Most Popular
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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Medical reform committee kicks off despite boycott from doctors
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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Over 9,000 hotline calls made by stalking victims in 2023
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[Hello India] Hyundai Motor vows to boost 'clean mobility' in India
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Monthly users on local streaming platforms outpace Netflix, Disney+
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US will take steps for three-way engagement on nuclear deterrence with S. Korea, Japan: Campbell
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[WEEKENDER] Interpretation beyond words to serve and protect
While translation of different languages is one of the most commonly known forms of interpretation, there are other unique types of interpretation that serve to protect the people or connect societies that otherwise remain poles apart. They range from sign language translators who act as the gateway to the outside world for the deaf, to soldiers missioned with a crucial role to deliver military information in the world’s last-remaining divided country. In Korea, there are about 1,200 sign langua
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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[Weekender] Korea on the go
Diverse factors are considered when people choose a home. Not just house prices but also schools, hospitals and big supermarkets near the neighborhood. And then, there is another crucial factor in Korea -- a McDonald’s outlet. Workers sort out parcels at a warehouse in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, ahead of Chuseok next week. YonhapThe U.S. hamburger chain started a home delivery service here in 2007 -- when McDelivery was still in its infancy worldwide. Currently, some 320 out of its almost
IndustrySept. 18, 2015
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[Weekender] Korean delivery industry goes wide and deep
Thanks to the unique “Ppalli Ppalli (hurry, hurry)” culture and one of the best logistics networks in the world, Korea’s delivery industry is thriving, with its range widening and services getting even more specific. From garments and books to groceries and even breast milk, nearly everything can be delivered for a bargain, and the time has reduced to nearly the blink of an eye, offering real-time services. Anything you wantThe most iconic item in the delivery market is food. Whether you call fo
IndustrySept. 18, 2015
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[Weekender] Korea dreams of drone delivery
Drones are widely expected to become a game-changer in the future delivery market. Tech firms like Amazon, Google and Alibaba have announced their intentions to use drones for delivery in recent years, and are working on pilot programs. German logistics giant DHL was the first to start a regular drone delivery service, under the project name Parcelcopter 2.0, operating since September last year. Even though drones are all the rage globally, Korea -- the second nation to develop its own unmanned
IndustrySept. 18, 2015
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[Weekender] Mobile apps courting hungry Koreans
People in Korea have long enjoyed convenient food delivery services, ordering in almost all types of food from burgers and fried chicken to jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and pig’s trotters. Combined with mobile technology, the food delivery services are gaining further traction as more start-ups come up with applications catering to the different tastes of customers and attracting investments.Baedal Minjok, the largest food delivery app here with its monthly users standing at 2.7 million in J
IndustrySept. 18, 2015
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[Weekender] Seniors, female couriers add diversity to delivery culture
A young man hitting the road on a high-speed motorcycle is the typical image of delivery drivers here, but recently Korean consumers’ growing demands for safer services has been changing the scene. Park Jae-yeol, 69, delivers some 180 packages spread over three days each week to his apartment neighbors in Eungam-dong, Seoul, using an electric handcart. He is one of some 470 senior deliverymen, aged over 60, working for the country’s largest logistics firm CJ Korea Express.“For the firm, the ‘Si
IndustrySept. 18, 2015
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[Weekender] Target grown-ups -- the recipe for hit animation films
"Inside Out” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)The colorful world of 2-D and 3-D characters is no longer an area exclusive to the little ones, it seems. In recent years, large-scale animations that succeeded globally catered to both children and adults, with mature and layered plotlines. Such projects’ success speaks volumes on the tweaks that can be made in the Korean animation industry to achieve a wider global reach, says Kim Won-gyu, director at the Korean Animation Producers’ Association
FilmSept. 4, 2015
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[Weekender] Fintech, smart payments pick up pace
Few may have anticipated the tremendous impacts of smartphones and mobile applications on conventional businesses from taxi operators to brick-and-mortar retailers when the market began adopting smartphones in earnest less than a decade ago.Now few can dismiss the striking tech development under which previously dominant business sectors, including financial services, are going through disruptive changes caused mainly by the versatile telecommunications devices.The mobile payment market, in part
TechnologyAug. 28, 2015
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[Weekender] Who will take on currency redenomination?
