We're now a week into 2025 already and have said goodbye to 2024. With the whole martial law fiasco and the tragic air crash at Muan, it wasn't exactly a great ending to a great year. But the content never stops coming, so here to help you celebrate the new year is another crop of interesting links to give you some reading material as you sit on your warm ondol and sip some omija tea. Or turn on your space heater and crack open an Oreo Coke and enjoy catching up.
Some are just general interest, some are Year End wrap ups. None are about Yoon, martial law, or the airplane crash. Content on that is not hard to find. My goal with these link posts is to find some hidden gems that might go more overlooked.
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Apple's iOS App Store top app downloads for Korea for 2024. Why are both Coupang Play & Eats here but not vanilla Coupang app? Are Wow members doing normal shopping on desktop? https://apps.apple.com/kr/story/id1778539371
- Get bent, 2024: Top 10 news stories for Korea's foreign community this year
- Subterranean super-speed: GTX-A from Paju to Seoul Station opens
- Jeju Air crash reignites debate over access to digital accounts
- Gov’t Expands Multilingual Civil Services for Foreign Residents
- Oxford English Dictionary Adds 7 Korean Words, Including ‘Dalgona’
- Mobile Network Quality Tests Favor Samsung Galaxy Smartphones
- “Must-Have App for Foreign Visitors to Korea,” NAVER Map Releases Usage Guide in English, Chinese, and Japanese
- War Between Naver's CHZZK and SOOP Intensifies for Throne in Streaming
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - A sign covering the parking payment machines at my local supermarket branch says that due to the official period of mourning for the Jeju Air crash in Muan, they are waiving parking fees. Well, ok.
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Teslas can now recognize Korean (aka horizontal) traffic lights. https://www.bloter.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=628938
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - TIL / Korean slang of the day: Got asked if I'm on 링틴. "Ring 10"? A hip new SNS site? Nope, apparently just a young folks' contraction of 링크드인 i.e. LinkedIn. #링틴 #링크드인 #LinkedIn
- The most popular overseas travel destinations for Koreans across different age groups
- Surge in Fraudulent Mobile ID Sales Raises Concerns as South Korea Rolls Out Digital Initiative
- Naver's growth and Kakao's declines stand out in contrasting Q4 performances
- 'Overwhelming Buzz' for Netflix... While TVING and Wavve Remain Quiet
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Naver iOS app gets deep integration with Apple Shortcuts. Make all kinds of custom scripts and workflows. Cool! https://blog.naver.com/naver_diary/223705891009?trackingCode=rss #Naver #iOS #Shortcuts #네이버 #단축어 #애플
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Now that Naver Plus partnered with Netflix, their TVing partnership ends. But if you prefer TVing, you can grab their service 50% off for 3 months. https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20241226180923
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Naver ran a free website service for small businesses called Modoo but it's shutting down. Too bad; lot of local businesses utilized this. More info here: https://www.modoo.at/home/notice/noticeDetail?boardId=165&pageNum=1 #Modoo #Naver #모두 #네이버
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Korean youth are Asia's fattest. https://n.news.naver.com/article/011/0004428048?sid=103
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Naver logo doodle celebrating the best ending to 2024: the release of Squid Game 2 #SquidGame #SquidGame2 #오징어게임2 #오징어게임
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - SendCard lets you register Korean prepaid payment cards with only an e-mail address! BUT only works at limited locations (and not online shopping). Still need real authentication for that. https://www.hankyung.com/article/202412306502g
- Naver Map launches multilingual guide for foreign tourists
- Tving-Wavve Merger Nears Finalization… Major Shakeup in Content Platforms [2024 Review]
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Naver's Christmas logo doodles for 2024 by artist Salut Danny (살뤼대니). Artist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salut.danny
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - "Korean Immigration Service said a mobile version of the Foreign Residence Card is set to be rolled out next year." https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=189935
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Highway toll discounts for electric and hydrogen cars set to reduce: 40% in 2025, 30% in 2026, 20% in 2027 https://blog.naver.com/exhappyway/223703907107?trackingCode=rss
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Cute regulation from Korea Express Highway Corporation: apparently Santa not allowed on Korean highways because 1. no animals allowed 2. no seatbelts in sleigh 3. toy sack is overloaded
- Naver Post to end service in April 2024; blog transfer options available - Chosunbiz
- NAVER Cloud Unveils NAVIX: Free Enterprise Linux Distribution
- Korean Companies Race to Develop AI Models Specializing in Korean Language and Culture
- Google Expands Gemini Live AI Capabilities with Korean Language Support
- Baby Shark receives three Emmy nominations
- Sinchon lifts car-free street policy in hopes of reviving local economy
- KakaoTalk and YouTube Lead App Usage in South Korea
- For the first time in 40 years, postboxes will change their appearance to widen the entrance so that..
