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Lee Kyung-min

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

Value context and insight. lkm@koreatimes.co.kr

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Travel & Food

Korea and Indonesia seal halal deal to safeguard K-food, beauty exports

With strict new religious compliance rules set to take effect across Southeast Asia, Korea is taking decisive diplomatic steps to protect its booming cultural exports. Health and regulatory officials in Seoul signed a landmark agreement with Indonesia on Friday to streamline halal certification — clearing a critical path for Korean food and cosmetics brands entering the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. Food and Drug Safety Minister Oh Yu-kyoung signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH) during the fifth Halal 20 Summit in Depok, Indonesia, the ministry said. The agreement serves as a direct follow-up to a bilateral defense and economic summit held in March, where both nations pledged to expand mutual market access under a Special Strategic Partnership. The regulatory pact arrives at a pivotal moment for Korean exporters. Starting Oct. 18, Indonesia will enforce mandatory halal certification for all imported food, beverage and cosmetic products. Without official certification verifying that products comply wit

3h agoBy Lee Kyung-min
Korea and Indonesia seal halal deal to safeguard K-food, beauty exports
People & Events

GKL backs Busan cycling festival linking city bridges

Four thousand cyclists from Korea and abroad are expected to converge in Busan Sunday for a festival that will turn the city’s bridges and tunnels into a sprawling route for exploring its waterfront attractions. Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), which operates the foreigner-only Seven Luck casinos, said Friday it is supporting the 2026 Seven Bridge Tour, a large-scale noncompetitive cycling event scheduled for Sunday. The tour is the only event of its kind in Korea to connect major maritime bridges and tunnels across Busan by bicycle, according to GKL. Organizers expect about 4,000 cycling enthusiasts from Korea and overseas to take part, showcasing Busan’s tourism resources through a route that crosses some of its major transportation landmarks. The event will also include activities open to local residents, including the Seven Bridge Good Morning Bridge Walking event, which invites participants to walk across Gwangan Bridge. Another program, Seven Bridge Festival, will offer wellness activities at Yeongho Starlight Park as part of the broader tourism event. GKL said its support is intended

18h agoBy Lee Kyung-min
GKL backs Busan cycling festival linking city bridges
People & Events

Seoul museum honored for bringing history to hospitalized children

For young patients confined to hospital wards, history lessons usually feel worlds away. But inside the pediatric units of Seoul’s major medical centers, an innovative museum initiative has been bringing ancient artifacts, interactive crafts and cultural heritage straight to the bedside of critically ill children — a pioneering effort that has now earned top national honors. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that the Seoul Hanseong Baekje Museum has been awarded the prestigious "Museum & Art Gallery of the Year Award" in the educational program category. Presented annually by Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism alongside the Korean Museum Association, the accolade recognizes institutions making exceptional contributions to public enrichment and cultural accessibility. The museum’s award-winning "Hospital School" initiative launched in 2024 at Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital before expanding to Seoul National University Children's Hospital in 2025. Designed specifically for children undergoing prolonged inpatient care or grueling outpatient regimens,

19h agoBy Lee Kyung-min
Seoul museum honored for bringing history to hospitalized children
Companies

The Met Unveils huge facade sculptures by Liu Wei in partnership with Genesis

Korean luxury automotive brand Genesis has unveiled its latest high-profile cultural initiative at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, filling the grand niches of the museum’s Fifth Avenue facade with four new monumental sculptures by Chinese artist Liu Wei. “The Genesis Facade Commission: Liu Wei, Speculation” opened Thursday (local time) and will remain on view through June 8, 2027, marking the third commission presented through Genesis’ multiyear partnership with the museum. Liu’s four works — “Speculation / Λ,” “Speculation / G,” “Speculation / c” and “Speculation / h” — draw on architectural fragments and bodily forms assembled from fiberglass composite, steel, aluminum alloy, polyurethane paint and bovine rawhide. The sculptures explore fragmentation, transformation and renewal, examining cycles of rupture and repair amid rapid social and cultural change. The human hand appears throughout the commission as a recurring motif, connecting recognizable forms with more fantastical ones while reflecting Liu’s interest in transformation, perception and imagina

20h agoBy Lee Kyung-min
The Met Unveils huge facade sculptures by Liu Wei in partnership with Genesis
Companies

Toss tests blockchain system for public payments

Toss, Korea’s dominant financial super-app, has completed a proof of concept with the state-run Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corp. for a blockchain-based public payment infrastructure connecting digital currency with existing payment systems, the companies said Friday. The project follows a memorandum of understanding signed in April and examines whether blockchain-based digital currency can work with existing public payment infrastructure. Toss and Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corp. built a separate test environment for local love gift certificates and implemented the full payment process, from charging gift certificate tokens with blockchain-based digital currency to payments and merchant settlements. The system uses Optimism, an ethereum layer 2 network, to process transactions while linking digital currency transfers with transactions handled by existing payment systems. The companies also tested Privacy Boost, a privacy solution designed to protect sensitive transaction information from exposure on a public blockchain during paym

21h agoBy Lee Kyung-min
Toss tests blockchain system for public payments
Companies

