The Newly Minted: How Much the Wealthy Really Earn
The Korean Wealth Report defined being wealthy as having over 1 billion won in financial assets. Minimum seed money for accumulating wealth was 820 million won ($630,000) by the age of 42. Of that group, 44.8 percent said they considered themselves to be wealthy. Read more here!
Painting With Music: The Visual Pianist
Pianist Kim Su Yeon is the first Asian winner of the Concours Musical International de Montréal. The Salzburg-based pianist will meet local audiences through a five-concert series. Read more about her work and upcoming debut album here!
All-In-One Makeover Photo Studios for Everyone
Photo studios are evolving into one-stop beauty shops offering makeovers and photo shoots. Despite the high cost, makeover photo shoots deliver what young generations want. Learn more about these photo studios here!
Men of Plastic: How the K-beauty Business Began
Veteran Korean-American actor Don Lee returns in his new film “Men of Plastic” which is about the rise of the K-beauty business. Lee plays Dae-kook, a plastic surgeon who starts a business with Ji-woo (Jung Kyoung-ho). Read more about the film here!
Tackling Video Game Addiction
As video games balloon in popularity, video game addiction becomes more and more of a real problem. Healthy Gamer is an organization that aims to tackle the problem that many people now face. Read more here!
Netflix-based Tours Open in Korea
The Korea Tourism Organization will open free tours to foreigners that go through locations inspired by their successful Netflix show “Korea No. 1”. Click the link to see what destinations you may be able to go to.
Heart of a Moon Jar: Connecting through Art
Follow Korean artist Kang Ik-joong as he explains his creative inspiration for his latest exhibition “The Moon is Rising” and his view on the role of an artist. Learn more about his artwork here!
Shamanism Without Prejudice
Jeong Ho-geun is a 58-year-old veteran actor, who put his acting career on hiatus to pursue the career of a shaman. He is currently fighting the prejudice of shamanism being considered a bad custom that should be eradicated. Discover more about him here!
Hanbok Culture Week and the Style in Tradition
The nationwide hanbok festival is held in the third week of October each year. Hanbok Culture Week kicks off in Seoul with an exhibition of costumes worn by the cast of Netflix's "Kingdom". Visitors can try on different hanbok and take photos or shoot K-pop content at the HiKR Lounge. Learn more about the festival here!
A Bittersweet End for Disney+
Steaming service Disney+’s reality show, "The Zone: Survival Mission," remained on the Korean top 10 chart since its first entry. This show captured audience attention but failed to leave a mark on international audiences. Read more about the future of Korean streaming here!
Respecting Life on Canvas: Kim Byung-Jong
Kim Byung-jong's paintings are an homage to the preciousness of life. He was drawn to the theme of life in the 1990s following a serious accident that nearly took his life. An exhibition commemorating Kim's artistic career opened at the Namwon Museum. Discover more about Kim here!
K-Drama romance “Ditto” presents the future of first love
"Ditto" is a remake of a 2000's hit romance sci-fi film of the same title. Yeo Jin-goo and Kim Hye-yoon star as university student Yong and Han-sol respectively. While director Yeo Dong-bin felt pressure from the success of the original film, she chose to write and direct the project because of the power of the original source material. Discover more about the film here!
Red bean, a Korean Cultural Staple, Brings Comfort in Modern Kitchen & Lives
On Dongji, be sure to eat patjuk, at the Farmer's Market Patjib in southern Seoul. This specialty food is a traditional South Korean porridge made using red beans grown on a farm in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province. Read more about these red beans here!
Yang Hae-gue, Korean Contemporary Artist, Internationally Recognized in Art Compass
Korean installation artist Yang Hae-gue ranks 93rd on The Kunstkompass’s annual top 100 artists list. She won the 13th Benesse Prize for her moving sculptures at this year’s Singapore Biennale. Discover more about her and her work here!
Louis Vuitton Fashion House Collabs with Korean Artists
Korean artist Park Seo-bo's seminal Ecriture painting has been turned into one of Louis Vuitton's iconic Capucines bags. Park is the first Korean artist to collaborate with the French luxury brand for the Artycapucines collection. To learn more about this painting, keep reading!
How Fiction Re-Imagines a Royal Mystery
The upcoming thriller "The Owl" adds imagination to historical record about Crown Prince Sohyeon's suspicious death. In the movie, Kyeong-soo, played by Ryu Jun-yeol, is a day-blind acupuncturist in the palace that witnesses the Crown Prince’s death. Read more about the film here!
