[From the Scene] Whimsical circus workshop offers fun workout

If you've ever wanted to juggle, spin plates or soar through the air like a circus sensation, then the "Circus Playground" workshop was the place to be last weekend. As part of LG Arts Center Seoul's fall season education programs, the one-day workshop, co-organized by the circus education experts at "Jumpers," provided an exciting experience for beginners of all ages, including the young-at-heart adults. The morning session catered to adventure-seeking adults, whil

PerformanceSept. 27, 2023

Traffic jammed on highways ahead of extended Chuseok holiday

Heavy traffic began to build up on major roads and highways across South Korea on Wednesday as people headed to their hometowns to celebrate the extended Chuseok holiday. Chuseok, which falls on Friday this year, is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving during which people get together with family members and relatives and visit their ancestors' graves. The extended Chuseok break this year gives people six days off until next Tuesday, as an extra one-day temporary holiday and National Fou

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2023

Park Woo-hyeok wins S. Korea's 5th gold in taekwondo

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea's Park Woo-hyeok captured the country's fifth Asian Games gold medal in taekwondo Wednesday. In the final of the men's -80kg competition at Lin'an Sports Culture & Exhibition Centre in Hangzhou, China, Park beat Saleh Elsharabaty of Jordan 2-0. The medal is Kim's first Asian Games title and South Korea's fifth gold medal in the Korean martial art at Hangzhou following two from the poomsae competition and three from the kyorugi co

More SportsSept. 27, 2023

N. Korea decides to expel US soldier Travis King

North Korea has decided to expel Travis King, a US soldier who has been detained after "illegally intruding" into the country by running across the inter-Korean border in July, state media said Wednesday. Pvt. King made an unauthorized crossing of the Military Demarcation Line into the North during a tour to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas on July 18. "The relevant organ of the DPRK decided to expel Travis King, a soldier of the U.S. Arm

Foreign AffairsSept. 27, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink tops 1.5b views with ‘How You Like That’ dance video

The performance video for Blackpink’s “How You Like That” has reached 1.5 billion views on YouTube, label YG Entertainment announced Wednesday. It is the group’s fourth video to hit the milestone, following the music videos for “Ddu-du Ddu-du,” “Kill This Love” and “Boombayah,” and the first dance video from a K-pop act to do so. The music video for “How You Like That” has 1.2 billion views. “How You Like That”

K-popSept. 27, 2023

Korea Post names new president

The state-run Korea Post said Tuesday that Rep. Cho Hae-keun of the ruling People Power Party has been named president of the national postal service. An expert in administration, Cho studied his undergraduates in the field at Sungkyunkwan University and went on to earn a master’s degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University in the US. After passing the 38th Civil Service Exam, he first embarked on his career in the public sector in 1995 and held several posts at Korea Post,

IndustrySept. 27, 2023

Lotte names ex-Samsung exec as new design chief

South Korean retail giant Lotte Group on Wednesday named Lee Don-tae, former president of the Samsung Art and Design Institute, as its new head of design strategy. Upon his appointment, Lotte announced that its Lotte Design Management Center has been rebranded as the Lotte Design Strategy Center. Lee will be responsible for overseeing the overall design direction and strategy of Lotte, as well as consulting on key projects across its affiliates. Born in 1968, Lee started his career in 1989 at Ta

CompaniesSept. 27, 2023

[Korea Quiz] Chuseok traditions

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. As we approach the end of September, along with the cool autumn breeze, the Korean Thanksgiving holiday of Chuseok draws near. Chuseok is celebrated on the 15th day of August in the lunar calendar, and this year it falls on Sept. 29, with the days preceding and following it also designated as holidays. The typical three-day Chuseok holiday, however, has been extended to six consecutive days off, with Oct. 2 designated as a special one-off holiday

hashtag KoaeaSept. 27, 2023

Lotte increases efforts to give back to society

South Korean retail giant and the nation’s fifth-largest conglomerate Lotte Group has carried on diverse corporate social responsibility projects this year, under the slogan “From heart to heart." Earlier this month, Lotte hosted the “17th Korea Brand Expo” in Jakarta, Indonesia, bringing together small and medium-sized enterprises looking to enter the local market. Over four days, it provided business counseling for 50 Korean enterprises, giving tips about Indonesia

