KoreaUpClose – K-culture, explained by the people living it.

Soyeon Writes It, Soyeon Makes It — i-dle Proves the Power...

by Mina Cho

Before They Roll Cameras: How Korea Is Building Tourism Into K-Dramas...

by Hana Suh

The Recycling Illusion: Why Most K-Beauty Packaging Never Gets Recycled

by Grace Lim

Naver Webtoon and Munpia’s 380-Million-Won Contest Seeks to Fuel Korea’s Web...

by Daniel Yoon

COSRX Becomes First K-Beauty Sponsor in 53-Year Paris Fashion Week History

by Grace Lim

Trending Now

Korean Web Novels: The Gateway to Globalization Forged by 380 Million Won...

Chanel and Hermès Leave Department Stores for Korean E-Commerce

Study Drugs More Common Than Cigarettes: ADHD Medication Misuse Among Korean Youth

A Prosecutor Afraid of Ghosts and a Chaebol Who Sees Them —...

A Summer Delight from Two Convenience Store Packets — My Review of...

Fourteen Hands Gather in Busan — A Summer Under UNESCO’s Gaze, the...

Taeum Under the Spotlight Again: Why Gen Z Nurses Are No...

by Daniel Yoon

Tomb Raider King: When Korean Animation Conquers Japan’s Airwaves

by Mina Cho

One Word, Two Koreas: How ‘Hana Korea’ Reframes the Defector...

by Joon-ho Baek

Five Vertical Elevators for Seoul’s Oldest Problem: How Korea’s Capital...

by Hana Suh

K-Drama & Screen

A Prosecutor Afraid of Ghosts and a Chaebol Who Sees Them...

by Mina Cho

One Word, Two Koreas: How ‘Hana Korea’ Reframes the Defector Experience...

by Joon-ho Baek

The $30,000 Dream: How Korea’s Animation Boom Leaves Creators Behind

by Mina Cho

Can Korea’s Reality TV Broadcasters Really Vet Ordinary Participants? The Im...

by Daniel Yoon

Webtoons & Comics

Tomb Raider King: When Korean Animation Conquers Japan’s Airwaves

by Mina Cho

‘참교육’ Webtoon’s Netflix Success Sends New Readers Back to the...

by Mina Cho

Kakao’s Fantasy Webtoon ‘Pick Me Up!’ Keeps Its Ranking Streak...

by Hana Suh

Naver Webtoon Holds an 81.4% Usage Share as Korea’s Platform...

by Joon-ho Baek

Kakao Entertainment Unveils Four Buzzworthy New Webtoons for 2026, From...

by Mina Cho

Kakao Webtoon’s Wuxia Hit ‘Red Storm’ Returns After Five Years,...

by Mina Cho

Korea’s Webtoon Industry Passes 2 Trillion Won, But Growth Is...

by Grace Lim

Hit Horror Film ‘Exhuma’ Gets a Webtoon Prequel Just in...

by Mina Cho

Naver Webtoon’s Wuxia Hit ‘Return of the Blossoming Blade’ Comes...

by Hana Suh

“Teach You a Lesson” Just Knocked “My Name” Out of...

by Mina Cho

A Webtoon About a Dad Who Used to Be a...

by Mina Cho

Hero Killer Is Becoming an Anime. Here’s Why the Numbers...

by Mina Cho

Skincare & Beauty Products

Chanel and Hermès Leave Department Stores for Korean E-Commerce

by Grace Lim

Korea’s First Ingredient Award Puts Anti-Aging Science Ahead of Marketing...

by Grace Lim

Korean Skincare Enters the ‘Peptide 3.0’ Era as Brands Chase...

by Hana Suh

Centellian24 Updates Its Iconic Madecassoside Cream With an ‘Aging Focus’...

by Daniel Yoon

Web Novels

Naver Webtoon and Munpia’s 380-Million-Won Contest Seeks to Fuel Korea’s...

by Daniel Yoon

Kakao Page’s Monthly ‘Rookie Project’ Spotlights Two Vetted New Web...

by Daniel Yoon

Tving’s ‘Cooking Sergeant’ Greenlights a Web Novel-to-Webtoon-to-Drama Triple Adaptation

by Grace Lim

Kakao’s Steady-Seller Web Novel ‘Even If I Fall Into a...

by Mina Cho

Editor's Picks

Korean Web Novels: The Gateway to Globalization Forged by 380...

by Joon-ho Baek

Chanel and Hermès Leave Department Stores for Korean E-Commerce

by Grace Lim

Study Drugs More Common Than Cigarettes: ADHD Medication Misuse Among...

by Daniel Yoon

A Prosecutor Afraid of Ghosts and a Chaebol Who Sees...

by Mina Cho

A Summer Delight from Two Convenience Store Packets — My...

by Hana Suh

Fourteen Hands Gather in Busan — A Summer Under UNESCO’s...

by Joon-ho Baek

COSRX Becomes First K-Beauty Sponsor in 53-Year Paris Fashion Week...

by Grace Lim

Taeum Under the Spotlight Again: Why Gen Z Nurses Are...

