The Korea Times

KCCI chairman orders reappointment review of executives over inheritance tax data debacle

Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won reprimanded executives and other employees of the business lobby group over its recent press release on the inheritance tax, which President Lee Jae Myung labeled as unreliable and rebuked publicly. In a written message to KCCI employees, Chey expressed “deep regret” over the incident and said the chamber would “suspend all events hosted by KCCI for the time being and place all executives under a reappointment review.” Following Chey's reprimand, all 10 KCCI executives are expected to tender their resignations soon, sources said. KCCI caused a controversy with its Feb. 3 press release calling for reforms in the country’s inheritance tax system. In the release, the lobby cited British investment migration consultancy Henley & Partners. President Lee condemned news reports citing the press release as “fake news” intended to “attack government policy.” KCCI soon publicly apologized and vowed to overhaul the chamber’s research team, but senior government officials joined Lee in lashing out at the lobby gr

Feb 12, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

KCCI chairman orders reappointment review of executives over inheritance tax data debacle

Travel & Food

Theme parks, resorts offer Korean holiday experiences for Lunar New Year staycations

Korean theme parks, resorts and hotels are rolling out family-friendly events that blend tradition with modern entertainment for the Lunar New Year, offering travelers alternatives to going abroad. From folk games to fortune-telling markets and rooftop fusion concerts, destinations are racing to turn the holiday break into a full “K-holiday” experience. In Seoul, Lotte World is using its cluster of attractions to position Jamsil as an all‑in‑one holiday destination. At Lotte World Adventure, mascots will greet visitors in traditional Korean clothes during the main holiday period, with photo sessions and folk games scheduled throughout the day. The adjacent Lotte World Folk Museum is pushing a more traditional angle. During the holiday, visitors can try folk games such as the board game "yutnori" and "tuho," a target game, and take part in workshops exploring wishes for prosperity and protection, like hanging talismans or filling fortune pouches with symbolic grains. Lotte World Aquarium will present aquarists in hanbok in ecology talks and New Year's greeting sessions. They will

Feb 12, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Theme parks, resorts offer Korean holiday experiences for Lunar New Year staycations

Travel & Food

Korea eyes record influx of Chinese tourists during extended Lunar New Year break

A record-long Lunar New Year holiday in China is expected to spark a sharp rise in Chinese travelers visiting South Korea this month, according to government data released Wednesday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that up to 190,000 Chinese tourists are projected to visit Korea between Feb. 15 and 23, marking a 44 percent jump from last year’s holiday average. The growth builds on January’s momentum, when Chinese arrivals spiked more than 20 percent year-on-year, outpacing the annual average increase of 19.1 percent from 2025. The tourism ministry, in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), is combining local marketing and hospitality events to enhance visitor experiences and bolster Korea’s postpandemic tourism recovery. “Family travel demand has soared during the winter vacation season,” said a KTO official at the organization’s China regional office. “Packages to Korea are up four to five times from last year, and interest is growing in two-city routes linking Seoul with Busan as group travel becomes more premium-oriented.” To capture

Feb 11, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Korea eyes record influx of Chinese tourists during extended Lunar New Year break

Travel & Food

Sono International expands to Nagoya, strengthening global hotel portfolio

Korean hospitality giant Sono International, a unit of Daemyung Sono Group, said Wednesday it will expand into Japan with its first operations in Nagoya as part of a broader global growth strategy. The company said it has signed a management contract for the Compass Hotel Nagoya in Aichi prefecture and will reopen it in July as SONO Moon Nagoya after renovations. The 10-story, 130-room business hotel is a seven-minute walk from Nagoya Station, offering easy access to city landmarks such as Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Shrine and the bustling Sakae district. With the new property, Sono International will manage 43 hotels and resorts across seven countries, totaling about 14,500 rooms. Since launching its global operations in 2019 with the Sono Belle Hai Phong in Vietnam, the company has expanded to the United States, France and Hawaii, including recent acquisitions of the Normandy Hotel in Washington, D.C., and the 33 Seaport Hotel in New York. Its 2024 purchase of Cross Hotels & Resorts, which operates 16 properties across Thailand and Indonesia, strengthened its footing in Southeast Asia. Sono

Feb 11, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Sono International expands to Nagoya, strengthening global hotel portfolio

Travel & Food

From altars to airports: Koreans flock to Japan for Lunar New Year travel

For many Korean families, traditional holiday gatherings may be getting smaller this Lunar New Year, but suitcases are getting bigger. More than half of flight searches this holiday are for Japan, signaling a sharp shift away from the domestic travel boom that defined the holiday last year. Flight search data from Skyscanner shows Japan accounts for 51.6 percent of all Lunar New Year holiday queries by Korean travelers, with Fukuoka leading at 23.3 percent, followed closely by Osaka at 23.2 percent and Tokyo at 13.7 percent. The only domestic destination to crack the top 10 is Jeju, at 11.6 percent — a steep drop from last year, when domestic destinations including Busan, Seoul and Jeju held the top three spots and made up 57 percent of all searches. The reversal is driven in part by the calendar. In 2025, an extra government-designated holiday created a nine-day break without requiring any annual leave, encouraging families to complete traditional ancestral rites before adding a domestic trip. This year's official holiday spans just three days, from Feb. 16 to 18, pushing travelers to

Feb 11, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

From altars to airports:
Koreans flock to Japan for Lunar New Year travel

Society

Will Korea join global push to restrict teen use of social media?

