Seoul envoy calls for stronger defense industry cooperation, cautions against protectionism

Seoul's top envoy to Washington cautioned Thursday against economic "protectionism" as he highlighted the need to address barriers that preclude full defense industrial cooperation between South Korea and the United States. Speaking at a think tank forum, Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong pointed to a US legal mandate requiring US naval ships to be built in America as a challenge limiting efforts to expand collaboration between the US and its foreign partners. "This issue is particula

PoliticsOct. 18, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hangang River Festival Outdoor enthusiasts should check out the Hangang River Festival, running through Sunday at Yeouido, Banpo and Ttukseom Hangang Parks. Kayaking and river cruises as well as fireworks are some of the highlights, in addition to music performances. For more information, go to festival.seoul.go.kr/hangang. Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale Mark your calendar for the 2024 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale in Icheon, a city in Gyeonggi Province known for ceramics. Through Sunday, 26 ar

TravelOct. 18, 2024

[Well-curated] Pokemon, 'Wes Anderson' photos and farm flowers

Pokemon Card Shop at HDC IPark Mall For those particularly passionate for Pokemon -- perhaps the digital Pokedex is already full several times over and you've already consumed 25 years of the anime -- the next format to collect them all in is cardboard. And nowhere is better than the eighth floor of HDC IPark Mall in Yongsan, central Seoul. Pokemon Card Shop, which opened in August 2023, is where Pokemon Korea -- the Korean branch of Nintendo-owned The Pokemon Co. -- beckons Pokemon fans wi

CultureOct. 18, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Love in the Big City” (South Korea) Opened Oct. 1 Drama Directed by Lee Eon-hee Jae-hee (Kim Go-eun) and Heung-soo (Noh Sang-hyun), young Seoulites who have known each other since college, find themselves and come to understand one another better than anyone else. “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

FilmOct. 18, 2024

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Legoland Korea Resort unveils new seasonal program Legoland Korea Resort in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, presents a new hands-on activity this autumn until Nov. 10. Children can participate in the pumkin-making contest at Bricktopia's Build & Test, where they can get creative with thousands of yellow- and orange-colored bricks. The contest takes place every day from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The winning work will be put on display and named “The Best Pumpkin,” and the winner will

TravelOct. 18, 2024

[Robert Fouser] Random thoughts on Han Kang’s Nobel Prize

On October 10, the day after Hangeul Day, the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Han Kang. The press stated that the award was given “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” As word of the award spread, South Koreans jumped for joy and having won a second Nobel Prize. Fans of Han Kang around the world were thrilled at her receiving the most prestigious literary award in the world. The announcement dominated the n

ViewpointsOct. 18, 2024

Zelenskyy says N. Korea is preparing 10,000 troops to help Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that North Korea is preparing to send around 10,000 soldiers to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, calling the development "a big problem." Zelenskyy cited Ukrainian intelligence reports indicating that North Korean personnel have already been deployed in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, with additional troops being prepared to join the fight. "We know about 10,000 soldiers of North Korea that they are preparin

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 17, 2024

Twins shut out Lions to stave off elimination in KBO postseason

The LG Twins defeated the Samsung Lions 1-0 on Thursday to stave off elimination in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. Twins starter Im Chan-kyu threw 5 1/3 shutout innings at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, and Elieser Hernandez added 3 2/3 scoreless frames to combine for the narrow win before a sellout crowd of 23,750. The Twins scored the only run of the game via a sacrifice fly by Hong Chang-ki in the bottom fifth. The Lions still lead this best-of-five series 2-1 and will

BaseballOct. 17, 2024

Foreign ministry strongly urges missionaries in Lebanon, Israel to leave

The foreign ministry on Thursday strongly urged Korean missionaries in Lebanon and Israel to leave the countries as soon as possible amid escalating military tension in the Middle East. Hong Seok-in, who is in charge of the protection of overseas nationals and consular affairs, conveyed the warning during a meeting with 10 missionary organizations. He strongly advised the missionaries in Lebanon and Israel to promptly leave the area via available flights, considering the escalating conflict betw

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 17, 2024

Central bank chiefs from S. Korea, China, Japan meet over economic, financial issues

Central bank chiefs from South Korea, China and Japan held a meeting in Beijing on Thursday to discuss a variety issues, including economic and financial trends. Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Rhee Chang-yong met with his Chinese counterpart, Pan Gongsheng, and Japanese counterpart, Kazuo Ueda, at the gathering, the 13th of its kind, chaired by Beijing's top central banker, according to the BOK. The BOK said the central bank chiefs exchanged their views on recent economic and financial issues.

