The Korea Times

Weifang, 'world capital of kites,' kicks off tourism push in Seoul

Weifang, a major city in China’s Shandong Province known as the "world capital of kites," brought its vibrant culture and craft to Seoul this week in a bid to attract more Korean travelers. The city’s culture and tourism bureau hosted its first inbound tourism promotion event in Korea at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel on Monday, signaling a full-scale push to tap into the postpandemic rebound in international travel. The event drew around 100 participants from the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Seoul Tourism Association, major travel agencies, airlines, cultural groups and local media, underscoring growing industry interest in emerging Chinese destinations under the new visa-free policies. Led by Gao Qiang, director of Weifang’s culture and tourism bureau, the Chinese delegation introduced themed itineraries covering cultural experiences, ecological and wellness retreats, rural homestays and the city’s signature kite and lantern traditions. A live indoor kite performance showcased Weifang’s identity, while a joint concert by Chinese guqin (traditional string intrument) master

Nov 25, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Weifang, 'world capital of kites,' kicks off tourism push in Seoul

Travel & Food

Hotels showcase luxury Christmas cakes to celebrate year-end festivities

Seoul’s top hotels are welcoming the holiday season with an array of high-end festive cakes designed to elevate Christmas celebrations. Pastry chefs at 23 premier hotels have unveiled limited-edition creations, blending artistry with premium ingredients to set new trends for the year-end dessert table. At Andaz Seoul Gangnam, the Festive Tree Cake is a visual showstopper, featuring layers of ganache, cherry compote, and cacao sponge crafted over three days. Accompanied by a strawberry shortcake bursting with fresh berries and a hazelnut log cake, the trio sets a luxurious tone for the holiday celebrations. Early birds who book by Dec. 7 will enjoy a 10 percent discount. Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas has launched 12 cakes, including the limited-edition chocolate Merry-Go-Round Melodie, which plays carols and contains assorted bonbons. Only 50 of these delicious treats are available. Other options feature bear designs and travel-themed cakes, with prices ranging up to 350,000 won. Grand Hyatt Seoul’s bakery is offering five festive cakes, including a raspberry-chocolate tree cak

Nov 25, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Hotels showcase luxury Christmas cakes to celebrate year-end festivities

Society

Price-gouging feud deepens at Gwangjang Market as visitor numbers fall

A recent feud within Seoul’s Gwangjang Market erupted into legal hostilities this week, as shop owners announced plans to file a multimillion-won lawsuit against street vendors following renewed allegations of overcharging foreign and domestic visitors. The allegations turn what might be seen as minor consumer complaints into a significant economic and cultural dilemma for the capital city, raising questions about whether Seoul can preserve the authenticity of its most treasured landmarks amid mass tourism and global media attention. At the center of the controversy is a viral YouTube video, uploaded earlier this month by a popular food reviewer with more than 1.5 million subscribers, which appeared to show a street vendor charging 10,000 won for a dish listed at 8,000 won. The discrepancy frustrated the creator and sparked a wave of calls for a boycott. This is not the first time overcharging allegations have surfaced at the market, where food stalls and eateries offering hearty, affordable dishes such as noodles and bindaetteok (Korean mung bean pancakes) have attracted celebrities,

Nov 25, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Price-gouging feud deepens at Gwangjang Market as visitor numbers fall

Politics

‘Jongmyo war’ revives long history of battles over development

The capital is once again the stage for a familiar political feud as Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s bid to construct a high-rise opposite the UNESCO-listed Jongmyo Shrine has set off a fresh round of sparring with the central government. The confrontation is hardly unprecedented. It is the latest — and perhaps most consequential — chapter in Seoul’s long history of political friction over marquee development projects. It also underscores a broader dilemma the city has struggled to resolve for decades over how to pursue growth without erasing the traces of its ancient identity. This tension has repeatedly placed the mayor’s drive for modernization at odds with the central government’s responsibility to safeguard national heritage. The Sewoon redevelopment project — now sometimes referred to as the “Jongmyo war” — has become a showdown between urban renewal and cultural preservation. After Seoul moved to ease height limits and permit buildings up to 141.9 meters, cultural authorities warned that the plan could jeopardize the shrine’s World Heritage status and took the matter to

Nov 20, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

‘Jongmyo war’ revives long history of battles over development

Travel & Food

Souvenir Fair at DDP spotlights Korea’s top travel keepsakes

Souvenir Fair 2025, Korea’s largest festival for traditional and contemporary keepsakes, is set to return to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul Friday through Sunday. The expanded event reflects both the rising global profile of “K-goods” and growing interest among international visitors in locally made souvenirs. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the three-day event is expecting a record 134 exhibitors, representing regional governments including Incheon and Busan, as well as major industry players such as BC Card. Themed zones will line the DDP Art Hall, inviting visitors to experience the diversity of Korean mementos across seven categories: stationery and office supplies; beauty and cosmetics; crafts; home essentials; fashion accessories; processed foods; and regional tourism clusters. The KTO’s main pavilion will feature a retrospective exhibit on the country’s annual souvenir contest, which dates back to 1988. The exhibit will feature this year’s President Award-winning souvenir: "Joseon royal wine stopp

Nov 19, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Souvenir Fair at DDP spotlights Korea’s top travel keepsakes

