Seoul police have initiated a two-month safety crackdown beginning Monday to curb the steep rise in two-wheeled vehicle accidents. Two-wheeled vehicles, comprising motorized personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) such as electric scooters as well as motorcycles, will face stricter and more frequent inspection across the city according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Between March and May 2023, traffic accidents involving two-wheeled vehicles surged by 30 percent, with corresponding injuries

A new river bus service along the Han River is poised to set sail as the city's latest public transportation and tourism offering, potentially starting in late 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday. The city’s administrative body has slated a preliminary evaluation for the second half of this year. Among the focal points of this assessment are dock accessibility and economic viability, which the city is actively seeking to navigate. With an objective of launching the riv

The Korean age system is set to change at the end of June, but some aspects of the old system will remain, the Ministry of Government Legislation said in a press release Wednesday. While age standards across Korea will soon be calculated in the same way as most places around the world -- from the time of birth -- there are still some exceptions to the new rule. Notably, age restrictions on the buying of alcohol and tobacco will continue to use the old formula. In this system, age is calculated b

Students from Sungkonghoe University in Guro-gu in western Seoul organized Korea's first college campus Pride parade on Tuesday. The celebration included the students advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, while also voicing disapproval of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's perceived discriminatory actions. The daylong Mini Queer Parade event commenced Tuesday with a press briefing in the morning and was due to culminate in an evening procession across the campus. Over 100 attendees were parti

A bold but cryptic full-page advertisement about the power of women in the US edition of the Korea Times has set Twitter abuzz as concerns about alarmingly low birth rates have persisted in Korea. The Korean-language daily -- the largest in the US, headquartered in Los Angeles with bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Toronto and Vancouver -- featured the print ad on June 14. The ad simply shows two sentences that read, “The

The bust of a routine scam on a popular secondhand marketplace platform in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province has led to the additional arrest of a previous unlawful user of cannabis, and uncovered in the process a complex web of illegal activity. On March 9, a fraud report was first made at Cheonan's Seobuk Police Station. In the report, a buyer claimed they were defrauded after trying to purchase vouchers for Seoul Pay — a mobile payment service run by the Seoul Metropolitan Govern

For avid viewers of Korean dramas, the sight of a lead character nursing a bottle of soju at a "pojangmacha," a makeshift roadside eatery, is a familiar trope. Venture beyond this well-worn cliche, and you will find that the Jongno 3-ga Pojangmacha Street pulses with a more vibrant atmosphere. The 200-meter stretch from Exit 5 to Exit 6 of Jongno 3-ga Station transforms from daily calm into a lively nighttime spectacle, with plastic tables and stools overflowing onto the pavements from

In South Korea, convenience stores are more than mere quick stops for a snack or drink. As the cost of living continues to rise, these ubiquitous stores have become a favorite lunch destination, offering a wide array of options, from triangular seaweed rolls or gimbap, to noodles, snacks and desserts. However, the pressing question remains: Can these quick and cheap foods also be healthy? Salt and sugar Prepackaged and processed foods, like the items sold at convenience stores, tend to contain h

South Korea’s privacy watchdog is gearing up to post new guidelines next month mandating user consent for personalized online ads hosted by advertisers in Korea. Under the proposed regulation, currently being drafted by the Personal Information Protection Commission, users would be obliged to opt in or out of personalized ads each time they navigate a new online page, regardless of login and membership status. “Although such a guideline is being drafted, the details are not confirmed

Nearly half of international patients who sought medical treatment in South Korea last year were influenced by the appeal of Korean culture, a survey from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute revealed Sunday. Of 1,200 foreign patients surveyed, 49.7 percent affirmed the influence of Korean culture on their decision to come to Korea for medical travel. Respondents from Southeast Asia, Japan, China and Russia constituted the bulk of the surveyed patients. The statistic represents an inc

