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

Companies

LG Electronics opens Middle East's first B2B AI home showcase in Riyadh

LG Electronics has opened its first business-to-business showcase for AI-connected home technology in the Middle East, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the company pushes to expand its presence in the Global South. The space, located inside an LG brand shop in Riyadh, is designed to look like a fully furnished premium home, with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom outfitted with built-in appliances such as ovens, range hoods and refrigerators tailored to local tastes, along with furniture from lifestyle brand partners. The showcase is aimed at construction firms, real estate developers and hospitality companies that could adopt LG's technology in large-scale residential or commercial projects. At the center of the display is LG's AI home hub, ThinQ ON, which lets visitors control appliances and other connected devices using voice commands powered by generative AI. The hub also connects with Homey Pro, a smart home platform used across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, allowing a wide range of third-party devices to be linked into a single system. LG also showed off a "turnkey" bui

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
LG Electronics opens Middle East's first B2B AI home showcase in Riyadh
Trends

Interactive quizzes guide Chinese travelers through Seoul's best retail spots

As China’s Golden Week holiday approaches, tourism officials in Seoul are shifting away from traditional bus tour shopping sprees, replacing generic recommendations with hyper-personalized itineraries. The Seoul Tourism Organization on Monday unveiled an interactive online initiative, called My Own Seoul Shopping Course on its travel platform VisitSeoul. Running through Sept. 27, the digital campaign targets Chinese travelers planning overseas trips for the upcoming Golden Week, which spans Oct. 1-7. Shopping remains an indispensable part of visiting the capital. According to the municipal agency's 2025 foreign tourism survey, 83.1 percent of international travelers shopped during their stay, with the rate climbing to 92.3 percent among Chinese visitors. Beauty products led the list of purchases at 86.8 percent, followed by food and beverages at 67.8 percent and local fashion at 61.4 percent. However, tourism planners note that consumer preferences among younger travelers have fragmented. Rather than sweeping through duty-free megastores, visitors increasingly seek distinct neighborhoo

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Interactive quizzes guide Chinese travelers through Seoul's best retail spots
Travel & Food

Korea uses fantasy video game to drive real-world tourism

In an era where global travelers often scout their next vacation destination through digital screens rather than traditional guidebooks, Korea’s tourism authority is making an unorthodox move into the world of high-end video games. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) on Monday announced a partnership with NEXON Games, one of the nation’s premier game developers. Under the partnership, the state agency will open its vast, high-definition digital archive — comprising roughly 71,000 expert-vetted photos and video assets — to assist developers in sculpting realistic virtual landscapes of Korea. The timing reflects a growing convergence between digital entertainment and global travel. Modern video games feature sprawling, photorealistic environments that draw millions of international players into immersive digital worlds. Recognizing this reach, Korean officials are leveraging state-curated imagery to ensure that when global gamers explore virtual Joseon Dynasty-era landscapes, they are interacting with accurate depictions of the nation's natural beauty, historic architecture and c

Sep 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea uses fantasy video game to drive real-world tourism
People & Events

Seocho District to host 19-and-up 'Mystery Party' beer festival

Free-flowing cold draft beer, electric DJ sets and a distinctly adults-only vibe are taking over one of Gangnam's quietest commercial pockets this autumn. The Seocho District Office announced the return of the "19-Plus Mysterious Friday Party," an adults-only street festival designed to reboot local business along Jamwonha-gil, a bustling alleyway stretch nestled between Sinsa and Nonhyeon subway stations. Set for three consecutive autumn Fridays — Sept. 11, Sept. 18 and Oct. 2 — from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the event pairs neighborhood dining with unlimited beer. The entry fee for a night of bottomless drafts? A single receipt showing a purchase of at least 10,000 won (about $7.50) from any participating neighborhood vendor or eatery. While Korea is world-renowned for its high-energy nightlife, local district offices rarely orchestrate adults-focused block parties. Launched in 2024 to breathe fresh life into Jamwon-dong's independent restaurant corridor, the initiative boasts a 95 percent approval rating from previous attendees. Capitalizing on that momentum, district organizers expanded

Sep 10, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seocho District to host 19-and-up 'Mystery Party' beer festival
Books

Korea kicks off 10-day literature festival with global writer lineup

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the 2026 Korea Literature Festival, aimed at spreading literature's value for social connection and emotional healing, from Friday to Sept. 20. The event, in partnership with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, Arts Council Korea, the Korea Publishing Culture Industry Promotion Agency, the National Museum of Korean Literature and the International PEN Korea Center, will be held in Seoul's Daehangno district and other venues nationwide. Now in its second year, the festival also aims to to build a literary ecosystem linking writers, readers and local communities. Actress Go Ah-sung is serving as the festival's honorary ambassador. The Seoul International Writers' Festival, one of several events under the festival's umbrella, opens Friday at Ara Art Center in Insa-dong with a conversation between Korean novelist Kim Ae-ran, known for the novel "My Brilliant Life," and Chilean author Benjamin Labatut, a finalist for the 2021 International Booker Prize. Ten additional writers from eight countries, including South African Booker

Sep 10, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea kicks off 10-day literature festival with global writer lineup
South Korea

New Daemo Underpass opens to ease chronic Gangnam traffic gridlock

Seoul will temporarily open the Daemo Underpass, a new underground road built to ease chronic congestion on Yangjae-daero, starting at 11 p.m. Saturday, the city said. The 1,174-meter, four-lane underpass runs beneath Yangjae-daero between the Guryong-maeul entrance intersection and the Gaepo 3rd and 4th Complex intersection in southern Seoul's Gangnam area, directly linking two existing underpasses, Guryong and Ilwon, along one of the city's busiest sections of road. Yangjae-daero is a major east-west corridor connecting the Gangnam Beltway, an urban expressway that loops around southern Seoul, with the Gyeongbu Expressway, the country's main north-south highway to Busan. Heavy traffic has long caused backups at its main intersections, prompting the city to build a series of underpasses in stages: The Guryong underpass opened in September 2014, the Yeomgok-dongseo underpass in December 2019 and the Maeheon underpass in late 2020, while the Ilwon underpass has operated since December 1993. With the Daemo underpass opening, the underground route linking Maeheon, Yeomgok-dongseo, Guryong,

Sep 10, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
New Daemo Underpass opens to ease chronic Gangnam traffic gridlock
Law & Crime

Seoul renames emergency panic buttons under unified 'Ansim' brand

Seeking to eliminate public confusion surrounding its city-funded panic-button network, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is consolidating three separately branded safety devices under a single banner: the Seoul Ansim Bell. Derived from the Korean word for "peace of mind," the Ansim network provides residents, small business owners and schoolchildren with physical emergency buttons — wearable keychains or desk-mounted alarms — that instantly signal local police and monitoring centers during a crisis. However, municipal planners realized that marketing the devices under different names and visual designs left residents unclear about who was eligible for which device or what kind of protection it offered. Under the new unified branding, the general-use "Ansim Helpme" wearable device becomes the "Donghaeng (Companion) Ansim Bell." A warning-light unit designed for small business owners, previously known as the "Ansim Gyeonggwangdeung," becomes the "Small Business Ansim Bell." Meanwhile, a specialized device tailored for young children will retain its established name, the "Elementary

Sep 10, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul renames emergency panic buttons under unified 'Ansim' brand
Companies

SK hynix slashes daily water use across its Korean chip plants

SK hynix said Thursday that it reduced water consumption at its Korean plants by an average of 170,000 tons a day last year, an amount roughly equal to the daily household water use of 550,000 people. The chipmaker is presenting the figures this week at Korea International Water Week 2026, running through Friday at EXCO in Daegu, where it also outlined a goal to cut cumulative water use by 600 million tons by 2030. The event brings together government agencies, companies and experts from about 50 countries to discuss water management, with roughly 80 companies and institutions taking part this year. SK hynix has run a water and wastewater reduction task force since 2018. Its cumulative water savings reached 303.37 million tons last year, surpassing its target of 264 million tons, and the company aims to raise that figure to 329 million tons this year. Water reuse has also grown, rising to 73.59 million tons last year from 47.88 million tons in 2022, an increase of about 54 percent. At its plant in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, the company produces 94,400 tons of reused water daily through

Sep 10, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
SK hynix slashes daily water use across its Korean chip plants
People & Events

Porcelain in spotlight: Kim Jiana redefines VIP space at Frieze Seoul

Inside the bustling halls of Coex, artist Kim Jiana accomplished something unprecedented for Asia’s premier art market. Winner of the 24th Wumin Art Award in 2025, Kim took over the entirety of Frieze Seoul’s Main VIP Lounge, marking the first time the global art fair handed its flagship footprint to a single artist rather than a commercial sponsor. The installation anchored a powerhouse four days for Frieze Seoul 2026, which closed Saturday after drawing over 70,000 visitors from 54 countries and territories. Since launching its Seoul edition in 2022, the fair has cemented the capital's status as a global art capital. This year’s event featured 133 galleries from 30 countries and representatives from 178 international museums and institutions, with opening-day VIP preview attendance climbing more than 10 percent from last year. While partner brands like Shinsegae, BMW, LG U+, Aman and American Express designed their own branded lounges throughout the venue, Frieze directly managed the 826-square-meter Main VIP Lounge at The Platz to showcase Kim’s solo commission, "INSIDE: The

Sep 10, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Porcelain in spotlight: Kim Jiana redefines VIP space at Frieze Seoul
Travel & Food

Korea maps out plan to build 'golden routes' around 5 airport hubs

Seeking to break a long-standing concentration of international tourism in its capital corridor, Korea has unveiled an ambitious strategy to route millions of incoming travelers directly into its provinces through five designated regional airport hubs. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday that it will establish broad regional travel zones anchored by international airports in Gimhae, Daegu, Cheongju, Yangyang and Muan. The government plans to deploy 93.5 billion won ($70 million) starting in 2027 to build seamless transport networks, launch unified transit-and-shopping passes and market historical and ecological circuits abroad. The policy shift comes as Korea experiences record-setting foreign arrivals driven by global enthusiasm for Korean pop culture, food and content. Yet the economic windfall remains sharply uneven. The vast majority of overseas tourists rarely venture past Seoul or Jeju Island, leaving historic inland regions and coastal cities with underutilized infrastructure and shrinking local populations. Under the new model, regional airports will serve

Sep 10, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea maps out plan to build 'golden routes' around 5 airport hubs
previous page
34567
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.