, stir-fried rice cakes and offers just one corn dog variety, labeled as simply a hot dog.

The restaurant’s interior offers a fun glimpse of Korean culture with a wall decorated in Korean movie posters and a collection of imported sodas and alcoholic beverages.

The corndog here was smaller than others we tried, served with a drizzle of ketchup and honey mustard on one side and a dusting of sugar on the other. For a Korean corn dog, the singular option was fairly basic, with a half beef, half mozzarella cheese filling.

With a special of three for $12, or $5 for a single, this corn dog mostly made me curious to try some of their other specials.

1st Street Pocha, 4-11 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m.-midnight Saturday and Sunday, 12590 S.W. First St. Suite B, Beaverton, 1ststreetpocha.twupro.com

The potato rice crispy corn dog from Honey Spicy. Lizzy Acker

Honey Spicy

Tucked into Southwest Barbur Boulevard strip mall, in a little storefront with orange bistro tables out front, is Honey Spicy . Here, you order by touchscreen, which comes with helpful food photos.

The interior is small with a couple benches to sit on while you wait for your food. Honey Spicy was quiet on the day I visited, with all the work happening out of view.

I ordered the potato half and half – half cheese stick and half hot dog — with sugar, which comes standard.

Here, the corndog wrapper is classic cornmeal crust, but the fried potato chunks and sugar take it to a different level of extreme greasy sweetness.

The real star of the show at Honey Spicy was the hot dog, which they call a sausage and which is big and juicy, the platonic ideal of a hot dog. If I were to do it again, say in two years when I am once again physically and emotionally prepared for a sugar and potato encrusted corn dog, I would opt for full sausage.

Before you go to Honey Spicy, give them a call. When we started this project, five locations were listed on the website. Now there are only two. Both of those appear to be open, but it never hurts to double check before you go.

Honey Spicy, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday through Friday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 10075 S.W. Barbur Blvd. #4; 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday through Wednesday, 11963 S.W. Pacific Hwy., Tigard, honeyspicy.com .

— Lizzy Acker

A mozzarella hot dog from Ko Sisters Seoul Food. Chiara Profenna

Ko Sisters Seoul Food

In the Cartside Food Cart Pod on North Williams, this tasty Korean food truck offers an assortment of Korean comfort foods, including bibimbap, a Korean rice bowl, bulgogi plates and Japchae, a dish with stir-fried noodles.

Found halfway down the expansive menu was the object of desire: the mozzarella hot dog, served with a generous coating of sugar and packets of ketchup and mustard. The corn dog was served with half mozzarella and half fish cake inside, which was an interesting change from the typical beef filling. The panko breading adds a delicious and crispy exterior, even if the sugary coating may not suit everyone’s taste.

While this corn dog may not be the star of this food truck, it’s a fun and tasty option for those looking to satisfy a corn dog craving in the Eliot neighborhood. If you’re in the mood for something heartier, the rest of the menu offerings are more likely to impress.

Ko Sisters Seoul Food, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday, 1825 N. Williams, @kosisterspdx on Instagram.

The potato half and half corn dog from Mochinut. Lizzy Acker

Mochinut on Hawthorne is the kind of restaurant you want to visit on a rainy day. The exterior of the shop is painted bright yellow and inside is an extension of that, with bright colors and cheerful vibes.

The Korean corn dogs here come in a vast array of flavor permutations . There’s your standard dog, or a half and half with cheese and a hot dog. You can also get corn dogs rolled in Hot Cheetos, cereal, fried potatoes, ramen or cheese. The final choice: sprinkled in sugar or not, though this is a donut shop, so go with the sugar.

I ordered the potato half and half with garlic mayo to dip it in, and, of course, sugar.

Mochinut’s corn dog separates itself by using rice flour dough, giving the already sweet and deep fried snack a satisfying chew.

This isn’t health food, but it is tasty. With the crunch from the potatoes, the chewiness of the mochi dough and the gooey cheese pull, this is dessert disguised as lunch.

But if you do want dessert, which I recommend, consider getting a mochi donut too. Sure, it won’t be as loaded as the dog, but after a cheesy, meaty corn dog, a simple mochi donut will feel like a palate cleanser.

Mochinut, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 3616 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2830 S.W. Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, mochinut.com

Part of a sprawling LA-based Korean corn dog chain with more than 80 locations, Two Hands specializes in fresh Korean corn dogs, slushes, sides and tea drinks. Their only Pacific Northwest store is in Hillsboro.

Two Hands offers seven varieties of corn dog toppings, including the more unique options of crispy rice and injeolmi, or roasted soybean powder.

The store offers a how to order banner once you step inside. Step one is to choose your topping of the aforementioned seven varieties, then choose your filling, which includes three sausage varieties (including a plant-based one), two cheese options and the ability to go half and half with some choices. The third and fourth step include ordering a side and drink, which I passed on, although their kimchi fries were certainly tempting.

With two smiling corn dogs painted on the wall inside of the store, I almost felt bad devouring my crispy rice corn dog in front of them. Nevertheless, the corn dog was delicious with ketchup and mustard drizzled on top and definitely scored points for originality.

Two Hands, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, 2055 N.W. 185th Ave., Hillsboro, twohandsus.com

The Korean corn dog from One Korean Restaurant. Chiara Profenna

One Korean Restaurant

My last stop on the Korean corn dog adventure was One Korean Restaurant , a cozy sit-down location in Beaverton. The coveted Korean corn dog isn’t listed on their online menu, but I called ahead and was assured it was an option.

After placing a pickup order for my last corndog, I was pleasantly surprised by the simple corn dog which came garnished with herbs. My final foray in the realm of Korean corn dogs didn’t disappoint with classic panko breading and a dense mozzarella filling.

While One Korean Restaurant may not initially come to mind when thinking of Korean corn dogs, their version proved to be a tasty addition to Portland’s Korean corn dog scene. Beyond corn dogs, the restaurant boasts an extensive menu of Korean comfort food.

One Korean Restaurant, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, 6159 S.W. Murray Blvd., Beaverton, onekoreancuisine.com

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled Jessie Welker‘s last name. She is Welker not Welcker. The story has been updated.

— Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; [email protected] or @chiara_profenna

— Lizzy Acker covers life and culture and writes the advice column Why Tho? Reach her at 503-221-8052, [email protected] or @lizzzyacker

The Oregonian/OregonLive receives support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to bring readers stories on religion, faith and cultural connections in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is solely responsible for all content.

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One of Seoul’s Coolest Korean Restaurants Is Opening in Los Angeles

Hojokban fuses classic flavors with unconventional presentations, like deconstructed galbi and Shin Ramyun fried rice

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Popular South Korean restaurant Hojokban , which made waves when it opened in New York City in 2023 , is coming to Los Angeles’s Arts District in early 2025 at 734 East Third Street. The restaurant is best known for riffing on traditional Korean dishes and playfully plating them for sharing on social media, including a TikTok-viral Shin Ramyun-topped fried rice , honey Korean fried chicken, and sliced garlic pork jowl. Hojokban’s signature offering — juicy sous vide-cooked short rib flavored like grilled galbi — is served with its bone and an arugula salad.

While the New York City outpost is operated in partnership with Hand Hospitality , a prolific and influential Korean-owned restaurant group affiliated with Atoboy, Jua, and Lysée, the Seoul-based GFFG Hospitality will be running Hojokban in Los Angeles. Hojokban recently popped up at Melody in Virgil Village to drum up interest for the forthcoming restaurant. The wine bar was filled with a mix of young Korean Americans and other Angelenos taking in cold perilla oil noodle salads and strawberry-flavored hamachi crudo.

Hojokban arrives in Los Angeles at a time when modern Korean food is transforming from a novelty into a bona fide segment of the local dining scene. Early practitioners of the genre include chefs Roy Choi’s Pot and Kwang Uh’s first installment of Baroo , along with Koreatown’s now-closed Hanchic , Kinn , and Tokki serving new-school takes on Korean dishes. Today, places like finer dining Korean spot Yangban , energetic Korean drinking food establishment Danbi , and the latest iteration of Baroo serve elevated takes on Korean flavors. In Victor Heights, chef Jihee Lee’s Perilla prepares seasonally-driven Korean snack fare like gimbap. Korean cuisine in Los Angeles has always been dominated by classic mom-and-pop restaurants serving traditional banchan and prepared dishes.

Hojokban, which refers to a traditional Korean wooden table, looks to serve polished versions of familiar plates. Menu mainstays include a truffle-laden gamja jeon (potato pancake) presented like fancy nachos around a ramekin of truffle mayonnaise; buckwheat noodles tossed in perilla oil; tuna gimbap seasoned with tobiko fish roe; and well-diced yukhoe (beef tartare) flavored with sweet soy sauce and nori aioli and served with fried lotus root chips.

The building on East Third Street will house another GFFG Hospitality concept called Knotted , a cream-filled doughnut shop with 16 locations in South Korea. The pink-and-yellow-themed shop served over 11 million doughnuts in 2022 and presents its colorful fritters inside illuminated glass pastry cases. Knotted will open around the same time as Hojokban in 2025.

Director of brand strategy, Amber Koh, will head operations for Hojokban and Knotted in Los Angeles. She tells Eater that GFFG Hospitality looked for years to find the ideal location before landing in the Arts District next to Michelin-starred omakase restaurant 715 Sushi. (The restaurant group felt that opening in Koreatown would be fraught with unfair comparisons to the traditional mom-and-pops that already serve superlative food.) Hojokban looks to appeal to Korean Americans and non-Koreans alike while staying rooted to classic flavors — ones that Angelenos know and recognize.

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D onald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice.

We’ve been talking for more than an hour on April 12 at his fever-dream palace in Palm Beach. Aides lurk around the perimeter of a gilded dining room overlooking the manicured lawn. When one nudges me to wrap up the interview, I bring up the many former Cabinet officials who refuse to endorse Trump this time. Some have publicly warned that he poses a danger to the Republic. Why should voters trust you, I ask, when some of the people who observed you most closely do not?

As always, Trump punches back, denigrating his former top advisers. But beneath the typical torrent of invective, there is a larger lesson he has taken away. “I let them quit because I have a heart. I don’t want to embarrass anybody,” Trump says. “I don’t think I’ll do that again. From now on, I’ll fire.” 

Six months from the 2024 presidential election, Trump is better positioned to win the White House than at any point in either of his previous campaigns. He leads Joe Biden by slim margins in most polls, including in several of the seven swing states likely to determine the outcome. But I had not come to ask about the election, the disgrace that followed the last one, or how he has become the first former—and perhaps future—American President to face a criminal trial . I wanted to know what Trump would do if he wins a second term, to hear his vision for the nation, in his own words.

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What emerged in two interviews with Trump , and conversations with more than a dozen of his closest advisers and confidants, were the outlines of an imperial presidency that would reshape America and its role in the world. To carry out a deportation operation designed to remove more than 11 million people from the country, Trump told me, he would be willing to build migrant detention camps and deploy the U.S. military, both at the border and inland. He would let red states monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans. He would, at his personal discretion, withhold funds appropriated by Congress, according to top advisers. He would be willing to fire a U.S. Attorney who doesn’t carry out his order to prosecute someone, breaking with a tradition of independent law enforcement that dates from America’s founding. He is weighing pardons for every one of his supporters accused of attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 of whom have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury. He might not come to the aid of an attacked ally in Europe or Asia if he felt that country wasn’t paying enough for its own defense. He would gut the U.S. civil service, deploy the National Guard to American cities as he sees fit, close the White House pandemic-preparedness office, and staff his Administration with acolytes who back his false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen.

Trump remains the same guy, with the same goals and grievances. But in person, if anything, he appears more assertive and confident. “When I first got to Washington, I knew very few people,” he says. “I had to rely on people.” Now he is in charge. The arranged marriage with the timorous Republican Party stalwarts is over; the old guard is vanquished, and the people who remain are his people. Trump would enter a second term backed by a slew of policy shops staffed by loyalists who have drawn up detailed plans in service of his agenda, which would concentrate the powers of the state in the hands of a man whose appetite for power appears all but insatiable. “I don’t think it’s a big mystery what his agenda would be,” says his close adviser Kellyanne Conway. “But I think people will be surprised at the alacrity with which he will take action.”

