K-Culture

K-Culture / Jun 9, 2026

One in 10 Books Sold in Korea This Year Is a Novel, Data Shows

Why it mattersKorea's reading boom shows how fan culture and social-media taste-making — forces the world associates with K-pop and dramas — are now resh…

Novels made up one in 10 books sold in South Korea in early 2026, with 30 titles in the top 100 — a record this century.

K-Culture / Jun 9, 2026

Netflix Korea’s No. 1 Show ‘Hot Blooded’: Cathartic Justice With a Bitter Aftertaste

Why it mattersThe series is a global top-3 Netflix hit, making it a window for international audiences into the social anxieties driving South Korea's hy…

Netflix's 'Hot Blooded' topped Korea's charts, but critics say its cathartic revenge plot glorifies violence over real reform.