Chinese organizers pull out of Gwangju Biennale over ‘Taiwan Pavilion’ name

Chinese organizers have withdrawn from the 16th Gwangju Biennale just two days before its opening, protesting the use of the name “Taiwan Pavilion.” The Chinese Pavilion team announced Thursday that it had unanimously decided to withdraw from the event. In a press briefing announcing the decision, Curator Yuelai Ruan said the use of what he called an “incorrect name” for Taiwan had politicized an event intended to celebrate art. The dispute arose after Taiwan’s National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art

2026-09-03 17:30:28:00

Twosome Place takes K-cafe culture, cake-coffee pairing to US with 1st Virginia shop

South Korean coffee chain A Twosome Place is set to enter the US market next month, bringing its signature cake topped with fresh strawberries and filled with whipped cream and crunchy chocolate balls to the world’s largest food service market. Announcing the company’s first major push overseas, CEO Moon Young-ju said Thursday that it would open its first US store on King Street in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, with plans to expand across the wider Washington metropolitan area. “We aim to intro

2026-09-03 17:09:33:00

Principals, teachers oppose 3 p.m. dismissal for younger elementary students

Associations representing elementary school principals and teachers have opposed the National Educational Commission’s plan to keep younger elementary students at school until 3 p.m., calling it undesirable. The Korea Elementary School Education Principal’s Association on Wednesday urged the committee to reconsider requiring all first- and second-graders to finish school late, warning the plan could disrupt existing school programs and may not be in the best interests of young children. This fol

2026-09-02 14:39:00:00

Police identify suspect in killing of Chinese student

South Korean police on Tuesday revealed the identity of a Chinese lecturer accused of killing and dismembering a female Chinese graduate student who had taken his class. The Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency disclosed the suspect’s name, age and photos on its website, identifying him as Zheng Changsheng, 31. The information will remain public until Oct. 1. Before releasing his legal name, police previously identified the man only by the Korean spelling of his name, which in English is Jeong. Th

2026-09-01 11:24:10:00

Woman says Busan temple barred her over tattoo of nude woman

A woman’s claim that she was denied entry to a temple in Busan because she had a tattoo of a nude woman has sparked debate over whether religious sites should be allowed to restrict entry based on a visitor’s appearance. In a Thread post uploaded Sunday, the visitor asked if Haedong Yonggungsa in Gijang-gun, Busan, had an official policy prohibiting people with tattoos from entering its prayer halls. “I tried to enter one of the temple’s prayer halls on Friday but was stopped at the entrance by

2026-08-31 15:41:58:00

‘She must be on her period’: Referee under fire over alleged remark about Ji So-yun

A female soccer referee has come under fire after a player said she insulted her, then showed her a yellow card for reacting sensitively to the comment. The incident occurred during Friday’s match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall at the Suwon Sports Complex in Gyeonggi Province. Around the 31st minute, Ji So-yun appealed for a foul after what she described as repeated rough challenges by an opposing player. Referee Bae Sun-young then allegedly said over the officiating crew’s radio sys

2026-08-30 14:12:19:00

Beyond hospital corridors, art offers another kind of healing

A hospital visit rarely begins with treatment or seeing a doctor. It begins with waiting — and figuring out where to go next. Visits can stretch for hours, with patients moving between tests, examinations, registrations and payments. Even the most self-assured can feel helpless and lost, suddenly dependent on a system they do not fully understand. That sense of vulnerability can make the most ordinary hospital surroundings — rows of chairs, fluorescent lights, a closed examination-room door — fe

2026-08-22 16:00:00:00

Man in 'Suwon zombie' video tests positive for drugs in hair analysis

A man whose "zombie-like" posture in a video in June sparked suspicions of drug use has tested positive in a forensic analysis of his hair, after conflicting results from urine tests earlier, police said Wednesday. The Suwon Gwonseon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said it had received the results of a detailed hair analysis of the man conducted by the National Forensic Service. Unlike urine tests that generally detect drug use within the previous week, hair analysis can identify substances

2026-08-19 15:39:57:00

Patient's severed toe found with drinks and dips in Seoul nursing hospital fridge

Authorities are investigating a nursing hospital in Seoul after a patient's severed toe was found in a refrigerator in the facility's kitchen. The toe had been placed in a disposable porridge container and kept in the fridge for about two weeks, alongside drinks and condiments, until the patient's family visited and found it, a KBS report revealed Wednesday. It reportedly belonged to a man in his 60s with an intellectual disability who had been living at the hospital for 10 years. The family sai

2026-08-19 14:34:21:00

As East Sea warms, sharks move in

A growing number of sharks, including species known to attack humans, are being spotted in the East Sea as rising water temperatures draw more warm-water fish to the region. This year, 68 sharks were caught in fishing nets off the east coast as of Aug. 11, more than double the 27 recorded during the same period last year, according to data released by the National Institute of Fisheries Science on Tuesday. Shortfin makos — large, highly migratory sharks found in temperate and tropical waters wor

2026-08-18 14:19:20:00