Living and entertainment news about South Korea. We bring you the latest information on what is happening in Korea today.
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 [...]
HWASUN, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has shipped its first domestically manufactured anthrax vaccine, marking a major milestone in strengthening national preparedness against bioterrorism and infectious disease emergencies, health authorities said Monday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that GC Biopharma began initial shipment of Baritrax, the world’s first genetically engineered [...]
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, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is quietly becoming more diverse. New census data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Data show that people with a migration background accounted for more than 5 percent of the country’s population in 2024 — a modest but meaningful increase in a nation long assumed to be [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean police have reassigned an investigator specializing in medical crimes to reexamine allegations that resident doctors at a major Seoul hospital received illicit kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies, signaling renewed scrutiny of a case long criticized for lackluster enforcement. According to officials and reporting by Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Seongbuk District in northern Seoul, home to many foreign embassies alongside Itaewon and Hannam, is holding its 14th annual European Christmas Market from December 6 to 7 at the district office courtyard. Launched in 2010, the event has evolved into a major cultural gathering where local residents and expatriates celebrate [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s draft system, long understood as a civic obligation and a cultural constant, has been facing a quieter strain beneath the surface: a growing number of young men simply never come back from overseas trips. According to newly disclosed government data, more than 900 South Korean men avoided [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — As BTS prepares for a full-group comeback next spring, RM, the group’s leader and most public voice, acknowledged that the band had wrestled with existential questions during its hiatus — including whether it should continue at all. The group is slated to reunite in 2025 after all seven members complete [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has moved to close a long-criticized legal loophole that allowed parents who abandoned or failed to care for their children to later claim financial benefits after the child’s death. The National Assembly has passed an amendment to the National Pension Act that blocks such parents from receiving survivor [...]
BUSAN, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of Busan residents say they feel heavily burdened by their children’s education expenses, which now average 860,000 won (about $660) per month, according to the city’s latest annual social survey. The 2025 Busan Social Survey, released Friday and based on responses from 31,774 residents, paints a detailed [...]