Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.

They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.

Weeks after 159 people died in a crowd crush in Seoul’s clubbing district on Halloween, South Korea is preparing for year-end festivities.

In this episode, she chats with ST's South Korea correspondent Chang May Choon.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:13 Seoul will be different this time, after the Itaewon tragedy

4:35 Ppali, ppali (fast) & skinship: understanding Korean crowd culture

9:55 Is behaviour changing in the ‘subway from hell’?

17:05 Has the Itaewon tragedy yielded some lessons?

Read Chang May Choon’s article here: https://str.sg/wC5Q

Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani

Edited by: Fa’izah Sani and Eden Soh

Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month on our Asian Insider Podcast channel here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB 

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo

Read Chang May Choon’s articles: https://str.sg/wCJU

Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd

Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

---

Discover more ST podcast series:

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#STAsianInsider