Pizza in Korea has come a long way. Pizza Hut for instance is still inventing new concoctions from recipes Americans might surely balk at. When we first came to Korea, decent tasting pizza was 15000-20000 Won for a large 1-2 topping, and came with corn on it. More recently, we can find pizza for under [...]

Everyday is new and fresh and fun and different, and EPIC! Both Steph and I had planned to go to Seoul separately and our day unfolded very differently. Instead, I went to Seoul while Steph stayed back in Suwon because of change of plans. Then midway thru the afternoon she messaged me to say she [...]

This has to be one of the biggest blunders I’ve gotten myself into since moving to Korea! Bank machines in Korea operate a little bit differently than in the US. For example, you can begin your transaction at the money machine before ever putting your card in. Eventually you must inject the card into the [...]

Straight away, I want to point out that after recording this video, I noticed I said the wrong name! I don’t know where I got the name that I said, but it’s totally incorrect and I couldn’t be more embarrassed. Actually I’m sure I could be more embarrassed but it certainly doesn’t feel that way [...]

Today was an AMAZING day! After over 5 years of living, we finally went to the Suwon festival celebrating National Hangeul Day! I’ve always wanted to go, and only found out about it after the fact. In years past I’ve been working during the week which made it impossible to go, so whe we found [...]

Shopping in Korea can be pretty interesting depending on how you look at it. Today was a day where Stephanie scored some of her favorite juice on a simple trip to the grocery store! I never thought juice could make someone so happy, but in this household where we live in Korea and often don’t [...]

What a FUN DAY! Went down to Songtan where Megan lives to hang out a bit and ended up staying all day! We arrived, shot a few videos for her channel, went out for a walk so we could enjoy some Choco Bingsu and did some shopping along the way. After the bingsu party was [...]

I’m sure there are some of you out there, okay A LOT of you that are disappointed that Lee Min Ho isn’t making a drama this year. But that’s because he’s decided to pursue the next level of his acting career: the movie industry. It’s a movie, so it probably has a higher paycheck. There’s [...]

It isn’t every day you get invited to try Grandma’s Spicuest Noodles in Seoul! Originally thought I’d just be tagging along to watch Jesse make his spicy Korean food show, and vlog a little bit of it. Little did I know I’d be invited to fully participate. Since moving to Korea, I’ve become accustomed to spicy [...]

We woke up in Gangnam today and that DOES NOT HAPPEN OFTEN! We spent the night at the bathhouse in Gangnam after missing the last bus back home to Suwon due to it being a holiday. Instead of taking an expensive taxi we opted for an experience in a Korean sauna and a few hours [...]

Friday was date night for Steph and I! With our crazy schedules, it’s ALWAYS nice to plan a day when we can kick back, relax a bit and enjoy each others company. We had such a good time we didn’t realize that it being a holiday in Korea the public transportation schedules change. And that [...]

All sorts of fun things happened today! I could not have predicted in a million years a day like this if I had been asked about it at the beginning of the day, but it happened. Full day planned of tasks that needed to be completed started by dropping Steph off, and then driving around [...]

There’s a super wide variety of restaurants on the 6th floor of Suwon Station. Everything from typical fast food to sit down casual and even fine dining. Funny enough, I wasn’t planning to give your the grand tour of the food court in Suwon Station when I went there the other day, but I just [...]

On my very first shot of the day I caught the seafood truck rolling down the block, and then immediately ran into one of the nicest men I know in Korea: our downstairs neighbor. He’s always so kind and compassionate whenever I see him, and he’s exactly the type of guy you want as a [...]

I can’t believe I have to wait until that I have to wait an entire month for this Korean drama to come out. Until that fateful day in November, I’ll be checking out all the news, photos and trailers that come out for it. Because.. I’m a HUGE Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye [...]

It’s not everyday that you see a Cadillac Escalde rolling down the street in Korea. Sure, there are all types of imports here for sale, and people do buy them, but there is much less incentive to purchase an imported car versus a Korean car, and it shows. The majority of vehicles on the streets [...]

The day started off normal and ended by being one of the best Kpop experiences of our lives! Not only did we get to see Super Junior, Sistar, Bangtan Boys (BTS) and others, but we then got to go backstage, meet and take photos with Kara!! I think our reactions in the video speak for [...]

