SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The share of South Koreans who play video games has fallen to its lowest level on record, underscoring a rapid shift in leisure habits as streaming platforms and short-form video content gain dominance, according to a new government-backed survey. A nationwide study released Monday by Korea Creative Content Agency found [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — As weight-loss drugs gain popularity in South Korea, gyms that once thrived on New Year’s diet resolutions are beginning to feel the strain. Fitness centers across Seoul report a noticeable shift in consumer behavior as more people turn to prescription obesity treatments such as Wegovy and Mounjaro instead of exercise [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — As soaring prices and rising gold costs strain household budgets, South Korea’s long-standing tradition of lavish first-birthday celebrations for infants, known as doljanchi, is steadily giving way to smaller, more private observances. Once marked by banquet halls, elaborate ceremonial tables and gold rings given as gifts, doljanchi has increasingly been [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean young adults are feeling growing pressure and unfairness from traditional gender-role expectations at home and in the workplace, according to findings released Thursday by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The results stem from “Soda Pop,” a series of five public talk concerts held from late October [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Jogye Temple, the main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, lit its annual Christmas tree on Thursday evening in a ceremony emphasizing interfaith harmony amid global and domestic tensions. The event, held at the temple’s main gate in central Seoul, brought together leaders from Korea’s major religious communities, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — A major exhibition of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection has drawn strong early interest in Washington, surpassing 15,000 visitors within its first month, underscoring growing global attention to Korean cultural heritage. The National Museum of Korea said on Thursday that attendance at “Korean Treasures: Collecting, Cherishing, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of foreign workers in South Korea surpassed 1.1 million in 2025 to reach a record high, with the proportion of employed international students also sharply up, a survey showed Thursday. As of May, there were 1.69 million foreigners aged 15 or older residing in Korea, up 8.4 [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The ceiling for no-show penalties at reservation-based fine dining restaurants will be raised to 40 percent of the preordered menu, the antitrust regulator said Thursday. From now on, advance reservation-based upscale restaurants, such as omakase establishments, will be allowed to charge a no-show fee of up to 40 percent [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to expand its national heritage–based industries into a ₩100 trillion ($75 billion) market over the next five years, positioning cultural legacy as a core driver of the country’s global soft power, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said Wednesday in its 2026 policy blueprint. The initiative comes amid [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to ban the free distribution of disposable plastic cups and phase out large paper cups at major cafés as part of a sweeping anti-plastic initiative set to be unveiled next week. The Climate and Environment Ministry said on Wednesday that its forthcoming “Comprehensive Anti-Plastic Strategy,” to be [...]