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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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Trends

Seoul unveils branding for 2027 World Design Congress

The Seoul Design Foundation unveiled a brand identity and launched an official website Tuesday for the World Design Congress 2027 Seoul, an international design event the city will co-host with the World Design Organization (WDO) from Sept. 22-25, 2027, at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). The congress, which brings together designers, cities, companies and citizens to discuss design's role in addressing challenges such as the climate crisis and rapid technological change, will mark the 70th anniversary of WDO's founding. The Geneva-based organization, a global professional body for industrial design, has previously held its congresses in cities including Gwangju in 2017. The event slogan "Think. Make. Change." is meant to signal a shift from talking about design problems to producing concrete solutions with measurable impact, organizers said. The brand identity was designed by the Seoul-based graphic design studio Everyday Practice, whose symbol combines four distinct shapes into a single visual language. Its color palette draws on Seoul's cityscape, including its green spaces, the Han Ri

Sep 15, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul unveils branding for 2027 World Design Congress
People & Events

Seoul's largest architecture festival to enjoy extended run

The Seoul Metropolitan Government opened the 18th Seoul Architecture Festival (SAF) on Monday, expanding the event to nearly a month, from Tuesday to Oct. 11, at the Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture in Jung District, central Seoul. The festival, which showcases Korean architecture and lets residents engage directly with the field, ran for two weeks last year and drew 19,505 visitors. The city said it hopes to draw more than 40,000 this year. This year's edition, "Assembling Seoul: Discovering Seoul," explores how Seoul's overlapping histories, places, cultures and people come together to shape the city today. It is organized around three concepts: hybrid density, rapid evolution and glocality — a blend of "global" and "local." The centerpiece exhibit, "Discovering Seoul," is a collaboration between festival director Kook Hyoung-gul and photographer Shin Kyung-sub, who assembled recycled wooden pallets into a maze-like structure to display Shin's photographs of the city's architecture. The festival also displays works by the winners of the 44th Seoul Architecture Awards. The grand

Sep 15, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul's largest architecture festival to enjoy extended run
Travel & Food

Culture ministry unveils plan to spread arts funding beyond Seoul

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism unveiled its third five-year plan for developing regional culture, aiming to shift resources away from the Seoul metropolitan area and toward the rest of the country. The 2026-2030 plan builds on two earlier phases and is designed to fit the government's "five hubs, three special zones" strategy, a national development framework that groups Korea into five economic megaregions and three special administrative zones to spread growth beyond the capital area. The ministry said it drafted the plan after policy research, regional debates and input from all 16 provincial-level governments. Under the slogan "everyday life with culture, regions people want to stay," the plan lays out four strategies and 16 tasks. They include requiring local governments to draft "cultural rights guarantee plans" ― pledges to ensure residents' access to cultural life ― that would be funded jointly through multiyear agreements with the central and provincial governments. Other measures include building a database to certify and place artists, instructors and cultural

Sep 15, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Culture ministry unveils plan to spread arts funding beyond Seoul
People & Events

Seoul to host international drone racing World Cup in October

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will host the "2026 Seoul International Drone Racing World Cup" on Oct. 23 and 24 at Gwangnaru Hangang Drone Park in eastern Seoul, where pilots will fly high-speed racing drones through obstacle courses using first-person-view goggles. Now in its second year, the event will draw about 60 pilots from 10 countries who will compete through qualifying rounds into a single-elimination final tournament. The winner will receive the Seoul Mayor's Award and a cash prize of 5 million won ($3,600). This year's edition expands beyond spectator racing to hands-on activities. Alongside the racing course, visitors can try drone basketball and drone fishing, test racing simulators, get career counseling and take part in drone assembly and coding classes. Children and teenagers will be able to pilot drones themselves, put together drone parts and write simple code to control a drone's flight path, the city said, calling it a way to introduce young people to the technology and to careers in the field. The Korea-China-Japan Drone Soccer Open International Cup, a

Sep 15, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul to host international drone racing World Cup in October
Economy

Global steel market's fracturing order calls for new playbook: report

The global steel market, once a seamless world of open trade, is rapidly breaking into fortified regional enclaves. For Korea’s industrial giants, the collapse of that global framework presents a grueling, two-front test. Korean steelmakers find themselves squeezed from both sides — locked out of primary export markets by escalating international tariffs while defending their domestic turf against a flood of low-cost Chinese imports, according to a report released Monday by the Korea Investors Service (KIS). The catalyst of this global reshuffling traces back to Washington. Building on Section 232 actions, the United States systematically rolled back country-specific exemptions and quotas while imposing a sweeping 50 percent tariff on steel imports. The resulting displacement of global supply triggered a rapid protectionist domino effect across other major demand hubs. The European Union slashed its duty-free import quotas while matching the 50 percent out-of-quota tariff rate, while neighboring markets like Canada, Mexico, India and several Southeast Asian nations introduced tighter

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Global steel market's fracturing order calls for new playbook: report
Society

Foreign residents form Seoul's new community volunteer corps

Seoul has officially launched a new volunteer group composed of international residents in an initiative representing a new civic engagement model for Korea, as its foreign community continue to take an active role in shaping the city's civic life. The Seoul Metropolitan Government hosted an inauguration ceremony last weekend for the Global Baro Volunteer Corps at Seoul City Hall. Operating under the slogan "One Heart Seoul, Global Hands," the event drew roughly 200 participants, including Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs Kim Sung-bo and international volunteers from across the globe. Comprising 314 foreign residents organized into 16 teams across 42 nationalities, the group draws members from nations including Vietnam, China, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Russia, Kazakhstan, Japan and Malaysia. The roots of the project trace back to last year, when foreign residents spontaneously joined municipal relief teams responding to severe wildfires in the southern regions of Andong and Yeongdeok, as well as flood recovery in Yesan and Gapyeong. Impressed by the foreign volunteers' eager

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Foreign residents form Seoul's new community volunteer corps
Korean Heritage

Korea Heritage Service to bring Seokguram Grotto exhibition to Paris

To celebrate 140 years of diplomatic ties between Korea and France, one of Asia’s most celebrated spiritual and architectural masterpieces is heading to Paris. Starting Oct. 1, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) will unveil a landmark exhibition dedicated to the ancient Seokguram Grotto, bringing centuries of East Asian artistic brilliance to the heart of Europe. The exhibition, titled "The Millennium Mystery of Buddhist Art: Seokguram," will run through March 13 at the Korean Cultural Center in France. It is being organized with the center, the Gyeongju city government and other institutions. Seokguram is an eighth-century artificial stone grotto near Gyeongju that houses a large seated Buddha statue and is considered a masterpiece of Silla Dynasty Buddhist art. In 1995, it became one of the first Korean sites added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The exhibition will feature an immersive digital installation projecting a three-dimensional scan of the grotto's interior across the walls and floor of the center's auditorium, along with photographs, a tactile 3D model designed for visua

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea Heritage Service to bring Seokguram Grotto exhibition to Paris
Companies

Nongshim brings Shin Ramyun to Middle East's largest pop culture festival

Nongshim, one of Korea's largest instant noodle makers, ran a themed booth for its flagship Shin Ramyun brand at the Middle East Film & Comic Con, the region's largest entertainment expo, the company said. The three-day event, known locally as MEFCC or UAE Comic Con, was held Sept. 11-13 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center in the United Arab Emirates and draws more than 45,000 visitors who come for film, television, anime, comics, video games and cosplay. It followed Nongshim's appearance at Gamescom in Germany last month, part of a broader push to position Shin Ramyun — a spicy instant noodle brand that has become one of Korea's best-known food exports — as a global lifestyle brand tied to pop culture rather than just a grocery item. Nongshim's booth featured a photo zone, a merchandise shop and a 360-degree camera area, along with a wall displaying its range of Shin Ramyun products that became a popular spot for visitors to take photos for social media. Limited-edition merchandise, including keyrings and stickers, also drew strong interest. Outside the exhibition hall, a

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Nongshim brings Shin Ramyun to Middle East's largest pop culture festival
People & Events

Seoul to hold nationwide farmers' market ahead of Chuseok holiday

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will host its annual Chuseok Seoro Market, the country's largest direct-sales farmers' market, from Tuesday to Thursday at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. The market's name combines the Korean words for "Seoul" and "local," reflecting its aim of connecting urban consumers directly with rural producers ahead of Chuseok, one of Korea's biggest holidays. Now in its 18th year, the event has run annually since 2009. More than 100 vendors from 87 municipalities across 10 provinces and metropolitan cities will sell regional specialties at discounts of 10 to 30 percent off market prices, including garlic from Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, spicy fermented flatfish from Sokcho, Gangwon province, and processed foods made with local produce. Trucks selling Korean beef and pork from Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, Hongseong in South Chungcheong Province and Jeju Island will also be on site. Visitors can watch a traditional rice cake-making demonstration by food artisan Kim Wang-ja, try making their own gochugaru, or red chili powder, and take part in traditi

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul to hold nationwide farmers' market ahead of Chuseok holiday
People & Events

Seoul to host K-pop, gaming tech festival at Dongdaemun Design Plaza

Seoul will hold the four-day Entertech, Seoul 2026 festival combining K-pop, gaming and immersive technology, from Thursday to Sunday at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), the Ihyeon Water Gate exhibition hall and the JW Marriott Dongdaemun hotel, the city government said Monday. The event will let visitors experience virtual reality K-pop performances, design their own idol characters through a mock "debut" process and try artificial intelligence (AI)-generated music composition. K-pop group Fifty Fifty, known for its 2023 hit "Cupid," which entered the Billboard Hot 100, will serve as the festival's ambassador and be featured in a location-based virtual reality (VR) content experience built around the group. A K-pop showcase on Saturday will spotlight eight rising acts from smaller Seoul-based entertainment agencies, paired with business meetings between the agencies and overseas concert promoters aimed at helping the artists break into international markets. The gaming and esports portion of the event includes hands-on demonstrations from Blizzard Entertainment, an anniversary event

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul to host K-pop, gaming tech festival at Dongdaemun Design Plaza
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