Big Ocean, the first deaf K-pop act, on April 16 poses for photos at the practice room of Parastar Entertainment in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District. From left are members Park Hyunjin, Lee Chanyeon and Kim Jiseok. (Margareth Theresia)
By Margareth Theresia
Korea.net throughout this year has spread news on Korea to the world.
As of 9 a.m. on Dec. 17, the service posted 12,180 articles in 11 languages including Korean. Among these stories, the following five were the most read this year.
First hearing-impaired K-pop act hopes for 'barrier-free world'
A feature on Big Ocean, the first deaf K-pop act, saw the highest readership of any Korea.net story this year. The group's members honestly recounted the obstacles they faced and the process of overcoming them for their debut, drawing keen empathy from around the world.
This piece saw a particularly enthusiastic response from Japanese readers.
The article was the most read this year on Korea.net's Japanese-language page, attracting 10 times more views that the story on the site's leading section of English.
The Korea.net staff writers who did the interview said they were deeply inspired by the boy band when talking to them at their practice room. The writers also expressed pride that the story resonated deeply with many readers.
Policy toward foreign nationals: Climate Card and seasonal worker system for parents of int'l students
Another story with high attention both at home and abroad was on the Seoul Climate Card, which allows extensive use of public transportation in the capital for a monthly fee. The pass debuted in January for Seoul residents, followed by the Climate Card Tourist Pass in July for foreign visitors. The article "Foreign tourist editions of unlimited transit card coming in July" received many views in the English-language section.
In February, the Ministry of Justice announced a policy of allowing the parents of international students at domestic universities outside of the Seoul metropolitan area to work as seasonal workers for up to eight months. The article "Parents of foreign students to be invited as seasonal workers" was the most popular on the Vietnamese-language page, highlighting how Korea's openness offers practical help to foreign nationals.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In Chon (center) on July 9 takes a photo after giving letters of encouragement to national fencer Gu Bongil (left) and badminton star Kim So Yeong at the sendoff ceremony for the national team competing in the Paris Summer Olympics. (Heo Man-jin from Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
National team uniforms for Paris Summer Olympics unveiled
The uniforms of the national team for the Paris Summer Olympics left a deep impression on readers worldwide through a combination of unique designs and traditional elements.
"I think the article got a positive response because of the uniform design highlighting the nation's traditional color blue, as well as photos of players wearing the uniform well," said Gil Kyuyoung, the Korea.net French-language staff writer who penned the article. "I could feel that foreign readers have high interest in Korean fashion."
Gov’t provides aid for dating and marriage
A story on government policy actions to stimulate dating and marriage also wooed readers. Korea.net covered programs for matchmaking at Buddhist temples, provision of public wedding halls and inexpensive rental housing for newlyweds.
"I think the article was widely read because love and marriage are topics of universal interest that everyone can relate to," said Aisylu Akhmetzianova, the Russian-language staff writer behind the article. "Its coverage of Korea's creative policy actions made it more interesting."
"Korea.net has spent a meaningful year sharing stories about Korea on things like heartwarming challenges and innovative policy, communicating and growing much closer with readers worldwide," Korea.net team leader Kang Seong Chul added. "We will keep repaying the love of our readers with new and touching stories and informative and fun articles next year."
margareth@korea.kr
