my timesThe Korea Times
aoshima11

Ko Dong-hwan

Korea Times Business Reporter

Covering the food & beverage industry, beauty, fashion, retail markets, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and related people and entities worldwide

Go to URL

Read more

Foreign Affairs

Kazakhstanis visit Incheon on medical tourism package program

By Ko Dong-hwan In this picture from 2022, a Kazakhstani patient receives a comprehensive medical examination at Ain Hospital in Incheon. Courtesy of Incheon Metropolitan City Around 50 people from Kazakhstan will arrive in Incheon on a medical tourism package offered by the western port city. The Incheon Metropolitan Government said this is the first time people from the Central Asian country are visiting the port city since it began offering the package trips to Kazakhstanis in June. Two people from the group, who are cancer patients, arrived in Incheon in July to receive treatments at Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital. The rest of the group will go to six other hospitals in the port city to receive comprehensive medical examinations as well as optometric and gynecological tests during August, according to the Health Promotion Division under the Incheon Metropolitan City's Health and Welfare Bureau.Following the treatments, the visitors

Aug 1, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Kazakhstanis visit Incheon on medical tourism package program
People & Events

New digital facade at Seoul's award-winning design plaza to light up city

Visitors to Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul watch a media facade being projected onto the structure during the Seoul Light DDP 2022 Winter in December 2022. Courtesy of Seoul Design FoundationAnnual light show wins Red Dot Award By Ko Dong-hwanDongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), an outlandish-looking structure in Seoul that defied orthodox architecture and glimmers like a silver fish, is launching a new projection art for the city's hip fashion sector.Starting from Aug. 31, the Seoul Light DDP 2023 Fall will display a large-scale media show on the surface of the 220-meter-wide structure under the night sky until Sept. 10, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Monday. Miguel Chevalier, a French digital and virtual artist who has earned international recognition as one of the pioneers of computer-based art, and the Frankfurt-based European Design Center run by the Korean automaker Kia are creating the works. Their high-end digital productions share the theme of “digital nature.”The feature presentation will illuminate the streets of one of the city's busiest a

Aug 1, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
New digital facade at Seoul's award-winning design plaza to light up city
Tech & Science

Seoul Metro to launch 'tagless' fare charging system

A person places a wallet on turnstile to pay a fare at Jonggak Station in Seoul, July 12. YonhapBy Ko Dong-hwanSeoul Metro, an operator of the city's subway service, is testing a new “tagless” fare-charging electronic system ahead of its official launch planned next year.The tagless system is an upgraded version of the current system that uses a near-field-communication (NFC) technology that requires travelers to tag a smartphone, a payment card or other personal devices with a paying function onto a signal-detecting pod inside buses and at subway station turnstiles. The upcoming service saves such effort, allowing users to move past the pod while machines automatically detect Bluetooth signals to charge fares.The company under the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday they plan to install 10 tagless fare charging devices at Yongdap Station on Line No. 2, Oksu Station on Line No. 3 and Dongjak and Sadang stations on Line No. 4. The system won't be open to the public but limited to testing by the company employees during this year. From the tests to be carried out over

Aug 1, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Seoul Metro to launch 'tagless' fare charging system
Environment & Animals

Korea to experience sweltering heat until next week

Children play in a fountain at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Friday, as the country experiences high temperatures. Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanThe scorching heat will continue throughout next week with the country's weather watchdog urging people, particularly farmers and other laborers working outdoors, to take precautions against health risks in such heat.The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued heat wave advisories and warnings for most parts of the country on Friday. The advisory is issued when daytime highs of 33 degree Celsius or over are expected to continue for at least two consecutive days. The warning is issued when the figure surpasses 35 degrees Celsius.The authority said some of the regions currently under the advisory will likely see the warning as the heat is expected to continue for a while.For Seoul, daytime highs next week are expected to hover between 31 to 34 degrees Celsius, higher than the average 30-31 degrees Celsius.Morning lows are also expected to be around 25-26 degrees Celsius, bringing “tropical nights” which refers to l

Jul 28, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Korea to experience sweltering heat until next week
  • Number of heatstroke patients surges amid searing heat
Society

Gyeonggi subway fares to rise following Seoul, Incheon

Passengers of the Gimpo Goldline get off the Gimpo International Airport Station, April 14. NewsisBy Ko Dong-hwanThe basic subway fare in Gyeonggi Province is likely to go up by 150 won ($0.12) starting Oct. 7. The government of Gyeonggi Province said, Friday, it plans to hold a public hearing, Aug. 4, to adjust the fare range of railways subject to the planned hike. These are Uijeongbu Light Rail Line, Yongin Light Rail Line, Gimpo Goldline, the Hanam Line extension on Line No. 5 and the Bucheon Line extension on Line No. 7. The provincial government's subway fare hike comes after the Seoul and Incheon city governments decided to raise the fares by the same amount to 1,400 won. The Gyeonggi, Seoul and Incheon authorities have been keeping their subway fares the same as the 22 public transit lines shared by local residents in the three regions that together form the country's vast capital region. The tripartite agreement also involved KORAIL, a state-run company that operates the subways in the capital region, in sealing the deal.The latest public transit fare raise is not limited to

