JEJU, Dec. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of visitors to Jeju Island are incorporating running into their travel itineraries, turning outdoor exercise into a popular part of the island’s tourism culture, according to new data released Wednesday. The Korea Tourism Organization’s Jeju office said its latest report, “Jeju Travel Through Data – Running Edition,” [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The average amount South Koreans send as mobile wedding gifts has surpassed 100,000 won (US$68) for the first time this year, reflecting changing social norms and rising costs, according to new data from KakaoPay. In its annual “2025 Money Report” released Wednesday, KakaoPay said the average transfer made through its [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — CJ Olive Young, South Korea’s leading health and beauty retailer, plans to expand aggressively into wellness as consumer behavior shifts from traditional K-beauty purchases toward holistic health products, the company said Wednesday. In the first quarter of 2025, Olive Young will introduce “Olive Better,” billed as the country’s first omnichannel [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s heritage authorities and the Seoul metropolitan government have held their first round of preliminary talks to address a growing dispute over a controversial high-rise redevelopment project planned near Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Director-general-level officials from the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), the Ministry of Culture, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Six out of ten South Korean college seniors and recent graduates who are searching for jobs say they are doing so only passively, with little expectation of being hired, according to a nationwide survey released Monday by the Korea Employers Federation. The survey, conducted between October and November among 2,492 [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Rapper Jay-Z’s investment fund has joined hands with a South Korean asset manager to raise a private equity fund (PEF) that invests in Korean entertainment, beauty and lifestyle, officials said Tuesday. MarcyPen Capital Partners LLC, which is backed by the U.S. rapper, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Single-person households have become the most common living arrangement in South Korea, accounting for roughly 36 percent of all households last year, according to government data released Tuesday. The annual survey by the Ministry of Data and Statistics found that 8.05 million households consisted of a single person in 2024, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul plans to launch a pilot car-free running program next spring, allowing residents to jog through parts of the city center on weekend mornings, Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced during a visit to Kuala Lumpur this week. The initiative takes inspiration from Kuala Lumpur’s “Car-Free Morning,” a municipal fitness program that [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Cigarette smoking among South Korean adults has fallen over the past year, but the use of e-cigarettes has increased, underscoring shifting consumption habits amid persistent public health concerns, according to new national survey data released Monday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) analyzed findings from its 2025 Community [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — A nationwide charity running campaign jointly organized by KakaoPay and singer Sean has concluded with record participation, underscoring the rapid rise of digital philanthropy and community fundraising in South Korea. The “2025 Long Run” campaign — designed as an online and offline donation marathon — drew a combined 265,000 participants, [...]