Environment & Animals

Trees don sweaters as winter nears

As winter approaches, knitted covers adorn trees in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Korea braces for its coldest morning of the season Tuesday, with temperatures in Seoul plunging to minus 3 degrees Celsius. Forecasters say the chill will begin to ease by Thursday afternoon. Yonhap

Nov 17, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Society

Plan to build memorial in Gwanghwamun Square reignites clash between Seoul City, ruling bloc

The ruling bloc and Seoul City are clashing again as the former voices its opposition to the latter’s plan to establish a new memorial for the 1950-53 Korean War at Gwanghwamun Square in the center of the capital. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Monday he would look into whether there were any procedural or legal flaws in pursuing the project. It was the ruling bloc’s latest criticism of projects led by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, a prominent People Power Party (PPP) politician who is seeking another term in next June’s local elections. Speculation is that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is moving to constrain Oh and take back the Seoul mayorship, and that Kim himself is planning to run for the post, since it is rare for a prime minister to intervene in a local government’s affairs. "Gwanghwamun is Korea’s symbolic face and the heart of its democracy and future. It is questionable whether transforming it in this way has public support," Kim said while looking around the planned site, as the city government began construction for the project. “In matters like this, I th

Nov 17, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Plan to build memorial in Gwanghwamun Square reignites clash between Seoul City, ruling bloc

Society

Hangang Bus suspends service again after vessel runs aground near Jamsil

Seoul’s Hangang Bus service came to an abrupt halt again when one of its vessels ran aground 118 meters from Jamsil dock on Saturday evening. The incident took place less than two weeks after resuming operations following a monthlong service suspension due to repeated breakdowns. The hybrid-powered ferry, carrying 82 passengers, stopped after striking the riverbed at 8:15 p.m. All aboard were safely evacuated within an hour by fire and police rescue teams. No injuries were reported. City officials, led by Park Jin-young, head of Future Han River Headquarters, explained that the ferry’s propeller and protective skeg likely scraped the bottom of the riverbed, transferring a shock to the hull. "The accident occurred close to the dock, and most passengers were seated, minimizing harm," Park said, adding that divers will be deployed to inspect the vessel and riverbed for debris or sediment buildup, which may have accumulated more than usual due to an early dry season and low river flow. City officials confirmed on Sunday that the ferry deviated from its authorized regular path right befor

Nov 16, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Hangang Bus suspends service again after vessel runs aground near Jamsil

Travel & Food

Seoul’s Deoksu Palace Doldam-gil: A beloved autumn stroll course faces preservation battle

Beneath Seoul’s soaring skyline, where the city’s restless pulse seldom slows, the golden hush of autumn settles over a place largely untouched by time or trends: Deoksu Palace’s storied Stone Wall Road or Doldam-gil. This 1.1-kilometer promenade, lovingly known as Doldam-gil, is more than a historic pathway; it is a living symbol of romance, resilience and the delicate balance between Seoul’s past and progress. Running along the outer wall of Deoksu Palace — one of Seoul’s five grand palaces from the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty — the Stone Wall Road forms a tranquil urban haven, sandwiched between the palace’s aged masonry and canopies of ginkgo and maple trees. Unlike the vast grandeur of Gyeongbok Palace or Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace stands apart — compact, approachable and steeped in unique history as the only palace to serve as the imperial residence during the Korean Empire era lasting from 1897 to 1910. A striking blend of neoclassical columns, European-style gardens and traditional hanok structures reveals King Gojong’s bold embrace of modernization. Today,

Nov 13, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Seoul’s Deoksu Palace Doldam-gil: A beloved autumn stroll course faces preservation battle

Society

Dropouts rise among students from multicultural families

The number of students in Korea from multicultural backgrounds surpassed 200,000 for the first time this year, yet many continue to face challenges in the classroom, according to recent government data. Data released Sunday by Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the Rebuilding Korea Party showed that students from multicultural families accounted for 477 high school dropouts during the 2023 academic year, a 2.22 percent dropout rate, according to the Ministry of Education. The rate has gone up steadily — from 1.36 percent in 2020 to 1.93 percent in 2021 and 1.99 percent in 2022 — surpassing 2 percent for the first time last year. This figure is higher than the nationwide high school dropout rate, which reached 2.0 percent in 2023. The most common reason students from multicultural backgrounds cited for leaving school was difficulty adapting, according to the data. In 2023, more than 200 students pointed to challenges in school life — including struggles with Korean-language classes — as a key factor. Educational experts estimate that the majority of students from multicultural backgrounds s

Nov 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

Weifang, 'world capital of kites,' kicks off tourism push in Seoul

Hotels showcase luxury Christmas cakes to celebrate year-end festivities

Price-gouging feud deepens at Gwangjang Market as visitor numbers fall

‘Jongmyo war’ revives long history of battles over development

Souvenir Fair at DDP spotlights Korea’s top travel keepsakes

Trees don sweaters as winter nears

Plan to build memorial in Gwanghwamun Square reignites clash between Seoul City, ruling bloc

Hangang Bus suspends service again after vessel runs aground near Jamsil

Seoul’s Deoksu Palace Doldam-gil: A beloved autumn stroll course faces preservation battle

Dropouts rise among students from multicultural families

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