🇰🇷 +10000 Aura, The Internet Is Crushing On Olympic Silver Medalist Kim YeJi 🔫

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South Korea at the Paris 2024 Olympics

🏹 It Is The 10th! Korean Women’s Archery Is Gold Again

Laure 🌼Is your country interested in the Paris Olympic Games? Well, Koreans are very interested, especially in the disciplines they excel at. They have celebrated their 10th consecutive gold medal in women’s team archery! The team started winning gold 36 years ago in Paris, and they have done it again this time. The trio of Jeon HunYoung, Nam SuHyeon, and Lim SiHyeon won the gold medal. South Korea now has 28 gold medals and 44 medals overall in Olympic archery (so far at the time of writing).

🔫 +10000 Aura, The Internet Is Crushing On Olympic Silver Medalist Kim YeJi

Ishani 🎀At the 2024 Paris Olympics, South Korean shooter Kim YeJi has captivated fans with her unique style and “cold” stance. She was wearing a white baseball cap, black Fila anorak, and customized Sauer pistol shoes. Her look, accentuated by cyberpunk elements and a charming elephant plushie, has made her an internet sensation, with viral fan art and thousands of posts celebrating her aesthetic. Even Elon Musk was impressed, suggesting she should be in an action movie! Despite her silver medal in the women's 10-meter air pistol event, Kim was outperformed by teammate Oh YeJin, who won gold. Kim YeJi expressed pride in their achievements, emphasizing her supportive relationship with Oh YeJin and their shared national pride.

K-Pop

📈 Stray Kids’ “ATE” Breaks Records And Becomes A Chart-Topping Billboard Hit

Dyllan 🐼It’s safe to say that world-renowned idol group Stray Kids ate and left no crumbs with their newest album, “ATE”. With the support of their fans worldwide, “ATE” reached no. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Following its July 19th release, their album sales has currently reached 218,000 copies, making it the highest-selling K-Pop album of the year. Along with their collaboration with Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine”, Stray Kids’ trajectory has only gone up all summer long.

😏 So BTOB Are Bad Boys Now? New Subunit Has Us Swooning!

Ishani 🎀90TAN, a new two-member unit from K-Pop boy band BTOB has officially debuted with their single ‘TANG TANG TANG’. The duo, comprising Seo EunKwang and Lee MinHyuk, is named after their shared birth year, 1990. Unlike BTOB’s usual emotional ballads, 90TAN's debut track features a "charismatic, bad-boyish vibe" with a blend of rock and hip-hop elements. Lee MinHyuk was involved in the songwriting process, and the song is noted for its catchy, sing-along chorus. 90TAN is the first unit launched by BTOB Company, the new label formed by all six BTOB members earlier this year. They performed ‘TANG TANG TANG’ at Waterbomb Seoul and will next appear at Waterbomb Incheon on August 3.

🌎 A New World Of K-Pop Survival Programs Set To Open With “Planet B”

Dyllan 🐼Idol survival programs have become a staple within the K-Pop industry. Although the end goal is the same, the missions, storylines, and participants all have their own unique qualities. However, Mnet is set to innovate once more with the release of “Planet B”, a precursor to their K-Pop survival program set to air in 2025. “Planet B” will be a way for participants to meet the general public before the competition begins. As the recruitment process for these programs are generally kept a secret, it will be interesting to witness these idol hopefuls’ journey from the time their selected to the final episode.

K-Drama & K-Movie & K-Variety

🤖 Can South Korea Compete With Marvel In The Robo Genre?

Ishani 🎀LG Uplus is partnering with SAMG Entertainment and HighZium Studio to develop a robot-themed drama aimed at "kidults". The joint venture will create the live-action series "K-TRON" (tentative title), set to stream globally in 2026. This genre is something Korea hasn’t fully explored yet despite global interest in the same. “K-TRON” represents a major step in addressing that gap. SAMG Entertainment's CEO, Kim SuHoon, noted the challenge and the long-standing industry desire for such a project. With HighZium Studio’s production expertise, the collaboration aims to leverage Korea's AI and visual effects technology to attract global audiences and explore opportunities in theme parks, games, and merchandise. But will Korea be able to stand against Marvel? I guess we will find out!

🎬 “Wonderland” Trades In Their Box Office Woes For Netflix Success

Dyllan 🐼“Wonderland” features a star-studded cast in Park BoGum, Suzy, Jung YuMi, Choi WooShik, and Chinese actress Tang Wei. Despite such prominent names, the film was unable to see much success in cinemas, only able to accumulate 620,000 tickets almost a month after its release in the beginning of July. It quickly released on streaming giant Netflix where it saw immediate success. It was able to enter Netflix’s Global Top 10 Films (Non-English) upon release and had a hot response from netizens. Social media was filled with praises for the storyline and the casts’ heartfelt delivery. Have you watched “Wonderland” on Netflix?

🏆 SDA 2024 Buzz Continues - What’s Your Pick For Best Miniseries?

Ishani 🎀Earlier this month, fans decided the winners of the SDA 2024 “Outstanding Asian Star” award. Now, the awarding body has announced the nominees for other categories. Disney+ Korea has bagged two nominations for "Moving" and "The Worst of Evil", while Netflix Korea has one: "Daily Dose of Sunshine". The TV Movies category features international entries like Italy's "The Divine Madness of Alda Merini" and Korea's “tvN O'PENing: 2:15”. Actor Song KangHo (“Uncle Samsik”) is nominated for Best Actor, and 12-year-old Park SoYi (“tvN O'PENing: 2:15”) is nominated for Best Actress (👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼). The awards will be held on Sept. 25, with side events scheduled for Sept. 26-27.

K-Beauty

✨ Tattoo Cuteness Under Your Eyes, Did You Hear Of Aegyo-sal Tattoo?

Laure 🌼It seems like a new trend is starting in K-beauty salons in Korea. While aegyo-sal glitters and makeup tricks have been popular for years, Korean beauty salons are now offering semi-permanent tattoos for it! Semi-permanent eyeliner and eyebrow tattoos are common, so why not aegyo-sal, which is very commonly used in K-makeup? It gives a cute look and makes the eyes look bigger as well. Both ladies and gentlemen are getting these tattoos. Would you be interested?

K-Fashion

🧶 Easy Breezy Summer Knits Are The Key To Perfecting Your Summer Casual #OOTD

Kay 🥑For the longest time knits have been considered exclusively for autumn and winter in the world of K-Fashion. However, this year, you can find summer fashion knits all over the country as the latest trend. In particular, knit two pieces with crop tops and skirts, knit vests (akin to waistcoats), and knit tank tops have been stealing the fashion show. K-Celebs such as Kim NaYoung, Lee SiYoung, and Lee JuBin have been rocking the look to serve summer casual chic.

👟 Who Said You Can’t Wear Your Converse With Your Dress? K-Celebs Say Wearing A Dress & Sneakers Is Still In

Kay 🥑Everybody loves a trendy and stylish outfit that is also comfortable, hence why the dress and sneaker combination is such a treasured gem of a look. These days the spectrum of dresses that one can wear with sneakers has become wider as more and more fashionistas rock daily casual dresses, cute date dresses, and even vacation looks with the comfortable footwear. Recently, Korean actresses Pyo YeJin, Suzy, Gong HyoJin, and Jang YoonJu have been rocking variations of this versatile fashion combination.

K-Travel

🛏️ When Heritage Meets High-End: A Hanok Stay But Make It Luxury

Kay 🥑Whilst South Korea is abundant with luxury hotels, not many of these take on the form of the Korean traditional house, the hanok. Whilst remodeling hanoks has become a trend amongst Koreans for residential purposes, cafes, and flagship stores, it seems that the trend is taking an upturn. Now, you can stay at luxury Hanok accommodations such as the Hanok Heritage House in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province. Decked out with the latest technology, private saunas, terraces, and more features like bug-proofing (a common issue in old school hanoks), you can experience a whole new level of comfort in a traditional Korean setting.

🐬 Spot Dolphins During Your Jeju Trips? Lucky Ones Only

Laure 🌼Are you a dolphin lover or are you hoping to see dolphins in Jeju like in the K-Drama "Welcome to Samdal-ri"? Indeed, there are bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Jeju! Since they are always on the move, it is hard to get a glimpse of them or even take a picture of them. VisitJeju has made a list of spots where you might see them and wishes tourists luck in spotting them. Are you ready to challenge your luck to see these animals?