Chinese cities dominate the top rankings in the global chart of the most surveilled cities, but when excluding China, Seoul rises to the global No. 2 spot, a recent study shows. Seoul’s cameras density stands at 237.76 cameras per square kilometer, according to data compiled by the cybersecurity firm Comparitech. Excluding China, it is the world’s second most surveilled city, outpaced only by India’s Delhi, which recorded 575 cameras per the same land area. Singapore came in

Grand Hyatt Seoul offers 'Lemon Verbena Afternoon Tea' with L'Occitane Grand Hyatt Seoul offers “Chilling in Verbena Afternoon Tea”, a special seasonal menu in collaboration with French cosmetics brand L'Occitane from May 15 to July 16. It is inspired by the lemon verbena leaves from L'Occitane's Verbena line as part of the “Verbena Getaway” partnership. The menu offers delicacies such as lemon verbena mousse, a citrus grapefruit tart and a

Seek artistic tranquility in nature-inspired crafts For those with an appetite for the intersection of art and nature, Culture Station Seoul 284 in Jung-gu, Seoul is hosting the Korea Crafts and Design Foundation's exhibition, "Another Letter to Nature." Reimagining the 2022 Milan Korean Crafts Exhibition, this display blends human creativity and natural purity, showcasing over 300 works crafted from traditional and modern materials. On entry, Jang Sung's "Given (2023)&q

The Korean Film Archive, in partnership with the Korean Movie Database, has curated an online film exhibition titled "A Hundred Years Back: Outsiders' View of Korea." Running from May 3 to 13, the exhibition offers an intimate look into the cultural fabric, daily life and urban evolution of Korea across the first half of the 20th century. The exhibition features six silent films curated from a larger set of 113 videos released earlier this year. These six films have been bookmarke

Mayfield Hotel Seoul hosts wine fair Dionysus Mayfield Hotel Seoul is hosting Dionysus, Seoul's third-largest wine fair, in an expansive 800-square-meter spring garden. The event showcases a selection of over 200 wines, from light, everyday varietals to cult wines with guidance from the hotel's sommelier. Attendees get unlimited wine tastings complemented by gourmet pairings such as peppercorn chop steak and Penang rice noodles, served directly at the table. The event -- featuring perf

Two new Korean Cultural Centers opened in Sweden and Austria on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, further expanding the presence of Korean culture in Europe. These new centers bring the total number of KCCs in Europe to 13, the highest of any region. They also mark the 34th and 35th locations, respectively, around the world. KCC Sweden opened Monday in Stockholm with an opening ceremony attended by officials from Korea and Sweden, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Korean Cultural Center Swe

A striking street mural by the Korean graphic art guru Grafflex transforms Myeongdong Street in Jung-gu, Seoul. The artwork was displayed as a part of the Myeongdong Festival 2023, which takes place between April 30-May 7. This collaboration with Lotte Department Store stretches 200 meters from the store's Young Plaza to the Myeongdong Arts Theater.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction is exploring opportunities to enter the North American real estate development market with support from its majority shareholder Jungheung Group. Along with a team from Daewoo E&C's overseas business unit, Jungheung Group Vice Chairman Jung Won-ju visited Toronto and New York from April 27 to Wednesday to assess the local real estate market and discuss potential projects with major developers. "We plan to enter advanced real estate development

South Korea and the United States should strengthen cooperation in nuclear energy trade to counter Russia and China’s dominance of the global market, the Federation of Korean Industries suggested in a report on Wednesday. The FKI said strengthening the bilateral partnership would promote South Korea's advanced nuclear reactor exports and secure a robust nuclear fuel supply chain for the country. The business agency made the proposal based in a report titled the "Korea-US Nuclear

South Korea’s top wire and cable maker LS Cable & System said Tuesday it has completed Asia’s largest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) underwater cable plant in Donghae, Gangwon Province. The plant, named Submarine Building 4, is a 172-meter-tall vertical continuous vulcanization (VCV) tower with a total floor area spanning 34,816 square meters. Some 190 billion won ($141 million) has been injected into the construction that started in July 2021. The company said this facility