Advertisement
Advertisement
Korea Times
TOPIC
 / company

Korea Times

Korea Times
Korea Times
News and features from the Korea Times, South Korea's oldest English-language newspaper.
(From left) Le Sserafim members Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha, Sakura and Hong Eun-chae in Seoul. The group’s leader, Kim Chae-won, announced last week that she would sit out promotional activities due to a neck injury. The K-pop girl group’s new album, Pureflow Pt.1, is the culmination of facing their fears. Photo: courtesy of Source Music
K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

Le Sserafim are facing their fears with new album Pureflow Pt.1

When Le Sserafim debuted, their message was about being fearless. Now, the K-pop girl group want to say that facing fear makes you strong.

videocam
Music

K-drama actor Ahn Hyo-seop on his new single with US R&B star Khalid

videocam
South Korea

South Korea adds ‘extreme heat emergency’ to first major alert update in decades

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

‘We’ve prepared so much’: K-pop newcomers Naze on what sets them apart

Naze’s Korean, Japanese and Thai members share how touring before making their self-titled debut album, released on May 4, made them closer.

(From left) K-pop boy group Naze members Kaisei, Ato, Yuya, Dohyeok, Younki, Turn and Kimkun. The seven-member act released their self-titled debut mini-album on May 4. Photo: The Korea Times
Asia travel

How Seoul’s strangest subway station made escalator weddings a thing

After plans for it to become a major transport hub fell through, Seoul’s grand Noksapyeong station pivoted. Here’s its fascinating story.

Asia travel

This mall is one of the best places to buy anime and fan merch in Seoul

I’Park Mall in Seoul’s Yongsan district focuses on fandoms built around animations, games and character-based intellectual property.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Asia travel

The best things to do in Gwangju, South Korea, from buildings to buns

Gwangju is known for its fine architecture, including traditional Korean hanok houses, as well as its cafes and a certain sticky rice cake.

Gaeseong juak, a traditional Korean rice doughnut, and iced coffee are served at Hoyang Horim in Yangnim-dong, Nam district, in Gwangju, South Korea. Photo: The Korea Times
TV shows and streaming video

Beef season 2 is ‘a bridge between West and East’, says director Lee Sung-jin

Lee Sung-jin shares how the new season of the hit drama, with Oscar Isaac and Charles Melton, explores a mixed-race character’s Korean roots.

videocam
Food and Drinks

Why are young Koreans going crazy for Chinese restaurants?

Chinese food has become part of everyday life for South Koreans in their 20s and 30s thanks to viral trends and their own lived experiences.

Food and Drinks

Crispy, chewy, soft: why texture rules South Korea’s viral food trends

Korean food trends are prioritising texture over taste thanks to social media videos in which food can be experienced as a tactile sensation.

Texture, not taste, is driving South Korea’s viral food trends. Think chewy, crispy snacks like butter rice cakes (pictured) and gelatinous ice goby sashimi. Photo: courtesy of Mond Cookie
Asia travel

Visiting South Korea? 10 BTS pilgrimage spots every Army should visit

Explore iconic landmarks throughout the K-pop band’s history, from the current Hybe headquarters to their trainee-era haunts.

videocam
Members of K-pop boy band BTS at Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, Gangwon province, South Korea. The coastal backdrop was used in imagery tied to the group’s global hit single “Butter”. Photo: courtesy of BigHit Music
Food and Drinks

The ‘soju artist’ teaching the world to drink soju with an English guide

‘Soju artist’ Kim Wan-jun has published the English translation of his book on the drink’s history, etiquettes and social rituals.

South Korea

Showcase your Korean and compete for prizes in language speaking contest

Running until May 7, The Korea Times’ Korean Language Speaking Contest is split into speech and pronunciation categories.

Food and Drinks

‘I am currently unemployed’: Culinary Class Wars’ Venerable Seonjae on her fame

South Korea’s first designated master of temple food shares why she’s avoiding commercial hype and her most important cooking virtue.

