Instagram has emerged as the social media app South Korea's teens spend the most time on, outpacing KakaoTalk by more than double, data showed Monday. According to data from mobile marketing and data analysis company IGAWorks, Korea's smartphone users under 20 spent a total of 94.1 million hours scrolling on Instagram in June, making the app the leading social media platform in popularity for the age group. This figure was nearly double the time they spent on the next most popular

South Korean label Starship Entertainment apologized for the excessive security actions taken against a fan of its boy group Cravity at an airport last month. The K-pop agency posted an official statement to the boy band's fan community on Monday in response to a fan’s post on X. The fan alleged that Cravity’s security guard physically assaulted and mocked them at Gimpo International Airport on June 23 as the band returned to Korea from promotional events in Japan. The fan, id

Following the global popularity of K-pop, K-dramas and K-food, get ready for another "K": K-fashion. Alongside established Korean fashion houses like Songzio, Wooyoungmi, Juun.J and System, a new generation of local fashion labels is making waves globally, establishing Korea as a fashion hot spot, particularly for today’s style-savvy millennials and Generation Z. Recognizing Korea’s dynamic and emerging fashion profile, a 2023 US News & World Report survey ranked the

South Koreans ate an average of more than two chickens per month last year, doubling their per capita chicken consumption over the past two decades, according to data released Sunday. Statistics from the Korea Rural Economic Institute show that per capita chicken consumption reached 26 birds last year, with domestic production accounting for 20 birds per person and imports making up the remaining six. By the weight of chicken meat consumed, excluding bone weight, the per capita figure increase

South Korea's planned leap into the era of artificial intelligence-powered learning has hit resistance, primarily due to parents' concerns about potential digital overload. In a petition posted on the National Assembly’s online platform in May, one such voice requested that the planned introduction of AI digital textbooks in schools starting next year be shelved. Citing the "numerous negative effects of smart devices," the petition called for scientific research to ensu

Amid the battle between streaming services and megaplexes for film dominance, a passionate few long for a cinematic experience only niche theaters can provide: curated gems on the big screen. For casual viewers who prefer monthly subscriptions to streaming services and occasional blockbuster splurges, the appeal of these smaller-scale theaters may not be as compelling. However, beyond the sheer size of the screen, these venues' offerings of films from all eras, along with other cinema-rel

The three “bok” days of summer, when Koreans traditionally consume dishes to replenish stamina, have in recent years become days when animal rights groups hold protests to condemn the eating of dog meat. But this year, more than 20 such groups are planning to gather for a different reason: to mark the “first dog meat-free 'boknal'” in S. Korea, following the passing of a National Assembly bill banning the breeding, butchering, distribution and sale of dog meat

To address a sharp rise in accidents involving e-scooters and e-bikes, the South Korean government plans to implement a lower speed limit for micromobility vehicles in a project scheduled for the latter half of this year. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Tuesday, the maximum speed for micromobility vehicles will be slashed to 20 kilometers per hour, from the present 25 km per hour, in major cities like Seoul and Busan from July to December. Once the pilot project proves

A gooey chocolate bar from Dubai -- a color-splattered shell filled with dessert-inspired ingredients -- is sparking the new sweet craze in South Korea, with high demand largely being met through homemade versions or replicas crafted by local confectioneries. While this handcrafted chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream and kataifi, a filo-based pastry, is experiencing supply shortages internationally due to Dubai-based Fix Dessert Chocolatier's daily order limit of 500, the scarcity has

More South Koreans are consuming canned food and smoking, but are also opting to go makeup-free, according to a state-led survey released Sunday. According to the National Institute of Environmental Research's three-year biomonitoring survey of 6,608 Koreans from 2021-2023, 4.2 percent of adults aged over 19 reported consuming canned products, including food and beverages, more than four times a week. This marks an increase of 0.5 percentage points from 3.7 percent in the previous survey

