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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.

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Travel & Food

Korea sees strong growth in visitors from Americas, Europe as tourism market diversifies

Korea drew 10.71 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2026, stemming from sustained growth from the Americas, Europe and Oceania as evidence that the country's tourism market is diversifying beyond its traditional base in Asia, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday. Visitors from the Americas reached 1.08 million through June, up 12.7 percent from the same period last year, while arrivals from Europe rose 20.2 percent to 740,000, according to the ministry. Other markets, including Oceania, grew 11 percent to 210,000. Among individual countries, visits from the United States rose 11.1 percent to 730,000, while Canada grew 17.1 percent, Brazil 22.1 percent and Mexico 16.3 percent. In Europe, Britain and Germany each surpassed 100,000 visitors, growing 22.1 percent and 15.4 percent respectively, while France and Italy grew 17.2 percent and 29 percent. Even Russia saw a modest increase despite the absence of direct flights, a casualty of the war in Ukraine. The ministry attributed much of the growth to improved flight access. New direct routes were launched last

Aug 6, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea sees strong growth in visitors from Americas, Europe as tourism market diversifies
Society

Korea launches respect campaign for migrant workers

On construction sites and factory floors across Korea, supervisors barking orders at foreign laborers often address them not by their given names, but by blunt, casual Korean pronouns: "hey" or "you." Now, a nationwide campaign led by government officials, regional authorities and labor rights foundations is attempting to reshape that workplace culture, starting with a simple act of human recognition: giving migrant laborers hard hats printed with their actual names. The Ministry of Employment and Labor partnered with local officials and four major labor rights organizations — including the Jeon Tae-il Foundation and the Financial Industry Public Interest Foundation — to host the Migrant Worker Labor Respect Campaign on Thursday in Asan, an industrial hub in South Chungcheong Province. Gathered inside a local community center, roughly 150 business leaders, union delegates and foreign laborers watched as workers were formally presented with custom hard hats bearing their names in clear, bold lettering. The initiative stems from a joint agreement signed in April to promote the rights

Aug 6, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea launches respect campaign for migrant workers
Environment & Animals

Turning summer evenings into climate action along Han River

As sweltering August nights draw crowds of residents seeking relief along the banks of the Han River, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is attempting to transform a seasonal pastime into a civic exercise in environmental stewardship. Beginning Friday, the city will introduce a series of interactive sustainability challenges tied to Han River Bamping— a portmanteau of "bam," the Korean word for night, and camping — a popular late-summer evening riverside event. Running every weekend through Aug. 30 across major riverfront destinations like Yeouido and Ttukseom parks, the initiative rewards parkgoers with environmental points — known locally as Eco-Miles — for carrying out simple ecological acts, from picking up trash to reusing food containers. The municipal push reflects growing concern over the rise of single-use plastic, food containers and litter that regularly engulfs public waterfronts during peak summer picnic season. By embedding game-like eco-friendly tasks directly into the river’s evening recreational culture, Seoul officials said they hope to incentivize waste redu

Aug 5, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Turning summer evenings into climate action along Han River
Trends

Record spending by int'l visitors drives Seoul's new experience-first tourism strategy

Driven by record-setting visitor spending in beauty, wellness and local lifestyle, Seoul is reframing its tourism strategy around how its residents actually live. Following a record 5.6 trillion won ($4.1 billion) in credit card spending by foreign visitors in Korea during the first half of 2026, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday the launch of its Beautiful Life in Seoul festival. Opening Aug. 22 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), the four-day festival will aggregate the city's fashion, wellness and cosmetic sectors into a single immersive destination. The new gathering consolidates several previously standalone municipal events into a unified showcase. Anchored by Seoul Beauty Week, the festival spans 12 distinct indoor and outdoor spaces across the DDP complex, bringing together interactive beauty styling, wellness classes, urban running circuits and independent design markets under one banner. The programming is deliberately structured around the capital's day-to-night flow. Daytime sessions invite visitors to explore K-beauty exhibitions, participate in traditional

Aug 5, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Record spending by int'l visitors drives Seoul's new experience-first tourism strategy
Companies

Paradise Group sponsors charity run for descendants of Korea's independence fighters

Paradise Group, operator of Korea's Paradise Casino resorts, is sponsoring a charity marathon supporting housing improvements for descendants of Korean independence activists for the fourth consecutive year, the company said Wednesday. The company said it will donate 81.5 million won ($57,100) to Habitat for Humanity Korea's Fighting Korea 2026 815 Run to be held Aug. 15 — the country's National Liberation Day, which marks the end of Japanese colonial rule in 1945 — in the Sangam-dong area of Seoul's Mapo District. Habitat for Humanity Korea, a nonprofit focused on housing improvement and home-building projects, holds the charity run, whose name references Aug. 15, on Liberation Day annually to raise funds for improving housing for descendants of independence activists. All individual entry fees and corporate sponsorships go toward the said cause. Many descendants of independence activists were left without a stable economic foundation because their ancestors sacrificed their livelihoods for the independence movement, and a significant number now live in dilapidated houses 30 to 50

Aug 5, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Paradise Group sponsors charity run for descendants of Korea's independence fighters
Health