by Daniel Yoon

Travel Around The World

Fourteen Hands Gather in Busan — A Summer Under UNESCO’s Gaze, the...

by Joon-ho Baek

Before They Roll Cameras: How Korea Is Building Tourism Into K-Dramas From...

by Hana Suh

Five Vertical Elevators for Seoul’s Oldest Problem: How Korea’s Capital Is Rethinking...

by Hana Suh

Korea Is Turning K-Beauty Into an International Medical Tourism Powerhouse — Not...

by Daniel Yoon

Life Style News

Study Drugs More Common Than Cigarettes: ADHD Medication Misuse Among...

by Daniel Yoon

Taeum Under the Spotlight Again: Why Gen Z Nurses Are...

by Daniel Yoon

Korea’s PC Bang Culture Goes Global as Foreign Users Surge...

by Grace Lim

Korea’s 4.5-Day Workweek Spreads to 191 Companies as Government Subsidies...

by Hana Suh

Korean Weddings in 2026 Trade Tradition for ‘Experience-First’ Storytelling

by Grace Lim

Korea’s Casual-Dating Culture Gets a New Vocabulary: ‘Identity-First’ Over Ambiguity

by Grace Lim

Korea Has No Tipping Culture — But Korean Tourists Abroad...

by Grace Lim

Instead of ‘Quiet Quitting,’ ‘Quiet Ambition’: A New Survival Strategy...

by KoreaUpclose

2026 LCK Season Kicks Off With Rebranded Rosters: Hanjin Brion...

by Daniel Yoon

Riot Confirms 2026 World Championship Finals Will Be Held at...

by Grace Lim

Korea’s 2026 AAA Gaming Slate Crowds an Already Packed Release...

by Joon-ho Baek

LCK Challengers League Serves as Korea’s Proving Ground for Rising...

by Hana Suh

Food & Cuisine

A Summer Delight from Two Convenience Store Packets — My Review of Making Buldak...

by Hana Suh 2026-07-22

The Curiosity That Started in Front of the Convenience Store Fridge Standing in front of the convenience store fridge on my way home, I’ve …

by Hana Suh

UNESCO Called It Heritage—Then China Undercut It:...

2026-07-21

by Hana Suh

Starbucks Korea’s 2026 Menu Leans on Nostalgia:...

2026-07-20

by Daniel Yoon

Foreign Media Marvel at Korea’s ‘Course-Style’ School...

2026-07-20

by Daniel Yoon

A Fried-Chicken Brand’s ‘Modisumer’ Bet Paid Off:...

2026-07-20

by Daniel Yoon

Music News

Soyeon Writes It, Soyeon Makes It — i-dle Proves the Power of Self-Producing

by Mina Cho 2026-07-22

A Chart Dropped at Midnight, and Fans Reacted First On July 6th at midnight, i-dle’s 9th mini album ‘We Made’ hit the music site …

by Mina Cho

TXT’s Yeonjun Preps a Second Solo Mini-Album as...

2026-07-20

by Mina Cho

ATEEZ Opens a Darker Fifth ‘Golden Hour’ Chapter...

2026-07-20

by Mina Cho

(G)I-DLE Returns With Ninth Mini Album ‘We Made’...

2026-07-20

by Mina Cho

24-Member Girl Group tripleS Returns as a Full...

2026-07-18

by Mina Cho

Esports News

Korea’s PC Bang Culture Goes Global as Foreign Users Surge 80% in a Year

by Grace Lim 2026-07-20

Korea’s PC bang (PC방) industry — the country’s dense network of pay-by-the-hour internet gaming cafes — posted foreign-user growth …

by Grace Lim

2026 LCK Season Kicks Off With Rebranded...

2026-07-17

by Daniel Yoon

Riot Confirms 2026 World Championship Finals Will...

2026-07-17

by Grace Lim

Korea’s 2026 AAA Gaming Slate Crowds an...

2026-07-17

by Joon-ho Baek

LCK Challengers League Serves as Korea’s Proving...

2026-07-17

by Hana Suh

New Data Shows the Average Pro Gamer’s...

2026-07-13

by Joon-ho Baek

Pearl Abyss’s ‘Crimson Desert’ Gives Korea’s PC-Bang...

2026-07-13

by Hana Suh

Movie Update

One Word, Two Koreas: How ‘Hana Korea’ Reframes the Defector Experience as Adaptation, Not Escape

by Joon-ho Baek 2026-07-21

In the Korean language, the syllable 하나 (hana) means simply “one.” But anyone who has spent time with Korean …

by Joon-ho Baek

by Grace Lim

Korea’s Home Beauty-Device Boom: LED Masks and RF Tools Become...

by Mina Cho

Musinsa Used Turns Secondhand Fashion Into a Mainstream Habit

by Daniel Yoon

Korean Skincare Enters the ‘Peptide 3.0’ Era as Brands Chase...

by Hana Suh

Taeum Under the Spotlight Again: Why Gen Z Nurses...

by Daniel Yoon

Korea’s 4.5-Day Workweek Spreads to 191 Companies as Government...

by Hana Suh

Trending Now

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