The Venerable Seonjae attends a press conference for the Netflix series Culinary Class Wars: Black and White Chef Season 2 at the JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul, in South Korea, on December 17, 2025. Photo: Imazins via Getty Images
World of performing arts

This award-winning playwright rejected Hollywood… for a Korean zombie musical

Jethro Compton shares why his choice to adapt musical The Last Man for UK viewers is about ‘experiences’ rather than advancing his career.

Jethro Compton attends the 2025 Laurence Olivier Awards after winning the best new musical award for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The playwright says his new role, as a dramaturge on Korean zombie play The Last Man, is about “having new experiences and working with interesting people”. Photo: Getty Images
K-drama news

Why Blackpink’s Jisoo is jealous of her Boyfriend on Demand character

Jisoo stars in the Netflix K-drama as a young woman who finds her dream boyfriends via a virtual dating app.

videocam
South Korea

#SEAbling: the hashtag uniting Southeast Asia against South Korea

A row over K-pop fan behaviour in Malaysia has spiralled into a bitter regional dispute online, with echoes of the ‘Milk Tea Alliance’.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
South Korea

‘Smaller than a closet’: the tiny Seoul flats going viral on YouTube

YouTuber Drew Binsky tours Seoul’s US$250-a-month micro-flats, sparking conversation on urban housing and South Korea’s hidden pressures.

Drew Binsky inside a Seoul gosiwon on February 1, his outstretched arms nearly spanning the narrow room. Photo: YouTube/Drew Binsky
South Korea

Seoul tightens migrant language screening over safety concerns

A rise in worksite accidents involving poor comprehension of safety instructions is driving the shift as South Korea increasingly relies on foreign labour.

TV shows and streaming video

When K-drama meets J-drama, sparks fly on screen

From Netflix’s Romantics Anonymous to Disney+’s Merry Berry Love, Korean-Japanese collaborations are on the rise.

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

K-pop-loving business expert breaks down the systems that drive the industry

Choi Jung-kiu’s new book analyses K-pop’s working parts using examples drawn from active idol groups, recent releases and everyday practices.

South Korean K-pop group Stray Kids perform in Seoul, South Korea, in 2022. In his new book, “Almost Everything You Need to Know About K-pop”, Choi Jung-kiu gives a primer on how Korea’s music industry has evolved beyond catchy melodies to become “a meticulously designed value chain”. Photo: AFP
South Korea

South Korea urged to ease inheritance tax as wealthy exit at record rate

Rigid inheritance laws blamed as 2,400 wealthy residents leave the country. Business group seeks reforms including tax payment via stocks.

A high inheritance tax is driving wealthy South Koreans abroad. Photo: Shutterstock
South Korea

Why South Korea’s Gen Z steer towards bus driving as job market shifts

Bus driver licenses for people in their 20s and 30s rose 43 per cent in three years, driven by better pay, job security, and changing attitudes.

Art

Remembering Korean artist Chung Sang-hwa, master of monochrome

Korean modern art icon Chung Sang-hwa was known for his ‘dansaekhwa’ paintings, which demanded ‘foolishly endless repetition’.

Tourism

How Seoul became the world’s esports capital and attracts fans from across Asia

Tickets at venues like LCK Arena sell out fast as fans travel to South Korea’s capital to see the best play games such as League of Legends.

People get ready to watch a League of Legends match at LCK Arena at LoL Park in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: visitkorea.or.kr
South Korea

South Korea banned dog meat. Now what happens to 500,000 animals?

As South Korea moves to end dog meat consumption by 2027, the government lacks a clear survival plan for nearly half a million caged dogs.

Dogs are seen in cages at a dog farm in Pyeongtaek, South Korea in June 2023. Photo: AP
TV shows and streaming video

‘Age of barbarism’: how Made in Korea shows country’s dark 1970s underbelly

Director Woo Min-ho explains why he chose 1970s South Korea to explore themes of power, corruption and ambition for his first TV series.

South Korea

How Project 2025 is reshaping immigration for Korean-Americans

Activist Kim Dong-seok warns lack of White House restraint has blurred immigration lines, leaving Korean-American residents in constant fear.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement