Social Media Minute

1. Rising lunch prices reshape how young Koreans eat2. Japan’s centenarian population surpasses 100,0003. Accommodation problems hit Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

1. Céline Dion returns for first full concert in six years2. Fields Medalists warn AI race could harm mathematics3. Restaurants in the U.S. ask diners to put their phones away

1. Lee Chang-dong wins Venice Grand Jury Prize2. Chipotle’s Seoul debut feeds Mexican food boom in Korea

1. Samsung investigates alleged misuse of housing benefits2. Mongolia adopts South Korea’s street address system3. Claw machine prizes fail safety tests

1. Chuseok gift market splits between budget and luxury2. Anthropic researchers say AI could cause human extinction by 20303. AI actor Tilly Norwood gives first media interview

1. Korea rethinks heritage admission fees after 21 years2. College student’s 1.5 million won allowance request sparks debate

1. 150,000 visit Frieze Seoul and KIAF 20262. Supreme Court upholds disabled viewers’ right to enjoy films

1. Companies rethink what counts as ‘a day off’2. The science of nose-blowing wins 2026 Ig Nobel Prize

1. Korea seeks UNESCO recognition for ondol culture2. New York City bans AI for younger students3. Otters return to Seoul as Han River recovers

1. Venice Film Festival opens as Possible Love eyes Golden Lion2. Rare Baekje construction technique discovered in Chungju

1. Robert Moreno named South Korea’s interim football coach2. Hayoung leaves The Trauma Code amid great-grandfather controversy3. Trump pushes Apple to rename Lake Ontario

1. Packed lunches become a growing trend amid higher food costs2. Seoraksan Mountain sees first signs of autumn foliage3. Sir Anthony Hopkins tops the charts with his classical music album

1. Jeju case fuels distrust over missing-person investigations2. World’s biggest music publishers sue Anthropic over AI piracy

1. Avant-garde outsider Yayoi Kusama dies as global art icon2. Seoul becomes citywide art destination for Art Week

1. Wildlife returns after illegal structures removed from Palgongsan Mountain2. Korea’s birthrate rises to seven-year high3. Park Soo-hong apologizes over flight disruption controversy

1. G-Dragon honors unsung heroes with concert invitations2. AI pushes China’s largest film studio toward tourism3. Japan mandates driver monitoring to curb distracted driving

1. Illegal imports of cheaper weight-loss drugs surge2. Park We faces backlash over KTX CCTV leak

1. Toronto celebrates sold-out BTS concerts by declaring ‘BTS Weekend’2. Prince Harry and Meghan plan return to the UK3. Humanoid robots compete at World Humanoid Robot Games

1. Namdaemun Market turns into sauna-shopping destination2. Moderna and Merck report success with personalized cancer vaccine3. Dogs linked to significantly lower dementia risk in older adults

1. The Odyssey fuels debate over South Korea’s IMAX theaters2. AI-written entries overwhelm Japan’s literary contests

AI transformation slower than expected

1. Seoul to hold Liberation Day bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak2. NYC transit plans to capture heat to warm buildings in winter

1. Actress apologizes amid controversy over great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese ties2. 'Mounjaro babies': Weight-loss drug may raise pregnancy risk

1. China envisions robot dogs working alongside astronauts on the Moon2. South Korea’s heat wave leaves bakeries scrambling for fresh cream

1. Young Koreans mock ‘bus house’ proposal with a flood of viral memes2. AFP debunks viral posts in France linking Korea’s market plunge to suicides3. Passengers take airlines to court over windowless ‘window seats’

1. Seoul's tropical nights end, but Korea's heat wave isn't over yet2. The Korean towns untouched by tropical nights3. Paris chefs look to Korean cuisine for fine dining inspiration

1. 2026 Boryeong Mud Festival enters its final weekend2. How homegrown apps are helping people beat the heat

1. BTS concerts are powering local economies2. Etiquette debate: Should beachwear stay at the beach?3. Extreme heat fuels demand for Japan's “human refrigerators”

1. Study links earlier social media use to lower academic performance2. News publishers push back as Google's AI summaries reshape online search3. Ariana Grande is 'taking a step back' as public scrutiny intensifies

