SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has seen its marriage and birth patterns shift dramatically over the past three decades, with the number of marriages nearly cut in half, births falling by two-thirds, and cross-cultural unions rising sharply, government data showed Wednesday. According to Statistics Korea, marriages peaked at 434,900 in 1996 but dropped [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government is stepping up efforts to promote work-life balance, spotlighting companies that have embraced flexible schedules and reaped tangible benefits, from lower turnover to stronger hiring power. At an awards ceremony in Seoul on Wednesday, the Ministry of Employment and Labor honored 21 winners of its [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A group of South Korean media scholars has called for the abandonment of the medical classification of gaming disorder, arguing that framing play as a disease reflects a long history of cultural repression cloaked in health concerns. In a report commissioned by the Korea Creative Content Agency and the [...]
BUCHEON, South Korea, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A satirical cartoon that once ignited a political storm in South Korea is set to reappear at the Bucheon International Comics Festival this month, three years after its initial exhibition was cut short under government pressure. The work, known as Yoon Seok-yeol Train, won first prize [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – With reservoirs at record lows and water rationing already in effect, Gangneung residents are grasping for relief from the city’s worst drought in decades. While local officials have staged traditional rain rituals, many Koreans are embracing a modern version — turning to social media with humor, superstition and collective [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A government-funded study, quietly withheld during South Korea’s contentious pension reform debate, has surfaced with stark warnings that elderly poverty could worsen dramatically under the current system, raising questions over transparency and policy priorities. The report, produced last December by researchers at the National Pension Research Institute, projected that if the [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Poverty and low educational attainment are significantly delaying young South Koreans’ transition into adulthood — from employment to leaving home to marriage — while also deepening psychological distress, according to a government-funded study released Tuesday. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs analyzed data from more than 1,200 [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) -- A step into the expansive, light-filled spaces of the traditional Korean house, “hanok,” Sunhyewon, in Seoul’s Samcheong-dong, brings an immersive and surreal experience akin to walking on clouds. The reflective surface, which mirrors the wooden ceiling, blurs the lines between the venue’s architectural grace and its surroundings, creating a [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Once a niche Japanese tea, matcha has surged into the global mainstream, embraced by younger consumers seeking both flavor and wellness. From convenience-store desserts and cocktails to luxury fashion and beauty, the powdered green tea has become a cultural and commercial phenomenon. In South Korea, convenience chain CU announced on [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Two of the world’s leading luxury houses are taking their competition from the runway to the restaurant table in one of Seoul’s most fashionable districts. Gucci will open its newly relocated and revamped restaurant, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Seoul, on Tuesday inside its Cheongdam flagship store. The venture, [...]