Local food festivals beckon tourists with ‘Culinary Class Wars’ chefs

Local food festivals, which usually take visitors on a gastronomic journey with an array of savory dishes, this year offer an additional feast for participants’ eyes -- live performances from the chefs of “Culinary Class Wars." “Culinary Class Wars” is Netflix’s latest hit cooking reality show, where the country’s top chefs and local restaurant owners are divided into two teams to compete in multiple elimination rounds. Chefs Jung Ji-sun, one of the show&

TravelOct. 11, 2024

[Photo News] Dive into Pocheon’s silver grass

The 27th Pocheon Silver Grass Festival will take place at Myeongseongsan’s silver grass colony and in areas surrounding Sanjeong Lake in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, from Saturday to Oct. 27. The annual festival, the city’s representative autumn event, features diverse cultural programs, including concerts, stamp tours, a quiz show, flower exhibitions and photo zones in the silver grass fields. Holidaymakers can explore the seemingly unending 150,000-square-meter grass field and take

TravelOct. 11, 2024

BTS’s V and RM celebrate Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in literature win

BTS members RM and V have expressed excitement and congratulations in response to South Korean novelist Han Kang's Nobel Prize in literature win on Thursday. RM took to his social media to celebrate the news with a heart and crying emoji, showing his joy for Han Kang’s achievement. V followed suit, writing, "I read ‘Human Acts’ while in the military. Congratulations!" showing his admiration for the author. RM has previously recommended Han's works on multipl

K-popOct. 11, 2024

Merck opens new chip materials R&D center in Korea

German technology firm Merck said Thursday it has opened its latest spin-on-dielectric (SOD) application center in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province in a bid to respond quickly to its customer needs here. The company held the opening ceremony of the latest facility at the production site that same day. Attendees include senior executives of Merck and its key clients, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The new facility, the second of its kind in Asia, is equipped with advanced technology for measuring an

IndustryOct. 11, 2024

Ex-Industry Minister Bang to be named ambassador to Indonesia: sources

Former Industry Minister Bang Moon-kyu is expected to be appointed the new South Korean ambassador to Indonesia, diplomatic sources said Friday. An internal personnel review process is under way for Bang to fill the post that has been vacant since July, sources said. The previous ambassador, Lee Sang-deok, left the position after he was tapped to lead the state agency for overseas Koreans. Bang's likely appointment would reflect the importance South Korea attaches to its partnership with th

PoliticsOct. 11, 2024

DP leader urges NK to withdraw move to cut off roads, railways connected to S. Korea

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Friday urged North Korea to retract its recent move to cut off all roads and railways connected to South Korea, voicing concerns over the North's "explicit intent" to completely sever inter-Korean ties. On Wednesday, North Korea's military said it will "permanently shut off and block the southern border" with South Korea by cutting off all roads and rail links with the South and building frontline defense structures. "We deman

North KoreaOct. 11, 2024

BOK cuts key rate by quarter point to 3.25%

South Korea's central bank lowered the policy rate by 0.25 percentage point on Friday, signaling the end of an era of monetary tightening that had extended over three years. The Bank of Korea’s monetary policy board slashed the base rate by 25 basis points, bringing it down to 3.25 percent. Five of the other six monetary policy board members, not including BOK Gov. Rhee Chang-yong, agreed to the rate cut, while the remaining member suggested maintaining the rate at the 3.5 percent lev

EconomyOct. 11, 2024

Kakao founder seeks bail after arrest over suspected stock manipulation

Kim Beom-su, founder of tech giant Kakao Corp., has filed for bail two months after being arrested over suspected stock manipulation related to the firm's takeover of a K-pop agency last year, sources said Friday. Kim, now chairman of Kakao's Management Innovation Committee, filed for bail with the Seoul Southern District Court the previous day, legal sources said. Since his arrest on Aug. 8, Kim has been facing trial in detention, charged with involvement in the suspected stock manipu

Social AffairsOct. 11, 2024

대원외고 출신 토익, 토플 고득점자 장인서양 제공 실용 영단어 정리(3)

지난 연재에 이어 토익 고급 기출단어를 제공한다. 토익 최신 정보를 모두 소화해낸 학생의 정리여서 눈높이가 독자들과 잘 맞을 것이다. 토익 Part 5기출 고급단어 100 정리(3) perceptive: 통찰력 있는 (ex) He made a perceptive observation. (그는 통찰력 있는 관찰을 했다.) time sheet: 근무 시간표 (ex) Please fill out your time sheet. (근무 시간표를 작성해 주세요.) roll around: 데굴데굴 구르다 (ex) The ball rolled around the room. (공이 방 안을 데굴데굴 굴렀다.) neglect: 방치하다 (ex) The garden was neglected for years. (정원은 몇 년 동안 방치되었다.) nick: 칼로 밴 자국 (ex) There is a small nick on the blade. (칼날에 작은 자국이 있다.) se

