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Lee Kyung-min

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North Korea

2 N. Korean POWs arrive in S. Korea after 20 months of captivity in Ukraine

Two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces nearly 20 months ago have arrived safely in South Korea, the president of Ukraine and an opposition lawmaker said Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the disclosure during a speech at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Wednesday (local time). “Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelenskyy said. Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) also confirmed the transfer that had remained in secrecy over concerns for the safety of the prisoners and their families. “The two people arrived safely in Korea a few days ago,” Yu said during a press conference at the National Assembly. He has repeatedly raised the issue of North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) captured in Ukraine. The two soldiers are now expected to receive protection under South Korean laws concerning North Korean defectors. Their health is reportedly stable. The National Intelligence Service is expected to conduct questioning and investigations over several weeks or months before det

Sep 24, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
2 N. Korean POWs arrive in S. Korea after 20 months of captivity in Ukraine
Health

Public hospital in western Seoul becomes blueprint for global health care

Seoul Seobuk Hospital, a public health care hub in western Seoul's Eunpyeong District, transformed its wards into training grounds for international health officials this month, offering visiting delegations from Denmark and Kenya a firsthand look at Korea’s approaches to dementia care, tuberculosis control and palliative care. The hospital hosted Danish elder care policy experts on Sept. 10, followed by 17 Kenyan Ministry of Health officials on Sept. 17, as part of a series of exchanges focused on public health care in Seoul. The Danish delegation examined Seobuk Hospital’s dementia ward, including its admission procedures, caregiver-support rooms, nonpharmacological treatment programs and links between discharged patients and community services. The delegation included Danish elder care policy expert Dr. Jacob Høj Jørgensen, whose name has also appeared in recent Korean reports on Danish elder care policy, along with other officials. Visitors toured the ward’s central garden, Snoezelen multisensory room, patient rooms and program spaces and observed a music-based care program,

Sep 23, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Public hospital in western Seoul becomes blueprint for global health care
Trends

Unlikely Seoul souvenir becomes next big trend on Japanese social media

A sleek cap featuring Seoul’s official logo has become an unlikely viral sensation in Japan, racking up millions of social media views and turning municipal merchandise into a sought-after fashion statement. A Japanese user posted a photo of herself wearing the Seoul My Soul Belt Cap on Sept. 7. The post recorded 2.7 million views, 32,000 likes, 7,900 reposts and 9,300 bookmarks without any paid advertising or promotions, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The cap, released Sept. 3 through a collaboration between Seoul’s SEOUL MY SOUL city brand and traditional fashion brand ONGO, combines modern headwear with details inspired by Korean traditional knotwork. Seoul said the post’s popularity in Japan has also generated interest in Korea, illustrating how products built around local designs can spread beyond their intended market through social media. The city government on Wednesday released its first Seoul Goods Top 10 ranking based on international shoppers’ purchases across online and offline sales channels this year. The analysis found that consumers in their 20s a

Sep 23, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Unlikely Seoul souvenir becomes next big trend on Japanese social media
Business

Korean brands leverage offline stores to capture Vietnam's e-commerce boom

As e-commerce rapidly transforms retail across Southeast Asia, Korean brands are using hands-on offline experiences in Vietnam to drive digital sales. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) hosted its 2026 Korea Festival at Parc Mall in Ho Chi Minh City from Sept. 16-22, bringing 80 Korean companies together for product sales, market testing and cultural experiences. The event featured Korean beauty products, food and household goods, along with tastings linked to KOTRA’s Seoul Food exhibition, live commerce, Chuseok cultural activities and K-pop performances. Among participating companies were 48 domestic firms with limited overseas experience and 10 companies new to exporting, KOTRA said, with local vendors helping them test products and gauge Vietnamese consumers’ responses. KOTRA said it will follow the in-person event with an online promotion on Shopee Vietnam from Oct. 3-5, extending the campaign from mall counters to one of Southeast Asia’s major e-commerce platforms. The online campaign will feature 87 companies, including domestic firms, first-time exporters and co

Sep 23, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korean brands leverage offline stores to capture Vietnam's e-commerce boom
K-pop

BTS bridges centuries of Korean art with new 'ARIRANG' merchandise line

K-pop juggernaut BTS is seamlessly blending heritage with modern pop culture in its latest merchandise collection, weaving traditional Joseon Dynasty folk art (munjado) into the visual universe of its fifth studio album, “ARIRANG.” HYBE said Tuesday that the 2026 BTS DALMAJUNG merchandise collection will go on sale Tuesday, with a pop-up store opening the same day at HYBE Yongsan in Seoul. The collection marks the fourth DALMAJUNG series and the second collaboration between HYBE and the National Museum Foundation of Korea, following their 2024 collaboration through MU:DS, the museum merchandise brand. This year’s collection draws on munjado, a genre of Joseon-era folk painting in which decorative images are incorporated into or placed around the strokes of Chinese characters. Designers also drew on “Aliens,” a track from “ARIRANG,” using the lyric "heungjeukdaegil," a phrase conveying the idea that apparent misfortune can ultimately become great fortune, as a central motif. The collection connects that theme with traditional symbols associated with happiness, longevity and g

Sep 23, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
BTS bridges centuries of Korean art with new 'ARIRANG' merchandise line
South Korea

