K-trends

Korea is moving to bring its traditional culture into the global generative AI ecosystem by building verified training datasets for traditional patterns and traditional music, unveiled this week at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The WIPCO Consortium presented Korea’s traditional culture AI training data on January 6 (local time), developed under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture Information Service Agency (KCISA) as part of the “AI Training Data Constr

A Korean YouTuber known as Kim Pro has emerged as the most-watched creator in the world, topping global YouTube channels in total annual views for 2025. According to data from YouTube analytics platform Playboard, Kim Pro’s channel recorded approximately 77.5 billion views over the year, ranking first worldwide. This figure significantly surpasses the second-place channel *Double Date*, which logged around 61.5 billion views, and more than doubles the annual views of *MrBeast

As South Korea prepares for a record-breaking year in inbound tourism, a clear shift is emerging in where foreign visitors choose to travel. According to Yanolja Research, the number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea in 2026 is projected to reach 20.36 million, an 8.7% increase year-on-year, surpassing pre-pandemic highs. Industry observers note that the total could rise further, potentially exceeding 21 million, if inbound travel from China continues to recover. Beyon