South Korea has the highest percentage of "skinny fat” women in their 20s out of 17 countries surveyed, according to a report. According to InBody, a South Korean maker of body composition analyzers, a person is described as "skinny fat" when they have a low body weight but are high in their body fat percentage and low in their muscle mass. Data collected between January 2018 and December 2022 showed 15.8 percent of South Korean women in their 20s fall within this category

Social Affairs April 4, 2024

Fu Bao, a giant panda that enjoyed rock star status in South Korea, returned to China on Wednesday, according to officials at the Everland zoo. The female panda, born in 2020 to a panda pair China loaned to Korea in 2016, was the first cub born in Korea through natural breeding. According to officials at Everland, located in Yongin Gyeonggi Province, the giant panda departed Panda World, its home for the past 1,354 days in Everland as well as in Korea, after a special 20-minute farewell event he

Culture April 3, 2024

Are you considering raising a pit bull terrier? Then you will soon need to get approval from the local authorities, according to a government plan unveiled Wednesday. Starting April 27, government approval will be required to own certain dog breeds considered dangerous under the Animal Protection Act, which specifies five dangerous breeds including tosa inu, pit bull terriers and rottweilers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The decision comes in response to a s

Social Affairs April 3, 2024

As seen on popular YouTube channels featuring happy couples as well as heartwarming drama series like "Eye Love You," Korean men and Japanese women are increasingly finding love. In 2023, there were 840 marriages registered here between Korean men and Japanese women, marking a 40.1 percent surge from the 599 recorded in 2022, according to Statistics Korea. While such marriages still only constitute a small portion of the total number of marriages of Korean nationals to a spouse of fo

Social Affairs March 26, 2024

"Your face looks good." When Justin Ku first heard this remark from one of his relatives here, he took it as a compliment. He later discovered that the phrase is more often used by Koreans to point out when you've gained weight. "I was shocked by how casually they said it," said Ku, 34, who had emigrated to the US when he was young and moved back to Korea as an adult. Ku is not alone in his surprise at the prevalence of body-shaming embedded in the fatphobic social atmosphere

Hashtag Korea March 24, 2024

Even in Seoul, teeming with so many busy people, Baek Yo-sun stands out for striving to live in two seemingly contrasting worlds. By day, she's a human resources and post-investment management consultant at a venture capital firm dedicated to nurturing local startups. When the sun sets or weekend begins, she shifts gears to transform into an actor, breathing life into diverse characters. Striking a balance between her two lives has not been easy. She acknowledges that there may not be a p

Hashtag Korea March 21, 2024

In neighborhood public spaces such as subway stations, it's not uncommon to witness individuals engaging in suspicious exchanges like in a spy film, often starting their exchange with a question that includes the Korean term, “danggeun.” “Hoksi danggeun?” one might inquire to initiate the exchange, which literally translates to, “Carrots, by any chance?” But while the word “danggeun” means carrot or carrots in English, these furtive traders

Hashtag Korea March 19, 2024

Listeners of Korean pop music from around two decades ago will find many of the songs on today's popular music charts familiar, as remake songs continue to gain popularity. On Melon, the largest Korean music streaming platform, Lim Jae-hyun's "Rhapsody of Sadness" and boy band Riize's "Love 119" have secured spots on the Top 10 popular music chart as of Tuesday. The two tracks are remakes of the originals: "Rhapsody of Sadness" by singer Choi Jae-ho

K-pop March 19, 2024

Braille maps of Odaesan National Park, located in Gangwon Province, are now available, the Korea National Park Service announced Monday. The release marks the first of a planned series covering all 23 national parks designed to assist both people with low vision and those who are blind. Developed in collaboration between the parks administration body and the National Geographic Information Institute, the maps, including the inaugural edition for Odaesan, will be distributed to centers and school

Social Affairs March 18, 2024

In South Korea's fan culture of aegyo, which emphasizes stars appeasing fans with adorable and cutesy behaviors, even the legendary "Oldboy" star is not exempt. In fact, his wholehearted embrace of this playful interaction with fans is earning him even more respect. As Choi Min-sik, globally acclaimed for his charismatic role in the 2003 film, attends audience meet-and-greet events held at local theaters as part of promotions for his latest film “Exhuma,” photos of t

Culture March 14, 2024

Jeju’s provincial government has recently hired a news anchor to conduct its weekly YouTube program for 600,000 won ($450) a month: virtual human J-na. The computer-created female presenter primarily delivers policy updates and local news from the island, reading scripts prepared via artificial intelligence. The program, developed and managed by a private contractor company, costs 600,000 won per month, according to the island province. "Employing human news presenters incurs signif

Social Affairs March 13, 2024

Kim Min-ju, 38, confesses her tolerance for spicy foods is relatively low by Korean standards. But there’s a way to overcome it and still indulge in Korea’s wide array of spicy dishes -- adding cheese. This approach not only makes the dishes more enjoyable, but also creates a perfect balance of creamy richness and heat, she said: "It helps to temper the spiciness without significantly altering the dish's original flavor." Last year, she and her 8-year-old son even tr

Hashtag Korea March 12, 2024

A third of foreign arrivals in Korea last year were under 30 amid the continuing popularity of Korean popular culture among younger generations worldwide. The Korea Tourism Organization's data, released Monday, showed a surge in young people coming to Korea. Of the 11.03 million foreign nationals who entered the country in 2023, 3.93 million, or 35.6 percent, were 30 years old or younger. This is a significant jump from 27.6 percent in 2013, when the overall number was only slightly higher,

Social Affairs March 11, 2024

The government has set in motion a plan to legalize tattooing by nonmedical practitioners. Currently, only medical professionals are authorized to administer tattoos in Korea. According to the Health Ministry on Thursday, it commissioned research earlier this month to develop a national qualification exam for tattoo practitioners. The result of that study, set to be published in November this year, will likely serve as a reference for formulating details of the licensing exam for tattooists and

Social Affairs March 7, 2024

What made you decide to stop seeing someone after more than three dates? What were the dealbreakers? A new survey conducted by Korean matchmaking services Only You and Bienarae asked this question to divorced, single men and women and found clear differences between their answers. For men, the most significant turnoff, as chosen by 33.8 percent of respondents, was a woman who does not appear to prioritize him over others, while women found the use of vulgar language to be the most off-putting

Social Affairs March 6, 2024