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• Read the Full Transcripts of Donald Trump’s Interviews With TIME

The courts, the Constitution, and a Congress of unknown composition would all have a say in whether Trump’s objectives come to pass. The machinery of Washington has a range of defenses: leaks to a free press, whistle-blower protections, the oversight of inspectors general. The same deficiencies of temperament and judgment that hindered him in the past remain present. If he wins, Trump would be a lame duck—contrary to the suggestions of some supporters, he tells TIME he would not seek to overturn or ignore the Constitution’s prohibition on a third term. Public opinion would also be a powerful check. Amid a popular outcry, Trump was forced to scale back some of his most draconian first-term initiatives, including the policy of separating migrant families. As George Orwell wrote in 1945, the ability of governments to carry out their designs “depends on the general temper in the country.”

Every election is billed as a national turning point. This time that rings true. To supporters, the prospect of Trump 2.0, unconstrained and backed by a disciplined movement of true believers, offers revolutionary promise. To much of the rest of the nation and the world, it represents an alarming risk. A second Trump term could bring “the end of our democracy,” says presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, “and the birth of a new kind of authoritarian presidential order.”

Trump steps onto the patio at Mar-a-Lago near dusk. The well-heeled crowd eating Wagyu steaks and grilled branzino pauses to applaud as he takes his seat. On this gorgeous evening, the club is a MAGA mecca. Billionaire donor Steve Wynn is here. So is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson , who is dining with the former President after a joint press conference proposing legislation to prevent noncitizens from voting. Their voting in federal elections is already illegal, and extremely rare, but remains a Trumpian fixation that the embattled Speaker appeared happy to co-sign in exchange for the political cover that standing with Trump provides.

At the moment, though, Trump’s attention is elsewhere. With an index finger, he swipes through an iPad on the table to curate the restaurant’s soundtrack. The playlist veers from Sinead O’Connor to James Brown to  The Phantom of the Opera.  And there’s a uniquely Trump choice: a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by a choir of defendants imprisoned for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, interspersed with a recording of Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. This has become a staple of his rallies, converting the ultimate symbol of national unity into a weapon of factional devotion. 

The spectacle picks up where his first term left off. The events of Jan. 6 , during which a pro-Trump mob attacked the center of American democracy in an effort to subvert the peaceful transfer of power, was a profound stain on his legacy. Trump has sought to recast an insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. “I call them the J-6 patriots,” he says. When I ask whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says, “Yes, absolutely.” As Trump faces dozens of felony charges, including for election interference, conspiracy to defraud the United States, willful retention of national-security secrets, and falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments, he has tried to turn legal peril into a badge of honor.

In a second term, Trump’s influence on American democracy would extend far beyond pardoning powers. Allies are laying the groundwork to restructure the presidency in line with a doctrine called the unitary executive theory, which holds that many of the constraints imposed on the White House by legislators and the courts should be swept away in favor of a more powerful Commander in Chief.

Read More: Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said In His Interviews With TIME

Nowhere would that power be more momentous than at the Department of Justice. Since the nation’s earliest days, Presidents have generally kept a respectful distance from Senate-confirmed law-enforcement officials to avoid exploiting for personal ends their enormous ability to curtail Americans’ freedoms. But Trump, burned in his first term by multiple investigations directed by his own appointees, is ever more vocal about imposing his will directly on the department and its far-flung investigators and prosecutors.

In our Mar-a-Lago interview, Trump says he might fire U.S. Attorneys who refuse his orders to prosecute someone: “It would depend on the situation.” He’s told supporters he would seek retribution against his enemies in a second term. Would that include Fani Willis , the Atlanta-area district attorney who charged him with election interference, or Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA in the Stormy Daniels case, who Trump has previously said should be prosecuted? Trump demurs but offers no promises. “No, I don’t want to do that,” he says, before adding, “We’re gonna look at a lot of things. What they’ve done is a terrible thing.”

Trump has also vowed to appoint a “real special prosecutor” to go after Biden. “I wouldn’t want to hurt Biden,” he tells me. “I have too much respect for the office.” Seconds later, though, he suggests Biden’s fate may be tied to an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on whether Presidents can face criminal prosecution for acts committed in office. “If they said that a President doesn’t get immunity,” says Trump, “then Biden, I am sure, will be prosecuted for all of his crimes.” (Biden has not been charged with any, and a House Republican effort to impeach him has failed to unearth evidence of any crimes or misdemeanors, high or low.)

Read More: Trump Says ‘Anti-White Feeling’ Is a Problem in the U.S .

Such moves would be potentially catastrophic for the credibility of American law enforcement, scholars and former Justice Department leaders from both parties say. “If he ordered an improper prosecution, I would expect any respectable U.S. Attorney to say no,” says Michael McConnell, a former U.S. appellate judge appointed by President George W. Bush. “If the President fired the U.S. Attorney, it would be an enormous firestorm.” McConnell, now a Stanford law professor, says the dismissal could have a cascading effect similar to the Saturday Night Massacre , when President Richard Nixon ordered top DOJ officials to remove the special counsel investigating Watergate. Presidents have the constitutional right to fire U.S. Attorneys, and typically replace their predecessors’ appointees upon taking office. But discharging one specifically for refusing a President’s order would be all but unprecedented.

Trump’s radical designs for presidential power would be felt throughout the country. A main focus is the southern border. Trump says he plans to sign orders to reinstall many of the same policies from his first term, such as the Remain in Mexico program, which requires that non-Mexican asylum seekers be sent south of the border until their court dates, and Title 42 , which allows border officials to expel migrants without letting them apply for asylum. Advisers say he plans to cite record border crossings and fentanyl- and child-trafficking as justification for reimposing the emergency measures. He would direct federal funding to resume construction of the border wall, likely by allocating money from the military budget without congressional approval. The capstone of this program, advisers say, would be a massive deportation operation that would target millions of people. Trump made similar pledges in his first term, but says he plans to be more aggressive in a second. “People need to be deported,” says Tom Homan, a top Trump adviser and former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “No one should be off the table.”

