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Girl group NewJeans made hanji, or Korean traditional mulberry paper, in a YouTube video in early January, with hanji-maker Ahn Chi-yong. [JOONGANG ILBO] Adding to the already large and still-growing international influence of K-culture, some Korean celebrities, whether due to a sense of responsibility or simply because they've become enamored by its beauty, have been actively incorporating traditional Korean elements into their content. In turn, fans have certainly taken notice, and it has aided in teaching the world more about the beauty that is Korean culture. Most recently, girl group NewJeans was shown making hanji , or Korean traditional mulberry paper, in a YouTube video in early January. Hosted by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation, a state-run institution, the five members learned all about the craft by hanji-maker Ahn Chi-yong, who himself has also been designated as one of Korea’s intangible cultural assets. “I didn’t know much about hanji, but I feel proud … [Read more...] about Korean celebrities promote traditional arts and crafts

"Good Luck Fish," lifestyle brand 2nd universe's updated version of the dried pollack tied with silk yarn tradition [2ND UNIVERSE] The city of Seoul has a fantastic collision of old and new. In between its modern buildings, the city boasts beautiful ancient palaces and traditional houses that harmonize with nature. Trendy buildings these days seem to be bringing that power of Seoul’s contrasting beauty into their designs as many of them have fused the modern with the traditional, like the renovated hanok (traditional Korean building) cafes in Samcheong-dong, or newer buildings that feature traditional Korean designs. Whatever the method may be, the vibe is still very natural, boosting the understated charm that represents Korea's capital city. Branching off of these efforts, many brands are taking on the challenge of mixing and matching traditional Korean elements while still staying up-to-date on trends. The following is a selection by the Korea JoongAng Daily of local … [Read more...] about Korean design jumps on the K-history bandwagon with traditional motifs

A sunset observatory design concept for Nodeul Island provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT] Seoul city government said it will significantly lift regulatory restrictions, including the floor area ratio and the building-to-land ratio, for creatively designed buildings that become major landmarks. The city will first apply the regulatory changes to transform Nodeul Island in the middle of the Han River. Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday announced a plan in turn the nation’s capital into a city of innovative architectural design. Seoul said it will benchmark the innovative designs incorporated into the Dutch city of Rotterdam, which attracts 10 million tourists and generates around 800 billion won (over $630 million) a year through tourism , as well as Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which attracts 1.3 million tourists and makes 100 billion won a year. seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon during a press briefing in Seoul on Thursday … [Read more...] about Seoul to ease regulations to promote creative design

Users in the trial cities were able to order takeaway by accessing an option added to ByteDance's Douyin channels. Representative Image (Source: Reuters) Chinese technology giant ByteDance is purportedly testing a type of food delivery service in China via its short video app Douyin, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, CNBC reported on February 8. It is also considering extending the service beyond the trial. The move can potentially pit the company against major e-commerce companies like Alibaba and Meituan. According to the report, a Douyin spokesperson said that the company has been “testing a feature in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu that enables merchants to promote and sell ‘group-buying’ packages to Douyin users in these select cities and have them delivered.” "We would consider expanding the feature to more cities in the future depending on the testing results. There is no detailed timeline yet,” a Douyin spokesperson told CNBC . Most often, restaurant … [Read more...] about ByteDance reportedly testing food delivery service via its Chinese version of TikTok

At a time when tech companies are on an overdrive to cut down on manpower, Paytm has chosen to buck the trend. After announcing that it had achieved operational profitability three quarters ahead of schedule , the fintech company plans to beef up its sales team to speed up onboarding of merchants to its platform and deploy its payment devices at shopfronts. “When we look at the opportunity of 10 crore merchants and we are sitting with 3 crore today, we have a very long way to go. We are present in 400-450 cities and towns and our belief is that over the next 2-3 years, we would like to be in 1,000,” Chief Operating Officer Bhavesh Gupta said in an earnings call on February 6. “This penetration will be a bit more people-led, but we will calibrate it as we see growth. It will not be on the back of loss-making growth, but on the back of profitable growth,” he said. Executives on the call, however, mentioned that it won’t be a large addition to its sales force as the company … [Read more...] about Paytm on hiring mode to rope in more merchants, sell payment devices

