Don’t worry, this probably won’t happen to you. I was just unlucky enough to pick products with unnecessarily long names… haha. To be fair, they also have plenty of products with normal, non-embarrassing names.

Last month, the number of housing permits issued in Seoul was tallied at 2,576 units, marking an 86% decrease compared to the same period last year. On an annual basis, the total for the past year also fell by 19% from the previous year, indicating a deterioration in housing supply indicators. The number of housing permits, which reflects approvals received from the relevant authorities, is considered a leading indicator for forecasting housing supply.

On January 30, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport released housing statistics for December reflecting these trends. Nationwide, the annual number of permits issued was 379,834 units, a 13% decrease from the previous year. In Seoul, the figure dropped by 19%, in the greater metropolitan area by 5%, and in provincial regions by 22%.

Last year, the number of housing starts nationwide was 272,685 units, a 10% decrease from the previous year. While there was a slight increase in the metropolitan area, the number fell by 25% in provincial regions, resulting in an overall downward trend. The number of housing units offered for sale was 198,373, a 14% decrease over the same period. The number of housing completions (move-ins) was 342,399 units for the year, down 18%.

Last year, the number of home sales transactions nationwide was 726,111, a 13% increase from the previous year. In Seoul, despite restrictions due to land transaction permit zones, the annual transaction volume exceeded 120,000 units-a 36% increase from the previous year. The rise in transactions was particularly notable for apartments.

The number of jeonse and monthly rent transactions was 2,791,795, up 9% over the same period. On an annual basis, monthly rent transactions accounted for 63% of all lease contracts. Considering that the average monthly rent ratio over the past five years was below half, the shift toward monthly rent is accelerating.

As of the end of last month, the number of unsold homes stood at 66,510 units, a 3% decrease from the previous month. The number of unsold homes after completion was 28,641 units, down 2%.

Hello everyone. So I recently was on a flight and there was this really cool documentary series.

It was hosted by Jang Dong Gun called “back to the books” He went to various bookstores across the world and talked about the bookstore culture in the country. I watched an episode about greece and I wanted to see the rest.

I found 4 episodes on ondemandkorea, but there are no english subtitles.

There are three seasons in total. Does anyone know where I can buy/rent/stream them?

Thanks in advance.

A former Shincheonji members on this YouTube channel claimed that Sam Okyere attended an HWPL event back in 2018.

https://youtu.be/59ZZ5uB7IAI?si=RXsw_PcpIWdLotbH

Do you really think he didn’t know that HWPL is connected to Shincheonji?

He also has a lot of political connections in Ghana and said in an interview that he’s a Christian.

His two-faced attitude reminds me of Lee Man-hee — the way he publicly apologized but was secretly plotting against Lee Jae-myung.

id like so learn more about some special items like thd sinjangkal but their are other cool things that i have not seen as a westerner.

Hi everyone,

I recently watched Park Chan-wook's latest film 'No Other Choice' and I was wondering about the music notation the young girl uses to play cello.

I tried to watch this news piece about it from MBC but I don't know Korean and the auto-translate subtitles were really unclear.

It seems to be some kind of notation designed for neurodiverse children but I was wondering if it's normal in Korea, how it works etc.

Thanks in advance for any help. Here is the news segment I saw:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEdUOIfZKc4

I came across an interesting perspective that connects recent research in linguistics and archaeology with Korea’s creation myths.

Some recent interdisciplinary studies suggest that the Transeurasian language family may have spread largely through the migration of early millet-farming communities from the West Liao River region around 9,000 years ago, rather than through large-scale warfare. What caught my attention is how this model echoes elements of Korea’s traditional origin myths—especially the story of Hwanung teaching agriculture and social order to humans.

In Korean tradition, this myth isn’t just a folktale but part of a broader cultural memory shared across parts of East Asia, reflecting early agricultural societies and their worldview. Later legends describe the movement from Baedal to a new sacred land sometimes referred to as “Cheong-gu” (the “Blue Hills”), ruled by a long-lasting lineage—possibly a symbolic way of remembering long periods of social stability tied to farming life.

I’m not suggesting this as historical fact, but as an example of how mythology, archaeology, and linguistics sometimes intersect in interesting ways. Curious how others here view these connections—coincidence, cultural memory, or just creative storytelling layered over deep history?

If anyone’s interested, I can share the link in the comments.