🇰🇷 Thrill Of Winter: Duck Sledding At Pocheon! 🦢

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K-Pop

🏆 Holiday Season? More Like aespa Season At Melon Music Awards!

Dyllan 🐼End of the year award ceremonies have finally kicked off, with one of the earlier events being the 16th Melon Music Awards (MMA). Here, they recognized multiple artists, but one of the big winners of the night was aespa, receiving seven accolades for their musical success this past year. Even the members were surprised, finding it increasingly difficult to reiterate their thanks in a new way, seven times in a row. But even with such a successful night, they remained as humble as ever, showing why they’re such a top act in the industry.

🎭 ATINY Are You Ready? Gear Up For ATEEZ’s Media Art Exhibit

Dyllan 🐼ATEEZ have had an amazing year so far, but they’re set to end it with a bang! ATINY can rejoice, as they’ll be able to attend a media art show inspired by ATEEZ themselves. Dubbed “Destiny’s Memories”, the exhibit is modeled after a role-playing game that invites visitors into a healing fantasy that spans almost the entirety of a three-story building. So mark your calendars for December 12 and get ready to join in on the ATEEZ fun!

K-Drama & K-Movie & K-Variety

🚦 “Squid Game 2” Fever Sweeps The World With Red Light, Green Light Events And More

Kay 🥑As expected, the anticipation for “Squid Game 2” is reaching new heights following the success of the first season. With the second season’s release coming up in December, fans of the drama all over the world have been participating in “Squid Game” related events. For instance, in Paris, France, fans took part in a heated game of ‘Red Light, Green Light’ on the Champs-Élysées as part of Netflix’s promotional activities.

👏 IU & Byeon WooSeok’s Reunion After 9 Years!

Max 🪐 IU and Byeon WooSeok have been confirmed to star in a new MBC drama series. Set in an alternate Korea under a constitutional monarchy, IU will play an ordinary woman from a wealthy chaebol family, while Byeon WooSeok takes on the role of the king’s second son, whose royal status limits his potential. Tentatively titled “The 21st Prince’s Wife”, this romance series is scheduled for release in the second half of next year. Who’s excited to see IU and Byeon WooSeok reunite after nine years?

K-Beauty

🧼 One More Must-Go Beauty Store In Korea For Cleansers

Laure 🌼Korea is truly a must-visit destination for all things beauty. Many stores offer skin analysis services using high-tech devices. How about getting a handmade cleanser tailored just for your skin? Have fun creating it and enjoy a cleanser customized to your needs at a store called Whipped. While in Korea, be sure to explore places that provide skin analysis before purchasing your products – there are plenty to choose from! And yes, they don’t charge you more.

💄📅 It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas As Koreans Rush To Buy Beauty Advent Calendars

Kay 🥑You can now experience the heart-fluttering feeling of opening Christmas gifts little by little every day, and even better, in the form of beauty products! Luxury beauty brands like Dior, Estee Lauder, and Lancome have launched advent calendars and whilst Korea doesn’t have a huge advent calendar culture, many are flocking to buy these limited edition gift sets.

K-Travel

🦢 Thrill Of Winter: Duck Sledding At Pocheon!

Joseph 🐶If you don’t try duck sledding this winter, you’ll definitely regret it! The duck sledding at Sanjeong Lake in Pocheon is the ultimate winter activity, offering both excitement and fun. Driving the sled across the ice is a challenging and exhilarating experience. If you go with friends or a partner, the fun multiplies! And of course, watching others race around while enjoying a hot Bungeo-ppang(fish-shaped pastry) is also part of the fun.The sledding season begins around mid-December when the lake starts to freeze. Be sure to go before it melts!

⛸️ What Time Is It? It’s Skate Time! Seoul Plaza Skating Rink Set To Return

Dyllan 🐼It wouldn’t be winter without some snow, warm broth, and a bit of ice skating fun! The Seoul Plaza Skating Rink is making a comeback and has prepared a special opening ceremony to be held upon its return. While additional fees and other updates are still on the way, you’ll want to set some time aside to add ice skating to your travel itinerary. It’ll be a special time, whether you’re with family, friends, or having your own personal skating session.

K-Food

🍰 They Are Back And Taking Over All The Bakeries. Yes, All!

Laure 🌼Strawberry lovers rejoice! It’s that time of year again – strawberry season! In Korea, it is from December to May, with the peak season falling between January and March. Strawberries are the number one fruit and take over all the bakeries and drink menus across the country.

Koreans’ love for cream cakes pairs perfectly with the strawberry craze, resulting in a wave of stunning white-and-red strawberry cakes. Cafes compete to create the most beautiful and delicious cakes. If strawberries aren’t your thing, don’t worry … April is not that far!

🥩 More Meat, Bread, Or Noodles? Koreans Say Yes To All As Dietary Trends Shift

Dyllan 🐼For a long time, Korean culture was primarily rice-dominated, as the starch remained a center piece in many meals - and still does today. However, recent dietary trends show a shift in food preferences of the Korean people. Rice has slowly been replaced with noodles, bread, and an abundance of meat, showing more consumption of protein and a more diverse carbohydrate intake. And while rice is still available, the data has shown its gradual decline over the years. So what are you ordering with your meat: rice, noodles, or bread?

