Kookmin University to host international design award in Milan SEOUL, March 03 (AJP) - Kookmin University and the Association for Industrial Design (ADI) will co-host the Design Beyond East and West (DBEW) Award 2026, an international competition aimed at redefining the universal values of contemporary design. The university appointed Paola Antonelli, the senior curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), to serve as the jury chair for the event. The award seeks to move beyond geographical and cultural divisions to exp March 3, 2026

Number of single-person households exceed 30% in S. Korea as traditional family structures decline SEOUL, February 28 (AJP) - South Korea's residential landscape has undergone a radical atomization over the last 40 years, with the number of households nearly tripling even as population growth stalled. A report released Saturday by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs reveals that the traditional multi-generational family has been largely replaced by individuals living alone and elderly couples. According to the report, "Trends and Implications of Household February 28, 2026

K-wave at a high tide; ripples of dissent surface in ASEAN SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - At a moment when the Korean Wave appears once again near its global crest — with artists climbing international charts and anticipation building ahead of BTS’s March 21 return at Gwanghwamun — a quieter, less comfortable current has begun to surface in one of Hallyu’s most enduring strongholds: Southeast Asia. On Monday, an X user posted a terse declaration of disillusionment. “I used to really like Korea. But what happened February 27, 2026

Asian Culture Calendar SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - Dec. 5 - Mar. 15 Garden of Morning Calm Winter Lights Festival 2026 Mar. 15 Seoul Marathon 2026 Mar. 14 - 16 Jeju Fire Festival Mar. 29 - Apr. 6 Jinhae Gunhangje Festival Japan Mar. 1 Konomiya Naked Festival Mar. 6 Umekoji Handicrafts Market Feb.1 - May 24 Kyoto Nippon Festival 2026 Mar. 9 - 22 Grand Sumo Tournament 2026 Hong Kong Mar. 21 Complex Live! Mar. 27 - 29 Art Basel Hong Kong Feb. 27 - Mar. 30 The 54th Hong Kong Arts Fes February 27, 2026

Nearly 80% of online shoppers fear exposure of personal information, survey finds SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - Nearly 80 percent of online shoppers expressed concern about the potential exposure of their sensitive personal information, a survey reveals. The findings were based on the survey of 1,000 consumers released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Friday. About 78 percent of respondents worried about a personal data leak while shopping on online malls and other platforms, and 28.1 percent said they had experienced at least one. The survey also rev February 27, 2026

Household spending shrinks amid soaring inflation SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - Consumer spending fell last year for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, as high inflation led consumers to tighten their wallets, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said on Thursday. Spending dropped sharply on areas related to quality of life, such as clothing and recreational activities. Education-related expenditures also fell amid a shrinking school-age population. According to the ministry, the average monthly household spending was February 26, 2026

Musinsa goes offline to challenge beauty Goliath on Seoul's beauty street SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - Musinsa, the online fashion platform that has grown into a household name in K-fashion, is venturing into brick-and-mortar cosmetics — a field long dominated by CJ Olive Young under CJ Group. The move is being watched closely, either as a possible overreach or as a necessary step in Musinsa’s bid to scale beyond fashion. Musinsa said it will open its first permanent offline beauty flagship, “Musinsa Megastore Seongsu,” between February 26, 2026

Korea's fertility rate hits four-year high in 2025 SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - Still a far cry from the replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1, South Korea’s total fertility rate, which bottomed out in 2023, inched above the long-cited 0.70 level last year, data showed. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Wednesday, the number of births in 2025 reached 254,500, up 16,100 from a year earlier, or 6.8 percent — the largest annual increase since 2007. The total fertility rate — the average February 25, 2026

Ferry service along Han River set to fully resume this weekend SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - Seoul's water ferry service along the Han River is set to resume its full operations this weekend, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday. The service was halted on some routes shortly after its bombastic launch in September last year due to a series of technical glitches and other problems. After being partially suspended for about 100 days, the service is set to fully resume on Sunday following the completion of safety inspections and ot February 25, 2026

South Korea to allow pets in restaurants as ownership rates surge SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - South Korea will lift its long-standing ban on pets in dining establishments starting March 1, a regulatory overhaul aimed at accommodating the nearly 30 percent of households that now own companion animals. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced the policy shift following a successful pilot program, though the transition has met with mixed reactions from small business owners concerned about the administrative and financial costs of compliance. February 25, 2026