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Kang Seung-woo

Korea Times Business Reporter

Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.

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Travel & Food

Various events courting Halloween lovers

The Grand Hyatt Seoul's J.J. Mahoney's is scheduled to hold a Halloween party under a Korean culture-based concept, Oct. 26 and 27. / Courtesy of Grand Hyatt SeoulBy Kang Seung-wooJust two weeks ahead of Halloween weekend, hotels in Korea are gearing up to lure Halloween buffs to their properties with various programs and events.Breaking out of the early days of booze-ups, they are providing Halloween-themed promotions tailored to customers' needs ranging from private parties to new menus. J.J. Mahoney's, a total entertainment bar at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, will celebrate the autumn holiday on Oct. 26 and 27 with a Korean culture-based concept. The party runs from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.Known for bringing the first Halloween-themed party to Korea in 1988, the hotel bar plans to hold its 30th edition, based on the theme of a hidden village, introducing an element of Korean horror to Halloween by retelling Korea's traditional tales of horror and legacy folktales.The party will invite guests into a hanok, a traditional Korean-style house, decorated with themes from Korean legends, to enjoy a va

Oct 18, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
Various events courting Halloween lovers
Foreign Affairs

339 Yeminis allowed to stay on Jeju Island

By Kang Seung-wooMore than 300 Yemeni nationals on Jeju Island have been granted one-year humanitarian stay permits, the justice ministry said Wednesday. The Jeju Immigration Office decided to allow 339 of the asylum seekers to stay on humanitarian grounds instead of officially granting them refugee status. Now they can leave Jeju and enter mainland KoreaThe office rejected 34 refugee applications, while delaying its decision on 85 others.This year, a total of 481 Yemenis arrived on Jeju and sought refugee status ― last month just 23 were granted one-year residence permits, mostly pregnant women, people with injuries and minors.“Those who received the humanitarian stay permits failed to meet the five requirements for refugee status,” said an official at the immigration office.Humanitarian permits are granted when asylum seekers fail to meet the criteria for official refugee status, but are allowed to stay in the country due to other circumstances. The permit can be extended every year, but can also be canceled if the holder is found to have committed crimes either inside

Oct 17, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
339 Yeminis allowed to stay on Jeju Island
Law & Crime

Police detain naked man at Dongduk Women's University

By Kang Seung-wooA naked intruder accused of masturbating at Dongduk Women's University in Seoul has been detained.According to the Jongam Police Station, Tuesday, police caught the 28-year-old, identified as Park, near an apartment at Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, on Monday night after securing and analyzing surveillance footage captured around the university.Police plan to have the prosecution request an arrest warrant for him for trespassing and circulating obscene materials online.Park, who intruded on the campus, Oct. 6, recorded himself masturbating and took naked pictures of himself in empty classrooms and corridors of the school building before posting them on Twitter. As part of a move to suspend his Twitter account, police sent a search and seizure warrant to the headquarters of the San Francisco-based social media platform.Meanwhile, on the news of Park's detention, a public petition posted to the website of Cheong Wa Dae is demanding his identity be revealed to the public.“We need to know the face and identity of such a pervert who committed such shameful acts at an e

Oct 16, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
Health

Stricter rule introduced over leftover food reuse at restaurants

By Kang Seung-wooBuffet restaurants will be strictly banned from reusing leftover food even if the food was only displayed and was not taken by customers, the nation's food regulator said, Tuesday.But they will be allowed to reuse some leftover food that will not cause hygiene-related problems, such as raw vegetables, unpeeled fruit and even kimchi.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to roll out sanitation guidelines for buffet and other restaurants by the end of this month, outlining what can be reused and what cannot. The instruction comes after a Todai Korea store in Pyeongchon, Gyeonggi Province, was found, in August, to have reused leftover sushi to make rolls and fried dishes. Controversy rose at the time because reusing displayed food was not illegal.According to the new guideline, restaurant operators cannot reuse the food which customers did not finish as well as food that has been displayed. It also bans the reuse of food that is seasoned or peeled.Leftover raw fish, sushi and gimbap and sliced fruit still cannot be reused, while cakes, cream-stuffed breads and fried

Oct 16, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
Law & Crime

Ex-president files appeal against corruption verdict

By Kang Seung-wooFormer President Lee Myung-bak filed an appeal against a court ruling, Friday, that handed down a prison sentence for corruption a week earlier, his attorney said.Former President Lee Myung-bak / YonhapLee's decision was made public by his legal counsel Kang Hoon before he submitted a petition for appeal to the Seoul High Court. “Former President Lee has decided to appeal his conviction,” Kang said in a text message sent to reporters. On Sept. 5, Seoul Central District Court sentenced Lee, 76, to 15 years in jail for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power, making him Korea's fourth former leader to be jailed. In addition, he was ordered to pay 13 billion won ($11.5 million) in fines and return 8.2 billion won.In a criminal trial, the defendant has a week to appeal after a court verdict. However, Lee's side did not lodge an appeal right after the court ruling last week, saying it would decide whether to do so near the deadline.“A frustrated Lee sees an appeal as meaningless, but on the other hand, he also believes it is the right move for him to ap

