The Korea Times

Middle East crisis prompts honeymooners, church groups to rethink trips

Koreans planning honeymoons, pilgrimages and long-awaited overseas trips are scrambling to revise their itineraries as the conflict in the Middle East shuts down key transit hubs and throws global aviation into turmoil. For many engaged Korean couples, the crisis has hit hard. Over the past few years, Dubai has transformed from a mere layover into a standalone honeymoon hot spot for Koreans, marketed as “affordable luxury” and bundled with resort destinations like the Maldives and Mauritius. Its appeal has grown with K-drama shoots, social media buzz over Dubai chocolate and visa-free entry for Korean travelers, helping push Korean arrivals up 225 percent in 2023 and another 51 percent in the first half of 2024, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. That booming demand is now colliding with anxiety over war. Since the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, Iran’s retaliatory attacks have raised fears that major Middle Eastern cities could become targets, particularly after reports that United Arab Emirates air defenses intercepted missiles and drone

Mar 11, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Middle East crisis prompts honeymooners, church groups to rethink trips

Environment & Animals

Calls grow to stop zoos from letting visitors touch animals in defiance of ban

Calls are growing to end direct contact animal experiences at zoos across Korea, as new findings show many facilities continue to defy a legal ban on riding, touching and feeding animals more than two years after it took effect. Animal welfare advocates and lawmakers said the gap between the law and practice is exposing animals to chronic stress and sending the wrong message to children about wildlife. At a National Assembly forum Monday, Animal Welfare Research Institute AWARE and the Animal Welfare Parliamentary Forum presented findings from an eight-month survey of 21 registered or licensed zoos and nine unlicensed facilities across the country. The study reviewed compliance with the revised Act on the Management of Zoos and Aquariums, which since late 2023 has prohibited zoos from allowing visitors to climb on, touch or feed animals for entertainment purposes. Despite the legal shift, 20 out of 21 surveyed zoos were still selling feed for animal encounters, and 15 imposed no limits on purchase frequency or feeding volume. In 18 facilities, visitors could touch animals at any time wi

Mar 11, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Calls grow to stop zoos from letting visitors touch animals in defiance of ban

Travel & Food

4 easy mountain trails accessible by subway in Seoul

Minutes after stepping off the subway, visitors in Seoul can find themselves climbing toward mountain vistas high above the capital. In few other capitals can hikers leave a downtown train and begin an ascent almost immediately — a convenience officials say has helped turn “K-hiking” into a travel essential alongside Korean food and K-pop. The Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) has spotlighted four trails on Mount Bukhan, Mount Gwanak, Mount Nam and Mount Acha as must-visit routes this spring, citing their easy access, gear rentals and scenery that layers granite peaks with skyscrapers, royal palaces and the Han River. At the city-run Seoul Hiking Tourism Center sites near Mount Bukhan, Mount Bugak and Mount Gwanak, visitors can rent boots, clothing and trekking poles for a small fee, get trail information in four languages and store their belongings in lockers before setting out. Mount Bukhan, home to the popular Baegundae Peak course, remains the centerpiece, offering a steep but manageable two-hour climb that rewards even novice hikers with sweeping views of northern Seoul, ringe

Mar 10, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

4 easy mountain trails accessible by subway in Seoul

Society

Mount Gwanak becomes Seoul's new viral spring hiking spot

Mount Gwanak, a granite peak that forms the southern ridgeline of Seoul, has quietly watched over the city for centuries. This spring, it is transforming into something else entirely: a viral “energy hotspot” where hikers line up for over an hour at the summit marker, hoping to soak up good fortune along with the skyline views. On recent weekends, the narrow path to Yeonjudae, the clifftop hermitage near the 632-meter summit, has turned into a human queue that can stretch more than 100 meters. Many in their 20s and 30s say they are not just there for the workout. Posing for “proof shots,” visitors post captions that read like whispered prayers: “Let this year go well,” “Please let me get a job,” “Let me come back here with good news.” Among them are Lee and Park, Seoul residents who climbed Mount Gwanak with their friends recently. “In the past I would have gone to a fortune teller, but now I’d rather hike, clear my head and ask the mountain for help,” said Lee, a 31-year-old job seeker who wrote her employment wish in the caption of a summit selfie she posted o

Mar 9, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Mount Gwanak becomes Seoul's new viral spring hiking spot

Society

Korea marks Int’l Women’s Day with gender equality rally

Korea marked this year’s International Women’s Day with rallies, awards and renewed political pledges over the weekend, underscoring both the gains women have made and the persistent gender gaps in the country. Korean Women’s Association United hosted the 41st Korean Women’s Rally in central Seoul on Saturday, turning the Gwanghwamun area into a purple-hued sea of celebration and protest ahead of International Women's Day on Sunday. This year’s Women’s Movement of the Year award symbolically went to all women who advocated for gender-equal democracy during the rallies calling for the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, with organizers rolling out a red carpet for participants to pose with bouquets and mock trophies. Women of all ages attended in the event’s dress code of purple, long been used globally as a suffragette color symbolizing justice and dignity. It also became the trademark hue of Korea’s feminist movement in recent years, from annual women’s marches to #MeToo protests. Participants chanted, “Complete the revolution of light!” and “Gender eq

Mar 8, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Korea marks Int’l Women’s Day with gender equality rally

Society

Tablets replace heavy textbooks at universities as e-book sales quadruple

University students in Korea are increasingly swapping heavy printed textbooks for tablets and laptops, as e-book sales of course materials have more than quadrupled in the past four years, data showed Sunday. Kyobo Book Centre said e-books accounted 29.9 percent of its online and offline university textbook sales by value last year, up from just 7.1 percent in 2021. The share has climbed steadily — 8 percent in 2022, 15.2 percent in 2023 and 23.1 percent in 2024 — even though print still generates more than three times the sales of digital textbooks. Considering that e-books remain under 10 percent of overall book sales, the shift in the higher education textbook segment is particularly striking, the retailer noted. Behind the trend are the literal burdens of printed books. One top-selling e-textbook, “Electronic Engineering Experiment 1” from Kyungpook National University Press, runs 602 pages and weighs about 1.5 kilograms. Many students say it's no longer practical to carry several such “brick books” across sprawling campuses. Improved e-book platforms, which offer search

Mar 8, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Tablets replace heavy textbooks at universities as e-book sales quadruple

Travel & Food

Michelin Guide celebrates 10th anniversary in Korea

BUSAN — The Michelin Guide marked a milestone in Korea, Thursday, celebrating a decade of showcasing the country’s culinary identity through one of the world’s most influential dining authorities. This year, a total of 233 restaurants in Korea have been selected for the Michelin Guide. They include one three-star restaurant, 10 two-star restaurants, 35 one-star restaurants, 71 Bib Gourmand restaurants, 116 Suggested restaurants and four Green Star restaurants. The Michelin Guide hosted its 2026 Seoul and Busan ceremony at Signiel Busan, unveiling this year’s selections and honoring new culinary talents. The event, themed “A Decade of Journey,” highlights the evolution of Korean cuisine since the guide’s debut in 2017 and its continued expansion beyond the capital. Launched initially as the Michelin Guide Seoul, the publication broadened its scope in 2024 to include Busan, Korea’s second-largest city and a rising hub of gastronomy. The move reflected the growing diversity of Korean cuisine and the international attention local chefs have drawn with their inventive yet dee

Mar 5, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Michelin Guide celebrates 10th anniversary in Korea

Society

Korea exhibits 2nd-largest gender divide over perceived progress in equality: survey

A new global survey released Thursday found that Korea exhibits the world’s second-widest gap between men and women in their perception of sufficient progress in gender equality. The 2026 International Women’s Day survey, conducted by Ipsos and King’s College London’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, found that 65 percent of Korean men believe gender equality has gone far enough, compared to 42 percent of women — the second-widest gap among 29 countries represented in the survey and more than twice the global average of 11 percentage points. Overall endorsement in Korea of gender equality having “gone far enough” rose to 53 percent from 39 percent in 2019, with increases seen among both men and women. The poll, conducted online from Dec. 24, 2025, to Jan. 9, covered 23,268 adults in 29 countries. Korean men were the least likely in the survey to identify as feminists, with just 13 percent using the label, compared to 28 percent of Korean women; both figures sit well below global averages. Support for women’s leadership among Korean men was the lowest measured: On

Mar 5, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Korea exhibits 2nd-largest gender divide over perceived progress in equality: survey

Travel & Food

Inside Suwon, Korea’s football capital and home of Bluewings

SUWON, Gyeonggi Province — On a mild Saturday in late February, traffic around Suwon World Cup Stadium slowed to a crawl. Red express buses from Seoul and across Gyeonggi Province arrived brimming with supporters clad in royal blue, their chants rising in waves. Nearly 900 meters from the arena, the sound was already thunderous — audible even through the sealed windows of a city bus inching toward the stadium. Welcome to the home of Korean football. The occasion was the 2026 K League 2 season opener, pitting storied powerhouse Suwon Samsung Bluewings against Seoul E-Land FC at the 44,000-seat "Big Bird" stadium ― the wing-roofed colosseum that hosted four matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. A banner stretching across the concourse read "Home of Football," and the 24,071 supporters who filled the stands that afternoon made the slogan feel like an understatement, smashing the K League 2 all-time single-match attendance record. For nearly 100 minutes, the N section behind the goal — the domain of the Frente Tricolor, Suwon's organized supporters group — erupted in nonstop song

Mar 5, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Inside Suwon, Korea’s football capital and home of Bluewings

Travel & Food

Korea to prep 11 'must-see' traditional markets for global spotlight

From the aromatic alleys of Gyeongdong Market in Seoul to the seaside bustle of Haeundae Market in Busan, Korea is betting that its traditional markets are key to winning over global travelers. On Wednesday, officials unveiled a high-octane plan to "globalize" 11 iconic venues, rebranding the nation’s historic marketplaces as the ultimate frontier for authentic food and culture. The program, led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), aims to make traditional markets a must-visit location for international travelers. The selected markets span 10 regions, including Gyeongdong and Mangwon markets in Seoul, Haeundae Market in Busan, Seomun Market in Daegu, Sinpo International Market in Incheon and Suwon Nammun Market in Gyeonggi Province. Gyeongdong Market in northeastern Seoul is known as one of the country’s largest herbal and agricultural markets, while Mangwon Market in the trendy Mangwon-dong neighborhood in the western part of the capital has grown into a hub for street food popular with younger travelers. Sinpo International Market

Mar 4, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

Middle East crisis prompts honeymooners, church groups to rethink trips

Calls grow to stop zoos from letting visitors touch animals in defiance of ban

4 easy mountain trails accessible by subway in Seoul

Mount Gwanak becomes Seoul's new viral spring hiking spot

Korea marks Int’l Women’s Day with gender equality rally

Tablets replace heavy textbooks at universities as e-book sales quadruple

Michelin Guide celebrates 10th anniversary in Korea

Korea exhibits 2nd-largest gender divide over perceived progress in equality: survey

Inside Suwon, Korea’s football capital and home of Bluewings

Korea to prep 11 'must-see' traditional markets for global spotlight

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