Seoul breaks ground on Shin Jungang Market transformation

Seoul has begun construction on an 18.7 billion won ($12.6 million) redesign of Shin Jungang Market in Jung District in the center of the capital, aiming to turn the traditional market into a destination where shoppers and tourists can eat, rest and experience local culture. The Seoul Metropolitan Government held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday at the market, marking the first construction project under its Design Innovation Traditional Market initiative, with completion targeted for August 2027. Founded as Seongdong Market in 1962, Shin Jungang Market grew into one of Seoul's foundational commercial hubs, anchoring the central city's postwar trade along with Namdaemun and Dongdaemun markets. Over the decades, it became particularly famous as the city's premier wholesale center for grain and dried fish, weaving itself into the everyday life and culinary heritage of the capital. The project will replace the market’s existing arcade with an environmentally friendly wooden roof designed to admit natural light, while adding terraced resting areas and improving connections between the ma

Sep 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul breaks ground on Shin Jungang Market transformation
South Korea

Busan's foreign student population reaches record high of 24,328

The foreign student population in Korea's second-largest city has climbed to a record 24,328 this year, a 30 percent increase from 2025, as Busan expands programs aimed at helping students study, work and settle in Korea. The figure, released Aug. 27 in national basic education statistics, compares with 18,630 foreign students in the southern port city in 2025 and 14,961 in 2024, according to Busan Metropolitan City. The city has worked with local universities since 2024 to attract 30,000 foreign students by 2028, while consolidating previously fragmented recruitment and support programs. Busan opened the Study Busan Hub in February as a one-stop support center for foreign students, linking universities and government agencies to services covering daily life, health care, finance, visas, Korean-language education and employment. The hub also works with Busan Immigration and Foreigners Office on group fingerprint registration for new foreign students and connects students with three designated hospitals — Daedong Hospital, Dong-Eui Medical Center and Good Gang-An Hospital. The city also

Sep 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Busan's foreign student population reaches record high of 24,328
Companies

CJ OliveNetworks gift card revenue soars 33% in 1st half of 2026

CJ OliveNetworks said Tuesday that its gift card transaction value rose more than 33 percent in the first half of 2026 from a year earlier, setting a record for a six-month period as corporate demand for rewards helped expand its business-to-business sales. The company said annual transaction value rose about 27 percent last year, as gift cards increasingly moved beyond personal gifting into customer rewards, marketing programs and employee benefits. In July, CJ OliveNetworks began supplying CJ Gift Cards and Olive Young gift cards as rewards for LG Uplus home services, covering internet, IPTV and telephone subscriptions and renewals. Customers signing up for or renewing eligible services can receive gift cards worth up to 400,000 won ($291), depending on their service and contract terms. CJ OliveNetworks said the partnership broadens its reach among households and gives LG Uplus customers a wider range of reward options. The company has also expanded where its integrated CJ Gift Card can be used, adding more than 5,700 Emart24 stores nationwide at the start of the year. The card can now b

Sep 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
CJ OliveNetworks gift card revenue soars 33% in 1st half of 2026
Companies

CJ CheilJedang debuts traditional liquor brand jari in US market

CJ CheilJedang is taking Korean distilled spirits to New York, unveiling its premium jari brand as it seeks to introduce Korean drinking culture to consumers in one of the world’s most influential food cities. The company is holding a launch event Tuesday (local time) at Moono, a modern Korean restaurant in Manhattan, where it is presenting three jari products alongside a Korean food pairing dinner. The lineup includes jari Munbae Sul 24 and jari Gamuchee 24, which were released in Korea in July, and jari Munbae Sul 41, which is making its U.S. debut. The higher-proof Munbae Sul 41 is designed to offer a deeper expression of the distinctive aroma of munbae, a pear-like fragrance associated with traditional Korean distilled spirits, according to CJ CheilJedang. CJ CheilJedang’s Lifestyle Food Business division executives are among many expected to attend the event with figures from New York’s food, beverage and cultural industries. Bartender Hong Doo-ui, a mixologist with brand ambassador Pine&Co, and chef Kim Ho-young of Moono and Michelin-starred Jua are also taking part, pairing j

Sep 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
CJ CheilJedang debuts traditional liquor brand jari in US market
Companies

HD Construction Equipment, Manitou team up to expand compact equipment sales

HD Construction Equipment is teaming up with France’s Manitou Group to expand its reach in compact construction equipment, signing a mutual sales partnership Monday (local time) at Manitou Group’s headquarters in Ancenis, France, with HD Construction Equipment President Moon Jae-young and Manitou Group President and CEO Sylvain Blaise attending. Under the agreement, HD Construction Equipment will source compact equipment from Manitou Group and sell it globally under its Hyundai and Develon brands. Manitou Group will add HD Construction Equipment’s compact equipment to its portfolio and market the products under its Manitou and Gehl brands. Manitou Group supplies construction, agricultural and industrial equipment, including telehandlers, forklifts, skid steer loaders and aerial work platforms, through operations spanning 140 countries. For HD Construction Equipment, the agreement is intended to broaden its compact equipment lineup while increasing production scale and improving product quality and price competitiveness. The company has set a goal of generating 1.3 trillion won ($884

Sep 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
HD Construction Equipment, Manitou team up to expand compact equipment sales
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