Jul 28, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Gyeonggi subway fares to rise following Seoul, Incheon
Environment & Animals

INTERVIEW Radioactive contamination scare threatens fishing industry

Korea Coastal Fishermen's Association President Kim Dae-sung at a port in Namhae County, South Gyeongsang Province, in July / Courtesy of Kim Dae-sungFishermen association chief dismisses concerns about seafood contamination By Ko Dong-hwanYEOSU, South Jeolla Province ― Fish, shellfish and other marine species in Korean waters cannot be contaminated by the discharge of radioactive water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant that is likely to begin later this year, the leader of Korea's fishermen's association said. The 70-year-old from the country's southern county of Namhae was concerned that the unproven contamination rumors have dramatically cut domestic sales of seafood, pushing many households in the fishery industry to the brink.Kim Dae-sung, who represents the Korea Coastal Fishermen's Association based in Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, said that even if the controversial radioactive water is released, marine species in Korean waters cannot be contaminated by it because of the direction of ocean currents. He used the Kuroshio Current as an example.“It's a

Jul 26, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
[INTERVIEW] Radioactive contamination scare threatens fishing industry
Tech & Science

Aging Seoul to evolve with robot helpers

Senior citizens of Seoul learn how to better use smartphones with the help of robots. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentGov't to subsidize robot developers, ramp up services, support tech innovationBy Ko Dong-hwanAs Seoul becomes an aging society, the city is running out of working hands while the population is in ever greater need of medical and welfare services. The widening gap in supply and demand for the city's labor force can be offset by the use of robots, the city government has announced.The Economic Policy Division under the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Economic Policy Office said Monday that the city is entering the phase of an ultra-aging society starting in 2025. To counter the trend, the city said it will start nurturing robotic developers, employing robots in broader service sectors and investing in relevant technologies. Under the three major directions to be completed by 2026, the city authority will launch 15 sub-projects and invest over 200 billion won ($156 million) in total during the period. The announcement came as the city currently accounts for 18 p

Jul 26, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Aging Seoul to evolve with robot helpers
Others

Seoul facility managers reveal city's best hidden hotspots

Palgakdang in Children's Grand Park in eastern Seoul's Gwangjin District / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentInsiders' list includes four city spots, four scenic routes for cyclistsBy Ko Dong-hwanEmployees of a city-run facility management company in Seoul have released a list of their own recommendations for the capital's best hidden hotspots. The release of the so-called “insiders' list” came in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Seoul Facilities Corp.The list contains four city spots that won the most votes from 4,000 employees during a month-long poll that was launched in May. The poll asked them to pick the “choicest public venues under the corporation's management which citizens might not know about.” The results are far from the locations that draw mass attention of domestic and global visitors to the city such as Lotte World Tower, Gwanghwamun Square or Itaewon. One of the sites is Palgakdang in Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin District. The five-story octagonal structure in traditional Korean architectural style just finished its rem

Jul 26, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Seoul facility managers reveal city's best hidden hotspots
Law & Crime

Stabbing in Sillim raises calls for countermeasures

Police officers escort a man surnamed Cho, center, who is alleged to have gone on a stabbing rampage near Sillim Station in southern Seoul killing one man and injuring three others, Friday, into the Seoul Central District Court, Sunday. Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwanIn the wake of a stabbing rampage, in which a 33-year-old man killed one man and injured three others, Friday, there are growing calls for the country's criminal justice system to explore countermeasures for such crimes.So far, authorities and the public have defined crimes against random victims as motiveless killings by psychopaths and, as such, held individual perpetrators solely responsible for the crime. But many claim that such categorization should be replaced with more systemic management by authorities so that potential killers can be preemptively monitored and prevented from committing any mass assaults.Experts said that each case of “social terror” should not be simply seen as an adrenalin-driven random act by an individual with psychosis, but instead as a dangerous social phenomenon, a symptom of broader s

Jul 24, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Stabbing in Sillim raises calls for countermeasures
Trends

Cash-strapped wage earners give up vacations: survey

By Ko Dong-hwangettyimagesbankA majority of wage earners in Korea cannot afford to take a vacation this summer because of their economic conditions, according to the results of a survey released Sunday.Among the country's salary earners who have given up on taking a vacation this year or delayed making plans, 62 percent said they did so because they “don't currently have enough cash in hand.”The survey was conducted by Gabjil119, a civic group advocating for the rights of domestic workers, over a week starting on June 9. “Gabjil,” or “gapjil” as it's more commonly spelled, is Korean for a set of actions taken by workplace superiors or customers in service sectors against others who deem the actions unfair and abusive.The survey, which interviewed 1,000 salary earners aged 19 and older across the country, has found that less than 44 percent have made vacation plans for this summer. Meanwhile, over 36 percent said they had not yet decided whether to take a vacation this summer, while 20 percent said it was not an option. There was a correlation betwe

Jul 24, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Cash-strapped wage earners give up vacations: survey
previous page
126127128129130
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.