Korea Daily Brief

Illit's 'jellyous' music video just crossed 100 million views on YouTube, making it the group's third video to reach this milestone. The B-side track from their third EP 'bomb' dropped in June 2025 and compares mixed emotions about a crush using the word jelly. The achievement highlights Illit's growing global popularity, especially with their recent fifth EP 'Break Even' selling over 440,000 copies in its first week.

K-pop group NCT Dream is hosting a listening session in Seoul on Saturday to preview all 10 tracks from their sixth album, 'Dream After Dream,' dropping November 9. The event will feature discussions about each song, with the lead single 'Boogie Woogie' co-written by member Jaemin. The group will also livestream on release day and hold a showcase and pop-up store to celebrate.

UNESCO's deliberative body has recommended adding hanji—traditional Korean paper made from mulberry bark—to its list of intangible cultural heritage. The craft, which has thrived for roughly a thousand years, involves meticulous handcrafting skills passed down by recognized masters. Hanji is widely used in writing, printing, crafts, and ritual objects throughout Korean communities.

Netflix Korea's hit show 'The Devil's Plan' is back with Season 3, ditching rookies for seasoned veterans and former champions. The new season, titled 'Dead Again,' reunites elite players including controversial Season 2 winner Jung Hyun-gyu. Producer Jung Jong-yeon (known for 'The Genius') is steering this format shift to explore what happens when masters face off again.

A new exhibition showcasing 69 traditional Korean businesses just opened, blending old crafts with contemporary design. The K-Lifestyle Platform Preview features everything from hanji paper to bojagi wrapping cloth, all reimagined for modern life. The full platform launches in 2027 as a hub connecting traditional artists, startups, and consumers.

Actress Seo Ye-ji is coming back to movies with a horror film called 'Geumwoldo,' where she plays a woman investigating mysterious events on a remote island. Filming kicks off mid-November with a 2027 release planned. This marks her return after stepping away following controversies in 2021.

The National Theater of Korea is staging a fresh take on a centuries-old Joseon-era novel, shifting focus from the wasteful husband to his clever wife who rebuilds their family. The production, "Chunpung's Wife," runs through January 2027 at Seoul's Haneul Round Theater and will tour regional venues next year. It weaves in contemporary references like stock market fever while celebrating female ingenuity over marital folly.

Seoul's Vice Mayor Kim Sung-bo met with Basel's top official this week to explore partnering on the 2027 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. Architects from both cities gathered to swap ideas on public spaces and housing design. This collaboration builds on an architect exchange program they launched last year.

K-pop group Illit will perform at Fuji TV's FNS Music Festival on December 2, 2026, marking their third consecutive appearance at Japan's major year-end music show. The five-member girl group has built serious momentum in Japan since their 2024 debut, racking up strong streaming numbers and concert sales. This repeat invitation reflects their growing popularity across the Sea of Japan.

Actor Shin Min-a is starring in the new Disney+ series 'The Remarried Empress,' based on a popular web novel about an empress navigating love and power. She explained that her goal was to portray Navier as both a strong, dignified leader and a relatable woman discovering new romance. The series follows Navier as she chooses her own path after her marriage is disrupted, with help from a mysterious prince.

K-pop giants BTS wrapped up a massive Latin American tour with 14 sold-out concerts drawing 853,000 fans across Bogota, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo. This was huge for the region—it marked BTS's first full-group concerts in Colombia and Buenos Aires, plus their first Lima visit since debut. The tour also gave a serious boost to local economies through tourism, transportation, and accommodation spending.

The National Dance Company of Korea is showcasing three emerging choreographers through its 2026 Choreographer Project this weekend at Daloreum Theater in Seoul. The three new works—Lee Ei-sul's 'Can't Kill It,' Song Yun-joo's 'White Night,' and Seon Seung-hoon's 'COUNT'—explore contemporary life through movement, from bodies under pressure to sleeplessness and resilience. Since launching in 2023, this initiative has successfully supported artists who've gone on to gain recognition both locally and internationally.

BTS just finished their South American leg of the 'Arirang' world tour, hitting 853,000 fans across 14 sold-out shows in five cities (Bogota, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo). The group closed out with three nights at Sao Paulo's Morumbi Stadium, mixing hits like 'Dynamite' and 'Butter' with new tracks and special surprises. The tour showcased their global reach and the passionate fanbase outside Asia, with members even sporting Brazilian soccer jerseys and traditional indigenous headdresses.

K-pop boy group Treasure is releasing a new digital single called 'Shock' on Monday evening, featuring a synth hip-hop sound that marks their latest musical evolution. The track incorporates electronic beats and references 1TYM's classic 2003 hit 'Hot,' blending retro vibes with modern production. This comes after their fifth EP 'New Wav' in June, which became their second million-seller.

South Korea opened its first Korean Cultural Center in Malaysia on Friday, marking the 36th such facility globally and the fifth in Southeast Asia. Located near Kuala Lumpur's iconic Petronas Twin Towers, the center features a 100-seat performance hall, exhibition space, cinema, library, and classrooms. Officials say Malaysia shows strong interest in Korean culture, and the center aims to boost Korea's cultural presence in the region.

Acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong's debut short film 'Heartbeat' drops on Netflix Monday, just days before his Venice-winning feature 'Possible Love' arrives Friday. The 28-minute 2022 film explores depression through the story of a boy whose mother struggles with mental health while his father stages labor strikes from a tower crane. Both films star Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu, and 'Heartbeat' was created for a WHO and Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation project on depression.

Nearly 160,000 people partied in Seoul's Itaewon and Hongdae districts over Halloween weekend with no major safety problems reported. Authorities ramped up security because crowds were expected to be larger than usual—Halloween fell on a Saturday this year. This marks a calmer celebration compared to the devastating 2022 crowd crush that killed 159 people in the same area.

Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyeon-jin, famous for their chemistry in 2016's Dr. Romantic, are back together in a new psychological thriller called The Perfect Lie. The pair reunited at a Seoul press conference this week, with Yoo expressing how naturally their rapport returned despite a decade apart. Fans have been anticipating this collaboration for years, and the actors say filming together felt surprisingly fun and effortless.

Seoul's Fortune Adventure exhibition just opened at the aT Center, featuring over 200 fortune-telling booths covering 13 different methods—from traditional saju and face reading to tarot and pet fortune-telling. For just 12,000 won ($8.40), you can book a 10-minute session with any practitioner, letting you try multiple methods in one visit. The four-day event runs through Sunday and reflects growing interest in fortune-telling among younger Koreans.