Riding on the global popularity of South Korean pop, Seoul plans a rapid expansion of government-run "King Sejong Institutes" around the world to promote the Korean language and culture.
Animal lovers have applauded proposals to shut down restaurants that serve dog meat, but traditionalists insist the cuisine should be preserved as part of Korean national culture.
Seoul has threatened to boycott the Tokyo Olympic Games over an ongoing territorial dispute. South Korea filed a complaint after the release of a map marking remote islands between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.