(Photo=Ocado) South Koreans have embraced online shopping for everything from home appliances to furniture and cosmetics. Groceries have been harder to move online. Food accounts for about 28% of retail sales conducted online in South Korea, compared with 41% for cosmetics, 50% for furniture and 55% for home appliances, according to Statistics Korea. Keeping food fresh while avoiding missing items,

(Photo=MotionElements) South Korea has been lowering interest rates, but many of the households that were supposed to benefit are instead paying more to borrow for housing. The Bank of Korea began cutting its benchmark rate from 3.5% in Oct. 2024 and has kept it at 2.5% since May 2025. Market borrowing costs have generally fallen with it. Yet interest rates

(Photo=Gangnam-gu Office) In South Korea, some parents who already own a home in Seoul are willing to rent it out, borrow money and move into another rental property across the city for their children’s education. One of the destinations they seek is Daechi-dong in Seoul’s Gangnam District. The neighborhood is not simply an expensive residential area. It is one of

(Photo=YoungSan Park) Residents of central Seoul are opposing the South Korean government’s consideration of housing construction on part of Yongsan Children’s Garden, arguing that land returned by the U.S. military should remain part of a long planned national park. About 1,000 residents organized under the Yongsan Park Preservation Residents’ Group began placing roughly 300 condolence wreaths near the garden on

Photo=YG Entertainment BLACKPINK marked its 10th anniversary on August 8, thanking fans for staying with the South Korean girl group since its debut and acknowledging some disappointment over a small anniversary event. The four members—Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa—spoke to fans during a live broadcast on Weverse, a fan-communication platform, celebrating a decade since BLACKPINK debuted on August 8, 2016. “It’s