Even on days when we expect little to happen, something interesting ALWAYS seems to happen in Korea. Take today for instance. I spent the better part of the afternoon home editing the Top 5 Fridday video. After all it was Friday and we upload a new video every week. On days like today, I work [...]

Today started off pretty darn good: The weather was near perfect and my bus to Seoul was waiting for me! I had a fun day planned hanging out with by buddy Jesse, and then returning to Suwon to spend the evening with Steph. It’s so nice to get out of the house on a day [...]

Do you need some good romance in your life? Some good tug at your heart strings cry your eyes out romance? Then this one could be the drama you need right now, though it’s not quite at the cry your eyes out phase yet. It is however an every emotionally plugged story. A while back [...]

It isn’t everyday that we get to hang out with fans mostly because our hectic schedules don’t allow it. Today was an exception. We were contacted several times by a man named Jeff who’s a big fan of Hallyu Back. Because his visit to Korea coincided with a day off that I had, I agreed [...]

Gotta be honest, this day started off just like any other, but how it ended up could have never been predicted. We were invited into Seoul by an old friend of ours who is now a Korean movie producer to visit and check out an American TV show that is being filmed in Seoul at [...]

Korea is remaking the Japanese manga turned anime turned Japanese drama Nodame Cantabile and I’m super excited about it!!! ..if you haven’t guessed already. ☺ I’ve talked about this already in Top 5 Fridays, but I wanted to make a video all about my thoughts on it coming out October 13th on KBS2. This drama [...]

We never realized until recently how fascinating some of the regular aspects of life in Korea could be for others. Take how people move in and out of their homes here. Where we are from, we call a moving van (usually), put everything in it and drive it to another location. They have moving vans [...]

You Who Came From The Stars is considered one of the most popular Korean dramas these days. I wish I could just go back and watch the whole thing all over again! But, as a busy girl I just don’t have the time. As it is I can barely keep up with watching new dramas. [...]

Today was the day we had to bring Maki to the vet to get some bloodwork done. We didn’t WANT to bring her there, but we have an obligation to make sure she is healthy and happy. We have two carriers for her: One that we originally got when we brought her home, and another [...]

Date night! We headed to the south side of the Han River in the heart of Seoul where Eland Cruise has their famous riverboats! Eland River Cruise invited us as guests to experience their wonderful buffet cruise if we were willing to vlog our experience. Seemed like a more than reasonable exchange to us, so [...]

After dropping Steph off, I drove by the barber shop on my way home home. Nobody was in there so I knew it would be a great time to get my haircut and restyled. The camera caught almost the full process of getting a haircut in Korea, which in all honesty ain’t that much different [...]

Our normal day is pretty normal everyday.. at least we think so. For us, we seriously try to have fun whatever we are doing. We try not to take anything for granted, and in doing so we realize how weird some of the things we do might be to others who are not familiar with [...]

WOOHOOOOO for Japanese dramas! I’m psyched that a Japanese drama has caught the attention of us drama lovers, because lord knows Korean dramas are dominating the scenes right now. This drama stars Gackt and Kuroki Meisa. If you don’t know who these two are, then you haven’t done your Japanese drama homework. Anyone who loves [...]

A very special day in the Hallyu Back household for two reasons: 1) Maki’s birthday is today! She was born exactly one year ago today. 2) Steph’s mom passed away on this day in 2008. September has always been the most difficult month for her. It was a very weird day last Nov. when we [...]

My Lovely Girl is the newest ‘it’ drama to grace the Korean drama scene. It’s also the return of Rain to the Kdrama world after 4 years of absence. I have to say, that one of my favorite aspects of this drama so far is just getting to see Rain interact on the screen and [...]

This had to be one of the coolest experiences I’ve had in the five plus years I’ve been living in Korea. First off, it’s not very often that I’m able to get all dressed up and go on a fancy date. We tend to do a lot more low key dinners and nights out since [...]

Got an EARLY start today. David heading to the airport for a flight to Beijing so I gave him a ride. It was great having him visit and I was sad to see him go. It’s always great to show people Korea from our perspective. I’m so thankful to have been able to hang out [...]