Read More: The Story Behind TIME's 'If He Wins' Trump Cover

For an operation of that scale, Trump says he would rely mostly on the National Guard to round up and remove undocumented migrants throughout the country. “If they weren’t able to, then I’d use [other parts of] the military,” he says. When I ask if that means he would override the Posse Comitatus Act—an 1878 law that prohibits the use of military force on civilians—Trump seems unmoved by the weight of the statute. “Well, these aren’t civilians,” he says. “These are people that aren’t legally in our country.” He would also seek help from local police and says he would deny funding for jurisdictions that decline to adopt his policies. “There’s a possibility that some won’t want to participate,” Trump says, “and they won’t partake in the riches.”

As President, Trump nominated three Supreme Court Justices who voted to overturn  Roe v. Wade,  and he claims credit for his role in ending a constitutional right to an abortion. At the same time, he has sought to defuse a potent campaign issue for the Democrats by saying he wouldn’t sign a federal ban. In our interview at Mar-a-Lago, he declines to commit to vetoing any additional federal restrictions if they came to his desk. More than 20 states now have full or partial abortion bans, and Trump says those policies should be left to the states to do what they want, including monitoring women’s pregnancies. “I think they might do that,” he says. When I ask whether he would be comfortable with states prosecuting women for having abortions beyond the point the laws permit, he says, “It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions.” President Biden has said he would fight state anti-abortion measures in court and with regulation.

Trump’s allies don’t plan to be passive on abortion if he returns to power. The Heritage Foundation has called for enforcement of a 19th century statute that would outlaw the mailing of abortion pills. The Republican Study Committee (RSC), which includes more than 80% of the House GOP conference, included in its 2025 budget proposal the Life at Conception Act, which says the right to life extends to “the moment of fertilization.” I ask Trump if he would veto that bill if it came to his desk. “I don’t have to do anything about vetoes,” Trump says, “because we now have it back in the states.”

Presidents typically have a narrow window to pass major legislation. Trump’s team is eyeing two bills to kick off a second term: a border-security and immigration package, and an extension of his 2017 tax cuts. Many of the latter’s provisions expire early in 2025: the tax cuts on individual income brackets, 100% business expensing, the doubling of the estate-tax deduction. Trump is planning to intensify his protectionist agenda, telling me he’s considering a tariff of more than 10% on all imports, and perhaps even a 100% tariff on some Chinese goods. Trump says the tariffs will liberate the U.S. economy from being at the mercy of foreign manufacturing and spur an industrial renaissance in the U.S. When I point out that independent analysts estimate Trump’s first term tariffs on thousands of products, including steel and aluminum, solar panels, and washing machines, may have cost the U.S. $316 billion and more than 300,000 jobs, by one account, he dismisses these experts out of hand. His advisers argue that the average yearly inflation rate in his first term—under 2%—is evidence that his tariffs won’t raise prices.

Since leaving office, Trump has tried to engineer a caucus of the compliant, clearing primary fields in Senate and House races. His hope is that GOP majorities replete with MAGA diehards could rubber-stamp his legislative agenda and nominees. Representative Jim Banks of Indiana, a former RSC chairman and the GOP nominee for the state’s open Senate seat, recalls an August 2022 RSC planning meeting with Trump at his residence in Bedminster, N.J. As the group arrived, Banks recalls, news broke that Mar-a-Lago had been raided by the FBI. Banks was sure the meeting would be canceled. Moments later, Trump walked through the doors, defiant and pledging to run again. “I need allies there when I’m elected,” Banks recalls Trump saying. The difference in a second Trump term, Banks says now, “is he’s going to have the backup in Congress that he didn’t have before.”

Trump’s intention to remake America’s relations abroad may be just as consequential. Since its founding, the U.S. has sought to build and sustain alliances based on the shared values of political and economic freedom. Trump takes a much more transactional approach to international relations than his predecessors, expressing disdain for what he views as free-riding friends and appreciation for authoritarian leaders like President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, or former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil.

That’s one reason America’s traditional allies were horrified when Trump recently said at a campaign rally that Russia could “do whatever the hell they want” to a NATO country he believes doesn’t spend enough on collective defense. That wasn’t idle bluster, Trump tells me. “If you’re not going to pay, then you’re on your own,” he says. Trump has long said the alliance is ripping the U.S. off. Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg credited Trump’s first-term threat to pull out of the alliance with spurring other members to add more than $100 billion to their defense budgets.

But an insecure NATO is as likely to accrue to Russia’s benefit as it is to America’s. President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine looks to many in Europe and the U.S. like a test of his broader vision to reconstruct the Soviet empire. Under Biden and a bipartisan Congress, the U.S. has sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine to defend itself. It’s unlikely Trump would extend the same support to Kyiv. After Orban visited Mar-a-Lago in March, he said Trump “wouldn’t give a penny” to Ukraine. “I wouldn’t give unless Europe starts equalizing,” Trump hedges in our interview. “If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay? They’re much more greatly affected. We have an ocean in between us. They don’t.” (E.U. nations have given more than $100 billion in aid to Ukraine as well.)

Read More: Read the Full Transcripts of Donald Trump's Interviews With TIME

Trump has historically been reluctant to criticize or confront Putin. He sided with the Russian autocrat over his own intelligence community when it asserted that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Even now, Trump uses Putin as a foil for his own political purposes. When I asked Trump why he has not called for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been unjustly held on spurious charges in a Moscow prison for a year , Trump says, “I guess because I have so many other things I’m working on.” Gershkovich should be freed, he adds, but he doubts it will happen before the election. “The reporter should be released and he will be released,” Trump tells me. “I don’t know if he’s going to be released under Biden. I would get him released.”

America’s Asian allies, like its European ones, may be on their own under Trump. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister recently said aid to Ukraine was critical in deterring Xi from invading the island. Communist China’s leaders “have to understand that things like that can’t come easy,” Trump says, but he declines to say whether he would come to Taiwan’s defense. 

