Cheers rose to deafening levels as a fully masked crowd of about 200 K-pop fans invited to “KCON 2022 Premier” packed into the CJ ENM Center in Sangam-dong, western Seoul, last Saturday celebrated the return of fan chants and screaming out loud. The first edition of the premiere shows leading up to the main event, “KCON 2022,” was significant as it not only marked the return of the annual global K-pop festival, but also the lifting of a noise ban imposed on audiences at concerts, as South Korea recently lifted all major social distancing rules for COVID-19.

The number of South Koreans who are 19 and younger that hold shares in Samsung Electronics reached 358,257 teens in December last year, a record high, according to the Korea Securities Depository. This number accounts for 7% of all shareholders and 0.2% percent of the total shares the tech giant has issued. The shares the teenagers held at the time amounted to 1.1 trillion won ($891 million). The rise in the number of teen accounts in 2021, jumped three-fold from the previous year, is believed to be prompted by a retail rush emboldened by fiscal and monetary stimulus measures the government had rolled out to ride out the coronavirus pandemic.

A series-A funding round led by Coentry Investment and NH Investment saw the Korean metaverse company DoubleMe raise $25 million, with Samsung Electronics participating. DoubleMe is a metaverse startup focused on bringing the physical and virtual worlds together. It pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with 3D technology. Two-dimensional recordings are converted into three-dimensional visuals with the help of DoubleMe. Earlier this year, TwinWorld, a metaverse platform that allows individuals to construct an artificial reality (AR) encounter in any real-world location, was made available.

Heo Young-hoe, the founder of Withus, combines human capacity with mechanical motion to generate electrical energy with his innovative bicycle generators. Withus brings energy-harvesting technology to the street with non-contact bicycle generators. Such technologies have increased in popularity as eco-friendly living and cost-saving transportation options continue to develop in Korea and all around the world. Energy harvesting, the process of capturing regular human output and converting it into energy for practical use, is not only used in transportation but also in renewable energies. Could this be the future?

In the plaza of the Lapak ticket office, there is a photo zone containing the original figure of Seung-hwan Oh, Ja-wook Koo, and Tae-in Won (famous professional baseball players). To build on this idea, the Samsung Lions worked hard to create a new photo zone to capture the meaning of the team while also adding a bit of fun at the same time ahead of the season.  

Since Gangnam Style took the world by storm in 2012, weird and wonderful news stories about South Korea pop up every week. We decided to take a dive into why the world is obsessed with Korea. 

In Episode 6 of Korea hit-show Squid Game, Mi-nyeo becomes the odd one out as nobody wants to pair with her. However, it turns out that she was not eliminated as she was dubbed the “Kkakdugi” or the weakest link in the English version. But why was she dubbed a Kkakdugi? Directly translated, it means radish kimchi. But when playing games, it takes on a whole different meaning. 

'Hybe' was selected as one of the '100 Most Influential Companies' announced by TIME, an American weekly magazine, for the second year in a row. Time selected Hybe as the leader in THE POP POWERHOUSE category and had seen expansion of the company during the height of COVID-19 when many others were facing challenges. 

Have you ever heard of finger heart? It is one of the Korean hand gestures that has grown into popularity worldwide. Before you hop on the plane to Korea, you may want to familiarize yourself with some important points of Korean culture, society, and customs including these hand signs. 

Korean’s 8282 (ppalli ppalli) culture is all about going faster. This culture has come from the fact that Koreans have for the last several decades been pushing for things to get done faster. But today, after decades of rushing, there are calls for a more leisurely lifestyle. Learn more about why it is called the 8282 culture and how the rushing culture of Korea was both beneficial and detrimental to the country. 

If you come across any Korean name, chances are their surname is probably Kim (김) which makes up 21.5% of South Korea’s population. Compared to the United States, the most popular last name is Smith, yet it only makes up 1% of their total population. Learn more about how one surname consists of almost a quarter of the country’s population. 

The catchy South Korean produced song had hit a new milestone on YouTube in 2020. Its music video has over 10 billion views after releasing in Korea in 2016. Can you guess what song it is? Learn more here! 

Korea is a nation of mountains. In fact, mountains make up 70 to 80 percent of the landmass. It is common to see people in cities wearing brightly colored mountaineering gear like Black Yak clothing. Climbing and hiking attire - “The “athleisure look” - has moved from the mountains to the office! 

It’s been statistically proven that Koreans drink more than people in any other country in Asia!  Here are some cultural guidelines. 

Young Koreans are adopting habits to better handle stress and anxiety and are finding themselves more peaceful and present in their work and personal lives.

Artifact-inspired merchandise has brought a notable change in the sales of a wide range of goods.

Koreans have, for centuries, held a fondness for saunas or hanjeungmak / jimjilbangs. This dates back to the 15th century during the Joseon dynasty. In addition to their health, medicinal, and beautification benefits, saunas and public baths are an important social center in Korean culture and society.    

The city of Seoul installed in-ground traffic lights to protect the safety of pedestrians that are glued to their phone. 

South Korean fashion is in the global spotlight. Hanbok, Korean traditional clothing, is being reinterpreted for the modern world. Updated designs and patterns have gained recognition in the fashion world. Learn more here!

I rode Seoul's famous subway system for a week to see if it's really the best in the world, and saw why New York will never catch up. 

Some older brands are adapting their messaging to incorporate the voices of and appeal to a new generation of customers.​