The day started off by giving Steph a lift to Suwon Station so she wouldn’t have to walk a take a cab. She had been invited to a Kpop Concert/Fashion Show in Seoul, and our friend David who was visiting Korea from Costa Rica had a wedding to attend. Me? I was home catching up [...]

After seeing Steph and saying goodbye, David and I headed across Korea by car to the northeast portion of the country. We woke up by the beach, grabbed a quick lunch, and drove to Soraksan, the most famous national park in all of South Korea. We hiked all the way to the top for some [...]

ROAD TRIP!! We have a friend from Costa Rica visiting us in Korea. We spent the afternoon traveling across the country. In the process we learned a very valuable lesson about debit card usage in Korea ^^ yesterday’s video:

Talk about a murder mystery romance Korean drama all rolled into one! This drama stars Yoo In Ah who I most recently saw as a second lead actress in You Who Came From The Stars. Jin Yi Han also stars in it and who, after Ha Ji Won, was my favorite actor in Empress Ki. [...]

Recently we have been pleasantly graced by one of Richard’s good friends David from Costa Rica. He arrived to our home yesterday and this was his very first full day in Korea! Richard had the day off and decided to take him on the very best one day tour he could imagine. I’m jelly I [...]

Chuseok is the biggest holiday in Korea. On the last day of Chuseok this year September 9th, 2014 a friend of ours David arrived to visit Korea from Costa Rica. This was his first visit to Korea EVER! We were pretty excited. We also got together with our friends Ye Seul and Taek and vlogged [...]

You know how they say try everything once before you pass judgment on it? I, for the most part hold onto that viewpoint. In Korea I’ve definitely had some experiences and tried things that I probably never would have otherwise. For example, Live Octopus (Sang-Nak-Ji). This video was supposed to be about which restaurant to [...]

Hey guyz! So last week over the Chuseok holiday I had some time to catch up on some Korean dramas I’ve really wanted to see, and one of the first of these that I just had to watch was Night Watchman’s Journal. I’d be watching it right now as I write this blog but I’m [...]

One of those dramas that I knew wouldn’t be at the top but would definitely be on my must watch list is Discovery of Romance.  Truthfully more than anything, the reason for that is that it’s a Sung Joon drama, and I’m a huge Sung Joon fan.  While that’s not to discredit the other actors [...]

Hey everyone! Richard here. Way back in 2008 I started working at Kyung Hee University. In my first semester teaching I barely knew what was going on. It took me some time to get my footing being a lecturer, but I eventually caught on. Back during that very first semester, I wasn’t really focused on [...]

Death is never easy to deal with, and Korea has been through some tough times in 2014. It’s Chusok in Korea today, and I don’t like talking about death very much. The Kpop group Ladies Code was dealt a terrible blow when their car slid into a wall during a terrible rain storm not too [...]

Kim Hyun Joong recently made a statement with police that he did in fact admit to having a physical altercation with his girlfriend. This is the same Kim Hyun Joong that I have admire for years now! The same Kim Hyung Joong that’s a member of SS501. And yes, the same Kim Hyun Joong that [...]

Fated to Love You is OVER!! I’m sad pandas. This is probably the most nerve-racking drama of the year to me, because I really really wanted it to be good. I was scared it wasn’t gonna be, and overall I was totally blown away and impressed.   To me, this is one of the best [...]

After 4 long years of not watching this drama I’ve finally done it.. I’ve watched Lee Min Ho’s controversial drama. And all in all, it’s not that controversial, nor really that amazing of a drama.  This isn’t to say that it’s bad.  It really has plenty of aspects to make it super impressive and swoon [...]

You guyz, I have a confession to make… I’m getting OLD!!!! Argh! It kills me to say it, but I can look back and see how as I get older my tastes are changing and this sadly affects my drama watching choices. I remember 8 years or so ago when I first started watching dramas, [...]

Anyone interested in finding out how much fruits and vegetables cost at a local market in Korea? Well you’re in luck! The other day after looking into my refrigerator and seeing it was empty, we decided to go to the local market and bring the camera along. A little back story on this place. We’ve [...]