Trump is less cryptic on current U.S. troop deployments in Asia. If South Korea doesn’t pay more to support U.S. troops there to deter Kim Jong Un’s increasingly belligerent regime to the north, Trump suggests the U.S. could withdraw its forces. “We have 40,000 troops that are in a precarious position,” he tells TIME. (The number is actually 28,500.) “Which doesn’t make any sense. Why would we defend somebody? And we’re talking about a very wealthy country.”

Transactional isolationism may be the main strain of Trump’s foreign policy, but there are limits. Trump says he would join Israel’s side in a confrontation with Iran. “If they attack Israel, yes, we would be there,” he tells me. He says he has come around to the now widespread belief in Israel that a Palestinian state existing side by side in peace is increasingly unlikely. “There was a time when I thought two-state could work,” he says. “Now I think two-state is going to be very, very tough.”

Yet even his support for Israel is not absolute. He’s criticized Israel’s handling of its war against Hamas, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and has called for the nation to “get it over with.” When I ask whether he would consider withholding U.S. military aid to Israel to push it toward winding down the war, he doesn’t say yes, but he doesn’t rule it out, either. He is sharply critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, once a close ally. “I had a bad experience with Bibi,” Trump says. In his telling, a January 2020 U.S. operation to assassinate a top Iranian general was supposed to be a joint attack until Netanyahu backed out at the last moment. “That was something I never forgot,” he says. He blames Netanyahu for failing to prevent the Oct. 7 attack, when Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people amid acts of brutality including burning entire families alive and raping women and girls. “It happened on his watch,” Trump says.

On the second day of Trump’s New York trial on April 17, I stand behind the packed counter of the Sanaa Convenience Store on 139th Street and Broadway, waiting for Trump to drop in for a postcourt campaign stop. He chose the bodega for its history. In 2022, one of the store’s clerks fatally stabbed a customer who attacked him. Bragg, the Manhattan DA, charged the clerk with second-degree murder. (The charges were later dropped amid public outrage over video footage that appeared to show the clerk acting in self-defense.) A baseball bat behind the counter alludes to lingering security concerns. When Trump arrives, he asks the store’s co-owner, Maad Ahmed, a Yemeni immigrant, about safety. “You should be allowed to have a gun,” Trump tells Ahmed. “If you had a gun, you’d never get robbed.”

On the campaign trail, Trump uses crime as a cudgel, painting urban America as a savage hell-scape even though violent crime has declined in recent years, with homicides sinking 6% in 2022 and 13% in 2023, according to the FBI. When I point this out, Trump tells me he thinks the data, which is collected by state and local police departments, is rigged. “It’s a lie,” he says. He has pledged to send the National Guard into cities struggling with crime in a second term—possibly without the request of governors—and plans to approve Justice Department grants only to cities that adopt his preferred policing methods like stop-and-frisk.

To critics, Trump’s preoccupation with crime is a racial dog whistle. In polls, large numbers of his supporters have expressed the view that antiwhite racism now represents a greater problem in the U.S. than the systemic racism that has long afflicted Black Americans. When I ask if he agrees, Trump does not dispute this position. “There is a definite antiwhite feeling in the country,” he tells TIME, “and that can’t be allowed either.” In a second term, advisers say, a Trump Administration would rescind Biden’s Executive Orders designed to boost diversity and racial equity.

Trump’s ability to campaign for the White House in the midst of an unprecedented criminal trial is the product of a more professional campaign operation that has avoided the infighting that plagued past versions. “He has a very disciplined team around him,” says Representative Elise Stefanik of New York. “That is an indicator of how disciplined and focused a second term will be.” That control now extends to the party writ large. In 2016, the GOP establishment, having failed to derail Trump’s campaign, surrounded him with staff who sought to temper him. Today the party’s permanent class have either devoted themselves to the gospel of MAGA or given up. Trump has cleaned house at the Republican National Committee, installing handpicked leaders—including his daughter-in-law—who have reportedly imposed loyalty tests on prospective job applicants, asking whether they believe the false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen. (The RNC has denied there is a litmus test.) Trump tells me he would have trouble hiring anyone who admits Biden won: “I wouldn’t feel good about it.”

Policy groups are creating a government-in-waiting full of true believers. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has drawn up plans for legislation and Executive Orders as it trains prospective personnel for a second Trump term. The Center for Renewing America, led by Russell Vought, Trump’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget, is dedicated to disempowering the so-called administrative state, the collection of bureaucrats with the power to control everything from drug-safety determinations to the contents of school lunches. The America First Policy Institute is a research haven of pro-Trump right-wing populists. America First Legal, led by Trump’s immigration adviser Stephen Miller, is mounting court battles against the Biden Administration. 

The goal of these groups is to put Trump’s vision into action on day one. “The President never had a policy process that was designed to give him what he actually wanted and campaigned on,” says Vought. “[We are] sorting through the legal authorities, the mechanics, and providing the momentum for a future Administration.” That includes a litany of boundary-pushing right-wing policies, including slashing Department of Justice funding and cutting climate and environmental regulations.

Read More: Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said in His 2024 Interviews With TIME

Trump’s campaign says he would be the final decision-maker on which policies suggested by these organizations would get implemented. But at the least, these advisers could form the front lines of a planned march against what Trump dubs the Deep State, marrying bureaucratic savvy to their leader’s anti-bureaucratic zeal. One weapon in Trump’s second-term “War on Washington” is a wonky one: restoring the power of impoundment, which allowed Presidents to withhold congressionally appropriated funds. Impoundment was a favorite maneuver of Nixon, who used his authority to freeze funding for subsidized housing and the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump and his allies plan to challenge a 1974 law that prohibits use of the measure, according to campaign policy advisers.

Another inside move is the enforcement of Schedule F, which allows the President to fire nonpolitical government officials and which Trump says he would embrace. “You have some people that are protected that shouldn’t be protected,” he says. A senior U.S. judge offers an example of how consequential such a move could be. Suppose there’s another pandemic, and President Trump wants to push the use of an untested drug, much as he did with hydroxychloroquine during COVID-19. Under Schedule F, if the drug’s medical reviewer at the Food and Drug Administration refuses to sign off on its use, Trump could fire them, and anyone else who doesn’t approve it. The Trump team says the President needs the power to hold bureaucrats accountable to voters. “The mere mention of Schedule F,” says Vought, “ensures that the bureaucracy moves in your direction.”

