"Squid Game" is the first Korean TV series to top the U.S. Netflix chart and achieved record-high global viewership. (Netflix)
Korea.net had yet another productive year in 2021, posting 9,472 articles in nine languages (as of Dec. 27) and attracting 17,210,950 visits and 91,685,267 page views.
The site's newsroom selected the following articles as this year's top 10.
■ Korea rejoined world's 10 biggest economies last year: report (April 8)
The Korean economy in 2020 beat out those of Brazil and Russia to break into the top 10, according to the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook released in April this year. Korea's per capita income was an estimated USD 31,497, eclipsing that of Group of Seven member Italy (USD 31,288) for the first time.
Youn Yuh-jung on April 25 in Los Angeles became the first Korean to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of grandmother Soon-ja in "Minari," a 2020 film depicting the life of a Korean immigrant family in 1980s America. She also won an award from the British Academy in the same month for her role and made Time magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."
The national women's archery team of Kang Chae-young (Hyundai Mobis), Jang Min-hee (Incheon National University) and An San (Kwangju Women's University) on July 25 beat the Russian Olympic Committee, 6-0, in the team final at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo. Korea thus earned its ninth consecutive gold medal in the event at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, having conquered team archery since its debut at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Korea ranked 16th overall in the Tokyo Olympics with 20 medals: six gold, four silver and 10 bronze. Among the golds, the nation earned four in archery and one each in fencing and gymnastics.
■ California officially designates Nov. 22 'Kimchi Day' (Aug. 24)
The U.S. state of California formally designated Nov. 22 "Kimchi Day" under Resolution HR52 proposed by Rep. Steven Choi. The bill was passed on Aug. 23 at the regular session of the state's House of Representatives in Sacramento.
The Korean economy in 2020 outperformed those of Brazil and Russia to break into the world's top 10. Shown here are ships on the morning of Sept. 1 packed with cargo at the Port of Busan. (Yonhap News)
■ 111M people worldwide view smash Netflix series 'Squid Game' (Oct. 14)
Netflix on Oct. 12 announced on its official Twitter account that 111 million people worldwide had watched "Squid Game," making the Korean series the most popular in the streaming site's history. Topping the Netflix charts in the U.S. and many other countries, the drama took the world by storm as the clothing worn by the characters and the games they played achieved global popularity.
■ Gov't raises goal of cutting CO2 emissions to 40% by 2030 (Oct. 19)
The government on Oct. 18 announced its goal to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030 to 40% of 2018 levels and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. President Moon announced his administration's final resolution on Nov. 1 at the World Leaders Summit for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, the U.K.
Seoul on Dec. 23 submitted its final plan for its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution to the secretariat of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat.
■ Nuri's 'successful premiere' brings Korea closer to space age (Oct. 22)
Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-2), also known as Nuri, on Oct. 21 was launched into space. Though the operation failed to fully achieve its objective, it did complete all stages to confirm Korea's capacity to reach space. The project saw an investment of KRW 1.95 trillion since March 2010 to develop the nation's first independently developed projectile, with all processes done by the country including planning, production, testing and verification.
BTS on Nov. 21 takes a commemorative photo after winning three American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year, in Los Angeles. (Yonhap News)
■ BTS makes history as 1st Asian act to win top AMA (Nov. 23)
BTS on Nov. 21 in Los Angeles swept all three of its nominated categories at this year's American Music Awards. The group also became the first Asian act to win the awards' top honor, Artist of the Year.
■ Exports in Nov. set monthly record USD 60B, to hit 700B in 2024 (Dec. 2)
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Dec. 1 said in a report that November exports surpassed USD 60 billion for the first time in the nation's trading history. The figure of USD 60.44 billion was the highest for a month since Seoul started gathering related data in 1956.
■ Switzerland-based federation names Son Asia's top player (Dec. 20)
Soccer star Son Heung-min on Dec. 17 was named this year's best male Asian player for the second consecutive year by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. He scored 22 goals in the 2020-21 season and nine this season through Dec. 27, while adding four for the national team this year.