Can you say Jung Young Hwa!!!?! I’ve been waiting for this guy to come out with a new drama and blow it up to super-stardom! I’ve always been a fan of his music with his band CN Blue. He was in You’re Beautiful, Heartstrings, Playful Kiss, and……. that’s all I can think of off the [...]

I feel almost like this is turning into the week of the mermaid.  Okay maybe that’s a little bit over the top to say, but not only have I just started watching the Korean drama The Mermaid or Surplus Princess, but I also literally watched The Little Mermaid.. twice with my adorable little nephew.  In [...]

This very popular Korean drama of the summer has been getting a lot of attention. This is because, mainly, the original Taiwanese version was such a hit! Those of us who were fans of the original were worried admittedly a bit worried whether this version would live up to it or not. Well it has. [...]

I never thought I would actually live to see the day this drama was made. My Pig Lady ended up doing what a lot of Taiwanese dramas have done in the past: Get stuck in drama limbo for years. It’s something that’s so prevalent in Asian dramas that in some cases, they’ve actually made dramas [...]

With as many great dramas that I watch on a regular basis, I occasionally miss one or forget about it until after it is done airing. Such is the case with this drama. It stars Lee Hong Ki and Yang Jin Sung. Personally, I’ve never seen any of Yang Jin Sung’s past work, and I [...]

One of the dramas that has totally thrown my drama radar for a loop this summer is Marriage Not Dating. In all seriousness, I never really thought it would be a very good drama particularly because the preview was kinda cheesy and I didn’t know the actors all that well. But OH HOW I WAS [...]

I’m really excited about this drama and I’ve only seen the first two episodes! There are a good number of reasons for this, but simply put, I think that this is going to be a great example of how good actors and writers can tackle a difficult subject and not only make it entertaining but [...]

This summer I had the opportunity of visiting with a long time friend that I originally met in Korea. Tonita is one of those rare souls you meet when you live abroad who comes into your life, makes a huge impact, and disappears all too quickly. In her case, she left because of what she [...]

Marriage Not Dating is one of the new weekend dramas that’s being aired on TvN. It’s a total contractual relationship story about a guy who’s a plastic surgeon who’s family wants him to get married but he doesn’t want to and a woman who wants to retaliate against her flaky ex….. who just so happens [...]

OMGOSH YOU GUYZ our trip around the US started off with a bang in New York City! First and foremost I got to meet some of you at the meetup!! YAYAY!!!!!! For those of you who were able to make it and say hi, HUGE SHOUT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! You have my utmost love, respect and appreciation. [...]

This summer I had the privilege of going to New York City and hanging out with one of my best friends Jess. If you saw my Draw My Life video, the whole part where I talk about the 3 Muskateers who I grew up with, she’s ‘Portos’. Literally you guyz, she grew up right down [...]

This new Korean drama is Lee Jun KI’s baby, and I’m a big fan of his! He’s been doing one drama every year since he got out of the military, his first being Arang and the Magistrate in 2012 followed by Two Weeks in 2013. Personally I’m excited for this one, because it’s Lee Jun [...]

Lee Jung Suk is still a relatively new face in Kdrama land, and one of my picks for most smexy hot young actors that may very well take the drama world by storm when many of the others head into the military. You could say you heard it here first! As one of the best [...]

This drama looks intriguing! From when this was first introduced until now, I feel like the popularlity of it has grown. I feel like I’m watching two really good, young actors transition to adult. Ji Hyun Woo just got back from the military, and so this role is pretty important. In the eyes of Korea, [...]

A new drama that came out this June, it already has a couple of episodes out! Honestly you guyz, I saw like the first 3. My first impression? Although it fits a certain genre and age group quite well, and I’m sure some of you will DEFINITELY like it, I’m personally not really that impressed. [...]

This drama took me years to come around to watching.. literally. This is a 2010 drama so technically I’ve wanted to watch this one for the past 4 years!! That’s a long time to wait for a drama, but as I’d heard it was the Joseon F4, I knew that it would be worth a [...]

Growing up in the USA, service meant a company or individual that you were paying to help provide you with some necessary thing that you couldn’t exactly do on your own. Examples of this might be internet/wireless service, telephone service, customer service and restaurant service. This sort of thing also exists in Korea, don’t get [...]

