Culture & Trend Archives | Be Korea-savvy

Archive by category Culture & Trend

Young Koreans Say Traditional Gender Roles Still Weigh Heavily at Work and Home

Young Koreans Say Traditional Gender Roles Still Weigh Heavily at Work and Home

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’s Jogye Temple Lights Christmas Tree in Symbol of Interfaith Harmony

Seoul’s Jogye Temple Lights Christmas Tree in Symbol of Interfaith Harmony

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, [...]

Korean Masterpieces From the Lee Kun-hee Collection Find a Wide Audience in Washington

Korean Masterpieces From the Lee Kun-hee Collection Find a Wide Audience in Washington

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, [...]

As Korea Attracts More Global Talent, Foreign Employment Reaches Historic High

As Korea Attracts More Global Talent, Foreign Employment Reaches Historic High

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 [...]

Penalties for Restaurant No-Shows Quadrupled Under New FTC Guidelines

Penalties for Restaurant No-Shows Quadrupled Under New FTC Guidelines

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 [...]

From Palaces to Pop Culture: Korea Maps Out a ₩100 Trillion Heritage Future

From Palaces to Pop Culture: Korea Maps Out a ₩100 Trillion Heritage Future

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 [...]

Cafés to Charge for Plastic Cups Under Korea’s New Anti-Plastic Strategy

Cafés to Charge for Plastic Cups Under Korea’s New Anti-Plastic Strategy

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 [...]

Parents Prioritize Health and Honesty for Young Children, Survey Finds

Parents Prioritize Health and Honesty for Young Children, Survey Finds

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) —  Most South Korean parents say the trait they most hope to cultivate in their young children is simply becoming “a healthy person,” with honesty ranking as the top core value, according to new research released Wednesday. The survey, conducted by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education and [...]

Foreign Tourists Shift Toward Practical, Taste-Driven Spending

Foreign Tourists Shift Toward Practical, Taste-Driven Spending

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign visitors to South Korea are increasingly favoring “value-for-money” shopping aligned with personal tastes, signaling a shift away from the high-end, big-ticket purchases that once dominated tourist consumption, according to new data released by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). An analysis of foreign credit card transactions from 2018 through September [...]

Home-Based Care in High Demand, but Local Governments Seen as Unprepared

Home-Based Care in High Demand, but Local Governments Seen as Unprepared

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Most South Koreans want to remain in their homes or local communities as they age or face illness, but many say the country’s local care systems are not prepared to support that preference, according to a new nationwide survey released Tuesday. The survey of 1,500 adults, conducted earlier this month [...]