Thursday is forecast to see largely cloudy weather, along with some light snow or drizzle at times in Seoul and western parts of Gangwon Province.Morning lows are to hover from minus 9 degrees Celsius to 1 C, while highs are expected to remain from 5 C to 9 C across the country.   (Yonhap)The density levels of particulate matter will fall into the World Health Organization’s “bad” category at times in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and North and South Chungcheong Province. Up to 7 centimeters of snow

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- For Yun Sung-bin, his gold medal in the skeleton at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics is not the end of the story. The 23-year-old South Korean slider said he can show more after the Olympics, aiming to take another gold in the World Championships scheduled to be held next year in Doha, Qatar, as a “top priority.” “My previous goal was to win the race in the Olympics, and now I’ve done it,” said Yun, who became the first athlete from Asia to ever win a medal i

Mostly clear skies and a slight fall in temperatures are expected throughout the country Wednesday, the Korean Meteorological Agency said. Daytime high temperatures will be lower than the previous day, at between 2 and 9 degrees Celsius, while temperatures in the morning is at minus 4 C in Seoul, minus 3.2 C in Incheon, minus 2 C in Gangneung and minus 4.5 C in Busan as of 5 a.m. (Yonhap)Factoring in wind chill the low in Seoul will be minus 6.8 C. There will be a moderate amount of fine and ult

Liquor and fruit have been among the most purchased items at convenience stores by foreign visitors in Gangwon Province, where the 2018 PyeongChang Games are being held, according to CU, South Korea‘s largest convenience store chain. Nearly 30 percent of the products sold at around 20 convenience stores of the chain near Olympic venues in PyeongChang and Gangneung in the period from Feb. 9-18 included wine, beer, hard liquor and soju, the chain’s sales data showed Tuesday. When broken down by br

Cloudy weather is expected for most of the country Monday with some light rain and snow in Jeju, according to Korean Meteorological Agency. Monday morning witnessed lows of minus 6 degrees Celsius in Chuncheon, minus 2 C in Seoul, minus 3 C in Daejeon and 3 C in Busan, while highs of 7 C in Chuncheon and Seoul, 8 C in Daejeon and 11 C in Daegu and Busan are expected.  (Yonhap)Drought advisories are in effect in most parts of the country, including inland areas of PyeongChang, where the Olympic W

K-pop star Taeyang of Big Bang is set to begin his mandatory military service on March 12, according to YG Entertainment on Thursday.  Taeyang (YG Entertainment)The 29-year-old who recently married actress Min Hyo-rin will begin his service two weeks after his bandmate G-Dragon enlists on Feb. 27. Taeyang will  be the third member to enlist for active duty service. T.O.P is currently serving as a public service worker to fulfill the military duty.By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)

Tuesday’s women’s 500-meter short track speedskating final in the PyeongChang Winter Games quickly drew the ire of many South Koreans. The country’s favorite Choi Min-jeong was disqualified from winning the silver medal for interfering with Canadian skater Kim Boutin, who appeared to have done her share as well in pushing Choi away. “I feel sorry that I failed to meet the support that many fans gave me,” the 19-year old said, crying. “I still have other competitions left, so I will concentrate o

Dozens of Olympic staff who are locked up at a remote youth training facility due to norovirus infection have blamed the organizers for the spread of the sickness in Gangwon Province, accusing them of “irresponsible action.”  One of the quarantine rooms at a youth training facility in PyeongChang where Olympic personnel who have caught norovirus are being kept. Bak Se-hwan/The Korea Herald Five support staff interviewed by The Korea Herald at the facility in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, said t

Weather on Tuesday is mostly clear with a significant rise in temperature, according to the weather agency. Morning highs hover from minus 11 degrees Celsius to 4 C, but will gradually rise during daytime hours to 8 C in most of the country.  (Yonhap)Air quality is forecast to be partially bad throughout the day in the southern regions of the country, while light snow is expected to fall in some parts of Gyeongsang provinces and Jeolla provinces. In the coastal regions of Gangneung and mountaino

WONJU, Gangwon Province -- From the unified march of warring South and North Korean athletes to the spectacular displays of K-pop music, the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics provided some of its most stunning moments during the opening ceremony on Feb. 9. (Shot by Park Hyun-koo / Edited by Park Ju-young)But one group in particular has received the lion’s share of attention from home and abroad: pink-suited volunteer dancers.In a tightly choreographed performance under their pink ski pants and So

