What were the top K-culture moments of 2024?

한강 작가 노벨문학상 수상부터 '오징어게임 2' 공개까지… 문화로 돌아보는 2024년

Now as we count down the days to the end of 2024 we take a look back at some of the remarkable strides by K-culture on the international stage this year.
Our correspondent Song Yoo-jin has a recap.

As the year winds down, it's time to walk down memory lane and revisit the cultural highlights of 2024.
The biggest moment came in October.

"The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2024 is awarded to South Korean author Han Kang."

Han became the first Asian female laureate in the category and only the second Nobel Prize winner from Korea.

"I think Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize was a defining moment that showed Korean literature is now part of the mainstream."

Turning to K-pop, BLACKPINK's Rose and American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars' "APT." became a global sensation.
Rose became the first Korean female artist to achieve all this: topping Spotify's Global Chart, landing second on the UK Official Singles Chart, and securing eighth place on the Billboard Hot 100.


"With BLACKPINK and BTS not performing as a full group this year, there were concerns about K-pop's momentum. But Rose showed her talent and potential as a major female solo star in K-pop. Her success also further solidified K-pop's status on the global stage."

Meanwhile, BTS brought good news for fans eagerly waiting for their return
The group's oldest member, Jin, completed his mandatory military service in June, becoming the first to reunite with ARMYs.

"My bias is Jin. So yes, Kim Seok-jin. He came back and I don't know I feel like my favorite person in the world you know, come back to me and it's really important."

"So the wait of one and a half year like it came to an end and we see him so happy, so handsome. It made us feel so proud."

J-Hope followed in October, bringing the group one step closer to their full comeback, with all members set to complete their service by next summer.

However, not every news was celebratory.
A dispute involving Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of HYBE's subsidiary ADOR, escalated into a family feud. In November, Min resigned, and NewJeans announced the termination of their contract with ADOR, which was initially set to run until 2029.

"The trust between us and ADOR has broken down, so continuing our contract is just unacceptable."

ADOR has filed a lawsuit seeking the validity of its contracts with the five members.

On the screen, streamers thrived while cinema struggled.
The domestic box office saw only two films cross the 10-million ticket mark: "Exhuma" and "The Roundup: Punishment," both released in the first half of the year.

"The impact of COVID-19 continued to linger, so there weren't many blockbusters, and even those marketed as blockbusters didn't perform well. However, there were notable efforts to try something new, such as screening so-called shorter "snack" movies, films that won awards at art festivals, re-releases, concert films, and horror movies."

But it was a different story for the streaming industry.
Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars" became the first Korean reality show to top the platform's Global Top 10 Non-English TV Series list for three straight weeks.
And the long-awaited second season of the Emmy-winning series "Squid Game" premiered on December 26th.
And that was a wrap-up of 2024 in culture.
Song Yoo-jin, Arirang News.

#K_culture #Nobel_Prize #Literature #HanKang #Kpop #APT #BTS #NewJeans #노벨상 #노벨문학상 #한강 #아파트 #방탄소년단 #전역 #뉴진스 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스

2024-12-27, 17:00 (KST)

[OMGMiracle]

New Jeans vs ADOR is surely the main event to watch for. I am all for it! 👏🏻
Winner takes all. 👏🏻
This is actually miles better event than 2022-2024 NBA finals, and Apate combined.