People try to beat the heat at Sokcho Beach in Gangwon on June 27.YONHAP
Happy Saturday! In this weekend’s longer reads, we'll learn more about why couples who are legally hitched aren't that keen on registering their marriages, why Korean fans are now getting first crack at K-pop tickets (and in the process upsetting overseas fans) and why used ships are strangely worth more than new ones these days.
We'll also look at how Korean films are leveraging international presales to ensure financial success and why male Korean stars no longer need to put their careers on hold when enlisting in the military.
Here's what you need to know!
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Married but 'single': Why young Korean couples delay registering status even after tying the knot
Shin Dong-geun got married in March, but his legal status has yet to catch up. Three months after his wedding, he remains single — at least on official records.
“We haven’t registered our marriage yet, and we don’t have plans to do so for the time being,” Shin told the Korea JoongAng Daily during a phone interview. “I know many other couples who have made the same choice, and they often have similar reasons.”
For Shin and others like him, the decision is not about postponing marriage itself, but about what legal marriage would immediately trigger.
Korea first, global fans second? K-pop ticketing shift stirs international backlash.
Boy band Stray Kids will give Korea-based fans first access to tickets for the Seoul kickoff of its latest world tour, “Run It,” before opening reservations to international fans, a shift in the group’s usual fan club presale system that has sparked backlash among some overseas fans.
Until now, ticket sales for the group’s concerts have generally opened first to paid members of the group’s official fan club, STAY, regardless of whether they were based in Korea or overseas, before later opening to the general public.
The move comes as other major K-pop agencies have begun introducing domestic-first ticket presale systems this year amid growing calls from local fans.
Used vessels cost more than newbuilds, raising hopes for shipbuilding supercycle
Secondhand ships are now selling for more than newly built ones in the global market — a reversal stemming from the Middle East conflict.
The difference in demand reflects a scramble among shipowners to secure vessels that they can put to sea right away.
As the supply of available vessels is limited and ordering a new ship and waiting for delivery usually takes more than three years, shipowners often prioritize immediacy over price.
Made at home, paid for abroad: Global presales rewrite the business model for Korean cinema
Korean blockbusters are selling out abroad before they open at home — and changing how the country's film industry works.
International presales, once a welcome bonus for Korean productions, have become a financial lifeline. With domestic theater attendance still below pre-Covid 19 pandemic levels, a growing number of Korean films are now recouping their production budgets through overseas deals struck months before opening night — driven by a handful of directors whose reputations have made them reliable commodities on the global market.
The trend is playing out in real time across several of this year's releases. Yeon Sang-ho's zombie thriller "Colony," which opened last month, broke even within 10 days, crossing its threshold of 3 million admissions well ahead of schedule.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but for conscripted stars, reminders don’t hurt
For most K-pop stars, mandatory military service brings careers to a screeching halt, at least temporarily. Park Ji-hoon, however, isn’t dreading the pause in the slightest, even as he begins to reach new heights.
Like all able-bodied Korean men, Park must eventually serve. Rather than push the deadline as far back as possible, however, the 27-year-old says he will enlist voluntarily, even though he could delay his service until 2027, with hopes of joining the Marine Corps, which has a lower maximum age for recruits.
“I’m not really afraid of the military hiatus,” Park told reporters during an interview on June 2.