Extreme cold weather is to continue in Gangwon Province on Monday, where PyeongChang and the two subhost cities of the 2018 Winter Olympics are located, with the wind chill falling to minus 21 degrees Celsius at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre in PyeongChang.The weather agency said Monday’s high is expected to hit minus 8 C and 1 C in Daegwallyeong and Gangneung, respectively, with light snow overnight in the western inland region of Gangwon Province.  Spectators view the women’s 7.5-kilometer spri

Here are the Olympic gold medalists and winning team for Saturday at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, including South Korea's first gold Lim Hyo-jun.South Korea’s Lim Hyo-jun won gold in the mens 1,500 meter short track speed skating on Saturday, the first medal of Olympic for the host country. YonhapSven Kramer celebrates his gold in the mens 5,000 meter for his third straight title. YonhapLaura Dahlmeier took Germany’s first gold medal in the women’s biathlon sprint. YonhapNetherlands gold m

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- Daniel Presburger might not have competed in any Olympic Games, but he has been to 14 of them -- all in the name of collecting pins. Olympic pin trader Daniel Presburger (center) displays his pins Saturday at the Gangneung Olympic Park, Gangwon Province. Bak Se-hwan/The Korea HeraldWhile many are attending the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics as spectators, Presburger came to South Korea from Los Angeles to trade tiny, colorful enamel pins and buttons that come in

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- The unified Korean women’s hockey team lost 8-0 against Switzerland on Saturday’s preliminary round match, but there was an unmistakable good feeling among the South Korean audience. The combined athletes created a symbol of good will between the two Koreas that have been divided for over 70 years. For the first time in any Olympics, the two countries still technically at war joined up to compete together in a unified team Korea at the Kwandong Hockey Center in Gan

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- When Kim Yuna lit the cauldron at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, her appearance was hardly surprising, though her name had been a closely guarded secret before the opening ceremony. By all accounts, Kim was a deserving choice.  Kim Yuna lights the Olympic cauldron (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)The former Olympic champion on Friday lit the Olympic cauldron to officially kick off the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics -- an honor typically bestowed on a sporting h

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Even the icy chill of PyeongChang’s temperatures comes as no shock to athletes who have been training for years under freezing conditions, according to officials of teams from abroad just a day before Friday’s opening ceremony. Audrey Robichaud of Canada competes in the Feb. 8 Ladies' Moguls Qualification in PyeongChang. Yonhap“I think we’ll be okay for the Olympics as well as at the opening ceremony. We’re strong and the weather is not problematic,” John Van Vli

Temperatures will climb above freezing during the daytime Thursday. In Gangwon Province, where the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics kick off Friday, temperatures will range from minus 2 C to minus 5 C on Friday, according to the Korean Meteorological Administration.  (Yonhap)Today’s highs are expected to range from 1 C in Seoul to 6 C in Jeonju, marking the warmest weather since Monday, although morning temperatures remained at around minus 9 C in Seoul. Jeju will receive up to 5 centimeters of snow, a

The PyeongChang Organizing Committee is offering free admission for Olympic volunteers to some ski jumping and curling events of the Winter Games, in what appears to be a move to fill stadiums amid worries of low turnout due to the frigid weather.  Olympic volunteers at the Olympic village in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. YonhapAccording to an internal notice that the committee sent to some 17,000 volunteers based near the venues, which was obtained by The Korea Herald, the volunteers are able

Cold wave warnings remain in effect in most parts of the country Wednesday, while light snow is expected to continue to fall in Jeju, which saw up to 52 centimeters of snow a day earlier. According to the weather agency, cold wave warnings are in effect in regions including Seoul, northern Gangwon Province, North Jeolla Province and South Chungcheong Province, with temperatures hovering around minus 15 degrees Celsius. River that flows through Songdo Central Park is frozen in Songdo Internationa

Rio 2016 Olympic Champions Ki Bo-bae, Chang Hye-jin and Choi Mi-sun are the final torchbearers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics to carry the flame to the opening ceremony of the main venue in PyeongChang. From left: South Korean archers Chang Hye-jin, Ki Bo-bae and Choi Mi-sun. Photo: Coca-ColaThe flame is scheduled to arrive at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Friday, 101 days after it first came to South Korea as part of the torch relay in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.Ki