South Korean Cha Min-kyu clinched the silver medal in the men’s speedskating 500 meters Monday evening, finishing second by a whisker behind winner and world No. 1 Havard Lorentzen of Norway. Cha came in at 34.42 seconds -- 0.01 second behind the Norwegian -- at Gangneung Oval in Gangneung, one of two cities hosting the PyeongChang Winter Games. Cha’s teammates Kim Jun-ho and Mo Tae-bum clocked in at 35.01 and 35.154 for 12th and 16th, respectively.The bronze medal went to Gao Tingyu of China at

Unmanned Stores without cashiers are on the rise, industry sources said Monday, amid local retailers‘ efforts to find a breakthrough in the saturated market.Local software firm Danal Co., which operates coffee franchise dal.komm coffee, said it recently opened the country’s first cashier-less coffee shop at the country‘s main gateway, Incheon International Airport.The coffee shop, named Beat, is located at the newly opened second terminal and is activated by robots, the company said.The store is

The remains of late composer Yun I-sang will arrive in South Korea later this month to be buried in his homeland, a local music foundation said Monday.Tongyeong International Music Foundation, set up in 2014 in remembrance of the venerated composer, said there would be a ceremony at a cemetery in Berlin, Germany, at 11 a.m. Friday (local time) to dig his grave to remove his body, which will be transferred to his motherland as early as this weekend. The exact date of return has yet to be determin

South Korea‘s postal service said Monday that it will replace 10,000 older model motorcycles with ultra-compact electric cars by 2020 as part of the country’s efforts to reduce fine dust.The plan is the centerpiece of a memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Environment earlier in the day.The Korea Post -- which is controlled by the Ministry of Science and ICT -- also plans to replace 50,000 old motorcycles with electric motorcycles by 2022

It was a day of victories for Norway, which won four medals for skiing at the PyeongChang Winter Games on Sunday.Norway clinched a gold in the men’s slopestyle freestyle skiing, won by Oystein Braten, and another in the men’s 4x10 kilometer relay in cross-country skiing, won by a team of Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Didrik Toenseth, Simen Hegstad Krueger and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. It also grabbed one silver in the men’s alpine skiing giant slalom with Henrik Kristoffersen and one bronze in biathlo

Energized by short track medals over the Lunar New Year weekend, South Korea will attempt to add to its medal haul at the PyeongChang Winter Games in its quest to finish fourth overall.The nation’s first Winter Games and second Olympics since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul reached its midway point Saturday, nine days after it kicked off on Feb. 9. The international sporting event wraps up on Feb. 25, with nearly 3,000 athletes from 92 countries competing for a record 102 gold medals. As of 4:30

When snowboarder Shaun White won his third Olympic gold medal in the men‘s halfpipe at PyeongChang on Wednesday, the United States became the second country to accumulate 100 Winter Olympic gold, following Norway, which stood at 121.White, 31, won the medal at Phoenix Snow Park in the Olympics host town of PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, with the top score of 97.75 points.Before PyeongChang, the US had 96 gold medals at the Winter Games. Also Wednesday, South Korea’s figure skating pairs team of

South Korea aims to clinch more medals over the long Lunar New Year holiday weekend at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, ranging from skeleton to short track and across speedskating. Skeleton slider Yoon Seong-bin, a strong favorite to win a medal, will compete in the men’s first and second heats alongside teammate Kim Ji-su at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Alpensia Sliding Center in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. If he passes through, he will continue his run in the heat 3 and 4 at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. 

South Korea‘s Kim Min-seok won bronze in the men’s 1,500-meter speed skating on Tuesday, becoming the first Asian to grab a medal in the event at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea.Kim finished with a time of 1 minute, 44.93 seconds in the race at the Gangneung Oval, following Dutchmen Kjeld Nuis and Patrick Roest, who took the gold and silver medals, respectively.The South Korean became the first Asian speed skater to rise to the podium in the men’s 1,500m competition in the Winter Ol

Canada has won its first gold medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea on Monday with sterling performances from its figure skaters. At Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, one of two hosting cities of the PyeongChang Games, the Canadians won the figure skating team event, finishing with a combined score of 73.Patrick Chan won the men’s free skating segment with a score of 189.75, which was followed by Gabrielle Daleman, who secured a team victory with her third-place finish on

