Yujeong Heo

Korea Ginseng Corp., the country’s leading ginseng product manufacturer, said on Thursday it has made a foray into the US market by unveiling its vegan skincare brand, Lab 1899.

As the global leader in vegan product consumption, the US market commands a 35 percent share of the worldwide vegan population. The popularity of vegan products has been extending from dedicated vegans to non-vegan consumers as well.

In response to this surging demand, Lab 1899 has introduced the Red Ginseng Peptide Serum on the US crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo. The anti-aging vegan serum is designed to combat wrinkles and enhance youthful radiance.

A standout feature of the serum is the Ginsenic Barrier, showcasing a concentration of five unique Ginsenosides achieved through a specialized extraction method. These Ginsenosides are blended into the formulation of the Red Ginseng Peptide Serum.

The ongoing crowdfunding campaign has surpassed 392 percent of its target amount, securing the top position in the health & fitness category. Buoyed by this success, the company is now poised to expand its sales channels, both domestically and globally, while actively soliciting feedback from consumers in the US.

"Our skincare products not only deliver high performance but are also entirely harmless. We are dedicated to providing a diverse range of vegan products that cater to the unique needs of our customers," a KGC official stated.

Meanwhile, with 125 years of expertise and technological advancements in red ginseng research and development, KGC's vegan skincare brand is centered around the potent benefits of red ginseng. All Lab 1899 products bear the Eve Vegan Certification from France, renowned for its stringent standards.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction, South Korea's construction giant, announced on Thursday its search for additional tenants at Hillstate Dongtan Forest, a public-supported private rental apartment complex in Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province.

The complex, featuring eight 20-level buildings and offering a total of 585 units, provides a diverse array of living spaces. Comprising 198 units with 84 square meters and 387 units with a more spacious 101 square meters, it caters to various accommodation needs.

Crafted with residents' comfort in mind, a majority of the units face south, ensuring ample sunshine, while the architectural design incorporates cross ventilation. Emphasizing spacious balconies and dressing rooms, the complex prioritizes optimal space utilization for a comfortable living experience.

Setting itself apart from other public-supported rental apartments, Hyundai aims to provide tenants with pre-sale and confirmed sale price rights. Additionally, it commits to a decadelong rent freeze, ensuring financial stability for tenants. The added perk of tax benefits further sweetens the deal for residents.

The strategic location of the complex is noteworthy, situated within walking distance of train and tram stations. With the upcoming operational GTX-A train from March, residents will enjoy enhanced access to Seoul, and the Dongtan Urban Railway will facilitate convenient mobility within the city.

Hillstate Dongtan Forest thrives in a well-established educational environment, boasting prestigious elementary and high schools in close proximity. Surrounded by nature-friendly and convenient facilities, including parks and streams, the complex offers an appealing living environment.

Notably, the complex's future value and sale prices are expected to surge. Adjacent to Yongin, a government-selected massive chip cluster, the region's prospects are further strengthened by ongoing government and industry efforts to establish a semiconductor cluster.

"Hillstate Dongtan Forest represents a last opportunity for reasonable prices in Dongtan New Town. The chance to purchase the property after the rental period is a unique advantage not commonly found in private rental apartments, making this a rare opportunity," stated a real estate expert.

South Korean construction and interior materials company LX Hausys on Wednesday said it is participating in this week's Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas, which runs through Thursday.

The company said it aims to showcase its latest collection of engineered stone and artificial marble, aligning with its strategic goal of expanding into the thriving overseas market.

Artificial marble, known for its cost-effectiveness and durability against impact, scratches and stains, constitutes a significant 70 percent of LX Hausys' overseas sales, solidifying its standing as the second-largest global player in the acryl artificial marble market with a 20 percent market share.

At the KBIS show, LX Hausys has strategically designed an exhibition booth under the theme of naturegraphy, catering to American homebuyers' preference for nature-inspired color palettes.

The company's product lineup includes 14 types of engineered stone, Viatera, and an extensive selection of 50 artificial marble variations, including the HIMACS line.

Among the highlights are the latest engineered stones -- Calacatta Suprema from the Calacatta Collection and Taj Crema from the Quartzite Collection, both capturing significant attention for their natural marble-like patterns and veins.

