Culture

2026 is the year hit webtoons arrive as live-action series like 'The Remarried Empress,' 'Delusion,' 'Solo Leveling,' and 'Bloodhounds 2,' fueling a new streaming battle. Here's why webtoon IP is now driving K-drama.

This article looks at how feelconomy, where emotions drive purchasing decisions, is reshaping Korean society and the K-culture industry in 2026. It also explores how this consumer trend connects to the search for human-centered identity in the age of AI.

L.I.N.C, the first female virtual idol group set to debut in 2026, is already drawing attention with its logo film and teaser poster ahead of its Jan. 23 launch. Here is a look at how a virtual girl group built by AI, metaverse technology, and human creators could reshape K-pop.

BTS, EXO, and Blackpink are returning as full groups in 2026, making the year a major test of K-pop's comeback power and global momentum.

Virtual girl groups powered by deep learning, motion capture, and digital production are drawing tens of millions of views and emerging as one of the most intriguing new currents in K-pop.

Korea's AI-driven stock surge collided with a brief break above 1,500 won per dollar, exposing how market euphoria and geopolitical shock met in early 2026.

Museums and galleries are becoming major youth hangouts in Korea, as immersive exhibitions and social sharing push museumgoing into the mainstream.

KakaoTalk Gift sold out a steeply discounted ChatGPT Pro offer in three days, revealing how price cuts can turn premium AI subscriptions into mass-demand events.

French fry meetups are Korean micro-gatherings where strangers share fries, showing how Karrot and burger brands turned low-pressure socializing into a trend.

Gen Z in the U.S. is learning Korean less for fluency than for participation, using key phrases to join fandom, meme, and social-media conversations.

Gyeongdo, a Korean cops-and-robbers game, is reappearing as a Karrot meetup format, turning nostalgic play into a low-pressure way for younger Koreans to meet.

Korea's 'resting youth' refers to young people outside work and job searches, exposing the gap between low unemployment figures and labor-market reality.

Seoul's morning coffee clubs mix coffee, dancing, and alcohol-free socializing, turning early hours into a new wellness-driven offline culture.