Royal palaces, museums to offer free admission throughout Chuseok holiday

Chuseok is the traditional Korean autumn harvest celebration, similar to Thanksgiving in the United States. Many Koreans visit their hometowns for ancestral rituals and spend time with their families during the holiday. But if you're planning to spend the Chuseok holiday in Seoul, visiting royal palaces and tombs, national museums and parks in the city can be a good option. Four royal palaces in Seoul, including Deoksu Palace at the heart of the capital, will keep their doors open throughout the

CultureSept. 12, 2019

Married couple dead in apartment building fire in Gwangju: officials

A married couple in their 50s died and four others were injured in a fire in an apartment building in the southwestern city of Gwangju early Thursday, authorities said. The fire broke out around 4:20 a.m. on the fifth floor of the building where the couple was at home with their two children, both in their 20s, and one of their friends, according to officialsThe husband, 54, died after falling from his apartment and the wife, 51, was found dead inside the home.The other three were injured while

Social AffairsSept. 12, 2019

Trump says Bolton 'set us back' in NK nuke talks

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that former National Security Adviser John Bolton "set us back" in denuclearization negotiations with North Korea by demanding the regime follow the "Libya model" and hand over all of its nuclear weapons.   Bolton quit the administration on Tuesday following disagreements with Trump on policies including how to denuclearize North Korea.The hawkish adviser had once advocated for the "Libya model" that calls for

Foreign AffairsSept. 12, 2019

Court rejects arrest warrant for Cho Kuk family fund operator

A Seoul court on Wednesday refused to issue an arrest warrant for the operator of a private equity fund that the justice minister's family had invested in, saying more relevant evidence is needed. The arrest application was filed with the Seoul Central District Court on Monday as part of a widening probe over corruption allegations surrounding Justice Minister Cho Kuk.   Cho, who was appointed Monday following heated debate over allegations of his daughter's education and question

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2019

Paik Nam-june’s monumental installation at MMCA will avoid major technical changes as of now

Korea’s pioneering media artist Paik Nam-june’s monumental media work “The More The Better” will avoid major technological changes, at least for now.The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea on Wednesday announced that it will try to keep the prototype of “The More The Better” as long as it could.  The museum will keep most of the outdated CRT monitors, while seeking other options that will ensure both safety and function. It will replac

Arts & DesignSept. 11, 2019

[Graphic News] Bangkok world’s most visited city again

　Bangkok was the world’s most-visited city in 2018 for the fourth consecutive year, ahead of Paris and London, according to a ranking compiled by Mastercard.　Thailand’s capital hosted more than 22 million international overnight travelers, Mastercard’s latest Global Destination Cities Index shows. 　Seoul ranked No. 11 with 11.25 million visitors.　Rankings are based on the number of overnight visitors. The average Bangkok stay was 4.8 nights. (Bloomberg)

TravelSept. 11, 2019

Bodies of mother and son found inside refrigerator at fire scene

The bodies of a 62-year-old woman and her 35-year-old son were discovered Wednesday inside a fridge at an apartment that was burned down in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. No one else was injured in the fire. Local police said the fire erupted around 5:22 a.m. the same day, following an explosion at the unit located on the fifth floor of the apartment. In extinguishing the fire in about 40 minutes, firefighters found the two burnt bodies inside each compartment of the two-door refrigerator,

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2019

JTI’s Ploom Tech enters duty-free stores

Japan Tobacco International in Korea said Wednesday that its odor-reduced tobacco vapor product Ploom Tech will be sold at duty-free stores Lotte and Shilla Duty Free from mid-September. The heat-not-burn product, which was released in July, is the first e-cigarette to use hybrid technology by indirectly heating tobacco leaves through vapor.The price of the Ploom Tech starter kit is $27 and as part of the launch event, a limited number of mouth pieces will be offered for free, the company said.&

IndustrySept. 11, 2019

[Kim Myong-sik] Half century from Jeon Tae-il to Cho Kuk

The name of a social activist that I heard for the first time working as a journalist was Jeon Tae-il, a cutter employed by a small-time garment maker in Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon area. The 22-year-old man was little known even among workers in the corridors of the clothes factories, although he had led protests against extreme working conditions at his and other workplaces for some time. But he instantly became the symbol of labor movements in Korea when he set himself alight, waving the pri