In the early 2000s, Korean tourists to Turkey saw a foreign exchange rate of 1 million won to about 1.3 billion lira.When it comes to South Korea’s economic scale, its won-denominated gross domestic product is estimated at about 1.6 quadrillion won last year, or 1,600,000,000,000,000 won. Its outstanding household debt, fully written out in the local currency, is 1,100,000,000,000,000 won.Inbound tourists can sometimes get confused by the multiple-unit conversions such as thousands of dollars to
Aug. 28, 2015
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[Weekender] Korean currency evolves over millennium
Hwan-denominated notes, issued in 1953. (Bank of Korea)King Sejong, whose portrait is printed on South Korea’s 10,000 won banknote, was a key figure of the 15th century in the Joseon era (1392-1910). Other historical figures on the three other denominated bills (50,000 won, 5,000 won and 1,000 won) and the 100 won coin lived during the 16th century. While the figures lived in the Joseon era’s earlier half, during which historians say currency usage was rare, their counterparts in the latter half
Aug. 28, 2015
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[Weekender] Bitcoin designed to shake central bank-driven frame
A virtual currency is shifting the idea of a centralized, corporeal currency while debates -- with their pros and cons -- on its safety and efficacy matters are underway.Bitcoin is a digital currency that was created in 2009 by an individual or group called Satoshi Nakamoto, whose identity is still unknown.One of bitcoin’s biggest features is that it is decentralized -- not managed by typical monetary policymakers including central banks and finance ministries.Instead, it is managed by groups or
Aug. 28, 2015
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[Weekender] Korean firms eye central Asia for growth, cooperation
Korean companies are fast establishing themselves in the growing Central Asian market as the region undergoes economic development. Local construction firms made a name for themselves in carrying out large-scale projects in the Middle East, and they are now proving themselves again in Central Asia. Although Central Asian nations are rich in natural resources and manpower, they are only now focusing on establishing basic infrastructure, presenting a huge market for those with the construction cap
IndustryAug. 21, 2015
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[Weekender] Hyundai Rotem targets developing railway markets
South Korean train-maker Hyundai Rotem, owned by Hyundai Motor Group, is seeking to become a bigger global player by stepping up efforts to bring its railway vehicles and systems to developing markets overseas.“Having established a presence in 35 countries, our core strategy is to use the positive reputation we have built up in the industry to enter new markets in countries with aging or no railway infrastructure in Central America and South America, such as Peru and Colombia,” said a Hyundai Ro
IndustryAug. 21, 2015
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[Weekender] Evolving rail network forms backbone of economic growth
On 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday, Shim Yeon-soo waited for the Korea Train Express at Seoul Station to visit her hometown Daegu. The 57-year-old housewife was planning to have lunch with her relatives in the city near North Gyeongsang Province, some 280 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in less than two hours. “When I was in my 20s, it took more than seven hours to come up to Seoul by train. But since the KTX started operations, it has significantly shortened travel time to only three hours back and fo
IndustryAug. 21, 2015
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[Weekender] Reaching for the Eurasian dream
As Seoul’s concrete jungle fades into the background, the train slowly slides into an unusual landscape that blends pristine, lush forests and strips of barbed-wire fences in the lead up to an iron bridge over the Imjingang River. The DMZ Peace Train ends at Dorasan, South Korea’s northernmost rail station just 17 kilometers from the North Korean city of Gaeseong. Aboard were some 150 passengers who recently completed a 20-day, 14,400-kilometer journey on the “Eurasia Express” linking Asia and E
North KoreaAug. 21, 2015
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[Weekender] University districts hotspots for young Koreans
“Let’s go to Hongdae -- Hongik University” is quite commonly heard in Seoul, although it doesn’t mean they are going to the campus. They go to the place stretching out from the university to dine out, go shopping and enjoy concerts. Here in Seoul, some entertainment districts featuring cafes, theaters, cinemas and concert venues are formed near college campuses, although the mood is slightly different from place to place.Currently, the busiest college district is the Hongdae area in the western
CultureAug. 7, 2015
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[Weekender] Membership training breaks ice for campus life
South Korean students tend to have high hopes about their campus life, giving them something to look forward to as they trudge through years of cramming and countless tests. Membership training is one of the campus events that boosts freshmen’s expectations.The “MT” ritual is designed to help freshmen adapt to campus life. Staying at a simple resort, usually in the woods or along a river, for a day or two, students can make new friends and build rapport with each other, as well as exchange infor
CultureAug. 7, 2015
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[Weekender] Cupid’s arrows target Korea’s college campuses
A couple reunites at the completion ceremony after a five-week basic military training course held at the Republic of Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. (Yonhap)After a resounding shout emanating from a bunch of shaved heads echoes across the grounds of the military training camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, the camp is suddenly filled with sobs and sniffles. With short good-bye hugs, the men march back to their squads.Since all able-bodied Korean men ove
CultureAug. 7, 2015
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[Weekender] Winds of change sweep universities, student life
Like almost everything else in Korea, universities here have seen dramatic changes over the past few decades. In the years immediately following the 1950-1953 Korean War, universities were home to the offspring of the few who could afford higher education for their children. As the country’s economy grew, university education became more widely available and the universities became the breeding grounds for diverse aspects of society, from democracy movements and political ideologies to popular c
Social AffairsAug. 7, 2015
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[Weekender] Graduation albums a rite of passage
College seniors have many things on their minds. From midterm grades and postgraduate plans to love interests, twentysomethings go through some busy years. In Korea, taking graduation album photos adds to that lengthy to-do list before they can walk in their cap and gown. Seniors dress up in glittering suits with full makeup, aiming for a look worthy of an A-lister. They pose for photographs on their campus in the spring or fall, three or four months before commencement. Graduates take selfies
Social AffairsAug. 7, 2015