The Korea Tourism Organization released a promotional video titled “Explore Korea,” made in collaboration with Netflix, using a compilation of clips of Korea shown in films and dramas on the global online streaming platform. The approximately 90-second clip was released Monday through the KTO’s YouTube channel. The clip, a compilation of scenes from Netflix original programming, shows the history, food and tourist attractions of Korea, along with local lifestyles. Tradition

Travel July 7, 2020

Veteran actor Lee Soon-jae released a personal statement Sunday through his agency apologizing for unfairly treating his former manager and asked the public to stop any criticism towards the manager. The statement came out after the manager, who worked for Lee for two months starting March, claimed that he had to work long hours without signing a proper contract during his interview with SBS on June 29. He also added that he was unfairly dismissed after he requested insurance coverage. &ldq

Television July 6, 2020

More and more previous and current members of K-pop groups are revealing conflict with other members on social media. FNC Entertainment announced late Saturday night that Jimin, leader of AOA, will be leaving the group and will quit all activity following former bandmate Mina’s exposure of Jimin’s harsh actions. “The company also feels responsible for the entire situation and will do everything possible to take care of its artists. We are once again sorry for causing worry f

K-pop July 5, 2020

While many Koreans dream of working for major corporations, they may not be as grand as they sound. People can pursue career goals and earn high salaries at big companies, but the heavy workload and frequent get-togethers can lead many workers to poor health. While the cultures of large companies have been changing recently, many workers are often left to choose between their careers and their personal health. Two startup CEOs, Lee Hyung-jin and Lim Ji-young, who experienced deteriorating h

Food July 4, 2020

Celebrity Jang Sung-kyu released his latest song “Workman” featuring Jay Park and Sik-K on Wednesday. The making of the song was shown through a video that was uploaded on his popular YouTube channel Workman on June 24. In his channel that has over 3 million subscribers, Jang introduces and shares his experience with different jobs, ranging from working in an aquarium to a construction site. “All the proceeds will be donated to financially support industrial accident workers

Performance July 4, 2020

Veteran actor Lee Soon-jae’s agency SG Way entertainment released a press statement Wednesday providing details surrounding the firing of his former manager and apologizing to him as the dispute between them continued. The conflict between Lee’s previous road manager and Lee’s agency came to light when SBS aired an interview with the former manager Monday for its evening news segment. According to the report, the manager, who worked for Lee for two months starting March befor

Television July 1, 2020

Hundreds of people watch as a woman in a livestream takes off her clothes, leaving on nothing but her face mask and underwear. She then tells viewers that in 30 minutes, only those who “donate” 200 kons -- an amount of Popkon TV currency equal to 20,000 won ($16.60) -- will be allowed to join her in the “fan room.” In fan rooms, livestreamers reveal even more of themselves, fulfilling the requests of viewers who pay extra until the platform shuts the room down for viol

Culture June 30, 2020

As students returned to schools wearing masks, changes to the school lunch system were inevitable to ensure the safety of students from COVID-19. Since the coronavirus can be transmitted through saliva, students were considered most vulnerable during lunch when they took off masks to eat. As such, many measures have been taken by schools under the central government’s instructions. Many schools have installed individual partitions in classrooms and cafeterias. Doors to dining halls are

Food June 27, 2020

Kellogg Korea’s latest release, Chex Green Onion is stirring up the Internet even before hitting the shelves. Kellogg Korea uploaded a 6-second-long video on June 17 on its YouTube channel, recruiting 50 people to try its newest product before its release. The video showed chopped green onion being sprinkled on chocolate flavored Korean cereal Chex with milk with background music with the lyrics “sorry, sorry, sorry” by trot singer Tae Jin-ah. The video reached ove

Food June 26, 2020

Riot Games will donate proceeds from the sale of certain in-game items to help people suffering from the spread of COVID-19. Starting Friday at 5 a.m. until July 24, proceeds from three in-game champion skins, or character decorations, as well as other accessory items, such as limited icons and emoticons, will be donated to the Riot Games Social Impact Fund. The three champion skins for the event, which are Nurse Akali, Kennen M.D. and Surgeon Shen, are all medical-staff-related skins in orde

Culture June 26, 2020

Around 200 people working in the art industry signed the BLM Korea Arts online declaration, which calls for racial equality in South Korean art facilities. Titled “Korean art facilities need to reflect and reform regarding the racial discrimination problem,” the online declaration was released June 15 by Korean artist Young-jun Tak, who works in Seoul and Berlin. Tak’s body of work focuses on issues such as discrimination against LGBTQ individuals by Korean Christians, somet

Arts & Design June 24, 2020

Last year’s popular drama “Hotel Del Luna” will be remade into a US television series. Studio Dragon, the maker of the drama, which recently opened a US branch, announced a collaboration with Skydance TV on Wednesday to plan and produce the US remake. Skydance TV is the production company behind “Terminator: Dark Fate,” “6 Underground” and “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” among others. This is the first time a Korean studio will be w

Television June 24, 2020

As COVID-19 has shut down travel across the globe, Culture Station Seoul 284’s “New Discovery of Travel” exhibition attempts to answer the question, “Why do we travel?” The “New Discovery of Travel,” which was scheduled for June 23 to Aug. 8, will be shown online starting from the second week of July instead, according to the organizer, as the former train station-turned-cultural space was closed down due to the spread of COVID-19. Scheduled performanc

Travel June 23, 2020

In recent years, the portrayal of LGBTQ characters in Korean dramas has evolved, with more sexual minorities appearing as main and supporting characters in various series. Rather than shunning sexual minorities or describing them comically, as has been the case in the past, Korean dramas have begun to portray LGBTQ characters in ways that were once considered taboo in the Korean entertainment industry. In the past, LGBTQ characters rarely had major parts and appeared in dramas for no more tha

Television June 22, 2020

The 2020 Cannes Film Market, an annual marketplace where the global movie industry convenes for business opportunities, will be held online for the first time this week from Monday to Friday, featuring several Korean films attempting to follow the success of last year’s grand prize winner “Parasite” by director Bong Joon-ho. The online film market will try to mirror the offline experience by hosting online concerts, keynote talks and over 150 events, with more than 1,200 onlin

Film June 21, 2020