On June 3rd, Seoulites will vote to determine who will lead the city for the next four years. Widely considered to be a springboard for the Presidency, the battle for Seoul's top job boils down to a race between incumbent Mayor Oh Se-Hoon (Grand National Party,) and Korea's first female Prime Minister, Han Myeong-Sook (Democratic Party.)

There are some for whom coming to Korea marks a new start in life. For the lucky few, the move provides the ideal opportunity to get out from behind the desk, lose some weight and finally get round to being the person they want to be. Then there are the rest of us. Those who quickly realise that no matter how far we go, breaking old habits doesn't come easy. For us, Korea offers not salvation, but ...

One of the best things about Korean fast food is budget pizza. Based loosely on a western food product of the same name, this uniquely Korean phenomenon can be found on almost every main street for as little as 5000 won a pop. Yet as with most things in life, quality among budget pizzas tends to vary. While some versions can arguably hold their own among pizzas three times the price, others appear ...

Back home, the most you can usually expect from a sweet potato is the occasional off-beat wedge or quirky mash. In Korea, however, things are different. Sweet potatoes, or goguma appear to occupy an entire food group of their own. That's why for this weeks WTF? Files, I've decided to delve into the diverse and varied world of the Korean sweet potato.

Not too long ago, sandwiches in Korea were pretty uninspiring affairs. Usually, the most you could hope for was a slice or two of processed cheese and ham in between a couple of slices of crust-less, bleached white bread.Today however, shop-bought sandwiches in Korea are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Baguettes, croissants, wraps and paninis are all putting in strong appearances, along with ...

Last week I discussed processed meat. This week I'm talking eggs. I like to think I've got a pretty good understanding of eggs. I know it takes 6 minutes to hard boil an egg, for example, and 3 minutes to soft boil one. I can make hollandaise without the egg yolks solidifying, and I can usually crack one without breaking the yolk. Hell, I even used to be an egg.

As legions of K-food bloggers will testify, Korea is home to some of the best eating experiences in Asia. Most would agree, there's nothing quite like a bubbling bowl of jjigae for comfort food, or a round of somaek (소맥) and kalbi (갈비) to kick-start a work night out. That's because Korean food is, by and large, very accessible to the palate, and uses plenty of familiar, fresh ingredients ...