ViewpointsSept. 11, 2019

[Newsmaker] NK’s test-firing of new rocket launcher likely failed

North Korea said Wednesday it test-fired its “super-large multiple rocket launcher” the previous day, however there is speculation in Seoul that one of the projectiles failed to reach its target in the sea. The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong-un guided the weapons test. It is the second test of the super-large multiple rocket launcher after Aug. 24, and the 10th launch of projectiles conducted by the regime this year.“The Supreme Leader l

North KoreaSept. 11, 2019

Activists decry state human rights watchdog for shoddy probe

A group of activist lawyers continued to decry Wednesday a state human rights watchdog’s probe of the high-profile defection of North Korean restaurant workers in 2016, the results of which were shared with relevant authorities this week.Lawyers for a Democratic Society, more widely known by the Korean acronym Minbyun, staged a protest outside the National Human Rights Commission of Korea headquarters, accusing it of “deliberately equivocated account on ‘the waitresses cas

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2019

Moon wishes for 'fair country' in Chuseok message

President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Wednesday for a "fair country" in his public message to mark Chuseok, one of the biggest traditional holidays in Korea. "I hope it can be a country that is fair to all of us," he said on the eve of the four-day Chuseok holiday period. This year's Chuseok, the Korean autumn harvest celebration, falls on Friday.Moon mentioned three of his policy goals -- a vibrant economy, a fair society and a peaceful Korean Peninsula.He also offered words

PoliticsSept. 11, 2019

Japan's Abe shakes up cabinet, brings in rising star

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan's Shinzo Abe on Wednesday appointed new foreign and defence ministers and promoted a popular rising political star, in a cabinet reshuffle that fuelled speculation over the prime minister's successor.The spectacular appointment as environment minister of the telegenic Shinjiro Koizumi, the 38-year-old son of much-loved former PM Junichiro Koizumi, set tongues wagging in Tokyo political classes as the Abe era draws to a close."Abe intends to start an open race to pick th

World NewsSept. 11, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Autumn arrives at Grand Hilton Seoul Grand Hilton Seoul presents Happy Fallidays package for fall.The deal offers one-night stay at a mountain-view room, two glasses of fruit tea and a breakfast for two. Guests can choose the tea flavor, ranging from citron, grapefruit to Jeju hallabong.The deal also offers executive lounge benefits for happy hour, dessert bar, free rental of Cellreturn LED face masks and Nintendo Switch. Access to the indoor pool and fitness facility are complimentary.The packa

FoodSept. 11, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in Theaters this week

It Chapter Two(US)Opened Sept. 4HorrorDirected by Andy Muschietti Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise, he has returned to terrorize the town of Derry once more. Now adults, the Losers have long since gone their separate ways. However, kids are disappearing again, so Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one of the group to remain in their hometown, calls the others home.Tune in for Love(Korea)Opened Aug. 28Romance, DramaDirected by Jung Ji-wooIn 1994, when singer Yoo Yeol appea

FilmSept. 11, 2019

[Eye plus] Where tradition lives on

The approaching Chuseok holiday is a time of the year that Koreans press pause in their busy day-to-day life and appreciate traditional values of their family, communities and the nation as a whole. Many families visit palaces and famous historic sites during the holiday, usually after performing ancestral rites in the morning of Chuseok, which this year falls on Friday. One of the popular destinations is Namsangol Hanok Village in central Seoul, a traditional village that shows what life was du

CultureSept. 11, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

1. Coex Aquarium hosts Chuseok eventCoex Aquarium is holding its “Follow moonlight, follow water” Chuseok event to commemorate the holidays this week, from Thursday to Sunday.As it is a Korean tradition to wish upon the full moon during Chuseok, a full moon display will be placed at the “Wish Place” zone in front of the Pirarucu tank at Amazonia World.A special underwater performance of Korean traditional games will replace the usual mermaid performance at Deep Blue Squar

TravelSept. 11, 2019

Mirae Asset buys 15 premium hotels in US

Mirae Asset Global Investments said Wednesday that it has acquired 15 premium hotels in the United States, marking the single highest number in overseas alternative investments by a Korean company.The asset management unit of Mirae Asset Financial Group recently signed a contract with China’s Anbang Insurance to acquire 15 five-star hotels and resorts in key US cities, officials said. The total figure on the package deal was not revealed. Competitors in the bid were top-tier global investo

MarketSept. 11, 2019