Social Media Minute

1. Tapgol Park bans board games, fueling debate over heritage vs. seniors’ needs 2. Severe drought leaves Gangneung residents struggling with water shortages 3. Canadian man digs through 18 tons of waste to recover wife’s lost wedding rings

1. ‘Golden’ holds at No. 1 as “KPop Demon Hunters” makes Billboard history with four songs in the Hot 100 top 10 2. China’s Gen Z treats ‘Labubu’ dolls like children, fueling a booming ‘doll economy’ 3. Cable car project in Jeonju sparks clash between economic hopes and environmental fears

1. South Korean and Japanese leaders share hometown flavors and lighthearted moments at Tokyo dinner 2. France’s “pure” mineral water industry rocked by Evian scandal and government cover-up claims 3. South Korea’s Supreme Court rules apple harvest on another’s land is not a crime

1. Saudi Arabia faces setbacks in plan to host 2029 Winter Asian Games 2. Kim Kardashian embraces K-culture during visit to South Korea 3. Croatian freediver sets world record with 29-minute breath hold

1. Psy’s “Summer Swag” concert brings spending boost worth billions of won to Sokcho 2. Elderly long-term prisoners in South Korea ask to be sent to North Korea before they die 3. Fireball bright as the moon lights up the night sky over western Japan

1. In Washington, Zelensky and Trump recall February’s tense suit debate, this time with humor 2. Jeju’s Haenyeo divers clock record-breaking underwater times, rivaling even some marine mammals 3. Nadeen Ayoub becomes the first woman to bring Palestine to Miss Universe, with a message of strength and resilience

1. Ongoing heatwave leaves rural South Korea with tap water too warm for daily use 2. Swatch apologizes after ad sparks backlash in China over racist imagery 3. Singer and entertainer Kim Jong-kook announces he’s getting married

1. Singer Sean completes 81.5 kilometer marathon to help build homes for descendants of independence fighters 2. Insooni becomes the first Korean in 25 years to receive Pearl S. Buck International’s Woman of Influence Award 3. ChatGPT-5 sparks backlash as users say the upgrade feels worse than before

1. Oasis faces backlash in Korea over rising sun imagery and past racist remarks ahead of Seoul concert 2. Supreme Court of Korea upholds Pinkfong(핑크퐁)’s win in Baby Shark lawsuit, says no copyright was infringed 3. AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton says urges scientists to give machines “motherly compassion” instead of forcing them to “submit” to humans

1. AI care robot in Daejeon detects suicide risk in elderly resident and alerts police 2. In Silicon Valley, parents pay big money to choose the “smartest” future child through embryo IQ testing 3. AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur lands at wrong airport in Korea, leaves passengers stranded for hours

1. Deleting KakaoTalk messages, from 5 minutes to 24 hours 2. Programmers and unemployment 3. Apple favoring ChatGPT on the App Store…lawsuit to be filed

1. Elderly man vandalizes palace gate with 'message to Trump' 2. China says the development of the world's first gestation robot expected within a year 3. Homeless man turns his life around after deciding to run race in flip-flops while intoxicated

1. A century-old Korean flag returns home alongside stories of liberation and women freedom fighters 2. More than 3 million Koreans sign end-of-life directives as support grows to allow treatment withdrawal earlier in the dying process 3. New U.S. quarter honors Stacey Park Milburn, the first person of Korean descent to appear on American currency

1. Fans and friends mourn the passing of Lee Min of As One 2. New digital encyclopedia brings Korea’s pop culture phenomena together in one place 3. Starbucks Korea cracks down on disruptive café behavior after customer complaints surge

1. Korea’s early childhood education frenzy sparks fierce debate over rights and regulation 2. Survey finds Koreans most proud of K-Pop and traditional culture but deeply dissatisfied with politics 3. Korean agriculture ministry goes viral with K-pop dance to promote APEC food security meeting

1. Bomb threat forces mass evacuation at Seoul’s Shinsegae Department Store 2. Danish zoo sparks fierce debate over request for donated pets as predator feed 3. Japan’s record-breaking heat wave melts restaurant food displays

1. S.Korea’s strategic gesture paved way for U.S. tariff deal—complete with a red cap 2. Vogue stirs debate after Guess ad features AI-generated models 3. 6-year-old left bruised after octopus encounter at aquarium

1. Public bathhouses become lifelines for Seoul’s most vulnerable in the heat 2. Bananas ripen in urban Seoul as heatwave turns city tropical 3. Giant stick insect discovered in Queensland may be Australia’s heaviest bug yet

1. After welcoming 7.8 million visitors, Cheongwadae prepares once again to welcome a president 2. Korean scientist with green card detained at U.S. airport for over a week without explanation 3. Some 1,000 dolphins spotted off the coast of Ulsan wow whale watching passengers

1. 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia is 6th strongest ever recorded, has effects across the globe 2. Fans from all over the world line streets of Birmingham to say farewell to Ozzy Osbourne 3. Asiana flight to Incheon returns to Istanbul after passenger loses portable power bank inside the airplane

1. Debate spurs over tipping culture in Korea after tip box appears at restaurant 2. AI job matching service leads to increased employment by 84% YOY in Korea 3. Michelin Guide to unveil first-ever global hotel key selection in Oct.

1. 30th Busan International Film Festival reveals official poster 2. Puppy kindergartens in Korea introduce assessment criteria for enrollment 3. Koreans experience first decline in sleep time as video content consumption rises

1. Many Koreans prefer vegan alternatives to traditional meals enjoyed for Boknal 2. Japan steps up bear safety measures amid surge in bear attacks 3. N. Korean TV drama features candid portrayals of official corruption and rural discontent

1. Seoul back under highest heat alert as temperatures set to soar through the weekend 2. Park Bo-gum leads new global tourism campaign as Korea taps star power and streaming 3. New Chinese cooking show sparks plagiarism accusations over striking similarities to ‘Culinary Class Wars’

1. South Korean passport now ranks among the world’s most powerful with access to 190 countries 2. North Korean crypto scammers keep leaving clues and one of them is a love for minions 3. A beloved convenience store in Seoul where a warm meal and a kind word come free