🇹🇭 Thai Tourists Are Not Coming To Korea & Here’s Why

Ishani 🎀Korea has seen a sharp decline in Thai tourists over the past seven months, largely due to issues with its K-ETA electronic visa system. In June, the number of Thai visitors dropped by 19.5% from the previous year, moving Thailand from being Korea's top Southeast Asian visitor source to fifth place. Overall, the number of Thai tourists in the first half of 2024 fell by 19.1% to 168,328. This decrease contrasts with the rise in foreign visitors to Korea since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a request from Korea’s Ministry of Culture for a temporary K-ETA exemption for Thai nationals, the Justice Ministry refused, citing concerns about illegal immigration. Efforts are ongoing to resolve these issues and boost tourism from Thailand.

🌉 Frighten Of Height? This Is Not For You, Or It Might Be

Laure 🌼Do you have acrophobia (fear of heights)? You might pass on this attraction, but you will miss a beautiful sight of Korean nature and mountains. In Mungyeong, there is a 160-meter-long and 33-meter-high suspension bridge on Bongmyeongsan Mountain! If you are a lover of hiking and Korean landscapes, it is definitely worth the trip to enjoy the stunning view.

🏄‍♂️ Surf’s Up At Busan’s Dadaepo Beach

Dyllan 🐼When thinking about beaches in Busan, the iconic Haeundae or Gwangalli comes to mind. However, another location has been trending all this time: Dadaepo beach. Previously, it was at risk of disappearing due to a landfill threat, however, the crisis was averted thanks to the efforts of environmental groups and local citizens. It is now a surfer’s paradise that’s popular among beginners. Aside from riding the ocean waves, visitors also travel to Dadaepo to take breathtaking sunset photography that adds a touch of beauty to any social media feed.

K-Food

🥤 Gamers Love This New Milk Tea Collab

Laure 🌼The milk tea brand Gong Cha has a special collaboration with the game “FINAL FANTASY XIV” for its launching during 6 weeks. They have three drinks inspired by the characters: Brown Sugar Jewelry Milk Tea (Fat Cat Brown Sugar Milk Tea), Mango Smoothie with Pearls (Fat Chocobo Mango Frozen Tea), and Jeju Green Smoothie (Cactuar Matcha Milk Tea), served in special character cups (along with a keyring for the lucky ones). It has received interest from game lovers who went to buy their cups of drinks.

K-Society

💸 Forget Starting A College Fund, Pet Daycares & English Kindergartens Are The New Saving Motivation

Kay 🥑Newly published research revealed that the annual tuition for a private university in South Korea was lower than that of a pet daycare or English kindergarten in 2023. With pet daycares in Seoul coming in at an extra 300,000 Korean won per month and English-language kindergartens coming in at about 2.8 times more a month, you can tell where the priorities of many parents (pet parents included) are.

🚁 A Bird? A Plane? No - It’s A Delivery Drone At Your Service!

Dyllan 🐼Korea has revolutionized delivery service, producing countless smartphone apps that cover everything from food, clothing, groceries, and so much more. But citizens might find something different about their delivery person in the future - that they’re a drone descending from the sky. The K-Drone delivery service will mainly deliver items under 3kg and will only be available in certain areas such as Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, and Incheon. Defibrillators and first aid kits will also be available for drone delivery in case of sudden emergencies.

⛈️ Come Rain Or Shine, Typhoon Or Flood, K-Employees Make Their Commute To The Office

Kay 🥑As Korea goes through its typhoon season, some regions have been experiencing extreme weather conditions such as heavy rains, harsh winds, and even floods in some cases. Despite the dangerous weather, however, it is pretty common to see employees attempting to make their commute to work regardless of government phone alerts encouraging them to stay home and in turn companies to adjust their work arrangements. In fact, a recent survey revealed that 6 in 10 workers will make their commute despite dangerous weather conditions. Some of the reasons cited for this included a fear of being penalized for being late or not going to work due to company pressure.

Readers' Questions Corner

Marie from Indonesia 🎸What other K-Beauty products can I use with the super cooling powder sheet? Products that are good for humid and hot weather.

Laure 🌼Hello Marie. For K-Beauty products that have a cooling effect in the summer, there are several options. Like the one we introduced last week, there are cooling deodorant tissues that refresh and leave a nice scent. There are also cooling hair sprays to refresh your scalp, and some sunscreen sprays also have a cooling effect. Some face masks can bring your skin temperature down as well. These diverse products are designed to lower your body and skin temperature. There are even cooling sanitary napkins. Actually after last week's newsletter, I went to buy the product and tried it because it is really hot in Seoul. The smell is good and not too strong and it is quite refreshing, so I can recommend it to you. (Bought it myself).
❄️Super Cooling Powder Sheet

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