MetaFashion in Your Digital Wardrobe
South Korean designers are dipping their toes into the world of metafashion, with the government launching its first-ever digital wardrobe. 30 outfits are planned to be completed with model line-up being A-list actress Han Sun-hwa, singer Ravi, and model Jaesi. Read more here!
An exploration into the wide world of Korea’s budding coffee scene
Three Korea coffee aficionados published a guidebook of 82 must-visit Korean cafes. The guidebook contains information on the cafes' locations, operating hours, signature items as well as stories of the people who built and nurtured the specialty coffee cafes. Read more here!
Get your Sing On in 'Cono' Coin Singing Rooms
Coin singing rooms are smaller karaoke gatherings where you play for about 30 minutes compared to the hours spent at regular Korean karaoke. They are becoming ever popular with younger generations in the aftermath of COVID-19 regulation relaxation. Read more about coin singing rooms here!
The MTIB Craze in Korea
Have you gotten a job based on a personality test? Like zodiac signs and blood type, MBTI types are a growing fad in Korea to learn more about a person without asking questions. Read more to find out how MBTI types are impacting people’s lives.
From eggs to stocks: Chuseok Gifts Evolve
Think of your favorite presents to get growing up. They probably weren’t stocks and bonds. Korea’s Chuseok is a gift giving holiday that has experienced a staggering amount of growth since the 1970’s. Learn more about the different gift giving trends throughout the years.
Couple Aesthetics
Take fashion to the next level with the new matching trend. Couples are now not only planning their dates, but their outfits together for a more personalized look. What do you think about this trend? Would you try it yourself with your friends or significant other?
Seoul opens space dedicated to K-pop dance covers
You can now be in your own kpop music video with this Seoul studio. HiKR is a studio that has rooms dedicated to recreating some of the most popular kpop music video backgrounds where visitors can make their own content. Read more about what artists are featured here.
Unseen Sides of Busan Biennale 2022
Take a train to Busan to see the city’s new art showcase. Based on the natural beauty of Busan, artists from all over will be taking part in this event to celebrate the city. Find out how these artists combine architecture with art in this article!
A New Mission for Drones: Sky Light
Drones over fireworks? Technology has taken over many aspects of life that were once done without, and now fireworks are the next target. Learn more about how drone shows might just be the next big thing.
Seoul Subway Series Heritage & Trends
From a forgotten town to a popular place for events, Seongsu-dong has seen a boom in tourism recently. Is this newfound popularity helping or hurting the local businesses? Read more here!
Fermented Food World Tour
Korean cuisine finds a new audience in Qatar’s Korean Fermented Food Festival. Kimchi and gochujang will be showcased in this cultural exchange of culinary traditions where people can taste, learn, and enjoy all about Korea’s delicious offerings.
Poetry Connection: a translation of Seoul into words
Two masterclass poets join together to disuss their interpretations of life and love. Read about Kim Hye-soon and Don Mee Choi’s shared experiences and reflections here.
Living Alone in Crowded Cities
Single-person households are projected to be the new normal for individuals looking for housing by 2040. Read more about what this means for younger generations adjusting to the growing body of statistics.
Seoul-Art where the center of artist expression beats
Internationally renowned art comes together for two of the biggest art fairs in Korea, Frieze Seoul and Korean International Art Fair. At these exhibits, visitors will be able to see the works of Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and many more. Learn about the exhibits here.
Your Scent. Bottled
Perfume culture is another item in an ever-growing list of ways for people to express themselves. Korea has capitalized on this trend with “perfume workshops” that allow people to customize their own scent. Learn more about the custom perfume process here.
Park Dae-sung's ink-and-wash paintings
Korean artist Park Dae-sung's new exhibition, Ink and Soul, has been sweeping the international art community. Check out the traditional ink style reinvented here.
The Battle of the Bowl: who has the best instant noodle?
Ramen, ramyeon, and ramyun – what’s the difference? instant noodles are a favorite comfort food across the world, and exports of instant noodles from South Korea are on the rise. Learn the history of the snack we have all come to love.
Fashion Beyond Gender how K-pop is expanding fashion expression
Chanel has never officially produced a full menswear collection, but G-Dragon's daring look has proved that Chanel is not limited to a single gender. Learn more about how Korean fashion designers are changing the game!
Why Travel to Korea is so hot right now
With lessening restrictions and an increase in cultural interest, Korea has greatly benefited from the excitement of people to travel internationally. Read more about how Korea is staying afloat with a recent wave of tourists.
Moon You: From 2D to 4D
Webtoons are the movies of the future according to Korean tech company CJ 4DPLEX. With innovations in the 4D movie experience, the Korean company wants to introduce a lower cost alternative to the action-packed movies that viewers can already see. Learn more about the future of Korean cinema here!
