1. Seoul named the world’s most expensive city for everyday living — even without rent

2. Mystery donor in Gyeongsangnam-do(경상남도) Province quietly returns with another major year-end gift

3. Seoul’s Jung-gu(중구) District steps up safety measures in Myeongdong(명동) in anticipation of Christmas and New Year crowds

1. Actress Yoon Seok-hwa(윤석화), pioneer of Korean theatre, dies at 69

2. Elon Musk nears trillionaire status as wealth enters uncharted territory

1. Largest Korean art exhibition in 40 years draws big crowds to the Lee Kun-hee Collection

2. Finnish prime minister apologizes after ‘slanted eyes’ social media post by Miss Finland and lawmakers

3. Rare moment in the wild: polar bear mother adopts an orphaned cub

1. New Korean airline Sum Air to focus on connecting remote and underserved regions

2. Rome’s subway turns into a museum — all for the price of a metro ticket

3. Ancient dinosaur footprints discovered near future winter Olympics site in Italy

1. Rob Reiner and wife found dead in Los Angeles as son Nick is arrested in shocking case

2. From hashtags to homerooms, makeup becomes part of youth culture in Korea

1. Bondi who who disarmed gunman and shot twice identified as Ahmed al Ahmed

2. Korean Air warns of zero tolerance for emergency exit tampering

3. Japan’s last pandas set to leave as diplomatic tensions with China deepen

1. As presidential office prepares to return to Cheong Wa Dae, nearby neighborhoods feel both hope and unease

2. “Like reading an ancient script”: BBC highlights backlash over Korea’s exceptionally difficult English exam

3. More than 1,400 couples kiss under giant mistletoe in Washington, D.C., setting new world record

1. K-Pop Demon Hunters team makes Forbes’ “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” list

2. Surging demand sends wintertime favorite yellowtail to record prices in Korea

3. New discovery suggests humans made fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought

1. Tottenham gives Son Heung-min a hero’s welcome as he returns for an emotional farewell

2. Complaints grow as Coupang’s account deletion process proves slow and confusing

3. Italian cuisine becomes world’s first to be awarded UNESCO status

1. A wave of celebrity scandals forces major TV shows to halt production

2. Australia begins world-first social media ban today for children under 16