English EyeOct. 11, 2024

Seoul shares open higher ahead of BOK rate decision

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday as the country's central bank was set to hold a rate-setting meeting later in the day. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.68 percent, or 17.55 points, to 2,616.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investors' eyes are on the results of the Bank of Korea's monetary policy meeting to be held later in the day, where it is widely expected to start its rate-cutting cycle. Overnight, Wall Street lost ground amid mixed bets on

MarketOct. 11, 2024

[Well-curated] Zero-waste, ‘Aladdin’ pop-up, cutesy shop

Reduce, reuse, rehydrate At A Cup of Dungji in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, you can enjoy a delicious drink while reflecting on the environment. Though it may seem like any other cafe with its warm wooden interior and sunlight pouring through large windows, A Cup of Dungji is a special space run by the zero-waste brand Sojunghan Everything. Here, you can explore a vegan menu and learn about resource-recycling methods. All dishes are vegan, with no eggs, butter or milk used. Drinks that usually require

CultureOct. 11, 2024

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

WE Hotel presents nature-friendly promotion WE Hotel, a premium health resort located in Seogwipo, on the southern side of Jeju Island, is offering a new eco-friendly package. The “Go, Green Package” includes a one-night stay in WE Hotel’s superior room with a view of the island's iconic volcanic mountain Hallasan, breakfast for two, and all-green-rated vegan amenities. Guests who arrive at the hotel using public transportation or electric vehicles receive a 30,000-won vou

CultureOct. 11, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Wild Robot” (US) Opened Oct. 1 Animation Directed by Chris Sanders Roz (Lupita Nyong'o), a newly manufactured robot shipwrecked on an uninhabited island with no human inhabitants, learns to adapt to the local wildlife and becomes the adoptive mother of an orphaned goose. “Joker: Folie a Deux” (US) Opened Oct. 1 Crime/Musical Directed by Todd Phillips Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a failed comedian, is institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crime

FilmOct. 11, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Fall blooms in Jangseong Check out fall flowers -- everything from cosmos to sunflowers, verbenas to zinnias -- all in their full glory in Jangseong-gun, South Jeolla Province. For the past nine years, the Jangseong Hwangryong River Fall Flower Festival has been one of the major local attractions. The festival, which saw over 60,000 visitors on its first day, runs for nine days through Sunday. For more details, visit jangseong.go.kr. Gimpo Laveniche Festival This year’s Gimpo Lav

TravelOct. 11, 2024

[Lee Byung-jong] Time for stronger Seoul-Tokyo ties

For many young South Korean tourists, Japan is no doubt their favorite travel destination. It's close, cheap and familiar. They can indulge in shopping or enjoy tonkatsu (fried pork chops) or ramen. Yet until recently, they didn’t publicize or brag about their trips to Japan on social media. A strong anti-Japan sentiment caused by diplomatic rows between Seoul and Tokyo kept them from doing so. But all that has changed since their leaders began to mend bilateral relations early last

ViewpointsOct. 11, 2024

Han Kang's 'first reactions' after winning the Nobel Prize

South Korean novelist Han Kang, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday, said she will "celebrate quietly tonight" having tea with her son. "I'm so surprised and I'm absolutely honored," Han said in a phone interview with the Swedish Academy in a video released shortly after the winning announcement. Speaking in English, Han said she had just finished dinner with her son at home in Seoul, and they were both very surprised by the news. "I didn

BooksOct. 11, 2024

'Han Kang enters the canon of greatest literature'

Winning the Nobel Prize in literature means that Han Kang and her works are now acknowledged, legitimized and confirmed forever in the canon of the greatest writers and books ever published in the world, said Barbara J. Zitwer in an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday. Zitwer, the founder of her eponymous New York-based literary agency, is one of the pioneers in introducing Korean literature abroad. As the agent who championed "The Vegetarian," she previously mentioned in the previous in

BooksOct. 10, 2024

Exploring works of Han Kang

The first South Korean and the first Asian woman Nobel laureate in literature, Han Kang was born in November 1970 in Gwangju, a city in southwestern South Korea. When she was nine, Han's family moved to Seoul where she would go on to study Korean literature at Yonsei University. Her family is a literary one -- her father is the well-known novelist Han Seung-won and her older brother is also a writer. Her literary career began in 1993 when several of her poems were published in the winter ed

BooksOct. 10, 2024

Major online bookstores crash due to high traffic after Han Kang wins Nobel Prize in literature

South Korea's two major online bookstores said Thursday their sites briefly crashed due to high traffic soon after homegrown author Han Kang was announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize in literature. "We fielded complaints that people weren't able to get on our website, and when they did, pages were slow to load," an official at Kyobo Book Centre said. "Since we did not anticipate Han Kang winning the award, we don't have any stock of her books. We have contacted

BooksOct. 10, 2024