Riize draws 50,000 to Japan fan meeting tour

K-pop group Riize has wrapped up its Japan fan meeting tour, drawing about 50,000 people across six shows, SM Entertainment said. The tour ran July 10 in Fukuoka, July 15-16 in Tokyo and July 23-24 in Hyogo. All six shows sold out. Built around a game concept, the fan meetings featured dance and mission challenges as well as talk segments. The group performed "Kill Shot," the ending theme for the Japanese animated series "Kill Blue," for the first time, along with "All of You" and "Flashlight" f

2026-07-25 11:15:09:00

Extreme heat to hit southeastern Korea

Sweltering heat will continue across the country Saturday, with heat wave advisories and warnings in effect in most regions, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. Daytime highs were forecast at 29 to 37 degrees Celsius. Temperatures will stay near or slightly above seasonal averages for the time being, with lows of 21 to 24 degrees Celsius and highs of 28 to 32 degrees Celsius. Southern regions will run warmer than usual. A severe heat warning was in effect along the southeastern coast o

2026-07-25 10:22:13:00

K-pop acts ascend poolside stage at Ocean World

Ocean World, a water park in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, will hold a three-week festival to mark 20 years since its opening. The 2026 Ocean World Blue Splash Festival runs from Saturday to Aug. 15. The festival's centerpiece is the Blue Wave Concert, held at 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays on a temporary stage at Surfing Mount. The lineup includes Dynamic Duo, tripleS, Daybreak, Hynn, Nowz and Giriboy. On weekdays, that time slot is filled instead by magic shows, dance performances and indie vo

2026-07-24 14:38:13:00

Shin Min-a named Omega ambassador

Actor Shin Min-a has been named a brand ambassador for Swiss watchmaker Omega, the company said Thursday. She joins other ambassadors including George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Hyun Bin and Park Bo-gum. "One of the first meaningful gifts I bought for myself as an adult was a wristwatch. To me, time represents more than simply the passing of moments. It symbolizes responsibility, commitment and the precious experiences we share with the people around us," Shin said in a statement. Shin, who debuted

2026-07-24 13:12:59:00

Musinsa Standard debuts premium line, Helinox and Oheshio collaborations

Musinsa Standard opened a seasonal preview to consumers for the first time Thursday, using its 2026 fall-winter showcase to introduce a premium collection and expand the City Leisure line that has become its signature. The private label brand of fashion platform Musinsa built the event around a campaign it calls "Seoul Standard." The company describes it as an effort to carry product and brand experience tested in Seoul into overseas markets. Visitors were able to try on unreleased pieces, leave

2026-07-24 11:29:15:00

Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland's Midsummer Night Firefly Festival opens Friday and runs through Aug. 30. The program lets visitors watch thousands of fireflies each night in an indoor forest, an ecology experience the park has run since 2017. Fireflies are considered an indicator of clean environments and are rarely seen in cities. This year the experience is free, and the grounds have been redesigned around a camping theme, with photo zones, lighting and a nature-study area on firefly life cycles. Visitors first ent

2026-07-24 09:00:00:00

Sweat less, breathe more on Balwangsan

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province — The water sits at 1.3 meters, shallow enough to stand in and deep enough to make standing difficult. That is the point. Participants are lined up in the indoor pool at Mona Yongpyong, each with a pool noodle in hand, while instructor Kim Na-hyun coaches from the deck above. Every time the body leans, the water pushes back. The class is called aqua barre, and it is less strenuous than it looks but still more difficult than it feels. "Aqua barre combines aqua fitnes

2026-07-24 09:00:00:00

BTS showcases luxury brands' custom-made outfits for Paris stage

Six luxury houses supplied custom stage looks for BTS at the Paris leg of the group's "Arirang" world tour, held Friday and Saturday at Stade de France, each dressing the member who serves as its global ambassador. Jimin wore an ivory Dior cardigan with elongated sleeves and fringed hems, designed by creative director Jonathan Anderson. His other Dior Men Summer 2027 pieces included an embroidered long jacket with an 18th-century princely silhouette. Gucci dressed Jin in a blue washed denim bike

2026-07-23 13:39:15:00

Lotte World to widen IP-based attractions with Kong x Godzilla debut

Lotte World Adventure will gradually expand attractions built around outside intellectual property, its chief executive said Wednesday, as the Seoul theme park prepared to open its costliest ride to date. Kong x Godzilla: The Ride opens Friday at Lotte World Adventure in Seoul, the park's first attraction based on a licensed film IP, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." "We've previously launched game-based IP projects with Nexon's MapleStory and PUBG's Battlegrounds, and we are currently working

2026-07-23 10:50:40:00

Run-trips turn daily workout into travel itinerary

Running has long been an easy workout to slot into a travel itinerary for those who hate to skip a workout. Now, it is the reason for the trip. A 2025 survey by Gallup Korea found that 31 percent of respondents had gone jogging or running in the past year, up from 23 percent in 2021. As the base of runners has widened, so has what they want out of it. More are seeking "run-trips," — trips built around the run itself. Trail running has drawn a share of that interest, too. "After a year and a half

2026-07-22 11:27:38:00