If you’ve been following HallyuBack and our videos for a while, you probably know by now that I not only like Korean dramas but I also adore Taiwanese dramas. The only problem is that it’s almost as if the best ones come out few and far in between. ☹ But when they do, they’re epic! [...]

Hey everyone! Richard here. The other day I became overwhelmed while hanging out with my buddy Hyunwoo. He’s a brand new daddy, and invited me to his home to see and visit with his newborn son. Joon was exactly 21 days old when I was there. Whether it sounds like it or not, this was [...]

There are not many Taiwanese dramas that I love MORE that Fated To Love You. So, when I heard that it was being remade into a Korean drama not too far back, that got me pretty excited!! I’m feeling a tad bit OVERLY optimistic that this remake is gonna be a good one. However, as [...]

For Christmas this past year, two of my best Korean friends bought us a special gift: two packages of Korea’s spiciest Ramyun! It’s Buldak Bokkeum Myun (불낙 볶음‬면) or Buldak Bokkeum ramen. Seung Hee and Gi Yeon are the two culprits. You may recognize them from other videos we’ve done together before, including when Seung [...]

Today’s blog post and video is dedicated to Hyun Bin. Recently having been released from military service our beloved dude has not made a drama in years. Personally, I think he’s just waiting for the hype of ‘You Who Came From the Stars’ to die down a bit. Instead of a drama, he decided to [...]

If you are taking part of your summer break to come to Korea or just want to know a bit more about some of the neighborhoods to hang out in Korea, then I seriously recommend Myeongdong. It’s actually right in the heart of Seoul, and only 2 stops away from Seoul Station (on the light [...]

I admit, I waited for this video. I saw it the first day it came out. I watched it, then waited for Richard to come home from work, and that was part of our dinner conversation. For me, this video is clean humor about the reality that is the problem of overdrinking, being drunk and [...]

We love Samgyupsal! For those who don’t know, it’s basically thick slabs of bacon. We don’t eat it that often, but when we do we feel like we’re being treated. It’s usually delicious everywhere you go, and it’s typically not that expensive. About two years ago we stumbled upon a restaurant that serves it that [...]

I’m so EXCITES about this new video segment! AAHHHHHHH you guyz I’ve been wanting to do a ‘Favorites’ video for months and now I’ve finally done it! I really REALLY want to know what you guyz think of it! ☺ I’m kind of amazed I actually got to film this one considering how busy I’ve [...]

One of the biggest stories to come out this year a few weeks ago was a leak on the Matusmoto Jun Inoue Mao dating relationship. If you didn’t know, these two are dating. In fact, for those of us that have been following their story ever since they starred along side each other in Hana [...]

OMG you guyz! I’m gonna be on TV!!! Television in the U.S. that is. ☺ Tuesday, June 3rd 2014 at 7pm in America I’m going to be on the TV show ‘K-style’ on the channel Mnet America. How cool is that? Mnet America contacted me while my father was visiting funny enough, and asked me [...]

Hey everyone! Richard here. While Stephanie sits behind me pounding away on her laptop to finish one of her big end of the year assignments for grad school, you’re left with me to write up this blog. Rare indeed, I know. Tell me about it. ☺ But fear not, I do have a fun video [...]

By now, for those of you who follow our blog probably know that I like Korean dramas. I think that’s a pretty fair statement. One thing I don’t really talk about a lot is Korean reality shows. I believe I’ve talked about ‘We’ve Got Married’ before. I’ve made references to the Sauna talk show (which [...]

Another new Korean drama that came out this month is Triangle! At least from my perspective, it seems more like a drama for guys, or a drama for girls who like to watch guys in dramas. ☺ Main attraction of this Korean drama: Siwon. His smexiness was recently in Reply 1997, and he’s also from [...]

You’re All Surrounded was one of the most anticipated dramas for spring this year! Personally, I was anticipating it so much that I talk about it in my New Korean Dramas in both April AND May. I think the biggest reason I was looking forward to it is because it has some really great stars [...]

Spring has fully May-ed its way to Korea (you see what I did there?!?!) and along with it comes the flowers, the need for yellow umbrellas and a whole new crop of dramas. While I must admit, I really loved how this year started of in Korean dramaland, they’re all finished – and though I [...]

