S. Korea wins gold in League of Legends competition; Faker tops podium

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea won the inaugural title of the League of Legends (LOL) competition at the 19th Asian Games in China on Friday, helping LOL superstar Lee Sang-hyeok, or Faker, become a gold medalist at the Asiad. In the LOL final held at China Hangzhou Esports Centre in Hangzhou, China, the team of Lee, Seo Jin-hyeok, Park Jae-hyeok, Jung Ji-hun, Ryu Min-seok and Choi Woo-je beat Chinese Taipei 2-0 to claim the Asian Games crown. This is South Korea's second gold from esport

More SportsSept. 29, 2023

NewJeans hits 1 bln streams mark on Spotify with debut album

South Korean girl group NewJeans has hit the 1 billion streams mark on Spotify with its namesake debut album, the group's management agency said Friday. The accumulated streams generated by the album, "New Jeans," reached 1,000,760,129 on the streaming platform as of Thursday, 422 days after its release on Aug. 1, 2022, ADOR said. The agency said NewJeans is the first K-pop girl band that has achieved the feat with its debut album. It is particularly meaningful given the album has

K-popSept. 29, 2023

Same day, different holiday: Mid-autumn festivals across East Asia

People staring at screens to book tickets to home, jammed highways and families enjoying festive foods are typical scenes associated with Chuseok, one of South Korea's biggest traditional holidays. Along with Seollal, Chuseok is one of two holidays that span three consecutive days. The origins of Chuseok are unclear, but similar holidays are celebrated across East Asia on the same date -- Aug. 15 on the lunar calendar -- though some have come to mark Aug. 15 on the solar calendar as well.

CultureSept. 29, 2023

The many regional flavors of songpyeon, a Korean holiday dessert

Chuseok is a time for enjoying many different traditional foods in Korea. Among them, one of the must-have sweet treats is songpyeon. Songpyeon is a Korean traditional rice cake, or tteok, with filling that varies from region to region. Vibrant five-colored songpyeon of Seoul Seoul-style songpyeon are colorful and small, while most of the images of songpyeon that people know well are osaek songpyeon. Osaek, or five-colored, songpyeon is traditionally dyed with natural colorants including omija,

FoodSept. 29, 2023

Post-pandemic Chuseok to revive overseas travel, gift giving

In the upcoming Korean Thanksgiving holiday of Chuseok, the first since the official end of the three-year pandemic, South Koreans are eyeing travel to Japan while giving fruit as gifts, a recent analysis showed Tuesday. According to a big data analysis on social media of 2023 Chuseok trends conducted by KPR digital communication lab, there is a growing interest in overseas travel as well as gifts that reflect consumers' personal values. The data revealed an increase in keyword searches rel

IndustrySept. 29, 2023

S. Korea grabs bronze in men's team rifle shooting

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea collected its 13th medal in shooting at the ongoing Asian Games on Friday, surpassing the total from the previous Asiad with two more days of competition left. South Korea grabbed bronze in the men's 50-meter rifle 3 positions team event, as the trio of Kim Jong-hyun, Kim Sang-do and Mo Dai-seong combined for 1,748 points. India won gold with 1,769 points and China took silver with 1,763 points. Kim Jong-hyun and Kim Sang-do both qualified for the individual f

More SportsSept. 29, 2023

Yoon hosts luncheon meeting with Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima on Chuseok

President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted a luncheon meeting Friday with a group of Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima on the occasion of the Chuseok holiday. The meeting, held at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbin-gwan guesthouse, with 42 atomic bombing victims and family members from Japan and 43 others from South Korea came about four months following his meeting with Korean survivors of the bombing during his visit to Hiroshima in May for a Group of Seven summit. The Korean Peninsula was

Foreign AffairsSept. 29, 2023

Diplomatic vehicle blessed for safety via Hindu ritual by S. Korean Embassy in India

The South Korean Embassy in India has shared a video online where a traditional Hindu ritual is performed for a new diplomatic vehicle produced by Hyundai Motor Co. for Seoul's ambassador in New Delhi. The one-minute-long video uploaded on X, known formerly as Twitter, shows a Hindu puja ceremony being carried out for the embassy's Hyundai Genesis GV80 SUV unit for Ambassador Chang Jae-bok at the embassy compound in New Delhi. "We are delighted to have a new Hyundai Genesis GV80 a