- Jeonbuk Aims to Pioneer South Korea’s Medical Cannabis Industry
- Seoul to Fine Feeding of Wildlife in Parks Starting March 2025
- Seoul Implements Universal Design to Enhance Public Spaces for All
- 2 coworkers in South Korea win S$937K lottery prize within minutes of each other
- NAVER Map Launches “Street View 3D,” a Realistic Three-Dimensional Spatial Experience
- LG Electronics Launches LG Radio+ for Smart TV Audio Streaming
- SBS And Netflix Announce Partnership To Bring Popular Korean Content To The World
- [instiz] BILLBOARD'S RANKING OF K-POP IDOLS' TOUR IN 2024
- SOOP loses lead in streaming war, struggles to shake its image
- Prosecutors Indict Operator of Illegal OTT Content Service Provider 'Noonoo TV'
- AI Achieves Top Score in South Korea’s College Entrance Exam
- Climate Action Card Tops Seoul’s Most Popular Policies of 2024
- Growth hormone market doubles in 4 years as demand rises
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - If you used Naver's me2.do URL shortener (was automatic when certain content on Naver was shared in their apps), they'll all stop working in Q1 2026. https://developers.naver.com/notice/article/18115 #Naver #네이버
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Great idea. When buying street food, scan vendor's QR code to pay via Naver Pay. No more wishing you had cash and walking away hungry! http://www.worktoday.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=61861
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - How much would it cost to circumnavigate Korea by taxi? A YouTuber did it: 1,450,000 won (only ~$1000 but wow it's depressing to see this exchange rate) https://www.insight.co.kr/news/487068
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Understated quote of the decade: "IT 서비스가 한국인에게는 편리할지 몰라도 외국인에게는 불편할 수 있다" (Our IT services may be convenient for Koreans but are inconvenient to foreigners.) https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20241219170127
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Funny and although gray bubble guy is a creep I am mostly on his side here. Is ending sentences with ㅇ a specifically female thing? No male I know would ever talk like this so I can understand the confusion here. https://www.news1.kr/society/general-society/5637280 #translation #whoops
- Naver's online streaming platform "Chizik" will introduce an app for TV next year to expand viewer c..
- KakaoTalk sees 600,000 daily gift exchanges, coffee vouchers and vitamins lead the pack
- Changes 2025 will bring, improving daily lives and enhancing convenience
- Drunk surfing to be banned in Korea
- Naver Pay Partners with WeChat Pay to Simplify Cross-Border Payments in China
- Alibaba, South Korea’s E-Mart form $4b joint ecommerce deal
- Is Samsung’s next biggest threat its own government?
- No. of int'l riders of trains jumps 65% to 4.8M from Jan.-Nov.