Korea is cautiously entering the global debate over whether to ban social media platforms for children and teenagers, as countries like Australia and Spain move toward sweeping restrictions on underage users. Around the world, governments are tightening rules for minors online, citing rising concerns over addiction, mental health, cyberbullying and exposure to sexual and violent content. In December, Australia became the first country to bar under-16s from mainstream social media, spurring at least 15 European governments, including France and Spain, to move toward similar restrictions. Asian countries such as India and Malaysia and U.S. states like Florida and Texas are pursuing their own age limits or bans. In contrast, Korea is moving more cautiously. An official at the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) told local media that there is “no concrete government road map yet” on youth social media regulation, noting that the commission is “closely watching legislative moves overseas, but this is an area that requires broad social consensus.” In the meantime, a bill to

Feb 10, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Will Korea join global push to restrict teen use of social media?

Society

Why South Koreans are tuning out 2026 Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics are back after another four years, but Koreans barely noticed. The Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games, which officially opened with preliminary events on Wednesday (local time) before the formal opening ceremony on Friday, have drawn the lowest level of Korean public interest ever recorded for a Winter Olympics. Google Trends data shows domestic searches for "Olympics" have fallen below 10 on a 100-point scale — down from 30 during the 2022 Beijing Games and a peak of 100 when Korea hosted the PyeongChang Games in 2018. The first live Korean broadcast — a mixed doubles curling match featuring the national team — drew a viewer rating of just 1.5 percent according to Nielsen Korea. The opening ceremony drew a viewer rating of just 1.8 percent. "It's not the Olympics — it's just an ordinary early February," one small business owner wrote on a popular online community for self-employed people, recalling other big sporting events in the past when people gathered at restaurants and pubs to watch the games together. Other comments included, "I didn't even know the Ol

Feb 9, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Why South Koreans are tuning out 2026 Winter Olympics

Society

Cold War battle cry takes on new form: Spicy rice cakes

It is an unlikely pairing: a bowl of spicy, chewy rice cakes and a militant battle cry from the darkest days of the Cold War. But when Gukdae Tteokbokki, a prominent budget snack franchise, branded its latest product with a slogan once used to mobilize the nation against North Korea, a quintessentially South Korean snack became a political lightning rod. The ready-to-cook meal is labeled "Myeolgong Tteokbokki," a name that translates to "crush the communists." In a society still deeply traumatized by its divided history, reviving such provocative language has stirred debate over whether the snack company is peddling nostalgia or weaponizing hate. The red-and-white package pairs the Korean and U.S. flags and splashes slogans such as “Anti-communism is patriotism” and “Communists out” across the front, alongside “100 percent Korean chili powder, 0 percent Chinese chili powder.” Kim Sang-hyun, the chief executive of Gukdae Tteokbokki, said he only wanted to “enlighten the people.” In a social media post, he echoed a phrase used by supporters of former President Yoon Suk Yeol

Feb 5, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Cold War battle cry takes on new form: Spicy rice cakes

Society

Dubai chewy cookies have Koreans lining up once more

On a freezing January morning in Seoul, Jung Ha-ru stood shivering outside a bakery. She had been there since 8 a.m., all for a chance to snag a Dubai chewy cookie. “I saw it on Reels,” the 17-year-old said. “I had to see what the hype was about.” She wasn’t alone. By 8:55 a.m., the shop had already distributed all 75 waiting tickets to a diverse crowd ranging from students in padded jackets to middle-aged couples and retirees, all united by the same mission. The Dubai chewy cookie — a pistachio cream and kadayif-stuffed pastry wrapped in chewy marshmallow — has become a nationwide obsession, sparking a frenzy that defies logic. Dessert crazes are nothing new in Korea. From honey butter chips to tanghulu, the country has a track record of explosive, short-lived consumption crazes. In each instance, Koreans have shown a relentless dedication to the trend, braving hourslong “open run” lines and scouring the nation for the treats. But the Dubai cookie craze has reached unprecedented heights. Online users even crowdsourced a real-time Dubai chewy cookie map, updating which cafe

Feb 4, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Dubai chewy cookies have Koreans lining up once more

Honey Butter Chip, tanghulu, dujjonku: Rise and fall of Korea’s viral food trends

Travel & Food

Korea’s new tourism chief aims for 30 mil. visitors by 2028

The Korea Tourism Organization’s (KTO) newly appointed chief executive unveiled an aggressive plan Monday to accelerate tourism growth, pledging to reach the government’s goal of 30 million annual visitors two years ahead of schedule. “2030 is too late. We will achieve the 30 million visitor milestone by 2028,” KTO President Park Sung-hyeuck told reporters at a media event at the Korea Press Center. The announcement marks a significant shift in the national tourism strategy, with the KTO setting 2026 as the “action year” for a comprehensive transformation built around three pillars: attracting visitors, extending stays and integrating artificial intelligence (AI). Park, a marketing specialist recruited from Cheil Worldwide, Samsung Group’s advertising arm, where he led overseas market strategy, underscored the urgency of the target, noting that Korea drew a record 18.9 million foreign visitors last year. The figure represents a 15.7 percent increase from a year earlier and an 8.2 percent rise over the prepandemic peak in 2019. Reaching 30 million visitors by 2028 would requ

Feb 2, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

KCCI chairman orders reappointment review of executives over inheritance tax data debacle

Theme parks, resorts offer Korean holiday experiences for Lunar New Year staycations

Korea eyes record influx of Chinese tourists during extended Lunar New Year break

Sono International expands to Nagoya, strengthening global hotel portfolio

From altars to airports: Koreans flock to Japan for Lunar New Year travel

Will Korea join global push to restrict teen use of social media?

Why South Koreans are tuning out 2026 Winter Olympics

Cold War battle cry takes on new form: Spicy rice cakes

Dubai chewy cookies have Koreans lining up once more

Korea’s new tourism chief aims for 30 mil. visitors by 2028

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