The best 'KPop Demon Hunters'-style merch that’s not from Netflix

When “KPop Demon Hunters” dropped on Netflix in June, the title alone made many viewers cringe. But the animated film turned out to be a welcome, pleasant surprise. The animation was slick, the characters were fresh and adorable and the cultural references hit all the right notes. Fans around the world took notice. Naturally, merchandise soon followed. Netflix rolled out the usual lineup, including hoodies, graphic tees and bucket hats. As of Monday, there are 126 different items under its “KPop

Aug. 5, 2025

Bada apologizes for misleading product promotion on YouTube

Bada, a member of the first-generation K-pop girl group S.E.S, apologized on Tuesday for promoting a skincare product on her YouTube channel without disclosing that it was a paid advertisement, and without verifying the claims made about it. “I sincerely apologize for the disappointment caused by a product featured on my YouTube channel,” Bada wrote in a handwritten statement posted on Instagram. “I’m ashamed that I didn’t take the time to thoroughly review the details before taking part in the

Aug. 5, 2025

Early data shows stimulus coupons are helping retailers. Opticians see biggest boost

Small business sales are already seeing an uptick a week after South Korea rolled out its stimulus coupon program, with data from July 21 to 27 showing noticeable gains, according to figures released Monday. A card sales analysis from Korea Credit Data showed that optical shops saw the biggest jump, with sales surging nearly 57 percent from the previous week. Fashion and clothing stores followed with a 28.4 percent increase. Noodle restaurants were up 25.5 percent, foreign language academies 24.

Aug. 4, 2025

Summer treats

As temperatures soar across South Korea, even the animals are feeling the heat. At Seoul Grand Park, in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday, zookeepers handed out more than 920 kilograms of customized summer treats to help animals cope with the scorching weather. The snacks include a mix of fruits, vegetables and protein-rich items such as chicken and cow feet, all tailored to the dietary needs of the more than 100 species at the zoo. According to zoo officials, the seasonal treats are intend

Aug. 1, 2025

Court grants forcible summons as detained Yoon refuses to cooperate in wife's probe

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, already in custody over the martial law fiasco, is now facing another arrest warrant, this time to force him to appear for questioning in an investigation into his wife, Kim Keon Hee. The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday approved the warrant after Yoon failed to appear for questioning on both Tuesday and Wednesday without providing a valid reason. He is currently being held at the Seoul Detention Center. In response to the former president's refusal to coo

July 31, 2025

Chinese nationals caught using fake IDs to take Korean language test for others

Several Chinese nationals have been caught trying to take the Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK, on behalf of others using fake foreign resident registration cards. According to police on Tuesday, a Chinese woman in her 30s was caught while taking the TOPIK exam at Soongsil University in Seoul on July 13. She showed a forged residence card to the test supervisor and was immediately arrested. Police said her smartphone contained evidence that she had arranged to take the test as a proxy thr

July 30, 2025

South Korea's population stagnates despite number of foreign residents topping 2 million

South Korea's population showed almost no growth in 2024, as an increase in foreign residents was offset by a continued decline in the number of Korean nationals, according to government data released Tuesday. The data also highlighted the country's aging population, with nearly 1 in 5 South Koreans now aged 65 or older. In its annual census data, Statistics Korea reported that the total population reached 51.8 million as of Nov. 1, 2024. This was an increase of just 31,000 from the previous yea

July 29, 2025

HPV-linked throat cancer on the rise among Korean men

Throat cancers linked to the human papillomavirus are on the rise among South Korean men, according to a local expert on Tuesday. Park Jun-wook, a head and neck cancer specialist at the Catholic University of Korea’s Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, said the rising trend underscores the importance of raising awareness about HPV-related cancers and the need for vaccination among men. HPV is widely known as the leading cause of cervical cancer, and in Korea, the HPV vaccine has traditionally been consid

July 29, 2025

Police under scrutiny over delayed response in rare family shooting

A fatal shooting in which a father shot and killed his son during a family gathering has sparked widespread public criticism over what appears to be a delayed and disorganized police response in a country where gun violence is extremely rare. The Korean National Police Agency has launched an internal investigation into how officers handled the incident, including their response to multiple emergency calls. The shooting occurred on July 20 at the victim’s home in Incheon's Songdo during a birthda

July 28, 2025

South Koreans are sleeping less, spending more time on screen

South Koreans are getting slightly less sleep and spending more of their free time in front of screens, according to new data released Monday. The 2024 report from Statistics Korea found that the average daily sleep time was 8 hours and 4 minutes, down 8 minutes from 2019. It marks the first decline in average sleep since the country began tracking how people spend their time in 1999. Back then, South Koreans slept an average of 7 hours and 47 minutes a night. That figure gradually rose, peaking

July 28, 2025