- Digital map of Seoul tourism spots offered in 10 languages
- Korea's First Official Cybertruck Owner Revealed—And It's Not G-Dragon - Koreaboo
- South Korea’s Oldest Ginkgo Tree Found to Be 1,317 Years Old
- Gemini struggles to keep up with ChatGPT in South Korea - 조선일보
- JobKorea’s Klik hosts networking event for foreign job seekers
- Naver and SOOP Invest Heavily in Growing Virtual Streaming Market
- Naver Launches 3D Street View for Immersive Navigation Experience
- New research shows Korean children are the most obese in East Asia
- Naver releases '3-D' Google Street View competitor
- Kakao Mobility fined $10.5m for unfair taxi practices
- Korean Christmas Drinks: Beverages That Feel Like the Holidays
- ‘Letterman TV’ Launching on Samsung TV Plus
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Kakao Map features Top Trending places for 2024. Open in the app to browse through different city hotspots, such as Seoul shown here. https://place.map.kakao.com/pages/rank/?region=I&category=category_annual_2024&sort=search #연말결산 #카카오맵 #Kakao #KakaoMap
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Naver Map now shows ferry timetables, routes, pricing. Much more convenient for tourists (foreign and domestic) to visit all the nice coastal islands. https://blog.naver.com/naver_map/223691956838?trackingCode=rss #네이버지도 #네이버 #Naver
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Korea's blogosphere is thriving, even among MZ Gen. >2million new blogs this year! Top MZ blog keywords include Five Guys & London Bagel Museum (not UK; Seoul Jongno & Gangnam). https://event.blog.naver.com/2024-blogreport #네이버블로그 #네이버 #런던베이글뮤지엄 #연말결산
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Coupang will include authenticated safety checkmark icons in text messages to prevent scammers. Other institutions too. Assuming your phone receives RCS messages. Do Korean iPhones do that yet? https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20241212150327 #쿠팡 #안심마크 #Coupang
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - All that free public Wi-Fi around Korea might be in trouble due to budget cuts set for next year https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202410101316001
- Protests in South Korea Highlight Revival of Older Smartphones with DMB Functionality
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Seoul Climate Card public transit credit card ver. apparently can't be added directly to Samsung Wallet, but you can add it to Naver/Kakao Pay and integrate those with Samsung Wallet https://www.mk.co.kr/news/economy/11189468 #기후동행카드 #삼성월렛 #ClimateCard #SamsungWallet
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - WiseApp's 2024 app review for Korea: - YouTube, KakaoTalk, Coupang, Instagram apps dominate. - Toss (banking/finance app) rises much. - Netflix viewing amount is extremely lower than YouTube (probably old folks streaming right wing news all day...) https://www.wiseapp.co.kr/insight/detail/609
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Congrats to Millie's Library (#밀리의서재), an ebook/audiobook platform, for being Google's top "multi-device" app of 2024. #구글플레이 https://platum.kr/archives/244444
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Self-driving robot (probably delivering food) jaywalked at the crosswalk and hit a car. Who's at fault? Are these robots legally "pedestrians"? Does it trying to return to sidewalk count as "fleeing" the scene? #송도 #자율주행로봇 #Songdo https://www.msn.com/ko-kr/news/other/%EC%86%A1%EB%8F%84-%EB%8F%8C%EC%95%84%EB%8B%A4%EB%8B%88%EB%8A%94-%EC%9E%90%EC%9C%A8%EC%A3%BC%ED%96%89%EB%A1%9C%EB%B4%87-%EB%AC%B4%EB%8B%A8%ED%9A%A1%EB%8B%A8%ED%95%98%EB%A0%A4%EB%8B%A...
- Naked YouTuber fined 4 million won for public obscenity in Seoul trial - CHOSUNBIZ
- [Full Text] President Yoon Suk-Yeol’s Address to Koreans Explaining Why He Declared Martial Law, Why It was Lawful, What Forces He is Fighting Against; Vows to Fight to Defend the Constitution and the Citizens
- Protests in South Korea Highlight Revival of Older Smartphones with DMB Functionality
- Record Highs in Miscarriage: Data
- N Korea made millions from remote work scheme, US says
- As the impeachment process entered, portal news comments exploded.According to Naver's ...
