Perfume culture is another item in an ever-growing list of ways for people to express themselves. Korea has capitalized on this trend with “perfume workshops” that allow people to customize their own scent. Learn more about the custom perfume process here.
Korean artist Park Dae-sung's new exhibition, Ink and Soul, has been sweeping the international art community. Check out the traditional ink style reinvented here.
Ramen, ramyeon, and ramyun – what’s the difference? instant noodles are a favorite comfort food across the world, and exports of instant noodles from South Korea are on the rise. Learn the history of the snack we have all come to love.
Alarming studies have shown a decrease in the amount of sleep Korean workers are getting. Not only is this harmful for their health, but for the overall productivity of Korea. Learn why people are trading sleep for work in this article.
Chanel has never officially produced a full menswear collection, but G-Dragon's daring look has proved that Chanel is not limited to a single gender. Learn more about how Korean fashion designers are changing the game!
With lessening restrictions and an increase in cultural interest, Korea has greatly benefited from the excitement of people to travel internationally. Read more about how Korea is staying afloat with a recent wave of tourists.
Spice Up your Hot Dogs with a Korean Twist
Webtoons are the movies of the future according to Korean tech company CJ 4DPLEX. With innovations in the 4D movie experience, the Korean company wants to introduce a lower cost alternative to the action-packed movies that viewers can already see. Learn more about the future of Korean cinema here!
Ryu Sung-sil's 'The Burning Love Song' lays bare primal desire for wealth prevalent in Korea's neoliberal market economy. The artist saw that such an obsession with an elite upbringing and wealth could speak to one aspect of Korea's particular economic sensibilities, as the country's rapid growth brought equally swift changes to people's financial statuses. Read more to discover how art informs the Korean social discourse.
Incense burning has been practiced in Korea for centuries. In the 8th to 14th centuries, incense burning was an essential part of Buddhist rituals. As early as the start of this century, incense was primarily used only for special or ceremonial occasions. Today, it is used for meditation, yoga or “mung” (the Korean word for a trance-like state) sessions. Discover more here.
Insider spoke to seven South Korean tattoo artists about the paradox at the core of their profession, as they build up social-media presences to attract customers but hide their workshops in basements to avoid drawing the scrutiny of the law. South Korean tattoo artist Ilwol Hongdam has inked close to 4,000 people in the last 10 years, many of whom flew into Seoul just to see him. Read more about the controversial body art here.
Clothing is an extension of our self-image. It helps define who we are and where we have been. South Korea Hanbok, have evolved into various styles throughout history. Although once only used traditionally Hanbok continues to influence modern style and art. Learn more about the traditional garb, and it's intrinsic link to Korean culture and couture here.
Nike announced it will open the 'Nike Style Hongdae' in Seoul. Nike Style is a concept store that expands the brand to a lifestyle shop. The first of its kind Nike Style Hongdae will first launch in Korea. Generation Z, the future 'big hand', is the main target customer base. “Generation Z is the most creative and self-expression generation, and we want to tap into that” a Nike rep shared. Learn more about Gen Z shopping and fashion here.
Did you know that more than half of adults who had been drinking wine within 3 months said that they drank more wine last year compared to the previous year? Learn more about how premium wines are beginning to make their way into convenience stores and how wine companies are catering to the MZ Generation.
As social distancing limitations are being lifted, many young people are starting to flow into Gwangjang Market Food Alley, a traditional market where every stall in the middle of the street featured delectable snacks such as tteokbokki, sundae, and gimbap. Learn more about how these old locations are being revitalized thanks to the MZ Generation.
Triangle kimbap (samgak kimbap, 삼각김밥) is a Korean dish that is made with rice, vegetables, and meat fillings in thin sheets of dried seaweed. Learn the history of Samgak kimbap and how to make your own!
Over the last few years, Korean products have taken the world by storm. Consuming K-Pop, K-Dramas, and K-Beauty, little is yet known about Korean craft arts outside of Korea. Kim Eun-bi is determined to solve that problem with the opening of Kohip, an e-commerce platform service for promoting and selling traditional craft products with modern designs.
As the cost of living rises in the country and the number of one-person households increases, more people are seeking to buy products together at reduced prices when shopping for daily necessities. Learn how a local community service called "Buy Together" is addressing these issues and concerns for Korean people.
Korean culture has spread globally over the last few years thanks to the success of K-Pop, Korean films, and the K-Beauty scene attracting insatiable interest. Learn more about how Korea now has its eyes on becoming a significant fashion week in the world.
A fast-appearing trend-- grandmaniel, refers to the millennial generation who prefer the food and tastes of the grandmother generation. The popularity of grandmaniel started in media such as TV, movies, and advertisements, but has now entered the world of food. Learn more about this retro craze and its growth in Korea here
South Korea’s art market is estimated to hit about 532 billion won ($410.2 million) for the first half of 2022. Learn more about how much of this is thanks to the growing interest in NFTs as tech-savvy young people enter the art market.
Mythical animals, like the nine-tailed fox, dragons and “haetae” are some of the famous creatures featured in many Korean dramas, films and webtoons. If you want to learn about Korean gods, imaginary monsters and ghosts, the “Curious 12 Tales” exhibition in Insa-dong is a breathing display of all the gods, imaginary monsters, and ghosts of South Korean folk tales and myths.
So why is Generation MZ obsessed with audio dramas? Learn more about what audio dramas are and how this new form of entertainment allows young people to multitask while also benefiting producers in their low cost and time commitment.
Hundreds of volcanoes, over tens of thousands of years, are responsible for the formation of Korea’s largest island, Jejudo. Over the past 10 years, scientists have learned more about Jeju island’s volcanic history through modern scientific dating methods. Learn more about Songaksan Oreum, Manjanggul cave, and the home of sacrificial altar of Gimnyeongsagul cave.
78% percent of young people have not met a new person after the pandemic. The popularity of dating programs is inversely proportional to the ratio of dating among young people. Learn more about the rising concerns South Korea has for their youths lack of social interaction.
As the hot, humid days of Korea‘s rainy season are well underway, how about enjoying a weekend at...
A popular summertime dessert in Korea, Bingsu, shaved ice traditionally topped with red beans and drizzled with milk, gets fancy with endless varieties of toppings and presentations. Bingsu’s eye-catching makeovers can be found at five-star hotels that spare no expense in developing the most decadent shaved-ice variations each summer for instagram-able moments.
When Lee Sang-il, 66, a hairdresser to celebrities retired he hinted that he was about to embark on a very big project. 5-years ago today he unveiled his epic resort preserving nature and incorporating the buildings naturally into the environment. The artist grows more creative with age and has pledged to share the joy of his works with the entire art community. See his creations here.
Park Chang-woo, founder and CEO of multichannel networking firm Soon Ent, said businesses should not misunderstand TikTok and should seize opportunities the platform presents. Speaking at The Korea Herald’s Global Business Forum, Park emphasized that TikTok, a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is more than an alternative to video-streaming juggernaut YouTube. Are you on Tik Tok? Is your business?
South Korea is known for its strong financial systems. SK Banks have held steady through the pandemic and now look to the future of digital finance in Generation MZ. Offering all-hours transactions and social-first banking to the nation's youth. Read more here.
Today, we’re excited to share a recipe for the delicious, Korean comfort food classic: tuna gimbap (chamchi-gimbap: 참치김밥). For home chefs to seasonsed chefs inspired across borders--learn how to make this delicious dish here!
In a recent survey, employees pointed out that people in high-ranking positions typically neglected the needs of the MZ generation. In response, CEOs from Samsung, LG, and other top firms are working on strengthening their communication with the MZ generation, especially as the younger generation is now taking the center stage in each company. Read more about their efforts here.
President Biden visits the number one chip manufacturing company in the world during his three-day tour of Korea. Let us look at Biden’s, and the recently elected Korean President Yoon’s, visit of the Samsung chip plant. Read more here.
Korean game companies are increasingly setting their eyes on projects centered on virtual human character development, aimed at carving out new endeavors in non-gaming areas such as music and marketing sponsorships. With the advancement in computing power and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, experts predict more projects will launch in the future in various commercial applications with dynamic characters.
As Korean culture is gaining popularity, led by Generation Z in Japan (10-20s), Japanese consumer goods companies are putting ‘Korea’ at the forefront of their marketing. However, the era of the fourth Hallyu Korean Wave, spread mainly through streaming platforms such as Netflix. Read more here.
ICYMI: the Korean wave is real. Over the past few decades, the world has seen the global arts, culture, and technology spheres won over — nay, dominated — by Korean creativity and innovation. Korea: Cubically Imagined, an exhibition spotlighting the nation’s leading creatives in 17 tech-powered installations, is further boosting Korea’s presence on the cultural landscape. Read more here!
