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

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

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

Popular Chinese Youtuber Li Ziqi, who has over 14 million subscribers, drew controversy in Korea after she uploaded a video of herself making what appears to be kimchi with the hashtag #ChineseCuisine and #ChineseFood. The 19-minute video “The last episode of the ‘Life Series’: The life of white radish!” shows Li going through every step of kimchi-making, from harvesting cabbage from the ground to pickling the cabbage in a large jar and later applying spicy seasoning to

South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration in Myanmar held a ceremony on Monday to present four booklets on Korea’s mural conservation and management to Myanmar’s cultural authorities. Minister of Religious Affairs and Culture of Myanmar Aung Ko, the director of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum, South Korea’s ambassador to Myanmar Lee Sang-hwa and Head of the Bagan Office of the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation Kim Dong-min attended the event at

For the gym rats and the casual gymgoers alike, last year was a frustrating one with fitness centers going back and forth between closing, reopening and operating for limited hours depending on the social distancing level in place. And this year might see more of the same. The latest gym closures, which went into effect Dec. 8 and is scheduled to continue until Jan. 17, has been the longest shutdown so far. In the meantime, people are finding alternative ways to exercise without hitting the g

Though heavy snow created traffic chaos in Seoul on Wednesday evening, some enjoyed the weather by going outside and making “snow creatures” throughout the night. With more than 13 centimeters of snow in some regions, the weather allowed for some fun outdoor activities amid the pandemic that has kept many cooped up inside. People took to social media to post photos of the snowmen and snow creatures they spotted on the streets. Among the most popular snow creations were snow ducks

6 out of 10 people overseas aware of Korean food: survey

Walking down the stairs from exit No. 2 of Sangdo Station in southwestern Seoul, its not easy to miss a white and green signboard that reads “METRO Farm.” A method of what‘s known as “smart farming,” Metro Farms can create nature-friendly environments while being located inside urban subway stations, using AI and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Sangdo Station’s exit No. 2 was originally left unattended, merely serving its purpose as a meet-up plaza. S

Attempts to break the staid image of cultural heritage are reaping positive results

While students around the world cope with online schooling in the COVID-19 pandemic era, digital learning for adults is having its moment in South Korea. Online learning has been an emerging trend in recent years, but the pandemic has accelerated its growth. Best suited to those already comfortable with the digital world, mostly people in their 20s and 30s, classes normally consist of 20 to 30 lectures under 10 minutes long. “Taking cooking classes after work was a great joy for me. H

Applying for government assistance involved some unpleasant experiences, recalled a Seoul-based artist in his 40s. “I applied for several assistance programs in the past but I never made it. I did not apply for the COVID-19 relief fund (in 2020), because I didn’t think I would be selected,” said the artist who wished to be identified by his surname, Jung. Jung chose to focus on his artwork rather than applying for the government fund , skipping the time-consuming process. H

Bit Hit Entertainment show scheduled for New Year’s Eve; SM Entertainment slated for New Year’s Day

Korea Tourism Organization to publish ‘Standards for Translating Foods in Korea’ in January

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday disclosed the logo for its DMZ Peace Trail, a trail created to promote the site near the Demilitarized Zone as a tourism destination. The DMZ, which cuts across the middle of the peninsula, is a buffer zone between North and South Korea. It is roughly 250 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide. The DMZ Peace Trail includes a main 524-kilometer route that connects the county of Ganghwa, Incheon and Goseong in Gangwon Province, as well as 10