Annual 'space-out' competition to be held in Seoul this weekend

SEOUL, May 21 (AJU PRESS) - Eighty teams from Korea and around the world will gather to do absolutely nothing at an event set to take place in central Seoul this weekend, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday. According to city officials, the annual International Space-out Competition, now in its 8th year, will be part of the "Seoul Friendship Festival," a three-day event scheduled to start on May 24, that offers diverse programs to indulge in the cultures of doz

May 21, 2024

Web-based fiction soars in popularity, boosted by adaptations

SEOUL, May 20 (AJU PRESS) - The popularity of web-based fiction and novels has surged, with the market growing by 62 percent this year, compared to two years ago, according to a recent study by the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea. Experts attribute the growth to the booming demand driven by popular web series being adapted into Netflix shows. The so-called web-novels, name-wise, are literary works available primarily or solely on online platforms such as Kakao Page,

May 21, 2024

SNU student arrested for distributing explicit images using faces of female classmates

SEOUL, May 21 (AJU PRESS) - A 40-year-old student from Seoul National University (SNU) has been arrested for creating and distributing explicit images and videos using the faces of his female classmates, police said Tuesday. The suspect, identified only by his surname Park, was detained on charges of doctoring explicit images and sharing them through a group chat room on Telegram. Two other SNU students were also arrested on the same allegation. Authorities said that Park colle

May 21, 2024

Luxury pet-friendly services on the rise in Korea

SEOUL, May 20 (AJU PRESS) - Luxury pet services and products ranging from canine kindergartens to hotels, and health supplements, are attracting a growing number of pet-lovers in Korea. According to a recent report released by KB Financial Group, about 5.5 million households or one out of every four households in Korea, have at least one pet. The report estimated that there are around 12.6 million pet owners. The trend is attributed to the increased number of single-person househo

May 20, 2024

'Gwanghwamun needs new name plate in Hangeul'

SEOUL, May 19 (AJU PRESS) - The iconic signboard of Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul, has once again become the center of a long-held debate, with scholars advocating for the use of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. The controversy has resurfaced last week after Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon expressed support for the Korean-written signboard during an event marking the 627th birth anniversary of King Sejong the Great, the invento

May 20, 2024

Protecting wetlands crucial for migratory birds: New Zealand envoy

SEOUL, May 17 (AJU PRESS) - Dawn Bennet, the New Zealand ambassador to the Republic of Korea, emphasized Thursday that efforts to conserve the natural environment, including insects, will help protect migratory birds that travel thousands of kilometers from countries in the southern hemisphere to Korea and Alaska. During a commemoration event held to mark the World Migratory Bird Day at the New Zealand ambassador's residence near central Seoul, Bennet specifically spoke about

May 17, 2024

Korean Air Force embraces memes, defying military stereotypes

SEOUL, May 17 (AJU PRESS) - The Korean Air Force has swiftly embraced Internet memes and cultural codes, as part of efforts to depart from stereotyped images of the military. By adopting this new approach, its official YouTube channel has proven to be successful, attracting 180,000 subscribers with over 100 million clicks on uploaded videos as of mid-May this year. The latest hit was a video dubbed "BOMB Yang Gang," which parodies "Bam Yang Gang," a song sung b

May 17, 2024

Culture minister advocates for Hangeul signboard for Gwanghwamun

SEOUL, May 17 (AJU PRESS) - Debates over the signboard of Gwanghwamun that leads to the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul have been reignited, coinciding with the birthday celebration of King Sejong the Great, who created Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. During an event Tuesday in the capital to mark the 627th birth anniversary of the king (1397~1450), Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon stressed the importance of replacing the current Chinese-wr

May 17, 2024

More people fall victim to dating violence in Korea

SEOUL, May 17 (AJU PRESS) - Korea is grappling with a disturbing rise in dating violence cases in recent years, highlighting the urgent need for increased social awareness and preventive measures. The line separating lovers' conflicts from intimate partner violence has become blurred, raising questions about the boundaries that define dating abuse. Dating abuse encompasses any form of physical, sexual, or verbal abuse from a romantic or sexual partner, according to the Office

May 17, 2024

Korean parents with infant have only 2.7 hours of daily free time, survey finds

SEOUL, May 16 (AJU PRESS) - Korean parents with a child under the age of three have the least amount of daily free time, averaging about 2.7 hours, according to a survey released Thursday. In contrast, young people in their 20s have the most, averaging 4.85 hours. Research firm Consumer Insight conducted the survey of 26,000 Korean adults and found that parents with an infant child had an average of just 2.69 hours of free time per day. The average daily spare time for all groups

May 16, 2024