The Korea Times

AirAsia X stresses price competitiveness

By Kwon Mee-yoo AirAsia X, the Malaysia-based low-cost, long-haul carrier, will start operating Incheon-Kuala Lumpur routes daily from November. Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, wearing a hanbok, the traditional Korean costume, for the launch ceremony in Seoul, said Monday his airliner aims to attract less time-sensitive, but more price-sensitive customers and attempts to create new demand in the airline travel industry. “This is what AirAsia X is about ― providing affordable international travel for everyone. Our daily services between Seoul and Kuala Lumpur during the peak period at Christmas will open up the skies at a time when many people have holidays and are seeking cost effective and exciting vacations to new locations,” Osman-Rani said. Lee Charm, president of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), also celebrated the new route of the first foreign low-cost carrier in Korea. “I am grateful the pioneer work of AirAsia X,” Lee said. He added that he expects greater exchange between the two countries beginning with the flights of AirAsia X, as 2010 marks t

Aug 2, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Foreign airlines making inroads into Korea

By Kwon Mee-yoo As the number of Koreans traveling overseas, especially around Asia, continually increases, foreign airlines are making inroads into the market. According to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, five airlines will open new routes or resume flights on suspended routes. Air India, the flagship carrier of India, resumed flights from Incheon to Delhi via Hong Kong four times a week from Monday, after 22 months of suspension. The Indian carrier stopped operating its Incheon-Delhi route in October 2008, due to reduced demand following the global economic crisis. Etihad Airways of the United Arab Emirates plans to launch a new Incheon-Abu Dhabi route, flying seven times a week from November, and Hawaiian Airlines is also preparing to fly from Incheon to Honolulu four times a week beginning next January. Low-cost carriers from Southeast Asia will also start servicing Korea. Last March, Business Air of Thailand launched its Incheon-Bangkok route. AirAsia X, the largest low-fare airline in Asia, will start flights from Incheon to Kuala L

Aug 2, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

HS Gwanghwamun Square marks 1st anniv.

Debate over use of square for rallies remains unresolved By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff reporter Situated at the heart of Seoul City, Gwanghwamun Square has become a representative plaza ever since refurbishment was completed on Aug. 1, 2009. During the first year, more than 1.4 million people visited the square, an average of 37,000 visitors per day. “It’s nice to have such a plaza in the downtown area. I have brought my friends from overseas here. They really liked the co-existence of tradition and modernity in the middle of the city,” said Kim Mi-na, a university student. The 555-meter-long and 34-meter-wide square is about the size of two and a half soccer fields and two statues from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) during which Seoul was the capital are located at either end. The statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin has been standing in the middle of Sejongno Street since 1968 and the plaza was built around him. Last year the statue of King Sejong was newly presented when the square reopened to the public and stands opposite Admiral Yi. There are two underground exhibition halls,

Aug 1, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

HS Must do activities for tourists in Seoul

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff reporter Foreigners living in Seoul suggested drinking makgeolli, taking a bath at a "jjimjilbang," shopping at Myeong-dong and enjoying the nightlife around the Hongik University area as the best things to do in the metropolis. Seoul City and the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) surveyed 500 international residents in Seoul on the top 20 cultural experiences in the capital city. Makgeolli, the traditional rice liquor, was the top choice for drinks, followed by "bokbunja," a Korean raspberry wine, and soju, while their favorite food was galbi. For nightlife, the Hongik University area was selected as the most entertaining location. "The area is full of colorful street murals, vintage clothing shops, small galleries, a flea market, cafes and clubs and it attracts foreigners as well as locals," an STO official said. N Seoul Tower on Mt. Nam was rated as a not-to-miss place and Gyeongbok Palace was named the most worthwhile among the several old palaces in Seoul. Jjimjilbang were chosen for the best health/wellness experience in Korea. They are K

Jul 29, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Seoul designated as UNESCO Creative City for design

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff reporter The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Seoul as a Creative City for Design, last week. UNESCO graded Seoul’s abundant cultural heritage, creative potential and various policies supporting the city’s development through design very highly. “The designation as the UNESCO Creative City for Design indicates international appraisal and support for Seoul’s design administration,” Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said. Seoul now can associate the logo and UNESCO with their projects as well as share cultural programs and information with other creative cities. The municipal government will sign an MOU with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and hold an international forum of the Creative Cities Network this year. Starting in 2005, UNESCO created a Global Alliance’s Creative Cities Network, recognizing leading cities for cultural aspects such as Crafts and Folk art, Design, Gastronomy, Film, Literature, Media arts and Music. Other cities in the network of Creative Cities for Design include Ber

Jul 28, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Koreatoday Helping others is always a blessing

