my timesThe Korea Times
jhoo

Jhoo Dong-chan

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.

Go to Email

Read more

Books

Korean Cultural Center in Sweden to open book cafe blending literature with 'fika'

The Korean Cultural Center in Sweden will open a new book cafe inside the center on Aug. 17, combining Korean literature with "fika," the Swedish daily ritual of taking a coffee or tea break, the center said. Beyond introducing Korean literature, the space will double as a reading lounge where visitors can read and relax freely, and will host a monthly "Book of the Month Pairing," introducing a Korean literary work along with a specially selected Korean tea. The center has signed a cooperation agreement with Kkotsaem Food to introduce Korean teas, including roasted black barley tea, to local audiences through the book pairing series. From the second half of 2027, the center plans to expand the cafe further by adding a showroom for the National Museum of Korea's "MU:DS" merchandise line, so that visitors can experience Korean literature, tea and cultural products together in one space. The opening ceremony will be attended by Korea's ambassador to Sweden, a former Swedish ambassador to Korea and figures from the Swedish publishing industry. The ceremony will be followed by congratulatory

Aug 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korean Cultural Center in Sweden to open book cafe blending literature with 'fika'
K-pop

BTS favorability among US fans hits record high: Luminate data

BTS has reached record levels of awareness and favorability among American music consumers, according to new data from Luminate, a global music data and analytics firm The group's fifth studio album posted the strongest vinyl sales of any group since Luminate began tracking album sales in 1991. Luminate's second-quarter survey of U.S. music consumers found BTS' awareness — the share of consumers who recognize the group — at 42 percent, nearing the group's all-time high of 43 percent set in the third quarter of last year. That figure is 18 percentage points above the 24 percent average awareness across all artists Luminate tracks, and about four times the 11 percent average among the 22 K-pop acts in its survey. Awareness ranged from 43 percent among 13-to-17-year-olds to 59 percent among 18-to-24-year-olds, with more than half of 18-to-34-year-olds recognizing the group. Favorability, measured among consumers who said they knew about BTS, reached 46 percent — the highest since Luminate began surveying the group in 2021, when the figure stood at 34 percent. Favorability topped 40 pe

Aug 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
BTS favorability among US fans hits record high: Luminate data
Environment & Animals

Korea Forest Service holds colloquium on mushroom farming technology

The National Institute of Forest Science, a research body under the Korea Forest Service, held a colloquium Wednesday, to discuss digital transformation in mushroom cultivation, aiming to boost the competitiveness of Korea's mushroom industry. The event brought together researchers to share the latest findings in smart cultivation and to explore ways of applying artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to mushroom farming. The first session, which looked at developing new mushroom varieties, covered the current state of molecular methods for cultivation and field applications, along with research on using digital farming to develop new varieties tailored to market demand. Participants discussed strategies for data-based, customized development. The second session focused on smart cultivation technology aimed at standardizing quality and improving production efficiency. Topics included the current state and technical challenges of smart cultivation for forest mushrooms, intelligent environmental controls and automated processes for smart farms, and research trends in using phenomics and

Aug 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea Forest Service holds colloquium on mushroom farming technology
People & Events

Seoul museum to host summer programs for kids

The Seoul Museum of History will launch special summer programs at its Children's Museum starting Aug. 15. All programs are free for child visitors. "Summer in Hanyang" introduces how residents of Seoul — formerly known as Hanyang — cooled off without fans or air conditioning while also covering seasonal foods and pastimes of the era. Children can decorate their own paper fan using stickers after reading the exhibit panels. No reservation is required, and kits to make the fans will be distributed free to the first 1,000 children to visit, starting Aug. 15. Inquiries about the kits can be made at the museum lobby and information desk. A second program, "Santa's Summer Vacation," imagines Santa Claus taking his holiday in Korea and granting children's wishes. Visitors can write their wishes on postcards or notes and attach them to an "August Christmas wish tree" in the lobby from Aug. 15. Some wishes will later be granted by the museum in a follow-up event, with details to be announced on the museum's Instagram account. A third program lets children make hats modeled on the Children's

Aug 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul museum to host summer programs for kids
Society

8,150 loaves of Seoul bread go to low-income residents ahead of Liberation Day

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Korean bakery Koryodang delivered 8,150 loaves of "Seoul Bread" to low-income and elderly residents ahead of Liberation Day on Aug. 15, which marks the country's 1945 liberation from Japanese colonial rule. The city also gave "thank you boxes" of Seoul Bread and Seoul-branded goods to 25 low income veterans and their families across five neighborhoods. Koryodang, founded in 1945, jointly developed Seoul Bread with the city. In April it launched a reduced-sugar red bean bun and a butter-free whole wheat loaf that have together sold more than 90,000 units. Under a brand-use agreement, Koryodang directs part of its sales proceeds to social contribution programs, including Friday's donation. The bread will be stocked through the end of the year at food markets where low-income residents choose items themselves within an individual point allowance, rather than lining up for food distribution on a first-come, first served basis. The city currently runs four of the markets and is planning a fifth. At a ceremony at the Seoul Station storehouse on Friday, Kor

