Living in South Korea involves learning to differentiate between various mobile phone alerts and announcements, and deciding which ones to heed and which ones to disregard. These alerts, sent by different authorities such as police, city government and central governmental ministries, may seek assistance in locating missing persons, inform of air quality unsafe for outdoor activities, or warn about occasional trash-carrying balloons sent by North Korea. This summer, there is a new addition:

Social Affairs July 8, 2024

Gold bars found at a recycling site in Seoul have been safely returned to their owner, according to a local news report. The discovery gained attention through a post titled "The Prestige of Banpo Xi Recycling Center" on an online community forum on Wednesday. The post included an image of an apartment complex notice stating, "An employee found gold bars in a case for a CD player. The resident who discarded the CD player, please contact the resident support center to verify owners

Social Affairs July 5, 2024

South Korean ballad singer Sung Si-kyung's newly launched Korean rice wine, Kyungtakju, has been suspended from production for a month by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety due to labeling irregularities. According to the regulator, information such as the product name, manufacturer, individual manufacturing number and the volume of the product were missing. This information is required on product labels even for sample products. Sung can still sell products that have already been pro

Consumer July 2, 2024

The record for the most expensive apartment ever sold in South Korea was broken in June, according to government data tracking real estate transactions. The country's new most expensive apartment is a 273.94-square-meter first-floor unit at Nine One Hannam in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, which sold for 20 billion won ($14.5 million) on June 4. Nine One Hannam is known to be home to celebrities and business moguls, including RM and Jimin of K-pop group BTS and G-Dragon of Big Bang. Completed

Market July 1, 2024

Schools across Korea are on high alert as cases of whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness, surge among students in different regions. Daegu city government officials reported 73 cases of the respiratory disease as of last Thursday, the highest number in the past decade. This is a significant increase from the four cases reported in all of last year. Of the 73 cases, 65 involve students from elementary, middle and high schools in Daegu. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis o

Social Affairs June 26, 2024

Seen Aromi, a YouTuber in yoga attire clutching a reusable tumbler, greeted this reporter with a wide smile that crinkled her eyes on June 18. Despite her petite frame, Seen exuded a comfortable confidence that quickly filled the room. Her engaging and straightforward personality has contributed to her devoted fan base of 204,000 YouTube subscribers. However, she has also faced a relentless stream of online criticism. Her content, which has evolved since she first started her YouTube channel six

Hashtag Korea June 26, 2024

When star dog trainer Kang Hyung-wook was accused by his employees of mistreating and bullying them at work in May, the core allegation was that Kang had been monitoring staff messenger conversations and using surveillance cameras. The dispute between Kang and his former employees has sparked a debate about the appropriateness and legality of employers monitoring workplace messengers. Should management have the right to monitor employee communications? While companies may argue that such mon

Hashtag Korea June 25, 2024

Find the answer at the bottom. In many Korean dramas, the protagonist sits inside an orange tent called a "pojangmacha," drinking soju with a concerned friend or love interest. This is why for fans of Korean dramas, pojangmacha -- which means "covered wagon" in Korean -- are indeed a familiar trope. These street food stalls, serving comfort food and drinks, have been a beloved tradition for generations. Menus feature dishes like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), janchiguksu (n

Hashtag Korea June 25, 2024

In the ever-shifting realm of fashion trends, a public dispute between K-pop tastemaker Min Hee-jin and her company, Hybe, has inadvertently launched an unconventional style statement. Min, CEO of Hybe subsidiary Ador, found herself embroiled in controversy in April when Hybe filed a breach-of-trust complaint against her with police. However, it wasn't just the legal battle that captured public attention. Min's attire during her April press conference, in which she swung between a te

Culture June 19, 2024

Imagine living on the 15th floor with the elevator out of order -- not just for a few days, but for the entire summer. Residents of an apartment complex in Jung-gu, Incheon are facing this nightmarish scenario. As of Monday, all 24 elevators in the 608-unit Life Beach Mansion are out of service after failing a safety inspection on June 5. According to local reports, many of the 34-year-old complex’s over 1,400 residents are seniors. The elevator problem stemmed from the complex’s man

Social Affairs June 17, 2024

The South Korean government seeks to encourage the adoption of eco-friendly album production practices in the K-pop industry, amid mounting concerns about excessive album packaging harming the environment. The Ministry of Environment announced on Sunday that it will offer consulting services to K-pop agencies in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture starting this month. The initiative includes educating members of the Recording Industry Association of Korea about existing regulations on e

K-pop June 16, 2024

Find the answer at the bottom. Some of you might have discovered K-pop only recently, but within the Korean music industry, there is consensus that we are now in the fourth generation of K-pop. Each generation in the K-pop world is represented by music acts that have defining characteristics diverging from those of their predecessors. The first generation of K-pop idol groups includes H.O.T., S.E.S., Sechs Kies, Fin.K.L, Shinhwa and g.o.d, which ruled the K-pop scene from the 1990s to the

Hashtag Korea June 12, 2024

The popularity of OpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, has surged in South Korea, with the number of monthly users of its mobile app surpassing 1 million for the first time last month. User numbers rose by 30 percent in May, reaching an estimated 1,273,922, compared to 980,318 in April, according to statistics from the mobile big data company IGAWorks released Tuesday. This follows a steady increase from 697,830 in February to 880,364 in March. "The mobile app version i

Technology June 11, 2024

South Korea's level of gender equality improved slightly in 2022, although women's presence in leadership roles and political representation remains low, according to government data released on Friday. The National Gender Equality Index reached 65.7 out of 100 in 2022, marking a 0.2-point increase from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The index, which gauges the degree of equality between women and men in various areas, has been announced ann

Social Affairs June 7, 2024

Convenience stores in South Korea these days are in a league of their own. Along with everyday essentials and quick bites, they also sell fried chicken, fresh fruit, liquor and some expensive items like smartwatches, tires and even cars. Now, they are selling the sought-after safe-haven asset for investors: gold. Retail industry insiders attribute convenience stores’ rise as a place to buy gold to their accessibility and trustworthiness the nationwide retail franchises have established as

Consumer June 4, 2024