K-wave AI News

Hello and welcome to your AI guide to the latest cultural updates from Korea.

Here's our top story.

To mark Family Month in May, three national arboretums across Korea will open their doors free of charge. The Baekdudaegan National Arboretum, Sejong National Arboretum, and National Botanic Garden of Korea native plant will offer free admission from May 1 to 6, with a range of family-friendly cultural events. At Baekdudaegan, visitors can enjoy bee-themed immersive activities and browse a local flea market featuring regional specialties. Sejong Arboretum will also host a lively lineup, including magic shows, diverse performances, and a special exhibition showcasing plants used in desserts.

Korea's southern port city of Busan is offering nearly 50 new tourism packages for foreign visitors in collaboration with the Busan Tourism Organization. The packages include "One-Day Tours," "Customized Themed Packages," and "Regional Tours." The "One-Day Tours" provide convenient transportation for tourists to explore Busan with ease, while the "Customized Themed Packages" cater to individual interests. The "Regional Tours" offer opportunities to tour around key southeastern cities, including Pohang, Ulsan, and Gyeongju. These tour packages are available for purchase on online travel platforms, including KLOOK, KKday, and Trip.com.

Illegal distribution of Korean content overseas surpassed 414 million cases last year, with webtoons accounting for 70% of the total. Park Jung Youl, Director of the Korea Copyright Protection Agency, said copyright violations operate through complex, borderless networks, causing significant losses even for big-name companies like Kakao Entertainment. Noting that Korea's copyright industry is worth 208 trillion won, or some 145 billion U.S. dollars, making up 11% of the national GDP, Park highlighted the need to respect creators and their original content. The Copyright Protection Agency and the Culture Ministry declared this year as "The Year of National Copyright Protection" on Wednesday, marking World Book and Copyright Day designated by UNESCO.

That's all from me. Keep it tuned to the Kulture Wave.