Oct 12, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
Ex-president files appeal against corruption verdict
Politics

Tiger cubs make public debut

One of the four Siberian tiger cubs and its mother bask in the sun at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. The cubs, born in May, were making their public debut. / Yonhap

Oct 12, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
Politics

Politicians hit for animal abuse allegations

A caged Bengal cat, brought by Rep. Kim Jin-tae, right, of the main opposition Liberty Party Korea, is placed on a table during a National Assembly audit session in Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooPoliticians are embroiled in an animal abuse controversy as the nation's awareness of animal rights continues to grow.The latest controversy surrounds Rep. Kim Jin-tae of the main opposition Liberty Party Korea who brought a tiny Bengal cat in a cage to a National Assembly audit session, Wednesday. The two-term legislator said he brought the cat to the National Assembly to take issue with the government's “over-response” to an escaped puma in September, which escaped its cage at a Daejeon zoo and was shot to death by police. At the time, the incident raised controversy over whether the killing was appropriate.“I initially tried to bring a puma similar to the killed one, but I changed my plan because it may have caused trouble. Instead, I brought the small kitten with a similar puma pattern,” Kim said.He said he obtained the cat with difficulty for the Asse

Oct 11, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
Politicians hit for animal abuse allegations
Society

BOF returns with wow contents beyond K-pop

The Busan One Asisa Festival (BOF) will be held on Oct. 20 through 28 in all over the port city. / Courtesy of BOFBy Kang Seung-wooThe Busan One Asia Festival (BOF), which has raised its profile as one of the nation's largest K-pop festivals through its previous two editions, has set the bar higher, seeking to evolve as the venue to enjoy diverse hallyu content together with Korean music.The annual event, scheduled for Oct. 20 to 28, wowed visitors with its star-studded K-pop lineup in the past two years. And this time, it is not likely to let down those who come with high expectations, with a fresh yet still starry roster, including Wanna One, one of the hottest boy bands in K-pop today, girl group Red Velvet and singer-songwriter Zion.T.Wanna One will raise the curtain of the BOF opening ceremony, Oct. 20. / Courtesy of BOFAs aforementioned, however, this year's edition will also focus on many other Korean cultural programs, including beauty, fashion and webtoon, happening in all over the port city.The biggest draw of the BOF will no doubt be the opening and closing ceremonies that

Oct 11, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
BOF returns with wow contents beyond K-pop
Travel & Food

Hotel Lobby

By Kang Seung-wooGrand InterContinental Seoul Parnas has new GM Brian Harris has been appointed as the new general manager of the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. The American, who's logged over 20 years of experience in the luxury hotel sector, has held positions with the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency. Most recently, he held a dual role as the resident manager at the Hotel Mulia Senayan and the Suites at Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta.Harris returns to Korea with his wife and son, where he has resided for almost 10 years working for a well-known luxury hotel. “I understand the need to embrace change and constantly enhance innovation. As the new general manager, I will motivate the team to be at the forefront of this change, adapting to the rapidly changing environment while providing personalized experiences to elevate the overall lifestyle of our customers all,” the new general manager said.Magic show coming to Shilla Jeju The Shilla Hotel Jeju will present a magic show starting next month for those who want to stay in the hotel rather than going out in

Oct 11, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
Hotel Lobby
Travel & Food

Trip.com offers Korean-customized services

Trip.com CEO Jane Sun speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Trip.comBy Kang Seung-wooTrip.com, Asia's largest online travel agency, has unveiled Korean-focused services amid the country's growing presence in the global travel market.The announcement came at a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday, held by the Chinese travel agency to mark the first anniversary of its rebranding from Ctrip.“Korea is one of the fastest-growing travel markets in the world as more than two-thirds of Korean tourists travel abroad every year,” CEO Jane Sun said.“We have firm belief that Korea will be one of the key markets for us to help us grow outside of China.” To this end, the Shanghai-based company had researched Koreans' travel behaviors and found their three traits: price sensitivity, mobile savvy and high customer service expectations.Considering those factors, the online travel agency has come up with localized solutions in order to appeal to Korean customers.“We are very happy to announce that we are opening our first customer service cen

Oct 11, 2018By Kang Seung-woo
Trip.com offers Korean-customized services
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