EconomyOct. 17, 2024

Han Kang says she wants to 'meet readers through writing'

Expressing gratitude to the people who have congratulated her, Han Kang, this year's Nobel laureate in literature, spoke publicly for the first time in Korea, Thursday, after her Nobel Prize win on Oct. 10, at the 18th Pony Chung Innovation Award ceremony held at the Pony Chung Hall in Seoul. "The past week will be remembered as a deeply moving experience," Han said, adding, "As always, I hope to continue meeting readers through my books." Han was named the recipient of

BooksOct. 17, 2024

Seoul Design 2024 set to demonstrate impact of AI on design

Seoul Design 2024, coined as the largest design festival in South Korea, officially commenced on Thursday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, central Seoul. The event, hosted by Seoul Design Foundation and Seoul Metropolitan Government, celebrates its 11th anniversary this year. Over the last few years, Seoul Design has served as a platform to showcase the latest design trends and to introduce newly launched products and services reflecting the recent design trends. Under the theme “Ima

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

[Community Discovery] Songpa-gu rides Korean food wave with cooking classes for foreigners

At a cooking studio in Garak Mall in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, laughter mixed with various languages could be heard as the smell of Korean food lingered in the air. The studio buzzed with dozens of amateur foreign national cooks, all eager to learn the art of Korean cuisine. The event, hosted by the Songpa-gu Office, is part of its annual Korean culture experience series. Organizers noted a surge in interest this year, crediting the global success of Netflix Korea's "Culinary Class Wa

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Minors purchased nearly 3,000 homes in South Korea over last five years

Nearly 3,000 homes have been purchased by minors in the past five years in South Korea, government data showed Thursday. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of home purchases by people under the age of 19 came to 2,964, which amounted to 519.8 billion won ($379.41 million), according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport data submitted to Rep. Ahn Do-geol of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Considering the purchasers' young ages, it appears many of these homes we

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Landlord’s son given suspended sentence for spycam in tenant’s apartment

An appeals court upheld a two-year and six-month prison term, suspended for four years, for a 48-year-old man convicted of illegally breaking into a woman’s apartment numerous times and installing a spy camera for sexual purposes. On Wednesday, the Gwangju District Court dismissed the prosecution’s appeal against the lower court’s ruling last September, which handed down a suspended sentence for the defendant guilty of home invasion and installing hidden cameras. The appellate

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Man dies after being turned down by 10 hospitals; govt. to investigate

The government said Thursday that a man in his 50s recently died due to delays in providing him with emergency medical care, in yet another case of an urgent care patient being turned down by multiple hospitals due to staff shortages from ongoing medical strikes. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, emergency services in South Gyeongsang Province received a report at around 3:28 a.m. on Sept. 6 that a man living in Yeoncho-myeon in Geoje city was suffering from abdominal pain and v

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Day6's Sungjin to drop solo album

Sungjin of Day6 will release his first solo album on Nov. 5, label JYP Entertainment announced Thursday. The company shared the news of the LP “30” with an image fashioned after a subway sign, giving details for the studio album as well as his first solo stand-alone concert, slated to be held in Seoul on Nov. 8-10. The leader of Day6 will continue the band’s international tour "Forever Young" which will take it to Jakarta, Indonesia, this weekend before resuming in Si

K-popOct. 17, 2024

Up to North Korea to prove claims of South Korean military sending drones into Pyongyang: JCS

GYERYONG, South Chungcheong Province -- On North Korea claiming without evidence that South Korean uncrewed aerial vehicles flew over Pyongyang, the South Korean army chief of staff said North Korean attempts to gamble with the stability of the Korean Peninsula “will not be tolerated.” Gen. Park An-su said North Korea was “using the drone claims” to order artillery corps to be prepared to open fire along the border and blow up inter-Korean roads. “The North Korean r

DefenseOct. 17, 2024

Samsung to launch slimmer foldable phone next week

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone maker by shipment, is expected to launch its thinnest foldable phone next week to reinforce its footing in the global foldable smartphone market where Chinese rivals are edging their way up. Releasing a video invitation on Thursday, Samsung said it would introduce a new product on Monday and set the market launch date on Oct. 25. While the smartphone maker did not reveal what the product will be, it gave away a hint in the video showing o

IndustryOct. 17, 2024