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff reporter Kang Kyo-cha, president of the National Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Korea, received the Mogryeon Medal, the fourth Order of Civil Merit, earlier this month as her contribution in promoting women’s rights in Korea. “Though I received the medal under my name, I think I was just lucky to represent the YWCA and its members who try to raise women’s rights,” Kang told The Korea Times at an interview. She has been a member of the YWCA for 35 years and it changed her values and attitudes totally. “I am nothing compared to lifetime members who have been with the organization for more than 60 years,” Kim said. “People start joining the YWCA as early as high school, so I was a late starter.” Kang graduated Department of Education at Yonsei University and became a professor of Jeonju University in North Jeolla Province. She first joined the YWCA when she was in the southern city of Jeonju to lecture on young women. “It was early 1970s and there was no education of female consciousness at all. I first felt a sense of social responsi

Jul 28, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

More women in late 20s avoid marriage

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff reporter A growing number of women in their late 20s are remaining single as marriage plunges down their value ladders. According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), the rate of unmarried women aged between 25 and 29 — the bracket generally known here as “optimum marriage age” — jumped to 59.1 percent in 2005 from 11.8 percent in 1975. For many young singles, marriage is a sort of luxury — they have lots of other things to do. Before tying the knot with their ideal partners, they want to achieve career goals, receive more education and consider themselves still too young to get married. Economic reasons, such as a small income and lacking funds for wedding expenses, were ranked second. Byun Yong-chan of the institute said this trend is caused by an expanded educational and job-seeking period. “Late marriages lead to a delay in the age for childbirth and a low birthrate,” he said. At the same time, the “optimum” marriage age no longer influences the younger generation as they think the definition itse

Jul 28, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

HS Seoul ranks 1st on e-govt survey

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff reporter Seoul City ranked first on the 2010 Rutgers Global E-Governance Survey, securing the position for the fourth year in a row. The Rutgers survey is conducted by the E-Governance Institute, School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark, and the Global e-Policy e-Government Institute at Sungkyunkwan University and sponsored by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the American Society for Public Administration. The capital city topped the criteria of service, citizens’ participation, security and content and placed second in convenience, beating Prague of the Czech Republic in second place overall. “Seoul received good reviews on citizens’ participation as Seoulites have the option to express their opinions on the website and directly communicate with city officials,” a city official said.

Jul 27, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Enjoy concerts and operas at Seoul Plaza

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff reporter Seoul City will offer a series of classical concerts in August at Seoul Plaza to provide citizens with opportunities to cool off from the summer heat wave. Every day at 7:30 p.m., except for Mondays, various performances by top artists as well as amateurs, are held at the stage at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. Established in 2007, the Culture and Art in Seoul Plaza is popular among Seoulites. It has invited more than 500 groups for some 270 performances, drawing 400,000 in audiences. On Friday, jazz concert “Sing Sing Sing” will feature the Jazz Park Big Band. Singer Yoo Yeol will offer an array of jazz music and Lee Jung-sik Quartet and Han Jemma will perform a mixture of jazz and classical on Aug. 4. The list of classical concerts is continued by Quartet X, along with soprano Kim Won-jung’s commentary, on Aug. 10 and Spain Group Vocal Millennium on Aug. 18. The Aug. 19 performance features musical actress Kim So-hyun and melodies from well-known movies. On the first day of August, Seoul Ballet Theatre will offer a ba

Jul 27, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Think twice before buying shoes, bags on Internet

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff reporter Jung Ji-won, a 23-year-old university student, likes to shop online as it is convenient and often cheaper than offline stores. In May, she bought two pairs of shoes at an Internet shopping mall, but when the items were delivered to her house she found one pair was the wrong color and the other shoes were stained. She immediately requested a refund, but the shopping mall declined to accept the returns before she paid the cost of delivery. Jung thought the seller should be responsible for the shipping fee since they sent the wrong product. Jung had to ask the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center (SECC) to cancel the purchase and the center ordered the seller to pay the shipping. Online shopping is getting more popular in Korea ― the volume of e-commerce in the first quarter of this year reached 5.9 trillion won ($5 billion), a 26-percent jump from the same period of last year’s 4.7 trillion won, according to the Statistics Korea. The SECC said they received 8,312 complaints on e-commerce in the first half of the year, some 49 percent incre

Jul 27, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

AirAsia X stresses price competitiveness

Foreign airlines making inroads into Korea

HS Gwanghwamun Square marks 1st anniv.

HS Must do activities for tourists in Seoul

Seoul designated as UNESCO Creative City for design

Koreatoday Helping others is always a blessing

More women in late 20s avoid marriage

HS Seoul ranks 1st on e-govt survey

Enjoy concerts and operas at Seoul Plaza

Think twice before buying shoes, bags on Internet

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