The North – South Korean DMZ used to be one of the most popular places that travelers to South Korea would visit. Is it today? I have no idea. Seriously I don’t. But my dad helped put it in perspective during his visit here. He told us that, when someone would mention ‘Korea’ or ‘South [...]

Do you know what’s crazy? That my first So Ji Sub drama was actually Master’s Sun. HOW DID I NOT WATCH THIS SMEXY MAN OVER AND OVER IN DRAMAS BEFORE THIS? That’s insanity. Now Gong Hyo Jin on the other hand, I’ve seen her before. I like her work. I especially liked her in Pasta, [...]

There’s no way I was going to let my dad come all the way to Korea and not let him get a chance to see and explore beautiful Soraksan National Park. To describe this place properly for people who have never stepped foot in Korea, it’s the nicest National Park going here. It’s a must [...]

What can you get for $30 US in Korea? A super clean hotel room with a comfy bed, a kitchenette and a balcony overlooking the ocean!!! You could say my father got the primo treatment while visiting Korea. Last week we were traveling around Korea with my father while he was here. We took him [...]

I feel like I should have more to say about this one to make it a legitimate blog post.. but I haven’t seen it yet! I do know the premise of the story, because I talked about it in my Top 5 New Kdramas of April. I ranked it number 7 out of the 7 [...]

If you’ve ever been to Busan, then I’m sure you know how beautiful it is there. First off, it’s a place with the most popular beaches in Korea! Also the weather is usually nice, there’s lots of great seafood restaurants, and there’s always something fun to get into. That’s why we decided to take my [...]

I’ve been living in Suwon over 5 years, and I’ve NEVER been to this palace!!! Umm.. that’s craziness, ESPECIALLY for someone like me who loves princes and princesses and fantasy and all that. And to add insult to injury, a WHOLE BUNCH of Korean dramas have been filmed here as well. But you know what [...]

When my father came to Korea, I knew one of the first places he had to see was Seoul. He said it himself today in the car: The two things he thinks of when the word Korea is mentioned to him are Seoul, and the DMZ. I know that may be different than what some [...]

Hotel King is one of the more highly anticipated dramas of 2014, and was the one that was suppose to follow up You Who Came From The Stars. It features Lee Da Hye and Lee Dong Wook reuniting for the first time on the small screen since 2005’s ‘My Girl’, which is one of the [...]

OMG FINALLY!!! I love Empress Ki. It’s the longest drama that I’ve ever seen and considering it’s one of the only historical dramas I’ve seen it’s pretty impressive! It’s actually totally getting me on a Korean history kick and I’ve been researching all about Korean history ever since. Anyways, I really wanted to talk about [...]

I’ve been going into a lot of Korean makeup stores lately and just looking around. While I haven’t always been a big fan of or user of Korean makeup, early on during my time in Korea, I succumbed to the Korean face mask. Maybe it’s because I saw it in so many dramas, including the [...]

First I have to clarify: I finished Inspiring Generation!! When I recorded this video just a few days ago I hadn’t yet seen the last episode. When you watch you’ll see what I mean right away! ☺ I had pretty low expectations going into this one, which is probably partially why I liked it so [...]

The other day was my mom’s birthday, which usually would just be another day for most people. But for me, it marked 5 years that I haven’t been able to call my mom and wish her a happy birthday since her death. Needless to say, I wasn’t in the most positive and lighthearted spirits, let [...]

The other day I was walking through various cosmetic shops because I ran out of the BB cream that I use and I decided to stop into The Face Shop to see what I could find. For those of you who are not so familiar with Korean cosmetics, it’s a makeup, skincare, body and bath [...]

One of those dramas I thought I would watch one episode and never actually watch the rest of it, but went on to finish the ENTIRE DRAMA was I Need Romance 3. To me, it was the stigma about the name was the initial turn off. Who says that? Of course I’m sure most of [...]

So I tweeted the other night that I was going to finish this drama, and I haven’t gotten around to watching the last episode yet because I’ve been too tired. That being said, I’m saving it for a special occasion that will probably occurring sometime within the next 48 hours. Preferrably when I can sit [...]