"This event provides us with the opportunity to attract new customers and establish a stronger presence in the North American market. We plan to reinforce the competitiveness of our artificial marbles through an aggressive localization strategy," an LX Hausys official stated.

South Korea's brokerage Mirae Asset Securities announced Tuesday that its Indian unit hit a significant milestone, with its retail customer accounts surpassing one million in five years after its launch in 2018.

India, the world's fifth-largest economy, holds strategic importance for Mirae Asset Financial Group, leading to substantial investments to bolster its presence in the country.

The financial giant made its mark in India with the introduction of the online brokerage platform, m.Stock, in April 2022, swiftly ascending to the eighth position among online brokers in the country.

The platform, backed by aggressive marketing and pricing strategies, now facilitates 2.14 million daily transactions, managing assets totaling nearly 73 million won ($54,834) and a credit balance of 18 million won.

Looking ahead, the company plans to elevate its services with the upcoming launch of m.Stock 2.0 later this year.

In a strategic move, Mirae Asset Securities acquired the entire stake in Sharekhan Limited, India's 10th-largest securities company, in December 2023. This acquisition aims to solidify the company's standing in the Indian stock market, with aspirations to secure a position among the top five companies in the country.

Expressing pride in the remarkable success achieved in just 22 months after the release of the platform, Arun Chaudhry, Chief Business Officer leading the Retail Business Division at Mirae Asset Securities' Indian unit, emphasized the commitment to continue leading the Indian market through advanced technologies, innovative business models, and diverse channels.

South Korean steel giant Posco has recently reaffirmed its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 by adopting its own hydrogen reduction ironmaking technology, called HyREX.

This strategic shift to low-carbon production is a testament to the company's ambitious pursuit of solidifying its leadership in the realm of sustainable steel manufacturing.

To spearhead this transformation, the company set up a new team solely dedicated to carbon neutrality under the oversight of its CEO in 2022 and streamlined its organizations to come up with extensive strategies covering technologies, materials and infrastructures.

This year, the team’s status has been elevated to a “strategic office” to be headed by Kim Hee, an engineering specialist who is also the company’s female executive.

Traditional steelmaking, reliant on coal in blast furnaces for iron ore reduction, contributes heavily to greenhouse gas emissions. Posco's HyREX technology employs hydrogen instead of coal, slashing carbon emissions by 97 percent.

On Jan. 26 this year, Posco established a separate team to oversee the adoption of HyREX technology from research and development to equipment planning to test runs.

The team aims to commercialize HyREX by 2030 and replace blast furnaces with the new technology in phases by 2050.

In tandem with the hydrogen drive, Posco has already initiated low-carbon production using electric arc furnaces, which offer a 75 percent reduction in carbon emissions.

On Feb. 6 this year, the company started the construction of an electric arc furnace at its Gwangyang facility with an annual production capacity of 2.5 million metric tons. With 600 billion won ($463.3 million) being poured, the furnace is anticipated to become fully operational by 2026.

Posco plans to use molten iron from the electric arc furnace or combine it with molten iron produced in a blast furnace to manufacture steel. The high-temperature exhaust gas will be used to preheat scrap to make the process more energy efficient.

"Through achieving our 2050 carbon neutrality goal, we will continue to fulfill our social responsibility, responding to global demands for low-carbon products, and securing future competitiveness in global markets," a Posco official said.

In 2020, Posco declared its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, becoming the first Asian steelmaker to do so.

South Korea’s top battery maker LG Energy Solution is committed to a management policy focused on sustainable growth with its partner firms, driven by a spirit of cooperation and mutual growth.

The company said it aims to bolster the competitiveness of its suppliers, even amid management uncertainties while maintaining its leadership position in the market.

Under the banner of mutual growth, the company has implemented support programs encompassing both short-term goals such as cost competitiveness and long-term objectives like localization of the value chain and technology development. These quality and productivity support programs are now accessible to both domestic and international partners.

