Daily issues, news and culture from Korea — explained with sources and context for readers abroad.https://www.merci-news.com/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/best-korean-sunscreens-2026/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/best-korean-sunscreens-2026/Seven Korean sunscreens worth buying in 2026, from the cult Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun to a mineral pick for sensitive skin — with what SPF and PA actually mean, and where to buy them in the US and UK.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/kbeauty-kpop-idols-use-2026/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/kbeauty-kpop-idols-use-2026/The K-beauty products K-pop stars say they actually use are often cheap — Jennie keeps a $4 Vaseline by her bed. Here's the honest split between what idols use and the brands they're paid to front.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/korean-skincare-routine-beginners-2026/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/korean-skincare-routine-beginners-2026/The famous 10-step Korean routine is a myth for 2026 — dermatologists now start beginners on four steps. Here's the real order, what each step does, and one affordable product for each.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/kpop-explained-terms-glossary/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/kpop-explained-terms-glossary/New to K-pop? Here's what bias, comeback, maknae and the rest actually mean — and how idols, fandoms and comebacks fit together. A plain-English glossary for beginners.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/llm-open-china-vs-cloud-us-2026/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/llm-open-china-vs-cloud-us-2026/Moonshot's Kimi K3 pulled the best open (Chinese) model to within about three points of the US closed frontier in July 2026. But the tidy 'China is cheap and open, the US is pricey and closed' split is breaking down.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/self-host-open-llm-guide-2026/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/self-host-open-llm-guide-2026/A practical 2026 guide to running open-weight LLMs yourself: the VRAM math, which serving framework to use, what fits one GPU vs a server, and when self-hosting actually beats an API.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/why-ai-depends-on-korea-hbm/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/why-ai-depends-on-korea-hbm/AI's biggest names keep courting Korea's chipmakers. The reason is HBM — the stacked memory Nvidia's AI chips can't run without, and which SK Hynix dominates.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/galaxy-z-fold8/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/galaxy-z-fold8/Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra at its July 22, 2026 London Unpacked. Here are the prices, the specs, and the truth about the reduced crease.Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/shin-jinseo-katago/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/shin-jinseo-katago/Shin Jin-seo beat KataGo 2-1 with a two-stone handicap at a July 2026 event. KataGo is an open-source Go AI built on AlphaGo Zero — here is how the two differ.Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/worldcup-2026-spain/https://www.merci-news.com/en/blog/worldcup-2026-spain/Spain edged Argentina 1-0 after extra time on July 19, 2026 to win their second World Cup since 2010. Substitute Ferran Torres scored the decisive winner.Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT