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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

Gyeonggi Province recommends 7 natural parks for summer getaways near Seoul

For travelers looking to beat the summer heat without venturing far from the capital, Gyeonggi Province has curated seven natural parks featuring lush forests, cool valleys and ancient volcanic gorges — all within an easy reach of metropolitan Seoul. The list includes three provincial parks — Namhansanseong, Mount Yeonin and Mount Suri — along with Cheonmasan City Park, Myeongjisan County Park, the Hantangang UNESCO Global Geopark and the Hwaseong National Geopark, the province said. Namhansanseong Provincial Park, spanning Gwangju, Seongnam and Hanam, combines dense forest trails with a walk along the fortress walls of Namhansanseong, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visitors can explore the fortress's east, west, south and north gates and the Sueojangdae command post while taking in views of the greater Seoul area from its elevated terrain. Yeoninsan Provincial Park in Gapyeong offers a walk along Yongchu Valley, where clear water, unusual rock formations and thick forest combine for a shaded, stream-side hike. Surisan Provincial Park, spanning Gunpo, Anyang and Ansan, sits close to

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Gyeonggi Province recommends 7 natural parks for summer getaways near Seoul
Travel & Food

Busan turns to tourism to save its female free-divers

Along the rocky coastlines of Korea, the ancient art of the "haenyeo" — traditional female free-divers who harvest sea life without breathing apparatus — has long stood as one of the country’s most remarkable cultural institutions. But as the legendary matriarchs of the deep grow older and their numbers dwindle, coastal cities are searching for creative ways to keep their heritage alive. Starting this month, the southern port city of Busan is launching a new initiative that turns this UNESCO-recognized legacy into an immersive tourism experience. Beginning Aug. 4, the Busan Tourism Organization and municipal officials will roll out Learn the Sea with Haenyeo, a 20-session cultural immersion program running through September at Gamji Beach on Yeongdo Island. Designed to bridge the gap between curious travelers and the city's remaining divers, the three-hour guided experience pairs participants directly with active local haenyeo. The program offers an intimate window into a lifestyle shaped by centuries of oceanic folklore and environmental stewardship. After a storytelling session

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Busan turns to tourism to save its female free-divers
Companies

NongHyup enters Japan's premium seaweed market with 1st raw laver export

NongHyup Economic Holdings has made its first export of raw, unprocessed laver to Japan, expanding beyond the seasoned and processed seaweed products that have traditionally made up Korean laver exports to the country, the company said. A shipping ceremony was held Thursday at the Gwangcheon Nonghyup cooperative in Hongseong County, South Chungcheong Province — a region known for its laver production — to mark the export of "woncho gim," or raw laver, the seaweed material harvested from the sea before it is processed into sheets or seasoned products. NongHyup said the Gwangcheon cooperative's raw laver was recognized in the quality-focused Japanese market for its soft texture, consistent quality and glossy black color. The export follows roughly a year of support from NongHyup Economic Holdings and its trading arm, NH Trading, which have taken part in the Foodex Japan food exposition since last year to find buyers and manage negotiations, contracts and logistics. The initial shipment totaled 0.7 tons and will supply Sushi Zanmai, one of Japan's major sushi restaurant chains. NongHyup

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
NongHyup enters Japan's premium seaweed market with 1st raw laver export
Companies

Bhc opens 1st Philippine store, tailoring menu to local tastes

Dining Brands Group's fried chicken brand bhc has opened its first store in the Philippines, as part of the company's push to expand further into Southeast Asia. The fried chicken brand opened its first branch in the country in SM North EDSA, located in Quezon City and is one of the Philippines' largest shopping malls, drawing heavy foot traffic from families and younger shoppers, according to Dining Brands Group. The company said the location gives the brand strong visibility as it works to build recognition in the Philippine market. Dining Brands Group CEO Song Ho-sup attended the store's opening ceremony on Wednesday. The roughly 1,900-square-foot store seats 86 and operates on a limited-service restaurant model suited to mall customers with shorter visit times, allowing the chain to serve freshly cooked orders quickly, the company said. The menu includes bhc's fried and seasoned chicken along with its signature flavors — Bburinkle, Hot Bburinkle, Matchoking and Red King — served by the piece, along with six dipping sauces. Reflecting dining habits in the Philippines and elsewhere i

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Bhc opens 1st Philippine store, tailoring menu to local tastes
Companies

Humedix secures biopharmaceutical GMP certification, eyes global CMO market

Humedix, an aesthetics and pharmaceutical company under the Huons Group, said it has received final certification from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety confirming its manufacturing facility meets Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards for biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing, or CMO — production carried out on behalf of other drugmakers. The certification covers a facility for producing finished recombinant biologic drugs. Humedix said the approval extends its established quality and manufacturing system — previously built around chemical drugs and aesthetic products — into the biopharmaceutical sector. With the certification, Humedix said it plans to handle finished-product manufacturing for "human-derived hyaluronidase," a biopharmaceutical currently in development by its affiliate, Huons Lab. The company said the certification positions it to begin commercial production as soon as Huons Lab receives regulatory approval for the drug, which the affiliate is targeting for the second half of this year. Humedix said the newly certified facility has large-scale production

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Humedix secures biopharmaceutical GMP certification, eyes global CMO market
Companies

RaonSecure to build blockchain-based pedigree system for Jindo dogs

RaonSecure, an artificial intelligence security and identity authentication company, will build a blockchain-based pedigree management system for the Jindo dog, a native Korean breed designated as a national natural monument, the company said. The project is being carried out by Jindo County, the breed's home region on Korea's southwestern coast, as part of a plan selected under this year's government smart village distribution program. Service is scheduled to launch in October. The system will replace paper pedigree certificates and separate databases with a single integrated digital record covering each dog's DNA test results, birth, registration, sale and export history. RaonSecure said the existing paper-based system made it difficult to verify certificates or trace a dog's history in real time once it left official channels, undermining confidence in pedigree records for dogs bought and sold outside that system. Under the new system, a specialized institution will conduct DNA testing on each dog, and the verified pedigree information will be issued as a digital certificate through R

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
RaonSecure to build blockchain-based pedigree system for Jindo dogs
Society

Seoul offers perks, subsidies for companies willing to hire senior workers

In a rapidly aging society, Korea’s capital is deploying financial incentives to redefine what it means to grow old in the workforce. Municipal officials on Monday opened applications for businesses to participate in the upcoming 2026 Senior Job Fair, offering companies a completely subsidized recruitment platform — alongside direct cash subsidies of up to 5.5 million won ($4,000) per senior hire through its ongoing Senior Internship Program — to actively incentivize local firms to adopt age-inclusive hiring practices. The initiative comes as Korea faces an unprecedented demographic transition, boasting one of the world's fastest-aging populations alongside historically low birthrates. To address shrinking labor pools and keep healthy older adults economically active, municipal policies have pivoted sharply toward creating dignified, sustainable second careers for seniors. The cash subsidies, which cover wage support and employment retention bonuses, apply to Seoul-based businesses with five or more full-time employees that hire workers aged 60 or older, with retroactive coverage

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul offers perks, subsidies for companies willing to hire senior workers
South Korea

Modest rebound in births in Korea's capital offers glimmer of hope

For nearly a decade, Korea has served as the poster child for the global demographic crisis, recording the lowest fertility rate on the planet as young adults postponed marriage and parenthood amid skyrocketing housing costs and intense career pressures. But inside the bustling capital of Korea, long-dormant maternity wards are beginning to tell an encouragingly different story. New figures released Monday by municipal authorities reveal that 4,227 babies were born in Seoul in May, representing a dramatic 17.7 percent jump compared to the same month last year. The surge marks the 26th consecutive month of year-over-year birth growth in the city — a sustained, two-year turnaround that demographers once considered highly improbable given the nationwide trend. The momentum is heavily fueled by a record-setting wave of weddings. Between January and May, marriages in Seoul jumped 11.1 percent compared to the prior year, outpacing all other 17 regions across Korea. In a country where childbirth remains overwhelmingly tied to traditional marriage, the rising number of newlyweds has created

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Modest rebound in births in Korea's capital offers glimmer of hope
Travel & Food

Seoul turns Han River bridges into free outdoor movie theaters this month

Seoul will screen free movies under three bridges spanning the Han River for three consecutive Saturdays this month, transforming the space beneath the bridges into open-air theaters as part of the city's Han River Under-the-Bridge Cinema program. Screenings run at 8 p.m. on Aug. 8, 15 and 22 beneath Wonhyo Bridge at Yeouido Hangang Park, Cheongdam Bridge at Ttukseom Hangang Park and Cheonho Bridge at Gwangnaru Hangang Park, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. All three venues will run screenings simultaneously on Aug. 8 and 15, while Aug. 22 will be limited to the Yeouido site alone. The program features seven films chosen to suit each location. At the Yeouido site — Theater 1, which draws the most local and international visitors — the lineup leans toward mainstream romance and music titles, plus a Liberation Day tribute film, and will show all three of its movies with English subtitles for foreign audiences. The Aug. 8 screening features "What If We..." (2025), a romance that topped Korean box offices in the first half of the year; Aug. 15 marks the Aug. 15 Liberation Day holi

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul turns Han River bridges into free outdoor movie theaters this month
K-pop

HYBE's new girl group Tuide to debut Aug. 24 with EP 'Tune & Play'

HYBE's new girl group label ABD will debut its first act, Tuide, on Aug. 24 with the release of its debut EP, "Tune & Play," the agency said. The seven-member group — Seohee, Seoyeon, Elena, Jia, Saki, Seah and Yi Hani — will release the mini album at 6 p.m. ABD said the title reflects the group's concept: tuning different musical languages into a single rhythm, then maximizing the joy found within that harmony. The label said the sound is meant to cross the boundaries of generation, culture and language and bring a new current to the global music scene. Tuide revealed its members' visuals Sunday through a set of introduction photos and a video titled "Introductions: WE TUIDE," posted to the group's official social media accounts. In the clip, the members chant the group's name in multiple languages over a minimalist beat that shifts between Korean, English, Japanese and French. The members come from Korea, the United States, Britain and Japan, and were all born between 2006 and 2011. ABD said the mix of backgrounds and personalities is meant to give Tuide a distinct group identity

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
HYBE's new girl group Tuide to debut Aug. 24 with EP 'Tune & Play'
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