As tip jars quietly appear in restaurants, backlash grows against what many see as creeping Americanization of service culture SEOUL, August 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Koreans are voicing frustration over the appearance of tip boxes in local restaurants, igniting debate over whether a foreign practice should be grafted onto a [...]
As ad revenue declines, South Korean digital creators shift toward memberships, merch, and multi-platform branding strategies SEOUL, August 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Once fueled by the chase for views and viral content, South Korea’s YouTubers are increasingly transforming into entrepreneurs, diversifying their revenue streams and treating their channels as full-fledged personal brands. According to industry sources [...]
BUCHEON, August 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Once a symbol of environmental controversy, a former waste incinerator in Bucheon has been reborn as a thriving cultural landmark. The Bucheon Art Bunker B39, a six-story industrial relic near Bucheon IC on the Gyeongin Expressway, is now at the heart of the city’s cultural revival—an emblem of urban [...]
SEOUL, August 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has designated the 1936 Berlin Olympics “Erased Rising Sun” incident—where Korean newspapers removed the Japanese flag from the uniform of marathon gold medalist Sohn Kee-chung—as the “Independence Movement of August 2025.” At the time, Sohn, a Korean athlete under Japanese colonial [...]
SEOUL, August 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Amid rising temperatures and summer body pressures, South Korean health authorities are sounding the alarm over a disturbing body image trend spreading across social media platforms. The Korea Health Promotion Institute (KHPI) on Thursday warned against the glamorization of extreme thinness—particularly the so-called “bone arm” ideal—highlighting its potential harm [...]
SEOUL, August 1 (Korea Bizwire) – Once regarded as a beloved and affordable comfort food, samgyeopsal—Korean pork belly—has reignited public debate, with customers increasingly voicing frustration over high prices and excessive fat content in their orders. The latest controversy erupted when a YouTuber named “Kkujun” posted a video from a restaurant in Ulleungdo, claiming that [...]
SEOUL, July 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Movie attendance plummeted by more than 30 percent on-year in the first half of the year, a midyear report from the Korean Film Council showed Thursday. According to the report, total attendance from January to June was 42.5 million, generating 407.9 billion won (US$293 million) in ticket sales. The [...]
SEOUL, July 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) is set to unveil a new exhibition by genre-bending artist TZUSOO on Friday, transforming the open, central Seoul Box exhibition space with a physical manifestation of her intricate digital world. TZUSOO is the inaugural artist featured in the museum’s new, [...]
SEOUL, July 31 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Everland has once again proven its horticultural prowess on the international stage, with its homegrown rose variety “Pink Pastry” winning both a Bronze Medal and a Special Fragrance Award at the 23rd International Rose Competition held in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. According to Samsung C&T Resort Group on Thursday, [...]
SEOUL, July 30 (Korea Bizwire) — August has emerged as the deadliest month for drowsy driving-related fatalities in South Korea, with the summer vacation season and long-distance travel contributing to a sharp rise in accidents, according to data released Wednesday by the National Police Agency. Between 2020 and 2024, a total of 9,559 drowsy driving [...]