9 stories
Seoul ranked 17th in Monocle magazine's 2026 Quality of Life Survey, making it the top city in Northeast Asia outside Japan, with the publication praising its democratic resilience and global cultural influence while flagging concerns over long working hours and heritage preservation.
From K-pop museums and idol-themed cafes to drama filming locations and world-class beauty shopping, South Korea is turning its global cultural moment into one of the most exciting travel destinations on the planet.
An aging Seoul overpass already undergoing demolition partially collapsed on May 26, killing three construction workers and sending debris onto a nearby railway line, causing widespread rail service disruptions across the capital region.
Seoul's wellness scene is evolving fast, with four standout new spaces blending physical recovery, mental health rituals, running culture, and slow living into accessible, immersive experiences for city dwellers and visitors alike.
Seoul City has announced that a 3,200 square meter underground space beneath Seoul Plaza, hidden for 40 years, will open in October as a K-culture experience platform featuring media art, K-fashion runways, and K-pop pop-up stores.
Seoul is transforming a 40-year-old underground tunnel beneath City Hall Plaza into a K-content cultural hub, while a new economic report argues that K-Beauty and K-Food need to become Korea's next major export engines beyond semiconductors.
From Lacoste's immersive polo shirt pop-up in Seongsu to K-fashion brands taking over Gwangjang Market's traditional stalls, Seoul's fashion scene is expanding in unexpected directions — and international tourists are driving the momentum.
Seoul's historic Gwangjang Market, long famous for traditional food and textiles, is undergoing a quiet transformation as major K-fashion brands like Matin Kim and Satur open stores inside the market to capture the booming international tourist trade.
Japan's "nama donut" trend has crossed into Korea with I'm Donut, a brand built on a 24-hour fermentation process that's already drawing hundreds of visitors daily to its Seoul locations — and expanding fast.