Long black puffer jackets have long dominated South Korea’s winter streets. But in a country known for its fast-changing fashion trends, could brighter colors be making their way into winter wardrobes? K-pop stars such as Red Velvet’s Seulgi, Aespa’s Karina and Winter, and Ive’s Jang Wonyoung have been seen wearing puffer jackets in various colors, suggesting a shift influenced by local fashion brands. “In the past, companies often concentrated their inventory on staple colors like black and nav

Jinyoung did not grow up as an enthusiastic reader. In fact, he only turned to books after becoming an idol. The repetitive rhythm of life as a performer had started to wear on him. Days were filled with rehearsals, schedules, makeup and performances, often following much the same pattern. Despite the demands of the job, he felt his mind growing sluggish. "I felt like my brain was swelling," he said. "We tend to work in similar patterns. We're freelancers, working on contracts, and even without

At Unhyeongung, where King Gojong and the future Empress Myeongseong held their wedding ceremony in 1866, visitors are gathering this fall for a quieter occasion: tea and conversation. The former residence of Gojong’s father, Heungseon Daewongun, invites visitors to make traditional Korean desserts, sip tea and share stories about their day, accompanied by live gayageum music. One dessert, gotgamdanji — dried persimmons stuffed with sweet fillings — was chosen to symbolize good fortune. “Every t

For most people, a cup of coffee is a daily indulgence that costs less than 7,000 won ($5.27). For a select few, however, it can be a luxury experience worth as much as 3.5 million won, built around exceptionally rare beans and meticulously tailored brewing methods. Gongkhan 21, a specialty coffee house in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district, is drawing attention for its high-end coffee. Its omakase menu offers customers the opportunity to sample rare coffees sourced from some of the world’s most

A specter haunts Deborah Turbeville’s photographs — the specter of a glamour in decay. Grainy and washed out in dusky grays, her pictures look like they came straight out of a dead stranger’s photo album, rather than the glossy magazines they were made for. The models are her ghosts: wan, remote figures who gaze past the camera and seem out of place wherever they stand. Ghosts, by nature, belong nowhere in particular, which is to say they could just as easily be anywhere. The rooms they haunt mi

Thirteen years after his last concert in South Korea, Justin Bieber is back in the country — not as a pop star taking the stage, but as an entrepreneur promoting his own brand. Bieber and his wife Hailey arrived at Incheon International Airport early Friday morning, a day after his fashion and lifestyle brand Skylrk opened its first pop-up store in eastern Seoul's Seongsu-dong neighborhood, news reports said Friday. Videos of the couple circulating on social media showed Bieber wearing a hooded

Riot Games is rolling out a series of collaborations in Korea, including offline pop-up stores and limited-edition merchandise, to mark the opening of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship and the return of its virtual girl group K/DA. The 2026 LoL World Championship, Riot Games' flagship annual tournament and one of the biggest events in esports, kicked off on Oct. 15. Meanwhile, K/DA, a virtual girl group made up of characters from the popular online game LoL and voiced by K-pop artist

Roughly 80 percent of global Netflix subscribers have viewed Korean shows or movies, according to figures released by the streaming platform on Friday. The data was unveiled to mark the 10th anniversary of Netflix's service launch in Korea. According to the platform, more than 200 Korean productions have made it into its global Top 10 charts since the company began publishing the rankings on its official ranking platform, Tudum, in 2021. Netflix added that between its 2016 launch in Korea and 20

For centuries, opera houses have stood as monuments to high culture — grand stages where art, wealth and prestige converge. But for architect Kjetil Traedal Thorsen, the opera houses of the 21st century should be as much a part of everyday civic life as they are destinations for the arts. Thorsen is the co-founder of Snohetta, the Norwegian contemporary architecture firm behind an opera house that opened in Shanghai last week and another scheduled to open in Busan in 2028. It also designed the N

In Gangneung, Gangwon Province, coffee culture began with a row of vending machines facing the sea at Anmok Beach. Nearly two decades later, the city celebrates the drink with a five-day festival spread across its beaches, pine forests, harbor and neighborhoods. The 18th Gangneung Coffee Festival opened Wednesday and runs through Sunday along Gangneung Coffee Street and at sites throughout the city. Launched in 2009, the festival draws around 300,000 visitors a year and has grown out of the city

The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet will pay tribute to Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen (1932-2025), a leading figure in European contemporary ballet, with a program of three of his works marking the first anniversary of his death. The company, run by the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, will present "All for Hans van Manen" from Nov. 19 to 22 at the Sejong M Theater. The triple bill will close the company's 2026 season, its second full season since it was founded in 2024. The three works spa

JTBC’s "Final Table" is a new venture, and one of the first Korean dramas to blend a scripted narrative with a reality variety show formula. The upcoming 12-episode series, set to premiere on Saturday, stars "KPop Demon Hunters" breakout star Ahn Hyo-seop as Kang Han, a prodigy chef battling for the title in the fictional elite culinary competition "The Table: K-Chef 2026." Instead of relying solely on the standard narrative, director Kim Do-hoon said he experimented with a new hybrid format by

One of Netflix Korea's biggest K-dramas of 2026, "Tantara," has been confirmed for a Dec.11 rollout. The series features a powerhouse ensemble led by two A-listers: Song Hye-kyo ("The Glory," "Descendants of the Sun") and Gong Yoo ("Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," "The Trunk"). They are joined by a supporting cast that includes Lee Ha-nee, AOA's Seolhyun and Cha Seung-won. Set against the backdrop of Korea’s entertainment industry spanning the 1960s through the 1980s, "Tantara" chronicles c

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, which gave the first performances of nearly all of Jean Sibelius' symphonies, will make its Seoul debut at Lotte Concert Hall on Thursday. The concert closes the orchestra's first Korean tour, which began in Daegu on Tuesday and stopped in Daejeon on Wednesday. Chief conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, a 70-year-old Finn who began his career as a violinist, will lead selections from Sibelius' "Pelleas et Melisande" and the composer's Symphony No. 2. Korean violini

Registration for World Youth Day Seoul 2027 opened Thursday. On the same day, Pope Leo XIV released a video message inviting young people around the world to the Catholic gathering in the Korean capital next summer. "Today, as registration opens for next year’s World Youth Day, I warmly invite each of you to Seoul," the pope said in the message, which the Holy See Press Office released at 7 p.m. Korea time. "This is not merely an invitation to see a new city. It is a call to set out on a pilgrim