1. For nearly half of Korean workers, vacation isn't really time off2. As Europe heats up, Germany is divided over air conditioners3. Customers caught bringing their own meat to a barbecue restaurant

1. WHO warns extreme heat is a major health threat as temperatures shatter records2. Wall Street and AI giants are paying millions to recruit young math prodigies3. Record-low water levels on the Danube reveal the bones of a prehistoric giant

1. Trump administration weighs $100,000 fee for international students seeking U.S. jobs2. Why South Korea uses more air conditioning than Japan but pays far less for electricity3. Declining enrollment pushes more Seoul schools to go coed

1. 40-degree heat becomes South Korea's new summer reality as record-breaking temperatures continue2. Seoul turns Cheonggyecheon into a downtown summer oasis3. E-book service faces backlash after admitting it used AI to translate classic literature

1. Study finds political polarization can push both sides to see moderates as the opposition2. K-pop has conquered streaming. Now Jennie has conquered American radio.3. A 7.1 magnitude quake hits Japan’s southern Kyushu island and dozens are injured or missing

1. Record wildfires sweep France and Spain as heat wave approaches2. Police track down owner of endangered crocodile found in Yeoju river3. Thai schoolgirl covered head to toe in black body paint gives emergency responders a shock

1. Katy Perry condemns White House after 'Firework' is used in military strike video2. Trump Media's plan to sell faster access to President Trump's Truth Social posts sparks bipartisan criticism3. South Korea’s employment penalties for conscientious objectors spark calls for reform

1. Two Qing dynasty stone lions to leave South Korea after more than nine decades2. Britain's rich tell government: Tax our wealth instead of workers' incomes3. Weekend rain likely to mark the end of South Korea's monsoon season

1. Are English-only shop signs legal in South Korea? The answer is more complicated than you might think2. NewJeans mark their fourth anniversary with surprise group video but questions remain over the group's future3. Zendaya faces criticism after wearing nearly 3,000-year-old Iranian earrings on The Odyssey press tour

1. Seoul Grand Park celebrates the birth of South Korea's first naturally bred red panda cubs2. Pediatricians warn bracelets and stickers won't protect you from mosquitoes3. As summer travel picks up, neighbors step in to care for each other's pets

1. Prosecutors seek one-year prison sentence over Michelin restaurant's ant dishes2. Police uncover fake online review operation worth 1.9 billion won

1. Spain is 2026 FIFA World Cup champion2. South Korea’s world no. 1 go player beats AI KataGo in historic victory3. Seoul turns Gwanghwamun Square into a free summer water park

1. New exhibition uses AI to recreate a historic moment in South Korea's constitutional history2. More than 200 fans show up for Erling Haaland look-alike contest during the World Cup3. Broken elevator, 26 floors, and a chicken delivery that restored people's faith in kindness

1. North Korean defectors go viral on social media by sharing everyday life in the North2. Defending champions Argentina return to the World Cup final to face Spain3. Psychiatrist says stock market FOMO can feel like physical pain

1. Uijeongbu High School's graduation photo tradition returns with World Cup and pop culture parodies2. Ancient Chinese summer cooling method goes viral as families sleep with giant winter melons3. Should bus drivers be allowed to listen to the radio while they work? Complaint sparks debate in Seoul

1. South Korea lifts ban on mobile food vendors at baseball stadiums2. Everland asks the public to help name South Korea’s newest giant panda cub3. Norwegian Air changes its logo after losing friendly World Cup bet with British Airways

1. Argentina faces England and France meets Spain in star-studded World Cup semifinals2. Incheon Airport tightens currency checks after spike in smuggling attempts

1. Seoul Philharmonic becomes first non-European orchestra to open the Prague Spring Festival2. Youn Yuh-jung earns first Emmy nomination for her role in “Beef” season 23. Erling Haaland’s favorite hair tie has Korean roots

1. South Korean court recognizes app-based delivery rider as employee in landmark ruling2. World Cup final eight confirmed, Europe dominates quarter-final lineup3. Meta faces potential $1.4 trillion penalty in U.S. case over alleged social media addiction among young users