To ease the financial burden on suppliers, LG Energy Solution has introduced a financial support program, called Investment Funding for Mutual Growth. The program, worth 150 billion won ($112 million), has assisted partners in securing low-interest loans based on the firm's deposits in financial institutions since 2020. The company has also established a price indexation system for interlocking contractors to adapt to fluctuations in raw material prices.

The commitment to mutual growth is especially evident during holidays, with the company significantly boosting cash flow to partners by making payments before the due date. This alleviates the substantial cash outflows suppliers face, particularly for raw materials and incentives.

LG Energy Solution also plans to recommend well-performing projects to the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, aiming to provide partners involved in these projects with a guarantee of obligation.

Beyond financial support, the company actively promotes a fair trade culture. Internal committees, such as the Internal Transaction Committee and the autonomous Dispute Resolution Committee, ensure the legal compliance of subcontracting transactions and seek internal resolutions to controversies with partners.

Emphasizing the importance of co-development, LG Energy Solution is also investing in its partners' growth opportunities. It is set to establish a business partnership with educational institutions to offer free online courses -- such as business, IT, language, culture, leadership, and sexual harassment compliance training. Additionally, a partners-only recruitment page on hiring platforms is in the works.

"Guided by the win-win philosophy, we will extend cooperation for improved qualities, technologies, and productivity based on mutual trust. Our goal is to maintain leadership in the field of next-generation batteries," said an LG Energy Solution.

Starbucks Korea on Tuesday said more than 400 employees have successfully attained their bachelor's degrees through a tuition assistance program in collaboration with Hanyang Cyber University.

In the fall of 2016, Starbucks Korea signed a partnership with Hanyang Cyber University, under which the specialty coffee chain pledged to cover the tuition fees for employees pursuing their first bachelor's degree.

Employees are given the freedom to choose their majors independent of their work at Starbucks, with no obligatory tenure requirement associated with the employer after benefiting from the program.

Since the inception of the program in 2016 with 73 participants, a total of 1,770 associates, including new entrants this year, have received assistance. Among them, 423 employees have completed their studies, and 63 participants attended the 2024 graduation ceremony held at Hanyang Cyber University in Seoul on Saturday.

The program's popularity continues to grow, with courses and examinations all being carried out online, allowing workers to strike a balance between working and studying. Song Yoon-ju, a hospitality management graduate, remarked, "I applied to this program to develop myself after my shift at Starbucks."

"We will continue to support employees who aspire to pursue their dreams through the Hanyang Cyber University tuition assistance program," said Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun in a statement.

Nongshim, the nation’s leading food maker, said Monday that its new meoktae-flavored products are becoming big sellers, building on the huge success of Meoktaekkang launched last year.

Meoktae is an Alaska pollack that has been processed through freezing and drying and it is favored as a side dish for beer or soju here.

Nongshim first launched the fish-flavored salty snack, Meoktaekkang, which became an immediate success selling 15 million bags since its debut in June last year.

Buoyed by the upbeat sales, Nongshim last month launched two new products -- the Potatochip Meoktae Chung Yang Mayo Flavor snack and the Meoktaekkang Big Bowl instant noodle.

The company said it sold 4.2 million bags of the potato chips in the first five weeks, surpassing the sales of Meoktaekkang, and 2.3 million cups of meoktae noodles in the first four weeks -- the best figures for cup ramyeon products released over the past year.

Nongshim attributed the positive response to the new products to the popularity of the Meoktaekkang brand and the successful infusion of the flavor into ramyeon and chips.

Employing aggressive marketing strategies, Nongshim has curated special snack sets on online platforms, collaborated with influencers for content creation, and plans offline PR activities with popular bars, considering meoktae as a sought-after snack to have with drinks.

"Nongshim is now acknowledged as a producer of top-quality meoktae products," a Nongshim official said. "Our goal is to provide a range of meoktae snacks, establishing them as consistent best-sellers under the slogan 'Nongshim for meoktae.'"

Korea Water Resources, the state-run water management agency also known as K-water, had a meeting with the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Korea to discuss water concerns and request support for Saudi Arabia's bid to host the World Water Forum in 2027.

K-water announced Friday that CEO Yun Seog-dae met with Ambassador Sami M. Alsadhan at the company's office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, to discuss K-water’s advanced technologies that can assist in tackling Saudi Arabia's water challenges.