It can be hard at times to discern Trump’s true intentions. In his interviews with TIME, he often sidestepped questions or answered them in contradictory ways. There’s no telling how his ego and self-destructive behavior might hinder his objectives. And for all his norm-breaking, there are lines he says he won’t cross. When asked if he would comply with all orders upheld by the Supreme Court, Trump says he would. 

But his policy preoccupations are clear and consistent. If Trump is able to carry out a fraction of his goals, the impact could prove as transformative as any presidency in more than a century. “He’s in full war mode,” says his former adviser and occasional confidant Stephen Bannon. Trump’s sense of the state of the country is “quite apocalyptic,” Bannon says. “That’s where Trump’s heart is. That’s where his obsession is.”

These obsessions could once again push the nation to the brink of crisis. Trump does not dismiss the possibility of political violence around the election. “If we don’t win, you know, it depends,” he tells TIME. “It always depends on the fairness of the election.” When I ask what he meant when he baselessly claimed on Truth Social that a stolen election “allows for the termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Trump responded by denying he had said it. He then complained about the “Biden-inspired” court case he faces in New York and suggested that the “fascists” in America’s government were its greatest threat. “I think the enemy from within, in many cases, is much more dangerous for our country than the outside enemies of China, Russia, and various others,” he tells me.

Toward the end of our conversation at Mar-a-Lago, I ask Trump to explain another troubling comment he made: that he wants to be dictator for a day. It came during a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity, who gave Trump an opportunity to allay concerns that he would abuse power in office or seek retribution against political opponents. Trump said he would not be a dictator—“except for day one,” he added. “I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

Trump says that the remark “was said in fun, in jest, sarcastically.” He compares it to an infamous moment from the 2016 campaign, when he encouraged the Russians to hack and leak Hillary Clinton’s emails. In Trump’s mind, the media sensationalized those remarks too. But the Russians weren’t joking: among many other efforts to influence the core exercise of American democracy that year, they hacked the Democratic National Committee’s servers and disseminated its emails through WikiLeaks.

Whether or not he was kidding about bringing a tyrannical end to our 248-year experiment in democracy, I ask him, Don’t you see why many Americans see such talk of dictatorship as contrary to our most cherished principles? Trump says no. Quite the opposite, he insists. “I think a lot of people like it.” — With reporting by Leslie Dickstein, Simmone Shah, and Julia Zorthian

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USWNT vs. Brazil highlights: USA wins Olympic gold for first time in 12 years

PARIS – The United States women’s national soccer team entered the 2024 Paris Olympics with a new coach and a retooled roster. Its track record at the biggest recent international tournaments had been underwhelming. Question marks abounded. 

The Americans’ rebuttal? A gold medal. 

The U.S. defeated Brazil 1-0 on Saturday to stand back on top of the Olympic podium for the first time in 12 years. Mallory Swanson , part of head coach Emma Hayes ’ new front three along with Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman , scored the game-winner in the 57th minute. Korbin Albert, inserted by Hayes into the starting lineup for the final, set her up with a timely through ball. 

"I've always had belief. I've said before, winning is in my DNA," Hayes said after the game. "... They've impressed me immensely, these players."

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher ’s one-handed save on a header by Adriana in the fourth minute of stoppage time saved the day. And she was unflappable all match.

Brazil came out as the aggressor and the U.S. relied on Naeher to quell the attack. The final stat sheet said she made four saves. It felt like 14, and every one was huge – none more than her stop in stoppage time of the first half on Gabi Portihlo kept the match scoreless. Defender Naomi Girma continued to be something of a brick wall on the backline.

Although the first half ended with them on their heels, the Americans flipped the script early in the second. They fended off Brazil’s desperation the rest of the way and when the referee blew the final whistle, arms went up, hugs were given, and the celebration was on for the Olympic champions. 

"I think this group really just came together from the beginning of our pregame to know, we’ve grown so much," Swanson said after. "That’s really cool to me, seeing that on and off the field. I think most importantly, you’re probably hearing it, we’re playing with joy. We’re having so much fun. I’m just so happy."

TRIUMPH FOR THE USWNT IN PARIS. 🇺🇸🙌 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/RlbMvQgFID — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

"I didn’t think I was gonna cry," Rodman said, "But, oh my gosh, that was the hardest, most exhausting experience of my life, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I think honestly, my legs were crying more than my eyes, but it was so amazing. To be able to hug all my teammates, I’m so happy for Mal. Her alone made me cry to see what she’s been through to be here. I was emotional for others as well as myself, but it was just everything. I’m so happy."

U.S. players dogpiled each other as "Born in the USA" played, followed by "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Surfin' USA." The Americans then shook hands with the Brazilians and circled up near midfield, where Naeher and Hayes, whose sense of humor and demanding style has already built trust with the team, spoke to them.

"It’s a dream come true and the best feeling ever," Smith said. "A relief."

Emma Hayes sends message with Olympic gold medal

Emma Hayes may not call herself a miracle worker, but it’s hard to think of a better description.

By  winning the Olympic gold medal Saturday  – its fifth, for those keeping track – the U.S. women’s national team sent a message to the rest of the world that last summer’s World Cup debacle, and the sluggishness at the Tokyo Games, were aberrations. There is still work to be done, to quote one of Hayes’ favorite mantras, but they are very much back on the right track.

And Hayes has officially been on the job for just three months. Give her another three years, which is when the next World Cup is, and the USWNT is likely again to be the standard by which the rest of the world is measured.

"I love America. It made me." An emotional Emma Hayes talks with Mike Tirico after achieving gold medal glory at the #ParisOlympics with the USWNT. pic.twitter.com/qZuOVcft31 — NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) August 10, 2024

What Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith said after winning Olympic gold

Trinity Rodman: "I think joy and belief’s the two biggest words for us. We’ve been having so much fun. But I think we still push each other really hard. I think there’s a misconception of, oh they laugh and dance all the time in training, they’re not serious, but we just proved to everyone that we are and we take this very serious."

Mallory Swanson: "I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. It’ll probably hit in a couple days when I’m on my flight back home what happened. I’m just so thankful that I was able to do it with this group."

