SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Many South Korean fathers envision themselves as warm, engaged, “friend-like” parents before having children. But once parenting begins, most find themselves becoming something very different: busy, tired, and time-starved. A new survey released Sunday by the Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association, KoPHWA) shows a wide gap between the fathers [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean retailers are increasingly turning to character-based intellectual property to differentiate products and drive sales, with convenience stores and department stores intensifying competition through collaborations with popular global and domestic characters. According to industry data released Friday, convenience stores saw sharp sales gains during this year’s Pepero Day shopping [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Korea Bizwire) – Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young has said the government will deploy every measure permitted under law to block plans for ultra-high-rise buildings facing Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Seoul. The project has drawn controversy because Jongmyo, a 14th-century royal ancestral shrine from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – Applications for vouchers provided to pregnant women increased 8.1 percent from a year earlier in the first nine months of this year, data showed Sunday, in a possible sign of a continued rebound in the number of newborns in a country facing one of the world’s lowest birth rates. [...]
SEJONG, Nov. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Fewer South Koreans say they plan to give anything back when they’re gone. Only about one in five now say they would leave part of their estate to society, the lowest share in more than a decade of record-keeping. The figure—22.2 percent, according to the National Data Agency’s latest Social [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul has been ranked the world’s No. 2 destination for entertainment travel at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural TOURISE Awards, highlighting the city’s growing global appeal as a cultural and leisure hub, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The awards, hosted by the Saudi Tourism Authority and backed by the Saudi government, [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A coalition of South Korean scholars and cultural heritage groups on Wednesday condemned Seoul City’s plan to allow high-rise construction near Jongmyo Shrine, warning that the move could damage the integrity of the UNESCO World Heritage site. At a joint press conference held in central Seoul, 27 academic societies—including [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is preparing to roll out a sweeping plan this year to boost exports of its consumer goods, riding a wave of global enthusiasm for Korean food, beauty, and fashion, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said Wednesday. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo outlined the strategy in a meeting [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean lawmaker has proposed a bill to punish so-called “extreme YouTubers” whose disruptive live broadcasts in public spaces have sparked growing complaints from residents and businesses. Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party announced Monday that he had introduced a revision to the Criminal Act that would criminalize [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s once-niche men’s cosmetics industry is rapidly emerging as a major growth engine for K-beauty, driven by changing attitudes toward grooming and self-care among younger male consumers. Once limited to simple skin lotion sets, the market has expanded to include makeup, fragrance, and scalp-care products as more men embrace [...]