"K-water will dedicate its maximum efforts to discover effective solutions to Saudi Arabia’s water challenges," Yun said. "Partnerships in advanced water management technologies, such as digital twins, will deepen the relationship between South Korea and Saudi Arabia."

Given Saudi Arabia's heavy reliance on aquifers for water supply in its expansive desert terrain, the country encounters significant water management hurdles, including flooding. To address these issues and the impacts of climate change, Saudi Arabia is implementing strategic initiatives such as the development of the futuristic Neom city and construction of a new desalination plant.

The ambassador also encouraged the agency's participation in the upcoming Saudi Water Forum scheduled for April and sought K-water's backing for Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 11th World Water Forum in 2027.

The parties reached agreements to enhance cooperation in various areas, including the development of digital twins for water management, knowledge transfer for Saudi Arabia’s water resource monitoring system, a business agreement with Saudi Arabia's National Water Company and collaboration in publishing the "Insight Into Asia Water" report, slated for release at the 10th World Water Forum scheduled from May 18-24 in Bali, Indonesia.

Meanwhile, K-water established the Asian Water Commission in 2016, and has been wielding influence and promoting practical projects aimed at solving water problems in Asia.

Recent research has discovered the physiological mechanism behind how the exposure of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emitted from car engines induces neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in human brains. The study was conducted by a joint research team of Professor Cho Hansang from the Institute of Quantum Biophysics at Sungkyunkwan University and Professor Charles Y. Lee from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. By cultivating human neural stem cells and immunocytes in a three-dimensional microfluidic platform, they created PM2.5-polluted human brain models (PMBs). The PMB model explained the impacts of PM2.5 penetrating across a blood-brain barrier (BBB) and accumulating in the brain tissue, which result in neuronal damages such as synaptic impairment, phosphoric tau accumulation, and even neuronal death. The study suggests that PM2.5 could be a potential reason for brain diseases, including dementia, mediated by detrimental neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Prof. Cho said, “The results of this study could be utilized to develop treatments for preventing early deaths related to fine particulate matter.” The study was published in the October issue of Advanced Science, an eminent journal that publishes the best international research on interdisciplinary studies.

On September 15th at 2 p.m., Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) held a declaration ceremony for VISION 2030 at the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019, only a few personnel attended the event on the spot, and it was live-streamed on YouTube. SKKU presented “a global leader who creates future social values through creative challenges and innovations” as their vision for the next ten years and announced their plans to become “The Global Leader, SKKU”. The vision was carefully developed, considering the opinions of domestic and foreign experts. In addition, SKKU suggested specific ways to achieve their vision through four goals: 1) innovation of university education, 2) research-oriented leading university, 3) win-win partnership, and 4) advancement of university brand.

Opinions on VISION 2030

President Shin Dong-ryeol said, “The VISION 2030 declaration ceremony will serve as a cornerstone for SKKU to cultivate creative talents who will lead the future and to move toward a world-class prestigious university. SKKU will fully support the plans to meet its goals.” The SKKU alumni association, on behalf of 240,000 alumni, praised the declaration of VISION 2030 and expressed their will to provide full material and economic support for making SKKU produce the first Nobel Prize Laureate. They hoped that the declaration of VISION 2030 would mark a milestone in SKKU history. Most of the students also showed a positive response to the event, leaving comments such as “I am proud of being a student of SKKU,” “I sincerely support the VISION 2030” on YouTube. However, some students raised the question about the effectiveness of the plans. A student named Kim from the College of Economics said that transforming all lectures into blended classes seems to be rash since most of the existing blended courses remain ostensible. Therefore, the headquarter needs to improve their vision and plans by listening to various opinions and move towards making SKKU the global leader, as everyone wishes.