The record allocation of Rs 13,539 crore for railways in Maharashtra will have a "very good effect”, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday. Hyderabad, Feb. 4 Akin to Vande Bharat trains, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Ministry of Railways to come up with ”Vande Metro”, a train concept to run between two nearby big stations, Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Saturday. Speaking to reporters, he also said Indian Railways has given away Rs 59,000 crore worth of subsidies in the transportation of food grains, fertilizers and many other items last year which is equivalent to 55 per cent concession for every passenger. ”Honourable Prime Minister has given the target this year. After the success of Vande Bharat train, (he asked to) develop a new world-class regional train which will be Vande Metro," he said. The Minister said they are planning to come out of a prototype within the next 12 to 16 months and then roll it out and run it for at … [Read more...] about After Vande Bharat, PM Modi asks Railways to come out with Vande Metro: Railway Minister

Representative Image Zypp Electric, a business-to-business electric vehicle (EV) delivery service startup, has raised $25 million in debt and equity in a series B funding round led by Taiwan-based battery swapping major Gogoro. New and existing investors such as Goodyear Ventures, 9Unicorns, WFC, LetsVenture, IAN, Ivygrowth, Grip, and other angels also participated in the round. The round includes a $20 million equity round and a $5 million debt round for fleet expansion from global impact fund IIX and a large national bank. This is also the first time global impact funds and Indian banks are participating in EV debt for any fleet operator or startup in the country, the company said in a statement. "With the fund, Zypp aims to increase its fleet size from 10,000 to 200,000 (2 Lakhs) electric vehicles & expand its footprint to 30 cities in India by 2025. Further, the company will improve its driver experience, expanding its EV hub infrastructure, building sharp EV … [Read more...] about EV startup Zypp Electric raises $25 million in funding led by Gogoro

Does anyone give a worse speech than President Joe Biden? That alone should make us hope he doesn’t run again. His State of the Union speech was awful! But that was not unexpected. There were of course, the polite platitudes: “Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working together.” Ha! Can he really be looking forward to working with Speaker Kevin McCarthy! Not likely, but that’s just the obligatory politeness — and gives the audience a chance to get used to the sound of his voice. (RELATED: BASTASCH: You Might Have Missed This, But Biden Just Made A Stunning Admission About His Energy Agenda) Some of what he said was just ordinary political jaywalking: “Two years ago, COVID had shut down our businesses, closed our schools, and robbed us of so much.” Well, not exactly. COVID didn’t shut our businesses: people did—people in government, people we call politicians. And then some brave politicians looked at the facts and reopened their states, e.g., Governor Ron DeSantis. But then … [Read more...] about DANIEL OLIVER: The Simply Terrible, Unimaginably Awful Biden Speech To The Nation

Many once-promising financial startups are cash-strapped; others have broken business models. By Jeff Kauflin & Emily Mason ; Illustration by Matt Chase for Forbes ON November 15, the cofounders of Ribbon Home, a five-year-old financial technology company that promised to fix a “broken” homebuying market by offering buyers the ability to make all-cash offers, sent a cryptic and disconcerting email to its entire staff. “During this time of uncertainty, we ask team members who are not customer- or finance-facing to shift their focus from work to self-care, spending time with family and doing things that bring you comfort,” it read in part. Six days later, New York City-based Ribbon dismissed 85% of its staff—190 people—and cut severance to one week’s pay versus the six weeks employees had been previously promised. Fewer than 30 people remain today, and the company recently announced that it has paused all new business. Ribbon’s days are … [Read more...] about Merge Or Perish: 25 Struggling Fintech Startups

Inside the chaos at Synapse, where questionable management tactics by CEO Sankaet Pathak have left the company with its future in jeopardy. I n July 2019, the 29-year-old CEO of San Francisco financial technology startup Synapse scolded five of his engineers for not making faster progress. “Do you even enjoy this project?” Sankaet Pathak asked. “Not really,” the team’s leader answered. “That’s it, you’re out,” Pathak declared, firing the employee on the spot in front of his colleagues. Synapse’s Human Resources director, Juan Aguayo, confiscated the terminated worker’s key card and computer. But as Aguayo spoke, he received a message on his laptop, and his tone started to change. Minutes later, he said to the engineer, who was now crying, “Don’t worry, you’re not fired.” The dazed, confused employee went back to his desk. Pathak never spoke to him about the incident again, acting like it never happened. The engineer started looking for a new job the following week … [Read more...] about Broken Synapse: Why Employees And Customers Are Fleeing This Andreessen-Backed Fintech Startup