Sophia Smith: "It’s a dream come true and the best feeling ever. A relief."

Mallory Swanson goal vs. Brazil

Welcome to the Summer of Mal. Mallory Swanson gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute on a signature run down the left side. Korbin Albert, starting in place of Rose Lavelle, delivered the through ball for either Sophia Smith or Swanson. Smith would have likely been ruled offside if she touched it. But Swanson swooped in and made a beeline for the net, and her right-footed blast beat Brazil’s keeper Lorena to break the scoreless tie. 

TEAM USA STRIKES FIRST—AND IT'S MALLORY SWANSON AGAIN! 1-0 IN THE GOLD MEDAL MATCH. #ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/rCEQNIbR68 — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

Alyssa Naeher saves vs. Brazil

Alyssa NaeHER. 🤯 NO WORDS. 📺: @NBCOlympics & @peacock #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/GWjkhppS0q — Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 10, 2024

ALYSSA NAEHER TO THE RESCUE. AN UNBELIEVABLE SAVE IN STOPPAGE TIME. 😱 #ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/fsJoNKSI40 — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

An important early save for USA keeper Alyssa Naeher. 🧤 #ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/mX31U4F2uQ — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

US women's soccer Olympic gold medals

If it's an Olympics, you can find the U.S. women's national team on the medals podium. The Americans have won five golds at the Olympics (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2024), more than any other team, and also have a silver from Sydney in 2000 and a bronze from Tokyo. Do the math, and that means the USWNT has won a medal at every Olympics except 2016. Oh, and another fun fact? Three of the USWNT's golds have come after playing Brazil in the final in both 2004 and 2008.

USWNT Olympic wins 

The USWNT is 33-7-4 all-time at the Olympics, including four gold medals, won in 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2024.

Emma Hayes calls Naomi Girma the best defender she's ever seen

Emma Hayes paid Naomi Girma the ultimate compliment. Girma, the reigning U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, is widely recognized as one of the best centerbacks in the world. But Hayes said there’s no need for the qualifier .“She the best defender I've ever seen . Ever,” Hayes said after Girma’s stone-wall defense helped secure the USWNT’s 1-0 victory over Germany that sent the Americans into the gold medal match . “I've never seen a player as good as her in the back."

USA vs. Brazil score at halftime: 0-0

For the U.S., the first half of both the quarterfinals and semifinals were scoreless (and all of regulation, for that matter). The final against Brazil was no exception. 

Both teams had their fair share of scoring chances – Brazil’s more consistent compared to the Americans – but neither side had anything to show for it. 

Brazil’s Ludmila has been a handful for the U.S. back line to deal with. It looked like she put Brazil up in the 16th minute when she beat Naomi Girma off the dribble in the box, but luckily for the U.S., the offside flag went up. Alyssa Naeher came up huge during stoppage time to save a Gabi Porthilo strike. 

Mallory Swanson had the United States’ best chance of scoring on a long, speedy run with the ball. 

The match has been physical despite referee Tess Olofsson’s willingness to let play continue. Brazil was whistled for nine fouls compared to seven for the U.S. Possession had been nearly even for most of the match, but Brazil largely dominated the end of the half and ended up controlling the ball 54% of the time. 

Mallory Swanson’s speed almost leads to goal 

Mallory Swanson turned on the burners – and it almost led to the match’s first goal. Tierna Davidson cleared the ball from the U.S. defensive zone and Swanson found herself one-on-one with a Brazilian defender. Swanson took a couple of huge touches to win the footrace down the field and record a shot on net in the 26th minute – but it wasn’t the best angle. The subsequent U.S. rebound effort also came up empty. 

VAR review – no penalty

Speaking of physicality – there has been plenty more where that came from. Referee Tess Olofsson called for a VAR review in the 21st minute that would have led to a penalty shot from Brazil. The review revealed no foul on the U.S. in the box, however.

Brazil's Ludmila called offsides

What looked like an early deficit for the Americans turned out to be offsides by Brazil. The flag went on Ludmila, who beat Naomi Girma off the dribble in the box and fired one past Naeher. Amid the cries of celebration for the Brazil fans in the stands, the referee’s arm went in the air and the side judge on the far end of the field had the flag up.

An electric pregame atmosphere as a gold medal hangs in the balance. ⚡️ #ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/wbBzL60qvG — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

USA vs. Brazil Olympic final fouls so far

The play has been physical and referee Tess Olofsson has been mostly keeping the whistle in the pocket. Lindsey Horan had a strong tackle near midfield in which she extended her arms but play went on, even as the U.S. won the ball back. Then Mallory Swanson went down after contact at the top of the box, but again, Olofsson let play continue.

Megan Rapinoe in the house

Megan Rapinoe is the ultimate hype woman. 😂 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/sgYZYBx99p — On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) August 10, 2024

USWNT starting lineup today

There's a big surprise in the USWNT lineup for the Olympic final against Brazil: No Rose Lavelle in the starting lineup. Lavelle has started each of the previous five games in the tournament. But she was replaced in the lineup by Korbin Albert. Lavelle is not injured, and is available as a sub. The rest of the lineup remains unchanged:

• Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher
• Defenders: Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox
• Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Lindsey Horan, Sam Coffey
• Forwards: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman 

This game will be the 100th appearance for Swanson, who has fully recovered from a devastating knee injury last year. Available subs: Casey Krueger, Lynn Williams, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett, Jaedyn Shaw, Rose Lavelle, Casey Murphy.

Lead us out, Cap 🫡 pic.twitter.com/sZkyU6j3bg — U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 10, 2024

Mallory Swanson's 100th cap

Mallory Swanson is the 44th player in team history to reach the 100-cap milestone.

From a debut at 17 to the Gold Medal Match, Mal Swanson hits the century mark. 💯 pic.twitter.com/yQpq4xcszI — U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 10, 2024

USWNT schedule Olympics

Here are all the games the U.S. women have played at the Paris Olympics.

• July 25: USWNT 3, Zambia 0
• July 28: USWNT 4, Germany 1
• July 31: USWNT 2, Australia 0
• Aug. 3: USWNT 1, Japan 0
• Aug. 6: USWNT 1, Germany 0

USWNT's pink hair tradition

Even though she's retired, Megan Rapinoe still has influence with the USWNT. 

