Chicken noodles in a coffee cup: Koreans turn to budget cafes for dog days

Cheaper and more visually entertaining stamina-boosting dishes are popping up at local cafes as Koreans find new ways to mark malbok on Friday, the last of the three hottest days of summer. The unusual cafe items have drawn plenty of praise from customers for their taste and affordability. The Venti garnered particular attention online after launching chilled vinegar chicken noodles, or chogye guksu, on Tuesday, largely because of the dish’s unusual presentation. The dish is served in a coffee c

2026-08-14 16:49:25:00

K-pop draws tourists, but Korea’s dark tourism struggles to take off

South Korea is seeing a surge in foreign tourism driven by the global popularity of K-pop and Korean culture, but tourism focused on its modern history remains underdeveloped. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said on Friday that there is a significant gap in foreign visitor numbers between dark tourism sites and other attractions. Dark tourism, also known as black tourism or grief tourism, involves visiting sites linked to tragic events such as wars, massacres and disasters. Notable

2026-08-14 14:35:00:00

North Africa-based operator of Korean content piracy sites arrested

Three websites offering illegally copied webtoons, web novels and other Korean content have been shut down, and their operator has been arrested, the South Korea's Culture Ministry said Thursday. The sites had distributed more than 83,000 items of pirated content, about 57 percent of which was Korean, according to the ministry. The operator, a North African national, was arrested in mid-July following an international investigation involving the ministry, the Korean National Police Agency and In

2026-08-13 17:48:25:00

Rights panel calls bathhouse's women-only towel, soap fees discriminatory

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea ruled that a public bathhouse charging only female customers for towels and soap violated equal rights protections, recommending corrective measures to the owner and the local government. According to the NHRCK on Thursday, a woman visited a public bathhouse in North Gyeongsang Province in September where towels and soap were provided free of charge to male customers, while female customers had to pay 500 won ($0.35) per towel and 700 won for a dispo

2026-08-13 17:05:30:00

Koreans dig into family roots amid Ahn Ha-young's ancestry controversy

A website that helps Koreans trace their family origins and learn about historical figures and genealogies has experienced a boost in traffic after actor Ahn Ha-young came under public scrutiny over her ancestor’s alleged pro-Japanese activities during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea. As interest in the website, whose Korean name translates as “In search of roots,” surged over the past few days, its server was overloaded for several hours Wednesday evening and continued to crash for sever

2026-08-13 17:02:45:00

Francesca Hong 'proud' of Korean heritage, wears Korean identity on her arm

Francesca Hong, a Wisconsin state representative who emerged as an unlikely national figure in the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial primary race, said Tuesday that she was deeply proud to be part of the Korean community. Speaking with Yonhap News Agency ahead of the state's election watch party Tuesday, Hong, whose Korean name is Hong Yun-jong, expressed her pride in being Korean American and in her community. “I am so proud to be a Korean American, and I am also so proud to be a Korean living i

2026-08-13 13:12:13:00

Gwangju FC players pull driver from burning car after match

Two players from Gwangju FC helped rescue a driver from a burning car early Sunday after the team spotted the accident while returning from an away match. Dashcam footage provided to The Korea Herald by a passing driver shows Shin Chang-moo and Icelandic striker Holmbert Fridjonsson getting off the K League 1 club’s team bus and rushing to the burning vehicle to help the driver out. According to the club, the incident occurred in Gwangju at about 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 9, while the players were trave

2026-08-12 11:59:24:00

Opposition calls defense minister's existence insult to military for adopting Mao motto

Main opposition People Power Party on Tuesday stepped up calls for Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back's dismissal for sharing Mao Zedong's personal motto. Speaking at a party meeting, floor leader Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig called Ahn's remarks "bizarre," and said Ahn was making a mockery of the South Korean military. Mao is considered to have played a critical role in the outbreak and escalation of the Korean War. Mao, a communist leader and the founder of the People's Republic of China, approved Kim Il-s

2026-08-11 16:58:29:00

Opposition lawmaker calls for tactical nukes to 'instill fear' in Kim Jong-un

Main opposition People Power Party Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on Tuesday called for discussions on deploying tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea, saying that the threat posed by North Korea has fundamentally changed. In a Facebook post, Ahn said that the time has come to discuss the deployment and possession of tactical nuclear weapons. He pointed to the evolving security landscape on the Korean Peninsula and the threat posed by the North, which he said has reached a level not seen in the past. Ahn

2026-08-11 11:39:12:00

DP chair candidate rules out party split after leadership election

Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidate Rep. Jung Chung-rae on Monday dismissed speculations that the party could splinter after the leadership election. Speaking to the press at the Jeonbuk State Council, Jung rejected speculation that the fierce competition in the leadership race could eventually lead to a party split. "That's out of the question, and I've never even considered it," Jung said. He also stressed that there is no division within the party, saying "repeatedly talking about

2026-08-10 17:27:15:00