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Lee Hae-rin

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.

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Travel & Food

Incheon Int'l Airport sees record passenger numbers in 1st half of 2025

INCHEON — Incheon International Airport reached new heights in the first half of 2025, setting a record for international passenger volume as global travel demand continues to surge, according to the Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) Thursday. Between January and June, the country's main airport welcomed 36.36 million passengers and managed 207,959 flights — marking its busiest six-month period since opening in 2001. The passenger tally marks a 2.3 percent increase from prepandemic levels in 2019 and a 6.1 percent rise compared to the first half of 2024. Officials attributed the growth largely to strong demand for short-haul flights to neighboring countries, particularly Japan and China. International routes to Japan remained especially popular, drawing approximately 9.34 million travelers — a 9.3 percent increase over the same period last year. Demand for travel to China also surged, fueled by the extension of temporary visa waivers for Koreans. Routes to China carried 5.75 million passengers, a 24.3 percent increase over the same period last year. Riding the wave of passe

Jul 17, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Incheon Int'l Airport sees record passenger numbers in 1st half of 2025
People & Events

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul welcomes new general manager

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul has appointed Douglas Ariza-Giammaria as its new general manager, the hotel said in a statement Wednesday, bringing decades of international hospitality experience to the flagship property in Gangnam’s Shinsegae Central complex. Ariza-Giammaria, a native of Venezuela, has more than 30 years of experience in the luxury hotel industry, including 25 years with Marriott International. He holds degrees in hotel management and global hospitality management from the University of Houston and has worked in major markets including the United States, Greece, Singapore, Indonesia and China. He previously held leadership roles with high-profile brands such as Four Seasons, Hilton, Starwood and Marriott. For the past 14 years, he has served as general manager at several properties, earning a reputation for operational expertise and an ability to deliver strong performance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ariza-Giammaria led Marriott’s recovery strategy for Southeast China and chaired the Hunan Business Council, playing a key role in regional hospitality industry efforts duri

Jul 17, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
JW Marriott Hotel Seoul welcomes new general manager
Environment & Animals

South Chungcheong Province reels from 'once-in-a-century' rainfall

Torrential rainfall battered the Chungcheong region in central Korea, killing at least four people, inundating hundreds of homes and farms, triggering landslides and forcing more than 1,300 residents to evacuate. Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, was deluged with more than 400 millimeters of rain over just half a day on Thursday, including 114.9 millimeters in a single hour. The national weather agency described the downpour as a “once-in-a-century” event. Those regions, as well as other parts of the country, are forecast to receive more rainfall through Friday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Seosan saw 438.5 millimeters of rain early Thursday between midnight and 10 a.m., which is the largest daily amount since weather observation began in the city in January 1968. The previous record was 274.5 millimeters on Aug. 2, 1999. The city received 114.9 millimeters of rain in a one-hour period starting from 1:46 a.m. Streams feeding into the Geum River were among the hardest hit. In Yesan, all four monitoring stations along Sapgyo Creek issued flood warnings,

Jul 17, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
South Chungcheong Province reels from 'once-in-a-century' rainfall
Travel & Food

Korea Airports Corp. unveils summer transport plan for nationwide hubs

The Korea Airports Corp. (KAC) announced Wednesday that it will implement a special summer transportation plan to manage an anticipated increase in travel demand. The initiative, running from July 25 to Aug. 10, will cover all airports nationwide except Incheon International Airport. Over the 17-day peak holiday period, the airport operator expects 24,067 flights carrying approximately 4.31 million passengers — 3.15 million on international routes and 1.16 million on domestic ones. This represents a slight increase from last year’s daily average of 1,365 flights and 238,729 travelers during the summer holiday season. The busiest travel days during this period are expected to be July 25 for Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, July 26 for Gimhae International Airport in Busan and Aug. 4 for Jeju International Airport. KAC will conduct facility inspections and reinforce safety and passenger services to ensure smooth operations. To ease congestion, it will open check-in counters earlier, increase ID and security checkpoint staffing and adjust immigration booth operations. Temporary park

Jul 17, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Korea Airports Corp. unveils summer transport plan for nationwide hubs
Society

UN report shows Korean women least inclined to have kids among leading nations

Korean women show the lowest propensity for having children among major countries surveyed in a United Nations-backed study, underscoring the nation’s worsening demographic crisis and enduring gender divides over attitudes toward parenthood. According to preliminary findings from a family panel study conducted by the Korean Women’s Development Institute (KWDI) Wednesday, Korean women rated their willingness to have children at just 1.58 out of 5 — the lowest among eight countries and territories with comparable data. The figures will be presented at the institute’s gender equality policy forum on Thursday. In comparison, Korean men scored significantly higher at 2.09, marking the widest gender gap in childbearing intent among the survey targets, which included Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway, Austria and Hong Kong. The study is part of the Generations and Gender Survey, an international panel project led by the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe that tracks evolving family patterns and gender roles. While Korean men’s intentions to have children c

Jul 17, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
UN report shows Korean women least inclined to have kids among leading nations
Society

