By Honorary Reporter Oshini Jayamuni from Sri Lanka

2021 saw many accomplishments by Koreans in sectors ranging from entertainment to technology. 

Pop music
BTS returned to the United Nations General Assembly as a "special presidential envoy for future generations and culture" for President Moon Jae-in. The group showed a video performance of its hit song "Permission to Dance."

BTS released three hit singles -- "Butter," "Permission To Dance" and "My Universe" (featuring the British rock band Coldplay) -- and received a Grammy nomination for the second straight year. It won four Billboard Music Awards and three American Music Awards, making history as the first Asian act to win AMA Artist of the Year. 

At the group's first in-person concert since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, a series of four sold-out shows in Los Angeles, BTS earned the largest revenue for live shows held at a single venue since 2012.

BTS won the American Music Award for Artist of the Year, a first for an Asian act. 

Dramas
The Netflix smash series "Squid Game'' attracted 111 million viewers in October last year in becoming a global phenomenon. It inspired festivals and ceremonies worldwide with its unique costumes and games. 

The original Netflix series "Squid Game" became an international sensation, turning its cast into instant global stars. 

Cinema
Inspired by the real-life story of its director Lee Isaac Chung, the indie film "Minari" was nominated for six Oscars. Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung became the first Korean to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the movie.

"Minari" earned six Academy Award nominations, with actor Youn Yuh-jung winning Best Supporting Actress.

Sports
Soccer star Son Heung-min was named the best male Asian player by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics for the second straight year. 

The national team showed an impressive performance at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and finished 16th overall with six gold, four silver and 10 bronze medals. The archery team earned four golds, with An San becoming the first archer to win three golds at an Olympics.

The women's volleyball team led by captain Kim Yeon-koung also earned fourth place. Yeo Seo-jeong won Korea's first Olympic medal in women's gymnastics and swimmer Hwang Sun-woo reached the final of the men's 200-m freestyle, the first Korean to do so since Park Tae-hwan in 2012. 

Team Korea won 20 medals overall at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. 

Sci-tech
The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-2), better known as Nuri, was launched into space on Oct. 21. Despite the failure of its dummy satellite to enter the target orbit, the launch saw completion of all stages to signal Korea's entry into the space race.

A lunar space environment monitor, a sensor that detects high energy particles on the lunar surface, is also being developed in Korea for installation on a NASA lunar probe set for launch in 2024. 

The rocket Nuri was developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.