On September 23rd, the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) announced that Professor Lee Jong-kwan from the Department of Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University was selected for the "2021 Best Scholars Support Program" in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Best Scholars Support Program is a research support service that promotes high-quality research and active writing processes, aiming to produce renowned scholars in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences. Prof. Lee received the honor for pioneering the studies of digital civilization from the perspective of humanities and social sciences since the late 1990s. He achieved remarkable results by presenting a methodology for future humanities and applying it to arts, architecture, science, digital culture, artificial intelligence, and the 4th industrial revolution. In addition, his book Post-human Is Coming received an academic award from the Korean Publishing Culture Awards in 2017. With the help of the Best Scholars Support Program, Prof. Lee would attempt to present a vision to overcome the modern crisis by conducting an inclusive cross-sectional study on the 21st century civilization. The study aims to encompass epistemological, ontological, and political-economic approaches to fully reflect the issue of civilization.

A growing number of wealthy countries are starting to offer a 3rd dose of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Hoping to curb the Delta variant, Israel, a country with one of the world’s highest infection rates per capita, began administering the booster shots to its elderly population on July 30th. Ministry officials announced on August 22nd that the 3rd dose of Pfizer’s vaccine had four times higher protection against infection and five to six times greater protection from serious illness among people aged 60 and older compared with those who received two shots. Citing the effectiveness of the 3rd dose, the Israeli government has been gradually lowering the age of booster shot eligibility, and so far, 2 million people out of the country’s 9.3 million population have received the 3rd dose. In addition, the US announced its plans to offer booster shots to all Americans. Canada, France, and Germany have also planned booster campaigns. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) questioned the current necessity of 3rd doses and pleaded with countries for a two-month pause on booster shots. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, during a news conference in Hungary on August 23rd, “If vaccination rates are not raised globally, stronger variants of the coronavirus could develop. Vaccines intended as booster shots should be donated to countries where people have not received their 1st or 2nd doses.”

On August 15th, the Islamist group, the Taliban seized the presidential palace in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem declared the “War is over.” The war started in 2001 when the United States (US) invaded Afghanistan as the Taliban, which then governed most of Afghanistan, had refused to hand over Al Qaeda leaders after the September 11 attacks. The US announced its mission of building a nation that is free of terrorism. However, in the middle of April, President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of all American troops by August 31st, pointing out that the nearly 20 years of war could not transform Afghanistan into a modern, stable democracy. According to the Foreign Policy, Taliban leaders will rule Afghanistan through a 12-man council, which will include some pliant members of the former US-supported government and a few anti-Taliban figures as “they strive to form an administration that is acceptable to the international community.” However, the Taliban continued to show contradicting behavior such as cracking down on protests and beating civilians. On August 23rd, G7 (Group of Seven) leaders held a virtual emergency meeting to discuss the crisis. After the meeting, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, said that they have agreed “a road map for the way in which we’re going to engage with the Taliban”. Still, he did not specify taking the ongoing evacuation into account.

The power of the military law system is going to be curtailed as the National Assembly passed a revision to the Military Court Act on August 31st. The revision is a reflex of public opinion. Since the current military law system lets military organizations conduct the whole process from investigation and prosecution to trial and sentencing, it has been accused of cover-ups and extreme neglect of victims. Earlier this year, two female non-commissioned officers from the Air Force and the Navy died in an apparent suicide after reporting sexual harassment by their superiors and suffering from secondary victimization carried out by the military. These cases evoked public indignation, resulting in the revision of the current system that had been deaf to all blame. The new law now requires military sexual offenses to be tried in civil courts rather than in military courts. Civil courts will also be responsible for crimes committed before enlistment and death cases of service members killed in non-military crimes. However, in an interview with Hankyoreh, a lawyer Heo Jain from Minbyun, which is a non-governmental organization of progressive lawyers, said, “The military would feel more pressure if only particular cases such as sexual offenses were tried outside the military. There might be more attempts to make cover-ups.” The source of the problem in this issue resides in the insular, closed military culture. Without solving the deep-rooted problems, it is questionable whether the revision can be the right answer.

