More fans than ever went online to watch the LoL World Championships this year, according to Riot Games, with over 1 billion hours watched worldwide during the games that took place from Sept. 25 to Oct. 31 in Shanghai. The Play-in Stage, where the representative team from weaker regions such as Oceania, Latin America, Brazil, Japan, Turkey along with fourth seed teams of China and Europe and third seed team of North America among others competed for a spot in the Group Stage, also reached rec

More Sports Dec. 10, 2020

Upon opening up a meal kit of spicy chicken ribs, I realized at once the cooking wouldn’t be too difficult. The chicken ribs, special sauce, vegetables, sweet potatoes and rice cakes were in separate packaging, and all were prepped for cooking. The cooking instruction on the back of the package involved putting the ingredients one by one into a pot. My family's reaction to the dish was unanimous: “This tastes just like what is sold in restaurants.” Many aspects of daily life

Food Dec. 9, 2020

Dia TV and Naver Z have teamed up to support virtual reality creators. CJ ENM’s content creator support business, Dia TV, announced the signing of an memorandum of understanding with Naver Z on Tuesday. By having creators on Naver Z’s avatar service app Zepeto, Dia TV hopes to expand the audience for its creators who are popular with the “MZ Generation” -- those born between the 1980s and the early 2000s -- on a global scale, as well as exploiting advertising and mark

Culture Dec. 8, 2020

Five K-pop idols in their 20s running through scenic courses around the country is the theme of Mnet’s “Running Girls,” whose first episode airs Wednesday. Sunmi, Chungha, Hani of EXID, YooA of Oh My Girl and Chuu of Loona run together as a crew in a show that is as much about bonding as it is about introducing viewers to running courses. Chungha, who was confirmed with COVID-19 on Monday, was absent from the online press conference for the show held Tuesday. With filming hav

Television Dec. 8, 2020

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea announced the winners of the 2020 Korean Literature Translation Award, with Mariko Saito winning the grand prize. For this year’s prize, 115 translated works in 24 languages were considered. Mariko Saito, who translated the short story collection “To Hyun Nam Oppa” by Cho Nam-joo and six others into Japanese, won the top prize and 20 million won ($18,500) in prize money, last Thursday. Translators Jeong Eun-jin and Jacques Batil

Books Dec. 7, 2020

Every member of K-pop girl group Twice was tested for the new coronavirus on Monday, and so were all staff members who had come into contact with band member Sana recently. The singer Chungha tested positive Monday after she and Sana came into contact. Chungha was tested after coming into contact with another person who also tested positive. “Twice’s Sana, who came in contact recently with Chungha, as well as other members of Twice who worked with Sana and the staff, were tested t

K-pop Dec. 7, 2020

With the development of artificial intelligence and deep learning, things that were once impossible are now becoming possible, including re-creating the voices of deceased musical artists to sing contemporary songs. Music channel Mnet will show AI music project “Once More Time” on Wednesday and Dec. 16, “resurrecting” deceased artists through holograms and AI voice covers. The first episode will feature Turtleman, leader of trio Turtles, who died of a heart attack in 2

Performance Dec. 7, 2020

More and more webtoons, or web comics, are being made into dramas and movies, as the rich storytelling format gains broader popularity. Webtoons are comics posted online that are read by scrolling down the screen, a presentation format that is unique to Korea. While some webtoons had existed online on personal blogs and websites, it was when popular local web portals like Naver and Daum started releasing daily webtoons that the market really expanded. In its early days in the early 2000s, web

Cartoon Dec. 7, 2020

Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung won the award for best supporting actress at the Sunset Circle Awards on Tuesday for her role in “Minari,” by director Lee Isaac Chung. The 73-year-old actress won over other nominees, Amanda Seyfried of “Mank,” Amy Adams of “Hillbilly Elegy,” Zazie Beetz of “Nine Days” and Oliva Colman of “The Father.” As many of them are thought to be in the running for 2021 Oscar nominations, Youn’s win raises hope

Film Dec. 5, 2020

Online TV platform Netflix announced the making of a new project Friday titled “Paik’s Spirit,” featuring food researcher, businessman and entertainer Paik Jong-won. On the show, Paik will have a drink with guests in diverse fields who represent South Korea and will talk about their stories, as well as the stories behind the liquors they prefer. “Paik’s Spirit” will be Netflix’s first reality series introducing Korean drinks, food and culture. Paik wi

Television Dec. 4, 2020

After popular trot singer Lee Chan-won tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, celebrities who had come into contact with him were quickly tested and quarantined. How Lee got infected is unknown. On Thursday morning, Lee’s agency New Era Project announced that the singer had tested positive and gone into self-quarantine. “Currently, everyone associated with Lee Chan-won is being tested, and some have already finished testing and are in self-quarantine,” said New Era Projec

Television Dec. 4, 2020

The Plaza presents ‘Bulmung’ package The Plaza of Hanwha Hotels & Resorts is offering the “Bulmeong” package for guests looking to rest at the hotel’s suite equipped with a fireplace. Bulmeong, combining “bul,” meaning fire, and daydream -- “meong” -- means to find rest in difficult times. The package comes with a one-night stay at the hotel’s signature suite with an electronic fireplace, a bottle of wine and use of the club loung

Food Dec. 4, 2020

In a year that has witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic disrupt lives and devastate economies around the world, South Korea is seeking innovations to meet the challenges it presents. The following is the third article in a four-part series on how Korea is creating a new normal during the pandemic, produced in partnership with The Korea Foundation -- Ed. 28,714,247. That’s the number of number of South Koreans who traveled abroad last year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Due

Travel Dec. 3, 2020

Netflix original Spanish drama series “Money Heist” will be getting a 12-episode Korean remake. Kim Hong-sun, producer of OCN dramas “The Guest,” “Voice” and “Black,” among others, will be producing the Korean remake, while Ryu Yong-jae, who wrote Netflix original series “My Holo Love,” will lead the screenwriting. BH Entertainment, which made the movie “A Single Rider,” and Zium Content, which made “Itaewon Class,&r

Television Dec. 1, 2020

With many Korean dramas and movies heading to Netflix, the platform, with services in 190 countries, is becoming a major medium for the spread of Korean pop culture. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency’s African sector recently mentioned Netflix as one of the reasons for the popularity of Korean culture in South Africa. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs announced in October that South Korea’s favorability is at 60 on a zero-to-100 scale, the highest yet. Besides favorabil

Television Nov. 29, 2020