On March 10, controversy sparked over 2024 Academy Awards winners Emma Stone and Robert Downey Jr.’s behavior on-stage. Although it is customary for Oscar winners to receive their trophies from their predecessors, the two actors seemed to ignore the last year’s Oscar winning Asian actors that were p
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism announced to raise the discount limit from South Korea’s fixed book price to surpass 15 percent for independently-owned local bookstores in order to encourage more incomers on March 4. Fixed book price (FBP) regulates the publishing market by restricting
Call it a trend, call it a controversial act, but latest hits by fourth generation K-pop female figures underscore a unity of their voices in promoting women empowerment. These female K-pop groups that debuted in 2018 or later, boldly promote the big theme through music while still preserving their
Webtoons, a term for digital comic series coined in South Korea, have stretched from a local form of entertainment to a global audience. The popularity of webtoons has made them a hot content intellectual property (IP) thanks to screen adaptations via streaming services. In the drama industry, webto
One signature trait of the Korean younger generation is its love for pop-up stores. Generation Z line up in endless queues or join fierce competitions for tickets to take photos and experience the limited opening of the hottest shops. For instance, the pop-up store “Ice Cream Shop” by cosmetics bran
An article written by Barrington Area Library revealed that among the roughly 100 idol groups that debut each year, less than 5 percent survive. The estimated age of K-pop idols at the time of their debut ranges from 16 to 21, but it is not unusual to see idols who are even younger than 16. Entertai
In the dynamic realm of South Korean entertainment, a peculiar yet prominent trend has emerged – the convergence of drinking culture and mainstream media. Through livestreams and reality TV shows, often dubbed “sulbang” – a combination of “sul,” meaning alcohol, and “bang,” short for the Korean word
“Siren: Survive the Island” is a Korean Netflix survival program that shows physical battles and strategic mind races to occupy the opponent’s base on a remote island. The show casts women from six different occupational groups, all of which are from male-dominated fields such as the military or sec
For the past few years, MBTI, which stands for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, has been the most trending topic among the younger generations and even used as a marketing source in South Korea. MBTI is a self-reported personality type test tool which was first designed in 1944 by Myers and Briggs based
Since the Korea Culture and Arts Foundation established the Korean Literature Translation Support Project to attract international readers in 1968, Korean literature has long been on the path towards becoming a major contributor in enriching world literature. As another indication of the gradual glo
Sales of perfumes are skyrocketing after COVID-19, with the main consumers in their 20s and 30s, namely Millennials and Generation Z. The recent lifting of the mask mandate is expected to lead to further growth in perfume sales. The Proust phenomenon, meaning odors can trigger memories, is one of th
While various investment techniques such as cryptocurrency and stock trading are being widely used, gift-tech, a combination of gifticon and investment technique, has been gaining much attention nowadays for its efficiency. Gifticon is a service where one purchases a certain product that can be deli
After the countdown reaches zero, magnificent fireworks light up the dark night sky. People put their hands up and shout in joy. It was the site of the Songdo Beer Festival, which was held this summer in Incheon, Korea. The festival was hotting up the summer night. With the advent of the “With Coron
In the music video of K-pop group EXID’s tenth-anniversary album title track “Fire,” Hani’s box braid hairstyle was evidently blurred out. Their comeback announcement has left many fans in anticipation until the teaser for the music video ignited controversy on social media as viewers called out for
“Rubber Duck Project Seoul 2022” by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman and “National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) Hyundai Motor Series 2022: Little Ark” by Choe U-Ram show that recent works of art are no longer flat and stationary, but rather huge and mobile. Furthermore, “Handsha
On June 21 4 p.m. KST, South Korea’s Nuri rocket was successfully launched from Naro Space Center redeeming last year’s failed attempt. The rocket is a three-stage launch vehicle topped with five satellites developed by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute to ca
A major paradigm shift has hit the distribution market. Traditionally, sales strategies were more of a challenge to attract and sell products to as many customers as possible, regardless of the type of goods. However, over the years, the climate of the market has gradually yet definitely changed tow
With more than 25 dating shows being broadcasted or to be broadcasted in 2022, these programs have gained massive popularity from all ages in current South Korea. “I am SOLO” from Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) and Entertainment DNA (ENA) and “Love After Divorce” from Maeil Broadcasting Network (MB
South Korea, ranking one of the most educated countries in the world, has a significantly high literacy rate of 97.97 percent according to a survey conducted by the World Population Review. Having more than 90 percent of the individuals over 15 years old with the ability to read and write, most Kore
Fashion trends always seem to have a way of making a comeback, with Y2K being no exception. The iconic crop tops of Y2K fashion may not benew, but they are definitely dominating the streets nowadays. According to a survey of 75 Ewha students conducted by Ewha Voice from Aug. 24 to Aug. 31, more than