LIFE&STYLE
Jan 25, 2021
Do Korean streaming services stand a chance against Netflix?
Original content seen as key to success
Games and music sectors see biggest KOCCA budget increase
The Korea Creative Content Agency’s 2021 budget has been set at 484.2 billion won ($440 million), a 54.4 billion won increase from last year. KOCCA uploaded multiple videos on its YouTube channel on Monday, outlining the details of the budget distribution by sector. The broadcast sector will receive 49.6 billion won, games 61.5 billion won, culture technology 81.6 billion won, virtual interactive content 49 billion won, music 41.1 billion won and regional content 49.7 billion won, among
Actor Lee Min-ho’s additional Hangeul promotional videos being released
Two additional videos promoting the beauty of Hangeul -- the writing system for the Korean language -- were released on Friday, starring actor Lee Min-ho. The new videos from the King Sejong Institute Foundation show Lee introducing the foundation to his fans who wish to learn Korean after watching his posts about his daily life on social media. “It is such an honor. I am glad to see content about my daily life contributing to promoting the beauty of Hangeul,” Lee said in a press
Jan 22, 2021
Two-term lawmaker Hwang Hee named new culture minister
Culture Minister nominee Hwang Hee is a two-term lawmaker affiliated with the ruling Democratic Party, who began his political career in the late 1990s as a secretary to the late President Kim Dae-jung. He has served as the Democratic Party’s head of public relations and as its deputy floor leader. He was elected to his first term as a lawmaker in the general elections in 2016, and was reelected in 2020. Until recently, he was the administrator of the National Assembly’s defense c
Jan 20, 2021
Koreans defend kimchi, ssam against Chinese claims
As popular Chinese YouTubers create videos implying Korean foods such as kimchi and ssam are Chinese dishes, Koreans have decided to take a stand in the name of Korea’s food culture. A Chinese agency for popular mukbang, or “eating shows,” terminated its contract with Korean YouTuber Hamzy on Sunday after she said that kimchi and ssam were both Korean dishes. The controversy began when Hamzy uploaded a video of herself eating snail soybean stew with ssam, or a vegetable wrap
Jan 19, 2021
Konstantin Ishkhanov: 'Phenomenal' Korean classical music stars shine brightly at InClassica
From 17 April – 11 May, Malta will host the InClassica International Music Festival, a three week programme of classical music featuring world-renowned soloists, leading international orchestras and celebrated conductors. InClassica will be hosted at Malta’s historic Mediterranean Conference Centre (MCC), a 16th century building benefitting from recent award-winning renovation in the capital city of Valletta, in addition to the iconic Manoel Theatre which will host the festival&rsq
Won Buddhism appoints leader for centers in the Americas
Won Buddhism announced Monday that it had appointed Juksan Hwang Do-gook as its new leader in the Americas. Hwang’s appointment ceremony took place virtually on Jan. 13 with followers from 23 countries watching. Hwang is the first leader in charge of Won Buddhism centers located outside South Korea, according to the religious group. The decision to appoint a leader outside Korea was reached as Won Buddhism found it necessary to have a leader who understands the local situation. Hwang h
Jan 18, 2021
Airbnb offers online classes starring K-pop acts
At a time when traveling is not an option, global house-sharing platform Airbnb hopes to invite guests to enjoy K-pop backstage through online classes starring hit K-pop bands from Monsta X to The Boyz, along with star dance instructors and makeup artists. Airbnb is hosting “Inside K-Pop” from Jan. 25 to Jan. 30, featuring 14 online experiences that offer insight into how K-pop stars are brought to the stage -- such as dance rehearsals, vocal practice sessions, makeup tutorials and
Korean Wave fans surpass 100 million: report
Even as borders closed around the world last year due to the pandemic, that didn’t stop the spread of the Korean Wave, or “hallyu,” from reaching new heights. There were a total of 100 million members in 1,835 Korean Wave-related clubs across the world as of September 2020, marking a 5.45 million increase from the year before, according to the latest report from the Korea Foundation, a public diplomacy arm of Seoul’s Foreign Ministry. The annual report, an account on th
Jan 16, 2021
[Weekender] Korean gatherings go virtual on Minecraft amid pandemic
Over the Christmas holidays, seven Korean YouTubers gathered in a room to draw lots for a Secret Santa gift exchange. In another room, almost a hundred YouTubers posed together for a group picture. No one wore face masks. Or rather, their virtual, Lego-like avatars didn’t. Under South Korea’s strict social distancing guidelines because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the YouTube community took their gatherings online on Minecraft – the most popular video game of all time. Communiti
Culture Ministry to create W298.5b fund to support local cultural industries
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday announced that it plans to establish three funds worth a total of 298.5 billion won ($271.6 million) to support local content creators and sports and tourism businesses. The money will be injected through a fund-of-funds managed by Korea Venture Investment Corp., in line with the Culture Ministry’s practice since 2005 of investing indirectly in small and midsized cultural businesses through venture capital funds instead of choosing
Actor Lee Min-ho promotes beauty of Hangeul
The King Sejong Institute Foundation, a state-run institution overseeing some 170 Korean language centers worldwide, released a video promoting the beauty of Hangeul -- the writing system for the Korean language -- starring actor Lee Min-ho on Friday. Lee, an ambassador for the foundation, was featured in the 31-second clip introducing the uniqueness of Hangeul by showcasing Hangeul calligraphy along with fashion items and furniture pieces inspired by the Korean alphabet. The foundati
Jan 15, 2021
Number of global 'hallyu' fans crosses 100 million landmark
The popularity of "hallyu," or the Korean Wave, seems to have continued unabated across the world despite yearlong coronavirus restrictions, as the number of global hallyu fans topped the 100 million milestone last year, a public foundation said Friday. The number of members of hallyu fan clubs in 109 countries worldwide, excluding South Korea, rose to 104,770,000 as of September last year, marking an on-year rise of 5.5 percent, or 5.4 million, from 99,320,000, according to the Korea
Korean image ambassadors Baby Shark and Delphine O shine light on Korea’s future
The creator of Baby Shark and Secretary-General of the UN Generation Equality Forum Delphine O, winners of awards for helping to promote Korea’s image to the world, have shed light on what direction Korea should take moving forward in a post-COVID-19 era. O and creator Lee Seung-gyu were presented with the awards at the 2021 Corea Image Communication Institute Awards Ceremony at InterContinental Seoul COEX on Thursday. Since 2005, CICI – a nonprofit organization -- has honored cul
Jan 14, 2021
[Video] ‘Working from home’ to stay in 2021
South Korea’s stringent social distancing rules has emptied many offices as the nation tries to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Among confirmed cases, many of the infections are linked to densely populated metropolitan areas. In 2020, a shift toward working from home quickly became the norm among many workplaces. Along with worries and challenges, remote working introduced several changes -- the tools employees use to work, shortened commuting, what we wear to work, being able to wo
Jan 13, 2021