Seoul blocks 6 toxic kids' swim products from direct import sites

As summer heat drives families across Korea to pools and beaches, municipal safety regulators in the capital have issued a stark warning regarding direct imports of children’s swim gear purchased from popular e-commerce platforms. Following comprehensive laboratory testing of 20 children’s water products sold on ultralow-cost Chinese marketplaces — including AliExpress, Temu and Shein — the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that nearly one-third failed domestic safety standards. Six products exhibited severe deficiencies, ranging from toxic chemical levels hundreds of times above legal thresholds to flimsy construction prone to sudden failure. City officials confirmed they have requested the immediate removal of all six non-compliant items from sale on the respective platforms. The findings paint a troubling picture of the unvetted, bargain-basement goods filling online carts. Laboratory analysis revealed that a pair of children’s swim goggles bought from AliExpress arrived in packaging laced with phthalate plasticizers — chemical additives used to soften plastics

Aug 5, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul blocks 6 toxic kids' swim products from direct import sites
Companies

Sono International opens Purr Lounge, urban adoption hub for stray cats

Sono International, part of Sono Trinity Group, opened Purr Lounge, an urban adoption hub for stray and abandoned cats, at the company's new headquarters building in southwestern Seoul's Magok-dong, the leisure, hospitality and construction conglomerate said Wednesday. Purr Lounge, developed in partnership with the Sono Veterinary Foundation, occupies the first floor of Sono Trinity Commons, the group's new headquarters building. Rather than functioning as a typical cat cafe, the space is designed as a participatory animal welfare center focused on helping rescued cats recover and promoting responsible pet adoption. The Sono Veterinary Foundation, which has signed an agreement with Gangwon State to expand adoption and medical support for stray cats in the province, provides medical care at the facility, helping rescued cats undergo emotional and physical rehabilitation before being placed in permanent homes. Cats at the center receive health checkups and treatment along with individualized emotional care and socialization training based on each animal's temperament. To build what the comp

Aug 5, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Sono International opens Purr Lounge, urban adoption hub for stray cats
Companies

Record heat drives sales up 35% for Lotte Hotel World's theme park staycation packages

Lotte Hotel World is targeting summer vacationers with indoor staycation packages combining a hotel stay with access to Lotte World Adventure, Lotte World Aquarium and the Seoul Sky observation deck, the hotel announced Wednesday. With daytime highs regularly topping 35 degrees Celsius and children now on summer break, so-called "hotelcations" — extended hotel stays built around indoor activities rather than outdoor sightseeing — have become increasingly popular. The promotional packages, blending hospitality with entertainment, will run through Dec. 31. The hotel's flagship offering, the Activity in WORLD package, includes a one-night stay along with two tickets each to Lotte World Aquarium and Seoul Sky, the observation deck atop Lotte World Tower. The combination allows guests to experience some of Seoul's premier landmarks without ever having to step outside into the heat. Guests who book two nights or more also receive an all-inclusive Lotte World Adventure pass and a breakfast buffet at La Seine, the hotel's signature restaurant. The property noted that package sales in July r

Aug 5, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Record heat drives sales up 35% for Lotte Hotel World's theme park staycation packages
Environment & Animals

Meet Laon, the lion cub captivating Korea

At Everland, Korea’s sprawling theme park nestled just south of Seoul, quiet mornings are usually defined by the rustle of bamboo and the gentle chatter of early-bird families. But starting Wednesday, a distinctly feistier presence took center stage: a 2-month-old lion cub named Laon, making his public debut as the resort’s first newborn lion in eight years. Born on June 5 in the park’s Safari World, the young male cub faced an uncertain start when his mother was unable to care for him. Zookeepers quickly stepped in, providing round-the-clock hand-rearing that involved late-night bottle feedings, meticulous health checks and constant warmth. Two months later, the pint-sized predator has flourished, tipping the scales at a healthy 5.5 kilograms and stepping out into the public eye at his new sanctuary enclosure with an appetite for exploration. Laon’s arrival has already sparked a wave of digital affection across domestic online communities, where well-wishers have flooded message boards with hopes for his long and ferocious future. Adding a touch of local sporting lore to his s

Aug 5, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Meet Laon, the lion cub captivating Korea
Travel & Food

Seoul Tourism Organization hosts travel showcase in Bangkok to woo Thai travelers

Seeking to turn Southeast Asia’s booming appetite for Korean pop culture into steady foot traffic, the Seoul Tourism Organization hosted a major promotional showcase in the Thai capital on Tuesday, making a pitch to local travel buyers and media for longer, immersive stays in the Korean capital. Tuesday's Visit Seoul: Discover More event held at the Amari Bangkok brought together 182 industry representatives, including media outlets and major Thai travel agencies, alongside 13 prominent Seoul-based tourism companies ranging from hoteliers and tour operators to medical tourism clinics. Thailand remains a crucial centerpiece for Korea's inbound tourism strategy in Southeast Asia. Boosted by high air connectivity — including roughly 222 direct weekly flights operated by 10 carriers across seven routes — the market has shown a swift postpandemic recovery and a strong preference for Korean cultural exports. The delegation focused heavily on experiential and seasonal offerings designed to drive repeat visits and extended itineraries. Presentations highlighted year-round signature events

Aug 5, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul Tourism Organization hosts travel showcase in Bangkok to woo Thai travelers
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