Trinity Rodman has been wearing pink braids throughout the Olympic tournament. Rapinoe, of course, was famous for her vibrant pink hair during the 2019 World Cup, which also was played in France. The USWNT won that World Cup that year, with Rapinoe picking up both the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player and the Golden Boot as its top scorer. 

"I guess we needed some color somewhere and pink's the color," Rodman said Thursday. "Pink, purple, whatever. So yeah, I guess we've got to continue that moving forward." 

US women's soccer coach Emma Hayes

Part of the reason the Americans feel like they have been able to be themselves? Emma Hayes’ sense of humor. She’s been called “hilarious,” her one-liners and zingers frequent. She is demanding, to be sure, but her ability to crack jokes puts her players at ease.

"I think the one thing I love most about Emma is that she has the perfect balance of being serious but then you also see her goofy side too," Mallory Swanson said . "I think seeing that side of a coach helps a lot because we’re all human and she does such a good job of showing that."

USWNT matchday kit

Here is what the Americans are wearing for the gold medal game against Brazil.

Our Gold Medal Match threads 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/wyptrQem4R — U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 10, 2024

USWNT vs. Brazil prediction

The road for Brazil to reach this point has been … interesting. Marta , the legend, took a red card in Brazil’s final match of group play and served a two-match suspension. The only way she could have returned to this tournament – said to be her last on the international stage – was if her teammates found a way to reach the gold-medal match. They did, and Marta will have at least one final moment in front of the globe. 

Spirit won’t be enough for the Brazilians against the U.S. though. The American back line, led by Naomi Girma , is stout. Alyssa Naeher has been solid in net. Although the U.S. has not flexed the offensive firepower in France, it has at least scored enough to reward the defense. Take your pick of The Triple Threat, The Big Three, “Triple Espresso” – whatever your preference is for the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith – to find the back of the net.

Score prediction: USA 2, Brazil 0 

USWNT players

• Forward: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Jaedyn Smith, Trinity Rodman, Crystal Dunn.
• Goalkeepers: Casey Murphy and Alyssa Naeher.
• Defenders: Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Krueger, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett.
• Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams. 

Brazil's Marta is getting a fitting sendoff

Marta , the Brazilian great, is playing her final international match today, when Brazil faces the U.S. It’s the fourth time in her career Marta has made the final at a major tournament, and third at the  Olympics . The Brazilians lost to the USWNT in 2004 and 2008. They also lost to Germany at the 2007 World Cup.

“We all wanted to play the final at the Olympics regardless of the circumstances. But of course this is an extra motivation,” Angelina said Friday. “We want to give this medal to Marta. She has given us so much throughout her career. She’s given everything she has to us and women’s football. She really deserves to play in the final.”

USWNT vs. Brazil Olympic history

The USWNT and Brazil have some history at the Olympics. The teams faced each other in the final in both 2004 and 2008, with the USWNT winning each time. Although no one from those USWNT teams is left, Brazilian icon Marta played in both games. Brazil scored one goal in those two games, by Pretinha in 2004. 

"What happened in the past is far away," Brazil coach Arthus Elias said Friday. "Football deserves great games and we should stop whining and talking about the past. We have new ingredients, new things to talk about rather than be thinking about the past. 

"I’m not worried at all about what happened in the past," Elias added. "I feel we are close to our dream coming true and that our players will do their very best tomorrow.”

Paris 2024 breaking: All results, as B-Girl Ami wins inaugural Olympic gold - and then some

Picture by 2024 Getty Images

In about five hours on Friday (9 August) at La Concorde, AmI ’s life changed.

With a win over reigning world champion Nicka in the Paris 2024 final, the Japanese B-Girl became the first women’s breaking champion in Olympic history.

When she returns to Japan in a couple of days, it will all hit Ami hard and fast. The attention. The money. The flood of media requests. She will be Ami the Olympic gold medallist. No longer just B-Girl Ami.

But Ami would prefer that everything stays the same - other than breaking gaining more recognition at home and abroad.

“I don’t want my life to change,” Ami told Olympics.com , after sweeping Nicka 3-0 to top the podium. “I mean it in a good way, but I don’t want to change much myself.

“I’m happy breaking will get more attention as a result but it’s not all about the winners in this sport. It so happens that I won today when everyone showed what they were made of. Another day, another time, things could have turned out entirely differently.

“I couldn’t be happier if people learn about the beauty of breaking - and not only about the gold medal.”

• Hello world: Breaking set to take center stage at Paris 2024 as Games wind down
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• Breaking at Paris 2024 Olympics: Frequently Asked Questions

From left, silver medallist Nicka, gold medallist Ami and 671, winner of the bronze medal.

Japan coach Katsu One says Ami is as stubborn as they come. Katsu One has worked with Ami, now 25, ever since she got serious about breaking even before becoming a teenager.

“She hasn’t changed the least bit,” he said. “But it’s that stubbornness which keeps her focused. And now she’s No. 1 in the world.

“She has incredible instincts. She’s never fazed by who she’s up against. Mentally she was in a good place throughout the entire day. That, and the preparation she put in, all came together.”

Throughout four phases of competition, Ami was her usual self. She wouldn’t have it any other way. There was no extra from her.

But that’s how Ami operates. Her most memorable battle of the day was not the final, but the quarter-final against France’s Syssy because she realised she could be herself on the grandest stage the sport hadn’t seen.

“It still hasn’t sunk in yet but I’m over the moon. Really. I’m probably happier than I think I am. I’m just on cloud nine at the moment so once I come down to earth, I’ll try to take it in bit by bit.

“More than the final, when I won the quarter-final, I thought to myself, wow, I can do this - on this stage. In the semi-final, I was really at ease because win or lose, I’d still have the third-place battle.

“So I knew then I could dance to the best of my ability and from there I just wanted to have fun. Looking back on it now, I wasn’t thinking about a medal that much - and it worked to my favour.”

Breaking: Women's podium

Gold: Ami , Japan

Silver: Nicka , Lithuania

Bronze: 671 , People's Republic of China

See full results on Olympics.com

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