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South Korea

Examining what it’s like to live, work and play in South Korea, our experts guide you through the nuances that define its culture.

Explore behavioural developments in South Korea

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Latest South Korea articles

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14 Nov 2024

Ad campaign highlights Korea’s teen gambling epidemic

signal·
14 Nov 2024

The consequences of teen gambling addiction are being brought to life in a Korean short film. Once thought of as an adult crisis, easy access to online gambling platforms has led to addicts skewing younger, prompting conversations about whose responsibility it is to keep young people safe.

report·
13 Nov 2024

How South Koreans save while staying aspirational

report·
13 Nov 2024

South Koreans love to spend. But what happens when the country faces a financial crisis? With many people steeped in debt, younger generations are now being forced to downsize their purchases and miss out on major life milestones. How can brands help them fight against economic headwinds? South Koreans love to spend. But what happens when the country faces a financial crisis? With many people steeped in debt, younger generations are now being forced to downsize their purchases and miss out on major life milestones. How can brands help them fight against economic headwinds?

report·
7 Nov 2024

South Koreans are rethinking luxury and secondhand is winning

report·
7 Nov 2024

With South Korea’s economy slowing down, shoppers are starting to embrace secondhand luxury for its blend of status and sustainability. Younger generations are driving this shift, drawn to affordable, eco-friendly finds, while platforms are boosting security to ensure safer, smarter shopping experiences.

case study·
1 Nov 2024

How Kakao streamlines mobility for hustling Koreans

case study·
1 Nov 2024

Kakao Mobility is the dominant force in South Korea's ride-hailing market, achieving a nearly 90% share. With the introduction of features such as robot delivery and a tourist-friendly app, it’s harnessing tech to maximise convenience – setting a new standard for transport apps in the process.

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31 Oct 2024

Match launches randomized video meeting platform

signal·
31 Oct 2024

Azar is the Match Group's foray into video-first meetings to connect users in a spontaneous yet moderated way to maintain both a spark and safety. As younger generations navigate loneliness exacerbated by social media, Azar offers an example of how tech-mediated socialization can expand.

report·
25 Oct 2024

Korean dental care is getting the K-beauty treatment

report·
25 Oct 2024

Tied to the country’s expertise in dermatology, plastic surgery, and K-beauty, dental care is becoming a booming industry in South Korea. What does this tell us about the lengths people will go to achieve the perfect smile? What do Koreans value, and what can brands learn from the tooth trend?

View all

Experts on Access

Book a call with a leading expert in our network

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Cultural Insider

Max Kim

Journalist specializing in research-intensive longform projects

Seoul-based journalist Max Kim has written on the intersection of tech and South Korean politics for publications such asThe New Yorker,MIT Technology Review,The Guardian,covering topics such as the political and economic impacts of Big Tech, the platform economy, and the impact of both on human behaviour. He offers a big picture view of how tech interweaves Korean society and share reflections on what's next.

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Macro Expert

Ingyu Oh

Expertise in organisations and cultural studies

Ingyu Oh is a professor of business management and Korean and Japanese cultural industries at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. He is also a researcher at the International Centre for Organization & Innovation Studies, Singapore. Before coming to Japan in 2018, he had taught at Korea University, Bristol Business School, Middle East Technical University, UC Berkeley, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, the University of Waikato, and the University of Oregon. His main teaching and research interests include organisational studies, innovation, international business, business history, and cultural studies. He is an associate editor ofAsia Pacific Business Review.

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Macro Expert

Hyeyoung Woo

Professor specialising in family and health in Korea and the US

Hyeyoung Woo is a professor of sociology and the director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Portland State University. She received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Woo's research centres on status attainment, such as in education, work, and family, and its associations with health and wellbeing over the course of a person's life, particularly those in the US and Korea. Her current project is titled 'The Making of Women in Korea', funded by the Academy of Korean Studies. Her work has been published in several journals and books, includingRedefining Multicultural Families in South Korea.

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Cultural Insider

Lorraine (Lorr) Ye

Head curator for digital artists and K-culture writer

Lorraine (Lorr) Ye is the Head Curator at thehug.xyz, helping their community of more than 14,000 global digital artists navigate how to become entrepreneurs and multi-modal creators of the future. When she's not working on HUG, she is a features writer at AllKPop.com, the largest English-language K-Pop news site in the world. There, she focuses on marketing, communications, and PR and holds interviews with renowned artists.

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Sector Expert

Hawon Jung

Journalist/author on gender issues and feminist movements in South Korea

Hawon Jung is a former Seoul correspondent for AFP and the author ofFlowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement. Jung spent over a decade writing about the Korean Peninsula, focusing on the military confrontations between the two Koreas and gender issues in South Korea.Flowers of Fireis based on her years-long reporting on the #MeToo and feminist movements in the South – an economic, technological and cultural powerhouse that still has one of the worst records on women's rights in the industrialised world. Her coverage of the country's #MeToo movement was also shortlisted in the Awards for Editorial Excellence by the Society of Publishers in Asia.

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