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

Red beans, rice grains, dried pollack, a pig's head and scissors -- this might seem like a random collection of items. But many Koreans would see the connection between them. They are items used in traditional superstitious practices here, either to protect against bad luck or to invite good fortune. The level to which people adhere to rituals involving these items or believe in the superstitions behind them varies greatly. Often, even those who do maintain such superstitious practices say

Hashtag Korea June 4, 2024

"K-everything: The rise and rise of Korean culture" (The Guardian) "The art market: Korean cool" (Financial Times) "Hallyu: 'Cool Korea' and the art of soft power" (Le Monde Diplomatique) From music and films to food, art and fashion, the world is falling in love with everything South Korean, according to overseas media reports. In their effort to understand this new object of global fascination, media outlets have been paying attention to what they ca

Hashtag Korea June 3, 2024

Over one in 10 households bought at least one lottery ticket during the first quarter of this year, marking the highest first-quarter percentage in the last five years -- over 10 percent -- data showed Thursday. These households spent on average 7,300 won ($5.31) on lotto tickets during the first quarter of 2024, according to data presented by Statistics Korea. The number of households that purchased any type of ticket -- including traditional drawing, scratch-off, one-off jackpot or annuity p

Social Affairs May 30, 2024

If your company were to adapt a four-day workweek, which day would you prefer to be the new day off: Monday or Friday to lengthen your weekend, or Wednesday to split the workweek in half? A recent online survey of South Korea's workers showed that Wednesday was preferred by the largest share of respondents. According to the poll, conducted by local portal site Nate, which is operated by SK Communications, 40 percent of the 11,120 respondents, or 4,528 individuals, chose to take a day off in

Social Affairs May 29, 2024

Korea’s top 30 conglomerates have doubled the number of artificial intelligence specialists in executive management and board of director positions in the space of a year, shows data released Tuesday. According to Leaders Index, a local business analysis and research center, which reviewed first-quarter regulatory filings submitted by 295 companies from the 30 business groups, there are now 187 executive-level managers specializing in AI. This figure marks a significant increase from the f

Companies May 28, 2024

Summer in South Korea this year is expected to be hotter than usual, with similar or more heavy rainfall than the average, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Thursday. "Amid seeing the frequent occurrences of abnormal weather worldwide, such as heat waves exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in Southeast Asia and floods in the United Arab Emirates, Korea is also forecast to have hotter temperatures (this summer) than in the last 30 years’ average, with the possibility of more rai

Social Affairs May 23, 2024

Three celebrities known for their involvement in the environmental movement -- actor Kim Suk-hoon, writer Lee Seul-a and Ko Kum-sook, co-founder of zero-waste shop Almang Market -- discussed the small changes they have made to combat climate change at the H.eco Forum held at Some Sevit, Seoul, on Wednesday. The annual forum, held under the theme, “The Transition: Blue, Clean and Green,” featured the celebrities sharing their experiences during a special panel session titled, &ldq

Social Affairs May 22, 2024

Nobuo Tanaka, former executive director of the International Energy Agency, emphasized the importance of hydrogen and nuclear energy for both Japan and South Korea to address global energy and climate crises, during his keynote speech at the H.eco Forum held in Seoul on Wednesday. "Japan and Korea, I definitely think, can be winners by using clean hydrogen as well as nuclear power," Tanaka said during his keynote speech at the annual forum organized by Herald Media Group. Tanaka, who c

Social Affairs May 22, 2024

In a move to protect bees and promote a healthier urban environment, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday a ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in parks and on roadside trees. While the correlation between neonicotinoid pesticides and bee deaths is still under investigation, the Seoul Metropolitan Government cited the potential risks to the environment for its decision to switch to less harmful alternatives. “We will minimize the use of chemical pesticides and expand e

Social Affairs May 20, 2024