IndustrySept. 27, 2023

JTBC drama ‘Reborn Rich’ goes to Emmys

“Reborn Rich,” hit drama on local cable channel JTBC that aired in December last year has been nominated to the finalist of International Emmy Awards’ TV drama and series category. According to the production firm SLL, “Reborn Rich” will compete along France’s “Infiniti,” Mexico’s “Dive,” and UK’s “Life and Death in the Warehouse.” “Reborn Rich” revolves around Yoon Hyun-woo (Song Joong-ki), a loyal s

TelevisionSept. 27, 2023

[Korean History] Divided Koreas hold first-ever summit talks in 2000

On the morning of June 13, 2000, then-President Kim Dae-jung flew to Pyongyang on a route that had not been used for 55 years. His arrival at Sunan Airport in Pyongyang for the first-ever inter-Korean summit since the 1950-53 Korean War was televised worldwide. "Whether (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-il would show up or not at the airport was the talk of the town,” recalled Choi Sung-jin, a former reporter and editor of The Korea Herald. When he did appear, the subsequent scene of

hashtag KoaeaSept. 27, 2023

Seoul shares snap 4-day losing run; won falls to fresh yearly low

South Korean stocks finished slightly higher Wednesday following recent sharp losses amid concerns about the Federal Reserve's further interest rate hikes and the US economic outlook. The local currency fell against the US dollar to hit a fresh yearly low. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 2.1 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 2,465.07, ending a four-day losing streak. Trading volume was a bit slim at 354.97 million shares worth 6.26 trillion won ($4.64 billion), with

MarketSept. 27, 2023

Auteur Chung Ji-young returns with another high-profile case-based film in ‘The Boys’

South Korean auteur Chung Ji-young returns for the first time in four years with the crime flick “The Boys,” another work based on a real-life high-profile case. The new film follows “Unbowed” (2011) and “Black Money” (2019), which dealt with the true stories of a professor who went against a corrupt Korean judicial system in 2007 and the 2012 sale of the Korean Exchange Bank to American equity firm Lone Star Funds, respectively. “The Boys” revolve

FilmSept. 27, 2023

[Photo News] LG's Chuseok drive

An LG Magna e-Powertrain technician inspects boxes of power inverter modules, essential parts for electric vehicles, at an LG Electronics plant in Incheon, Wednesday. In order to meet surging demand, LG Electronics said its EV parts production lines will remain operational during the six-day Chuseok break. LG’s Vehicle Component Division is expected to hit 100 trillion won ($73.2 billion) in order backlog by the end of this year. (LG Electronics)

MobilitySept. 27, 2023

At 93 and on quest to become Korea's oldest Ph.D. grad

Ninety-three years old and still chasing his dreams, Kwon No-gab, the chairman of the Kim Dae-jung Foundation and adviser to the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, recently attended his first class as an English Literature doctoral student. He said he aims to complete his dissertation by the time he turns 95 in two years' time, an ambitious goal for any doctorate pursuant. The record for the oldest Korean to earn a Ph.D. is held by Lee Sang-suk, who obtained the degree at the age of

PeopleSept. 27, 2023

House ownership widens wealth gap between young and old

The wealth gap between younger and older adults has widened over the last few years, largely depending on whether they own houses or not, according to the country’s statistics agency, Wednesday. According to the Statistics Korea’s report, the wealth gap between adults aged 40 and above and adults younger than 40 has widened by 45 percent over the last three years, from 160 million won ($118,000) in 2019 to 230 million won in 2022. Kim Mee-roo, a researcher at the Korea Development In

IndustrySept. 27, 2023

Asiana mishandled midair door-opening, ministry rules

Asiana Airlines’ initial response to a recent midair door-opening incident was "inappropriate" and will be fined for it, the South Korean government's investigation showed, Rep. Park Sang-hyuk of the main opposition Korea Democratic Party said Wednesday. According to a report Park received from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the ministry has imposed a fine on Asiana Airlines and recommended country’s second largest air carrier take corrective actio

IndustrySept. 27, 2023