The most-read story by an Honorary Reporter in the fourth week of October was an article in Arabic by Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt on taking part in an online Korean medical seminar as a medical resident in Egypt. (Arabic section of Korea.net)

By Hong Kilju and Yoon Hee Young

A story in Arabic by Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt was the most read by an Honorary Reporter in the fourth week of October. As a medical intern in Egypt, the writer shared her participation in an online medical seminar hosted by Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare.

No. 2 was another article in Arabic featuring the views of a movie critic at Al Jazeera, a leading media outlet in the Arab world, on why "Squid Game" was a global hit in his region. Nos. 3-5 were all English-language articles.

■ Arabic medical intern reviews online Korean medical seminar (Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt in Arabic)

Ebada, the writer of the most-read story in the fourth week of October, wanted to complete her medical intern course in Korea but could not due to the pandemic. Instead, she took part in Medical Korea Academy, an online clinical training program hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, for six weeks from June 1.

She said trainees could experience Korea's cutting-edge medical technologies and advanced medical system through lectures by faculty from the hospitals of Seoul National University, Pusan National University, Yonsei University and Ewha Womans University as well as Asan Medical Center.

This is a screen capture of the brochure for the training program of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. (Korea Health Industry Development Institute)

■ Arab movie critic analyzes how 'Squid Game' became global hit (Mariam Kuzbur from Morocco in Arabic)

Mariam Kuzbur from Morocco held a written interview with Khalil Hanoun, a movie critic at the Qatari broadcast network Al Jazeera, on why "Squid Game" became a big success in Arab countries.

Hanoun said, "The drama deals with social issues including human rights, an individual's debt crisis, class conflict, foreign workers and North Korean defectors," adding, "The existence of these issues in every society in slightly different forms and weights led to global attention to the drama."

"Netflix didn't mention 'Squid Game' when introducing its noteworthy works of 2021," he added. "The drama achieved success on its own."

Khalil Hanoun, a movie critic at Al Jazeera, gave his thoughts on why "Squid Game" saw explosive popularity in the Arab world. (Khalil Hanoun)

■ Oh Ye-seul: creator of visual sets on famous K-pop music videos (Oshini Jayamuni from Sri Lanka in English)

The sets of the latest K-pop music videos are thanks to the hidden efforts of many artists. Oshini Jayamuni from Sri Lanka held a written interview with visual artist Oh Ye-seul, who has created sets for the music videos of BLACKPINK and Twice as well as the concept book of BTS.

She has painted vibrant murals on the streets of Korea and overseas. "Murals using the structure of buildings will continue to develop in the modern era of pursuing change, and I consider them three-dimensional paintings. I hope my murals are enjoyed by everyone," she said.

Oh Ye-seul painted a mural featuring BTS leader RM in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Province. (Oh Ye-seul)

■ 6 Korean films to watch on Halloween this year (Fotini Chatzoudi from Greece in English)

Honorary Reporters sent horror-themed articles to mark Halloween, and Fotini Chatzoudi from Greece wrote about six Korean horror films. Unlike K-dramas that usually gain high popularity abroad, Korean horror flicks have seen relatively little opportunity to get international exposure. Thanks to its timeliness and fresh topic, however, this article attracted readers' attention.

■ Civil service exam in Indonesia held under 'Squid Game' theme (Maulia Resta Mardaningtias, from Indonesia in English)

"Squid Game" fever is accelerating the creation of related parodies, art and flash mobs across the globe. Maulia Resta Mardaningtias from Indonesia wrote about proctors dressing up as the pink-uniformed soldiers from the hit series at the site of an Indonesian civil service exam.

"Thankfully, I wasn't confronted by guards with pink uniforms. Nonetheless, I applaud the creative effort of the ministry in East Java," said the writer, who also took the test.

An official video of a test from the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights cited in the article showed that the scenery seemed a bit threatening with the guards in pink uniforms, but that test takers apparently enjoyed it.

The Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights released a video showing the administering of a civil service exam with pink-uniformed guards from "Squid Game."

Sixth to 10th on the list are below.

6. Hangeul exhibition held at Korean Cultural Center in France (Landy Rabakoarinandraina from France in French)

7. Participating in Hangeul Day event at Korean Cultural Center in Egypt (Ghada Mohammed from Egypt in Arabic)

8. Experiencing Korean art at Focus Art Fair (Eleonore Coree from France in French)

9. Korea.net FAM Tour explores best of Gangwon-do Province (Marianne Chang from Trinidad and Tobago in English)

10. National Assembly speaker asks 'North Korea ally' Egypt to support declaration for ending Korean War (Mohammed Salah Eldin from Egypt in Arabic)

kalhong617@korea.kr