Breaking tradition: Korean men embrace parasols to beat summer heat

On a sweltering July afternoon last week, a 36-year-old office worker in Seoul surnamed Park, made an unexpected purchase: his first parasol. “Heat is something all living things feel, regardless of gender,” he said. “Buying a parasol was an inevitable choice under this weather. There’s no reason to refuse portable shade.” Park is not alone. With Korea grappling with a record-breaking heat wave, an increasing number of men are adopting parasols — once considered exclusively feminine — to protect themselves from the intense sun. A 31-year-old salesman in Seoul surnamed Kang also purchased a parasol this summer. “I often travel for work by subway, and I bought it to protect my skin,” he said. “I hesitated a little bit at first because of the perception that men don’t normally use parasols, but after trying it, I’m more than satisfied with how cool it keeps me.” The shift toward greater use of parasols among men is striking. According to local online fashion retailer Musinsa, searches for "parasols" by male customers surged 904 percent between July 1 and 10 compared t

Jul 16, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Breaking tradition: Korean men embrace parasols to beat summer heat
Travel & Food

Urban pop‑up pool set to refresh Gwanghwamun Square this summer

The heart of Seoul is set to turn into a lively city-center pool this Saturday, as the 2025 Seoul Summer Beach event opens at Gwanghwamun Square, offering residents and visitors a reprieve from the sweltering summer heat. Starting this weekend and running through Aug. 8, the festival returns for its third year with the theme "Let’s Dive into Gwangbok!" marking the 80th anniversary of the country’s independence from Japanese colonial rule, observed annually on Aug. 15. "Gwangbok" is the Korean word for liberation. Hosted by the Seoul Tourism Organization and co-organized with the Seoul Regional Office of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the event is sponsored by LIG. The square will be divided into two main zones: the “water beach zone” and the “sand beach zone.” Behind the statue of King Sejong, the water beach zone will feature two large swimming pools with depths of 1 meter and 0.8 meters, as well as two water slides decorated with the mascots Bobo and Swoni. The slides, measuring up to 10 meters tall and 14 meters long, will be allowed for children over 110 centimeters tall.

Jul 15, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Urban pop‑up pool set to refresh Gwanghwamun Square this summer
Society

Tourism industry welcomes first insider as culture minister nominee

Korea’s tourism industry is expressing cautious optimism after President Lee Jae Myung nominated Chae Hwi-young, co-CEO of NOL Universe, the country’s largest travel platform, as the next minister of culture, sports and tourism. Announced last Friday, the nomination marks the first time since the ministry’s 2008 reorganization that a candidate with deep roots in tourism has been chosen, breaking from the tradition of appointing officials from culture or sports. Chae, 61, is a Busan native and a graduate of Sogang University’s English literature program. He began his career as a journalist at Yonhap News and YTN before moving into the tech sector, holding key roles at Yahoo Korea and NHN — now Naver. In 2016, he founded the travel platform Triple, which leverages user travel histories to offer personalized recommendations. After Triple was acquired by Yanolja and merged with Interpark, Chae served as CEO during the transition. He now co-leads NOL Universe, a platform that integrates Yanolja’s accommodation services, Interpark’s ticketing and Triple’s artificial intelligen

Jul 15, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Tourism industry welcomes first insider as culture minister nominee
Society

Why Koreans rarely hit the beach without rash guards

Park, an office worker in her 30s based in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, bought a new rash guard for her vacation to Bali last week. A fan of water sports who enjoys beaches and hotel pools, she said she already owns several rash guards and swimsuits, but is eager to add more to her collection. At the beach in Bali, filled with sunbathers from around the world, she realized that every time she heard Korean spoken, those beachgoers were clad in long-sleeved rash guards. “You could almost identify Koreans just by their rash guards,” she said, “Having traveled to beaches around the world, I’ve noticed that Koreans seem to be the only ones who regularly wear rash guards in the water. I have bikinis and other more revealing swimwear, but still prefer to wear rash guards,” she said. As Park noted, from Southeast Asia to Europe, Koreans are often easy to spot on beaches with their matching, brightly colored rash guards. While rash guards are common among surfers worldwide, Korea is the only country where nonsurfers routinely wear them for aesthetic and practical reasons. Posts on Reddit an

Jul 13, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Why Koreans rarely hit the beach without rash guards
Others

Chinese bus driver, suffering stroke, steers Korean tourists to safety

A Chinese bus driver is being hailed as a hero after saving 11 Korean tourists and their guide from potential disaster — just moments before collapsing from a fatal brain hemorrhage. On June 29, Xiao Bo, 41, a retired soldier working as a bus driver, was transporting the group near the scenic city of Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, when he began experiencing symptoms of a brain hemorrhage. At around 9:13 p.m., while driving across a high bridge, the bus suddenly veered erratically, alarming the guide and passengers. Despite losing consciousness, Xiao managed to turn off the engine and engage the handbrake, bringing the bus to a safe stop. CCTV footage from inside the bus showed Xiao fighting to remain conscious for 41 seconds, ultimately losing consciousness only after ensuring the vehicle was secure. All passengers escaped unharmed. Xiao was rushed to a nearby hospital but died three days later. According to local news reports, his quick thinking and sense of duty, rooted in his military background, likely prevented a tragedy. The story gained attention after the Korean tourists, upon ret

Jul 13, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Chinese bus driver, suffering stroke, steers Korean tourists to safety
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