🌽 Koreans' Unconditional Love For Corn Strikes Again With This Winter Delicacy

Laure 🌼If you're a regular reader of our newsletter, you’ll know all about Koreans’ deep love for corn. Beyond corn drinks, bread, and ice cream, there’s another way to enjoy it during winter: have you heard of cheese corn Bungeoppang? The classic options for filling this winter threat are custard or sweet red beans, but trending flavors such as Dubai chocolate are making waves this year. For those seeking a less sweet option, the cheese corn Bungeoppang is the perfect choice!

K-Society

🎯 K-Movie “Target” In Real Life: Online Secondhand Marketplace Scams Are On The Rise

Kay 🥑If you’ve watched the Korean film “Target” starring Shin HaeSun, then you’d be familiar with the narrative which, unfortunately, is currently a very real reality in Korea. Apps such as the Karrot App and Joonggonara have seen a rise in fraud cases, reaching an all-time high. This is partially because of an increase in luxury items such as luxury watches, cars, apartments, and gift certificates being traded on the apps.

⛩️ Koreans Love Traveling To This Country Multiple Times

Laure 🌼Fun fact: Over the past few months, more than half of the employees in our office (myself included) have traveled to Japan—and not on group trips! Among my friends, more than three have also visited Japan recently. Here’s another interesting point: for none of them was it their first trip. For some, it was their second, third, fourth, or even seventh visit!

This year, Japan has been a top travel destination for Koreans. Between January and October, the number of air passengers traveling on South Korea-Japan routes surpassed 20 million, largely thanks to the weak Japanese yen.

Among the most popular destinations for repeat visits, four Japanese cities stood out: Osaka (1st), Fukuoka (2nd), Tokyo (3rd), and Sapporo (8th). These cities rank high as travel hotspots because of their accessibility, the diversity of activities they offer, and the high satisfaction levels of travelers.

🏌️ Golf Surges In Popularity, Entering Top 10 Hobbies In South Korea

J 🍿For the first time, golf has entered South Korea’s top 10 hobbies, reflecting its growing appeal as a safe and trendy outdoor activity. While gaming and fitness dominate the rankings, golf’s rise highlights a cultural shift, with nearly half of adults viewing it positively and many eager to try their hand at the sport. Curious about what’s driving this new hobby trend?

K-Webtoon

🎬 Controversial Webtoon “Get Schooled” Is Being Adapted Into A K-Drama Despite Backlash

Kay 🥑The webtoon “Get Schooled” has been condemned on many occasions for containing themes of racism, misogyny, and corporal punishment in the classroom. Despite this, the webtoon will be made into a drama, raising eyebrows. The production team has sworn to address these issues in the onscreen adaptation starring Kim MuYeol, taking the place of Kim NamGil who turned down the role because of the webtoon’s problematic nature. Will this drama adaptation be a success?

Intern Diaries From SK

Eleni 💌Christmas is in the air in Seoul, with festive lights, markets, and themed pop-ups appearing all over the city. You can’t escape the everpresent Christmas music—it’s everywhere, even playing from speakers on busy streets. Luckily, Seoul’s playlist goes beyond Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, offering a fresh wave of K-Pop and K-artists Christmas song releases every December! This season features exciting releases like V and Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”, TaeMin’s collaboration with 100 Label, and FAVE1’s “Christmas Kiss”. As someone who can only handle Christmas music to a point, this variety brings some relief… I’ve currently got V’s “Winter Ahead” with Park Hyo-shin on repeat, just to add to the cosiness of winter and Christmas. Get into the festive spirit and look out for all the new K-Pop Christmas songs being released from South Korea this December!

Readers' Questions Corner

Christine 🎄I heard in Korea it is time to reserve your Christmas dessert. What are you planning to have?

Laure 🌼Well, for me, Christmas cake sounds like a “Bûche” or a yule log—French traditions. So, I’ve ordered one from the Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun. The price wasn’t too expensive compared to other regular bakeries, and I know the taste will be good (I got the same one two years ago). I reserved it two weeks ago for an extra discount.

Kay 🥑In South Africa, we would usually have a mix of desserts available (cakes, tarts, etc.) depending on how your family spends the holiday - we have a big party with tons of relatives so more dessert options hehe. Since I want to have a taste of this, despite being in Korea, I’ll be making a trifle for Christmas at home. It’s a layered dessert with cake or biscuit, cream, custard, jelly, berries, and sometimes chocolate. You can make it in a lot of different ways but these are the standard ingredients.

YuJun 🍎Actually, I am a fan of these Korean strawberries cakes. I still need to decide which bakery to buy from. But I think I will just try my luck in my neighborhood. Hoping they don't do everything on reservation. Wish me luck!

Dyllan 🐼I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I do make exceptions on special occasions - and Christmas is one of them! I’ll be buying one of my favorites, a lemon earl gray tiramisu cake. I’m excited, as it’s designed with a small, adorable Christmas tree on top, so I can’t wait to take pictures and a bite on Christmas day. And yes, I’ll be playing the viral song while eating it too.

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