Aug 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
8,150 loaves of Seoul bread go to low-income residents ahead of Liberation Day
Environment & Animals

Seoul Botanic Park exhibition features rare water lilies, lotus flowers

Seoul Botanic Park in the western part of the capital is hosting a special two-month summer aquatic plant exhibition through September, the park announced Thursday, offering visitors a unique look at rare, endangered native water lilies alongside giant exotic species. The exhibition spans multiple key zones across the park, including the outdoor Thematic Garden, the climate-controlled Exhibition Glasshouse, the expansive Lake Garden and the courtyard fronting the historic Magok Cultural Center. At the outdoor garden, colorful temperate water lilies and fragrant lotus blossoms are arranged alongside flower-adorned wooden boats, creating a serene, picturesque landscape reminiscent of French Impressionist painter Claude Monet’s iconic water garden in Giverny. Meanwhile, inside the tropical Exhibition Glasshouse, exotic international varieties display vivid hues of deep purple, electric blue and crimson, blooming high above the water's surface on raised stalks. A primary highlight of the showcase is the rare prickly water lily, a species designated as a Class II Endangered Wild Species in

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul Botanic Park exhibition features rare water lilies, lotus flowers
Environment & Animals

Seoul to launch 24-hour biodiversity exploration on Mount Acha

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will be hosting BioBlitz Seoul 2026 at Mount Acha in eastern Seoul's Gwangjin District from Sept. 12-13, the city said Thursday, inviting citizens and experts to spend 24 hours discovering, observing and documenting local wildlife species. Located on the eastern edge of the capital along the border with Guri, Gyeonggi Province, Mount Acha serves as a critical ecological link connecting the urban core to the broader green belts of eastern Seoul, making its preservation vital for maintaining the city's biodiversity and wildlife corridors. Unlike last year's single-day schedule, this year's event returns to an intensive two-day, 24-hour format to deepen ecological exploration with specialized activities, including night insect tracking and early-morning bird watching. Featuring forests, streams, wetlands, and grasslands, the mountain offers a rich habitat for urban wildlife. Launched in 2015, the program operates out of the Achasan Ecological Park base camp and features three core components: an offline exploration division, expert dialogue sessions and pu

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul to launch 24-hour biodiversity exploration on Mount Acha
People & Events

Seoul City Hall exhibition explores fleeting memory of urban landscapes

Seoul is hosting a compelling new art exhibition that examines the lingering memories and subtle traces left behind by residents in a rapidly evolving metropolitan landscape. “Traces of Seoul,” a solo exhibition by artist Chang Eun-woo, runs from Aug. 13 through Nov. 2 at the Sky Plaza Gallery, located on the eighth floor of Seoul City Hall. Overlooking the bustling expanse of Seoul Plaza, the gallery space has presented an annual artist selection program since 2014, offering local residents and international visitors free access to contemporary visual arts embedded within the heart of local government. Selected as one of just three winning proposals out of 130 competitive submissions for the 2026 Sky Plaza Gallery schedule, Chang’s showcase shines a gentle light on Seoul’s narrow alleyways, neighborhood streets and everyday urban scenes. These spaces, often overlooked due to their quiet familiarity, represent a side of the city that is gradually disappearing under modern redevelopment. To capture this transience, Chang uses a distinctive artistic technique of cutting and layeri

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul City Hall exhibition explores fleeting memory of urban landscapes
Education

Korea Foundation launches Latin America consortium to expand Korean studies

The Korea Foundation (KF) has inaugurated a milestone academic network connecting six prominent universities across five Latin American nations, aiming to expand the reach of Korean studies and foster cross-continental scholarly exchange throughout the region. The official launch ceremony for the KF Global e-School UCEN-Latin America Consortium for Korean Studies took place Wednesday at the Universidad Central de Chile (UCEN) campus in Santiago. High-profile attendees included KF President Song Gui-do, UCEN President Santiago Gonzalez Larrain and Korean Ambassador to Chile Kim Hak-jae. To mark the inauguration, Kim Won-ho, professor emeritus at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, delivered a keynote lecture exploring actionable insights from South Korea’s rapid economic and democratic development for Latin American nations. Spanning member institutions in Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador and Colombia, the consortium leverages an innovative digital educational model. Participating universities will integrate specialized online Korean studies courses provided by fellow consortium membe

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea Foundation launches Latin America consortium to expand Korean studies
Companies

LS Electric secures Canadian testing accreditation

LS Electric said Thursday that its Power Testing & Technology Institute (PT&T) has been accredited by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) as a Witnessed Manufacturer's Testing Laboratory, a status that lets the company conduct its own certification testing for the North American market rather than shipping products to outside labs. Following the accreditation, LS Electric can now run standardized tests on its power equipment directly at PT&T, with CSA representatives witnessing the process, and obtain CSA certification based on those in-house results. CSA is a third-party testing and certification body that manufacturers must go through to enter the Canadian and broader North American market. It is designated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, putting it on par with global certification bodies in its authority to certify products and issue certification marks. Demand for power equipment in North America has surged amid the buildout of artificial intelligence data centers, the integration of renewable energy and t

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
LS Electric secures Canadian testing accreditation
previous page
1718192021
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.