Foreign AffairsSept. 29, 2023

Expressway traffic congestion persists on 2nd day of extended Chuseok holiday

Major expressways across South Korea remained congested with heavy traffic Friday morning as many drivers hit the road to spend the Chuseok holiday with their families. Chuseok, which falls on Friday this year, is the Korean autumn harvest celebration during which people reunite with family members and relatives and visit ancestors' graves. This year's Chuseok holiday runs from Thursday to Tuesday. According to Korea Expressway Corp., the estimated journey times from Seoul to major cit

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2023

Whisky imports surge 40% through August, suggesting record-breaking year

South Korea's whiskey imports surged by 40 percent year-on-year through August, signaling the potential for record-breaking annual inbound whiskey shipments this year. Whiskey product imports totaled 22,799 tons in volume from January to August this year, marking a significant increase from 16,267 tons recorded during the same period in 2022, according to data from the Korea Customs Service. If the current import trend continues, this year's volume is likely to surpass the 2002 record

IndustrySept. 29, 2023

Opposition leader proposes meeting with Yoon amid growing party feud

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Friday publicly proposed one-on-one talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol amid intensifying feuds between the political rivals. The proposal from the chairman of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party comes just two days after he narrowly averted a crisis in his political career, with the court dismissing an arrest warrant request related to corruption charges filed against him. With the arrest reprieve that bolstered the DP’s counterattack, the poli

PoliticsSept. 29, 2023

Memorials commemorating Itaewon crowd crush to be erected at accident site

A set of memorials will be installed in commemoration of last year's deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district on the occasion of the tragedy's first anniversary next month, bereaved families said Friday. The crowd crush killed 159 people, many of them women in their 20s, on a narrow, sloped back alley in the nightlife district of Itaewon on Oct. 29 as a massive crowd packed the path amid Halloween festivities. With the accident's first anniversary just a month away, gro

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2023

S. Korean refiners set for turnaround in Q3 on stronger margins

Major South Korean refiners are expected to post a turnaround in their third quarter earnings, recovering from losses and dismal profits in the previous quarter, on the back of stronger margins amid rising oil prices, according to analysts Friday. SK Innovation Co., the energy unit under SK Group, is forecast to log 667.5 billion won (US$498 million) in the operating profit for the July-September period, turning around from a loss of 107 billion won in the previous three months, according to the

EconomySept. 29, 2023

N.Korea could use nuclear weapons at any stage of conflict: Pentagon

North Korea's advancements in nuclear and missile capabilities have enabled the country to deploy its nuclear weapons "at any stage of conflict," the US Defense Department said in a new defense strategy revealed Thursday. The Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction has been updated for the first time since 2014. This update reflects the current and emerging challenges and threats associated with WMD, including the trend of actors that pose a threat to the US. The Penta

North KoreaSept. 29, 2023

Exhibition 'Hanbok, Revisited' offers modern tastes on traditional Korean clothing

A special exhibition titled "Blurring Boundaries: Hanbok, Revisited" is underway at Areumjigi in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, in central Seoul, featuring traditional Korean clothes, or hanbok, with a modern touch. The nonprofit private foundation Areumjigi, dedicated to preserving South Korea's cultural heritage, is holding the hanbok exhibition through Nov. 15. The highlight of the exhibition are nine sets of hanbok by designer Christina Kim, who presents modern interpretations of the

Arts & DesignSept. 28, 2023

Gymnast Kim Han-sol wins gold in men's floor exercise

HANGZHOU -- South Korean artistic gymnast Kim Han-sol defended his men's floor exercise title at the 19th Asian Games on Thursday, giving the country's first title from the sport here. Kim scored 14.900 points to beat Zhang Boheng of China by 0.567 point to finish first in the men's floor exercise final at Huanglong Sports Centre Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China. Lin Chaopan of China took bronze with 14.333 points. This gold is Kim's second consecutive gold in the discipline and

More SportsSept. 28, 2023

Chuseok’s celestial journey: Best spots for full moon gazing in Seoul

In traditional Korean culture, the full moon is a symbol of life's essence and the passage of time, embodying abundance and fortune in its luminous splendor. Chuseok, or Hangawi, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, captures this heritage through traditions like crafting songpyeon -- half-moon shaped rice cakes symbolizing unity -- and, of course, making wishes under the harvest moon. For those planning to immerse themselves in this celestial treat, here are some of the top

TravelSept. 28, 2023