🇰🇷 K-Transformers Are Coming! Robo Vests Are The Future Of Korean Workers 🦾

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K-Pop

🇬🇧 It’s Pretty Cool, Innit? SM Entertainment Introduces New British Boy Band!

Ishani 🎀The K-Pop model has never been more global. SM Entertainment, that has housed powerhouses like Girls’ Generation, EXO, NCT, and more, is launching a British boy group! This group, which will be called Dear Alice, will consist of members James, Dexter, Reese, Olly, and Blaise and will be the subject of the BBC One show “Made in Korea”. Can this group recreate the success of one of the most popular and beloved boy groups of recent times, One Direction? I guess we’ll find out!

🎤 Bichi Naneun Solo: Solo Debuts Galore In 2024

YuJun 🍎Whilst solo debuts are nothing new in the world of K-Pop. The second half of 2024 is seeing a significant enough number of them to make us do a double take. The lineup of idols from top-tier K-Pop groups who will be making a solo debut in the remaining months is astounding. We’re looking forward to seeing artists such as ASTRO’s Yoon SanHa, EXO’s ChanYeol, TWICE’s Tzuyu, Red Velvet’s Irene, NCT’s JaeHyun, NCT’s Yuta (in Japan), and more, rock their solo stages!

🎸 Dare To NOT Love Me: INFINITE’s L Returns As A Singer!

Ishani 🎀After impressing fans with his latest K-Drama “Dare To Love Me”, INFINITE’s L is returning to his roots as a singer again! His first-ever solo EP "24/7” just dropped and it beautifully highlights the singer-turned-actor’s mellifluous vocals. The album’s theme is centred around time and reflects L’s music growth. The lead single, ‘How Can I Not Love You" is an acoustic pop song featuring harmonica and guitar, capturing the bubbly and pure essence of new love. We don’t know about it but it definitely made us fall in love with L anew.

🖥️ Coming To You Live - K-Pop Idols Gradual Transition To Livestreaming

Dyllan 🐼K-Pop idols are amazing stage performers who have spent years honing their craft and developing the skills needed to sing and dance multiple songs in a row. However, when contracts are finished and group promotions have ended, some idols find transitioning to other lines of work difficult. This is why more and more K-Pop idols are slowly making the transition to livestreaming as their next line of work. They go on platforms such as AfreecaTV as a way to make money, but to also use the skills they’ve practiced and perfected over all these years.

K-Drama & K-Movie & K-Variety

🎭 Yoo SeungHo’s “Instinctive” Stage Debut Is A Success!

Ishani 🎀Yoo SeungHo, who is known as one of the most versatile actors in the Korean entertainment industry, just made his theatre debut and fans all over the world are excited. He is acting in the play “Angels in America” as Prior Walter, a terminally ill gay man grappling with illness and the end of his relationship. In relation to his role, he lost weight, painted his nails and is making use of various accessories like rings and bracelets. “Angels in America” is set in 1980s America, and explores the struggles of marginalized individuals facing societal challenges related to race, politics, religion, and sexual orientation. The play opened on August 6 and will be performed until September 28 at LG Arts Center Seoul.

🛫 “Pilot” Has Taken Off, Soaring To The Top Of The Box Office

Dyllan 🐼K-Movie “Pilot”, starring iconic veteran, Cho JungSeok, made an explosive debut and immediately topped the weekend box office. According to data, the movie attracted nearly 1.1M moviegoers. Although “Deadpool & Wolverine”, “ Despicable Me 4”, and “Inside Out 2” were other options for viewers, “Pilot” managed to capture 54% of local box-office revenue over the weekend.

📈 “No Way Out: The Roulette” Enters The Disney+ Top 10 Chart

Dyllan 🐼Netflix isn’t the only streaming platform where K-Dramas are thriving. Disney+ has added yet another series to its ever-growing repertoire: “No Way Out: The Roulette”. The series sports a stellar cast, which includes big names that have all spent their fair share of time in the spotlight. Within its inaugural first two episodes, it has made its way into the Disney+ Top 10 chart in several countries. Although some improvements could be made, fans are hopeful that the K-Drama will continue increasing in quality in the following weeks.

K-Beauty

💄 K-Beauty Is A Hit At KCON LA 2024!

Ishani 🎀 The Olive Young love spans beyond South Korea. Their booth at KCON LA 2024 is a huge hit and fans just can’t get enough. This year, Olive Young's booth spanned 360 square meters under the “K-Beauty Street” concept, featuring the Olive Young Global online mall, skincare brand BRINGGREEN, and makeup brand colorgram. The booth showcased top K-Beauty products and offered experience zones for popular brands like SKIN1004 and JUNG SAEM MOOL. The Olive Young Global online store, selling to 150 countries, also previewed the “August Beauty Box” at the event. The box, available from August 1, features summer skincare products worth $163.9, sold for $49.9.