South Korea’s Lim Hyo-jun on Saturday won the nation’s first gold medal in the men’s 1,500-meter short track speedskating event, bringing an auspicious start for the country that aims for a medal sweep at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.Lim crossed the finish line in an Olympic record time of 2:10.485 at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, a subhost city for the Winter Games. Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands took the silver medal and Semen Elistratov of Olympic Athletes from Russia

The 2018 Winter Olympic Games formally kicks off in the mountainous county of PyeongChang in Gangwon Province on Friday. The event will usher in 17 days of unrivalled competition and fraternity on snow and ice, temporarily allaying tension on the Korean Peninsula, which has been plagued by North Korean nuclear and missile tests.The Feb. 9-25 games will be the largest Winter Olympics, featuring nearly 3,000 athletes from 92 countries. The world’s top athletes will compete in 102 events in 15 disc

Tanzania opened its inaugural embassy in Seoul on Wednesday, laying the foundation for comprehensive and firsthand engagement with South Korea after the two countries marked the silver jubilee of bilateral relations last year. The milestone event at the diplomatic mission in the Yongsan district was attended by a throng of guests, including former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Augustine Mahiga and Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, as well

The United Kingdom will send its largest-ever delegation to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games from Feb. 9-25, according to the British Embassy in Seoul. Fifty-nine athletes representing Team Great Britain will compete in 11 of the 15 events: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, luge, short track speedskating, skeleton and snowboarding. Of the 11 disciplines, freestyle skiing will have the most UK athletes competing at 11, while Amanda

German youths will have a unique experience of sampling the Olympic spirit and hobnobbing with young Koreans as part of the German Olympic Youth Camp, according to the German Embassy in Seoul. A team of 40 high-performing young athletes and volunteers between ages 16-19 from Germany will visit Korea from Feb. 8-21 for the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in Gangwon Province. Their visit is organized by the German Olympic Academy and German Sports Youths commissioned by the German Olympic Sports

Thai Ambassador Sarun Charoensuwan has served his country faithfully, cultivating a positive image and remaining mindful of how his words and deeds are perceived under his ambassadorial watch. The top diplomat from Thailand has also acquired “a vast range of general knowledge and experiences in foreign affairs, as well as related protocols and etiquettes” throughout his career, he told enthusiastic students at The Korea Herald Young Diplomats Academy and Young Opinion Leaders’ Knowledge Forum la

Sri Lanka, an island nation located at the heart of the Indian Ocean, looks to Korea for greater synergies as South Asia and East Asia increasingly engage each other based on their complementary needs, says the country’s top envoy to Korea. Much like the Korean government’s New Southern Policy targeting enhanced cooperation with Southeast Asian and South Asian nations, Sri Lanka has its Look East Policy aimed at deeper integration with East Asian economies, said Ambassador Manisha Gunasekera in

The Indian Embassy in Seoul celebrated the 69th anniversary of its Republic Day on Friday, which honors the entry into force of India’s constitution on Jan. 26, 1950. The constitution replaced the Government of India Act of 1935 as the nation’s supreme law. Jan. 26 was chosen because India’s declaration of independence was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress that day. Over 400 guests participated in a reception marking the event at the Some Sevit culture complex in Seoul, including politi

The ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul was bestowed an award last week for invigorating tourism between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Korea.Kim Young-sun, the center’s secretary-general and Korean ambassador to Indonesia from 2011-14, received a “Visit ASEAN at 50” certificate award from Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat at the 37th ASEAN Tourism Forum in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Friday.The accolade is given to the regional bloc’s partnering organizations that have

With the presidency of the Council of the European Union this year, Bulgaria looks to strengthen European integration and help the continent’s economic resiliency, interoperable security and cultural vibrancy, according to Bulgaria’s top envoy to Korea.Bulgaria assumes the rotating presidency from January through June. Under the slogan “United we stand strong” -- likewise displayed on Bulgaria’s coat of arms -- the Eastern European state will closely cooperate with its partners and EU institutio