On August 31st this year, the National Assembly approved a bill that mandates the installation and operation of closed-circuit TV cameras in operating rooms. There have been growing calls for providing legislative protection to patients against medical malpractice or negligence after several controversies over “ghost operations” or sexual abuse of patients under anesthesia. The revision bill of the Medical Service Act requires recording medical procedures on video at the request of patients or their guardians, and medical institutions must keep them for longer than 30 days for future reference. However, the bill gives a few exceptions; doctors have a right to avoid the mandate under “valid reasons”, such as conducting a high-risk or emergency operation. Besides this, for privacy protection, the recordings are not available to watch unless related organizations request them in the event of a criminal investigation or legal dispute. Those who violate the mandate could be fined up to 5 million won, and those who abuse the data without allowed purposes could be imprisoned for up to five years or fined up to 50 million won. Although the bill allows a two-year grace period, it seems challenging to bridge the gap between doctors and lawmakers. The Korean Medical Association (KMA), the country’s largest doctors’ association with about 130,000 members, said in a press release, “Mandating the installation and operation of closed-circuit TV cameras in operation rooms is a bill that is wrong and will endanger the health and livelihood of the people.”

Summers are growing longer every year. the earth is disturbing the perfect balance of the traditional four seasons. It is deplorable to see how autumn keeps getting shorter and shorter. Many people find autumn unique for various reasons such as changes in colors, moods, and mind-blowing weather. Plus, the autumn sky seems vast and blue. Full of life, full of nature. Looking at the autumn day reminds us of warm feelings and memories. trying to capture the beauty of the autumn sky at its best, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) visited Jeolla Province in the southwestern part of Korea.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency - but it is far more. It is an economic crisis. A social crisis. And a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis… Human rights cannot be an afterthought in times of crisis,” said António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the opening of the forty-third regular session of the Human Rights Council. There has been an ongoing debate about whether human rights can coexist with the pandemic. Regarding this, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) will now look at human rights and public health emergencies, analyze human rights violations during the pandemic, and suggest ways to improve conditions.

It has become apparent that Newtro is now the hottest pop culture trend in South Korea. Newtro is basically an advanced version of the retro trend. It has not only swept over show business, but Newtro has also become the main interest of almost every market. In this article, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) will look at what Newtro is, how industries have reacted to it, and what other sides it has.

Classics are always the right choice. How can we resist them when they allow us to have a secondhand experience of a world that we have never known? Because of this specialty, period dramas have become one of the most loved genres worldwide, and how realistically they portray the past has become the most important factor when judging their quality. However, Bridgerton is somewhat different. The drama, Bridgerton, reinterpreted British aristocratic society during the Regency era with a modern perspective. In this review, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) will look through the charms of the new period drama, Bridgerton.

On January 9th, popular Chinese food vlogger Li Ziqi, who has more than 14 million subscribers on YouTube, provoked a backlash after posting a video in which she made kimchi and added the hashtags #ChineseCuisine and #ChineseFood. Similarly, last November, the Global Times, the Communist Party of China’s daily newspaper, claimed that China’s pickled cabbage, Pao Cai, had become the international standard for kimchi. Seen from these cases, as part of the Northeast Project, China attempts to incorporate much of Korea’s history and culture into its own, and it is gradually becoming a thorn in Korea’s side. Regarding this, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) is going to look at what the Northeast Project is, what damage it could inflict on Korea, and how it can possibly be avoided.

Many students enter Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) through the department system. They spend their first year in general departments without a specific major, and SKKU provides a Learning Community (LC) system for them in a bid to foster their campus life. In 2020, the LC system faced a huge change: the integrated LC was introduced. Since the integrated LC was first implemented this year, there have been many voices stating their concerns over the new system. As it is already December, it seems necessary to reflect on the new integrated LC system before the next year starts. Regarding this, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) is going to look at what an integrated LC is, its pros and cons, and how SKKU can promote the integrated LC.

In the first half of this year, Korea recorded the first surplus in the trade of culture and arts copyright for the new Korean Wave, Hallyu content, like K-pop and K-dramas. In particular, K-drama is spreading like a craze all over the world through over-the-top (OTT) platforms like Netflix. Reed Hastings, a co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Netflix said that K-drama is loved worldwide, pointing out popular dramas Crash Landing on You and Kingdom. Nowadays, K-dramas are getting more popularity and greater influence even in America and India. Regarding this rise in popularity, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) is going to look at the growth of K-dramas, the reason for their popularity, and their prospects for the future.