K-Fashion

🐬 Cute Animal Graphic Tees For Your Mirror Selfies

Kay 🥑Recently, idols such as LE SSERAFIM’s Sakura (in her iconic mirror selfie) and ILLIT’s MinJu have been rocking a similar crop T-shirt with cubic graphics of animals such as bunnies and dolphins on them. Whilst these particular tops have been from the brand EESSAY, many other fashion brands have been releasing graphic tees or similarly designed shirts that feature an animal of sorts on it. Popular choices include butterflies and cats, too. Looks like a cute new summer trend to us!

K-Travel

🤿 Diving Right In - Jeju’s Haenyeo Museum Sees A Rise In Visitors

Dyllan 🐼Jeju is a prime destination all year round, with travelers enjoying delicious seafood and dipping their feet into the clear water. Although there are a lot of fun outdoor activities, it was recently revealed that Jeju’s Haenyeo Museum has seen a large increase in visitors. There, both locals and foreigners learn everything from the culture and history behind the female divers. Data shows travelers from the U.S., Taiwan, Singapore, and China lead in Jeju’s Haenyeo Museum rise.

K-Food

🇰🇷 Kimchi Craze Reaches A New Record High

YuJun 🍎If you thought the craze for kimchi couldn’t get any higher, well you might be surprised. As a representative K-Food, it’s become a beloved delicacy across the globe. But records show that its popularity hasn’t stopped rising, as South Korea’s kimchi exports reached an all-time high. This has been mainly attributed to the rise of kimchi consumption in the United States and Europe. With the rise and spread of K-Content, it appears everyone is starting to crave kimchi across the globe.

K-Society

🌾Korean Celebs Switch Out Glitz-And-Glam For Down-To-Earth And Korean Gen Z Are Loving It!

Kay 🥑Whereas many grew up oohing and aahing whilst ogling celebrities on the red carpet, in their stunning gown, as the paparazzi flashes blasted… When nothing in the world was cooler than a celebrity with an air of unattainability... Gen Z begs to differ. Gen Z is not as impressed by glitz and glam and have instead been enjoying K-Celebs in particular who show off their humble lifestyles. For instance, famous comedian Lee YoungJa showcased her countryside lifestyle on “I Live Alone” recently and the response has been great. Choosing a fixer-upper house in the countryside over a high-rise in the city, many Koreans have been vicariously healing through such content.

✈️ K-Travel Takes A Hit As Koreans Prioritize International Travel

Kay 🥑The Korean economy is experiencing a downturn as domestic tourism experiences a travel deficit. Whilst Korea is one of the most beautiful countries to visit when you’re on vacation for many international travel enthusiasts… Koreans themselves are opting to take their travel somewhere else. They are switching out trips to Jeju, Busan, and other K-Travel hotspots for trips to countries like Thailand, Mongolia, Hawaii, and many many more. There are increasing calls for the government to step in to increase domestic tourism as soon as possible.

🦾 K-Transformers Are Coming! Robo Vests Are The Future Of Korean Workers

Kay 🥑We’ve always had an inkling that the future would turn robotic, but we didn’t know it would be this soon! Of course, South Korea is one of the countries ahead of the game as the Hyundai Motor Group has announced that they will start mass-producing wearable robots in 2024. That’s right! They’ve created a robot vest that workers can wear to support their strength and reduce their risk of injury when doing manual labor - this looks like a step in the right direction when it comes to addressing work fatigue.

Intern Diaries From SK

Bethany 🌌It is my third week in Korea and after the initial nerves of arriving in a new country wore off, I took some time to explore some areas of Seoul such as Hongdae and Insadong and I also tried samgyeopsal and Korean tea for the first time. I have also been noticing that in Korea a lot of the young people wear charms on their bags and a lot of the shops are selling them in wide varieties. People don’t really wear them in my home country but I bought one for myself anyways!

Readers' Questions Corner

Kairavi 🐰"Guess Who’s Back? Back Again…The YG Queens Are Back, Tell Your Friends!" — a lot of senior K-Pop artists and groups are reuniting recently which must be very nostalgic for the Korean fans. So, what is their general response to this trend?

Kay 🥑Hello Kairavi!👋 It goes without saying that many K-Pop fans, Korean and non-Korean, are living for all of the reunions by 2nd and 3rd generation K-Pop groups such as 2NE1, KARA, SISTAR19, and even BLACKPINK. In Korea, this excitement has translated into top streaming numbers for their reunion releases and intense ticketing competition for their concerts! For instance, in the case of 2NE1’s reunion concert in Seoul this coming October, the ticketing site saw a record number of visitors with over 400,000 people entering the site to try and buy tickets. With limited venue capacity, many Koreans have been taking to communities to express their sadness at not being able to see the group live again. Looks like a positive response all round!

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