Hyundai E&C to lead gov't push for 100-megawatt green hydrogen plants

Global construction giant Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C) is stepping up its clean-energy push, heading a state-backed project to engineer large-scale green hydrogen facilities capable of generating over 100 megawatts of zero-carbon fuel. Hyundai E&C said Friday that its HMG Construction Research Institute will lead the project, which is being promoted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The project aims to develop a comprehensive design package covering plant systems, core processes and operating configurations for large-scale hydrogen production, with the goal of bringing the technology to a level suitable for demonstration and commercialization. Hyundai E&C will lead a consortium that includes Hyundai Engineering, Hyundai Motor, Hanwha Global, Korea Midland Power, Mirae Standards Research Institute, Seoul National University and Korea University. Hyundai E&C will be responsible for developing the basic engineering package and conducting an economic feasibility assessment, according to the company. The project will also use artificial intelligence and dynamic si

21h agoBy Lee Kyung-min
Hyundai E&C to lead gov't push for 100-megawatt green hydrogen plants
Travel & Food

Korea courts Western travel agents with temple stays, beach yoga, B2B networking

In an aggressive move to expand its international tourism footprint beyond traditional Asian markets, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) hosted top travel buyers from emerging Western and Oceanian markets for an intensive eight-day showcase aimed at developing premium, experiential travel packages. The initiative, which wrapped up Friday, brought 20 prominent travel agency representatives from 10 high-potential nations — including Spain, Sweden, Poland, Brazil, Canada and New Zealand — for business matchmaking and hands-on regional tours across Seoul, Busan, and Andong. At the heart of the campaign was the "2026 Americas, Europe & Oceania Travel Mart," held Thursday at The Plaza Hotel Seoul. The B2B event facilitated 315 one-on-one business consultations between the international buyers and 30 local entities, including Korean destination management companies, regional governments and hotel chains. For many small-to-medium Korean agencies that lack global marketing networks, the gathering offered a crucial direct link to Western markets. Unlike traditional sightseers who prioritize

22h agoBy Lee Kyung-min
Korea courts Western travel agents with temple stays, beach yoga, B2B networking
People & Events

Korea grants free entry to royal palaces, tombs during Chuseok

From regal courtyards to historic grounds, Korea’s grand royal palaces and tombs are offering free admission this Chuseok — the nation's major autumn harvest festival — giving visitors a rare, four-day pass to dive headfirst into Korean heritage. The Korea Heritage Service said Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace and Changgyeong Palace, along with Jongmyo Shrine and Joseon royal tombs, will waive admission fees from Thursday through Sunday. Changdeok Palace’s rear garden will remain excluded from the free admission program, while Jongmyo, which normally operates by reservation, will allow visitors to enter without advance bookings during the holiday. Visitors can also watch the changing of the guard ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., guard patrol ceremonies at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the royal guard patrol at 3 p.m. without reservations. The Korea Heritage Service is also offering an online program, “Everyone’s Genre Painting 2026,” starting Friday and running through Nov. 1, allowing participants to create personalized characters inspired by

23h agoBy Lee Kyung-min
Korea grants free entry to royal palaces, tombs during Chuseok
People & Events

Seoul Hanok Week returns with record lineup of tours and craft workshops

For generations, the elegant curved tile roofs and serene courtyards of "hanok" — Korea’s traditional vernacular housing — have served as living symbols of the capital’s heritage. Seoul is inviting international travelers to step past the threshold of these historic homes and experience them as dynamic cultural stages. City officials said Thursday that Seoul Hanok Week will return this October with an expanded schedule of immersive art exhibitions, live performances, neighborhood walking tours and hands-on craft workshops. The fourth edition of Seoul Hanok Week will run from Friday, Oct. 2, through Sunday, Oct. 11, across the neighborhoods of Bukchon and Seochon, with 82 programs — up from 66 last year, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Last year's festival drew about 74,000 visitors, and this year's expanded program will include 17 exhibitions, 15 tours, 29 hands-on activities, nine performances and 12 special events. Among the highlights is “Beyond the Gate, Hanok,” an open-house program marking the 10th anniversary of Seoul Exemplary Hanok program, with gui

1d agoBy Lee Kyung-min
Seoul Hanok Week returns with record lineup of tours and craft workshops
People & Events

Seoul marks Chuseok holiday with late-night reading, folk shows, free museum entry

As Korea prepares for Chuseok, its traditional autumn harvest festival, Seoul is transforming the national holiday into a four-day cultural festival. From Thursday through Sunday, the capital will host traditional folk performances, open museum exhibitions for free and keep public libraries open late, offering foreign visitors a rare look into the country's cultural roots. From Sept. 24-27, traditional cultural sites, museums and art institutions will host family programs ranging from folk games and Korean music to craft workshops and exhibitions, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Unhyeon Palace will hold its Chuseok program from Thursday through Sunday, offering traditional games, craft activities and performances featuring Korean traditional and fusion music and dance. Namsangol Hanok Village will host Namsan Dalbit Madang (Moonlit Courtyard) from Friday through Sunday, with tightrope walking, Arirang performances, seven traditional experiences, quilted craft workshops and hanbok-related activities. Several museums will hold special events Saturday, including traditional p

1d agoBy Lee Kyung-min
Seoul marks Chuseok holiday with late-night reading, folk shows, free museum entry
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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.