5TH GBF WRAPS UP Herald Corp. Chairman Jung Won-ju (fourth from left in second row) and CEO Choi Jin-young (fifth from left in third row) pose with participants of the 5th Global Biz Forum at its closing ceremony held at the Mondrian Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. The forum, organized and hosted by The Korea Herald twice yearly, convened weekly for 13 weeks from March 20 to July 3. The next edition is scheduled to commence in September, continuing as a venue for knowledge-sharing amon

Approximately 2,500 Koreans, mostly elderly people, received more than 365 outpatient treatments a year over the past few years, data showed Thursday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare data, obtained by the minor Rebuilding Korea Party Rep. Kim Sun-min, revealed that the number of patients who made more than 365 outpatient visits a year was 2,561 in 2021, 2,488 in 2022 and 2,448 in 2023. In each of these years, more than half of them were aged 70 or older. In 2023, for example, the highest nu

Jollibee Foods Corp. -- a multinational restaurant company based in the Philippines and owner of the country's largest fast food chain Jollibee -- will acquire a 70-percent stake in South Korean coffee chain Compose Coffee for $238 million, as part of its global expansion of coffee and tea businesses, the Manila-based firm said Wednesday. As per the company’s statement, 70 percent of the Korean coffee brand is to be acquired by Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd, while Jollibee Foods' m

How delicate is the line when deciding to expose someone else's extramarital affair? A recent post on local online discussion forum website Nate Pann titled, "Should I ignore the affairs of my neighbor?" sparked a heated debate on this hot-button issue. The anonymous author of the post, who identified themselves as a person living next door to a newlywed couple, reported witnessing the husband bringing different women into his house frequently. "The wife does shift work ear

In South Korean society's contemporary lexicon, the neologism "financial treatment" posits that the mere act of monetary gain serves as a kind of therapy or cure for all manner of psychological and physical ailments. The term, especially popular among Korea's younger workers, points to a deep-seated belief -- amid the country's mixed capitalist economy with its minimal social safety net -- in accumulating money as one's primary focus, rather than as a mere bypro

US President Joe Biden and former US President Donald Trump, in their first televised debate on Thursday night, exchanged barbs on a number of topics, among them South Korea, Samsung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. During the highly anticipated faceoff, Biden invoked “South Korea” while locking horns over defense policy with Trump, to underscore the United States' role as a military supporter and its success in rallying international aid: “I’ve got 50 other nati

Picture this: Exchanging vows at the National Museum of Korea or the National Library of Korea. Or perhaps, saying "I do" surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of Seoraksan National Park. South Korean government announced Friday a plan to make these public venues available for weddings in the latter half of 2024. The cost? As little as free. In a move aimed at alleviating the financial burden on couples planning their wedding, the Cabinet on Wedensday endorsed this measure, adding 48

Jeju police have launched a crackdown on minor offenses, including jaywalking, littering, smoking on cigarette-free streets and public urination in response to recent complaints from locals over unruly sights involving tourists, officials said Thursday. Within the first hour of Tuesday's crackdown, which lasted around one and a half hours, the police caught nine law violators, the majority of whom were foreign tourists jaywalking. All nine violators were issued on-site fines that were requi

Do you find that kids today seem to lack patience and throw tantrums more often? A team of Korean psychiatrists point to YouTube as a potential culprit in their recently published study. Professor Shin Yun-mi and researchers at Ajou University studied 195 children aged 5 to 8 for 3 years between 2018 and 2021, measuring their temperament, YouTube usage patterns, and emotional and behavioral problems. Their findings suggest frequent YouTube use negatively impacts children’s temperament, a

A transgender soldier, who died by suicide in 2021 following a forcible discharge from the Army, has been laid to rest at a national cemetery in Daejeon this week, but dissenting voices questioning the appropriateness of her burial there persist. The burial of Byun Hee-soo at the cemetery on Monday followed the Defense Ministry’s decision in April to recognize her death as occurring in the line of duty. The ministry said her depression was linked to her forced discharge following her gen