- Korea's homegrown social media platform Cyworld to be relaunched next year
- Duolingo and Netflix remix Squid Game music for new campaign
- Hyundai, Google Maps Partner for Enhanced Vehicle Navigation
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - It's #InternationalMountainDay #국제산의날 today and if you search it on #Daum #다음 you get this cute animation in the search results. Or just click the logo doodle on the homepage. https://search.daum.net/search?w=tot&q=%EA%B5%AD%EC%A0%9C%EC%82%B0%EC%9D%98%EB%82%A0&DA=TCN
- Robot runs marathon in South Korea, apparently the first time this has happened
- What Is Statutory Rape in Korean Law
- Telegram Installation Surges in S. Korea on Fears of State Censorship under Martial Law
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Sometimes you can catch advertisements inside the Naver logo doodle area. Here's one from #TiffanyAndCo #ATiffanyHoliday
- KT Unveils Safe QR Service to Combat Rising QR Code Phishing Crimes
- Telegram Installation Surges in S. Korea on Fears of State Censorship under Martial Law
- Found the Feliz Navidad protest song
- Opposition leader Lee Jae Myung says he initially thought the President's declaration of martial law video was an AI Deepfake
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Look at the crazy growth of Instagram over the past few years. And that precipitous drop in KakaoStory. Via https://post.naver.com/viewer/postView.naver?volumeNo=37503908&memberNo=32291422
- Spotify free tier now available in Korea
- South Korea plans pilot for mobile ID next month
- Korea's prison population is aging rapidly
- Korea makes C-sections free for all pregnant women
- Lotte Group Offers Its Iconic Lotte Tower as Collateral to Banks
- South Korean Court Upholds Fine in YouTube Defamation Case, Setting Precedent for Single-Viewer Broadcasts
- YouTube Most Used Mobile Platform in S. Korea: Data
- 'Martial law' becomes most-searched word on Google in S. Korea
- Paramount Inks Streaming Deal with South Korea's Coupang Play
- Tving teams up with Apple TV+ on content exchange
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Korea's indie game festival name sounds a little like something you'd want to visit a doctor for. #BurningBeaver #버닝비버
- Device Privacy in Korean Divorce: Do not see your spouse’s private messages [Actual Judgment Attached]
- Gov't rejects Seoul City's proposal to hire foreign bus drivers
- Microsoft Azure Gains Approval for Use in South Korea’s Public Sector
- Nexon Faces Defeat in Loot Box Lawsuit, Signaling Broader Implications for Gaming Industry
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - T-money cards can be reloaded with "money" via some loyalty card point programs. GS&POINT was one that worked but has now ceased. Via https://pay.tmoney.co.kr/ncs/pct/comm/ReadNtcMttrNews.dev
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - TIL a basic ad-supported Netflix plan in Korea is ₩5500/month. A Naver Plus annual membership, which includes that Netflix plan, comes out to ₩3900/month. You can save at least ₩19,200/year by doing the Naver Plus bundle plus the other N+ savings perks. #네이버플러스 #넷플릭스 #NaverPlus #Netflix https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-now-available-through-naver-plus-membership
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - More good news for overseas Koreans, as Shinhan Bank and Toss Bank certificates can be issued without Korean mobile phone identity verification. #재외국민 #재외동포 #신한은행 https://www.ytn.co.kr/en/news/news_view.php?key=202411282112178818
- Naver boosts membership with free Netflix to rival Coupang
- Gov’t Announces Measures to Block Spam Text Messages
- Netflix Now Available Through Naver Plus Membership
- Naver Plus Membership Adds Netflix Content at No Extra Cost in New Collaboration
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Apple Watch user and jealous of your Galaxy Watch friends tapping their wrists to pay for bus, subway, etc? Use a "T-Fairy" mini T-money card watchband attachment. #Tmoney #티머니 #애플워치 #AppleWatch
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Korean gov will release some new top level Korean domains: 'ai.kr', 'io.kr', 'it.kr', 'me.kr' Via https://bsky.app/profile/lunamoth.bsky.social/post/3lbkfgfpqp22j https://v.daum.net/v/20241122132052578
- SOOP Targets Overseas Markets with Launch of Global Live Streaming Platform
- Immigration growth of 50.9% last year was No. 2 in OECD
- Culinary Class Wars Lifts South Korea’s Fine Dining Scene
- Fire extinguisher to be required for vehicle carrying 5 or more
- Chelsea launch channel on South Korean platform Naver
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - A politician made a deepfake of Seoul major Oh Se-hoon's face on what looks like entertainer Tim Schaecker's body, to draw awareness about DF victims including men. https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202411191825001 #딥페이크 #Deepfake #오세훈
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Korean language section of the Suneung test had a presumably nonsense placeholder URL in a question. Someone immediately registered the URL for real and directed it to an anti-Yoon website. https://v.daum.net/v/9PygUrRusI #수능 #CSAT
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Korean slang guide, via Reddit. #한국어 #속어 #Korean #slang https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/1gtuvsb/korean_slang_guide/
- 10원 Tips on Mastodon - Starting in December, newly sold cars in Korea that seat 5 or more must have a vehicle fire extinguisher https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202411201200001
That's it for now. Hope 2025 is starting out well for you.
Comments