The Korea Times

Not wearing a mask is not an option (Part 2)

A rickshaw puller covers his head with plastic as he wears a face mask during the rain in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 22 August 2020. The summer monsoon season in Bangladesh is witnessed from June through mid-October. EPA A devotee wearing a mask carries home an idol of elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesha for worship during Ganesh Chaturthi festival celebrations in Mumbai, India, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. The 10-day long Ganesh festival began Thursday and ends with the immersion of Ganesha idols in water bodies on the final day. AP People wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus walk past the China Central Television (CCTV) Building in the central business district in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020. Authorities in China's capital announced on Thursday that masks would no longer be mandatory outdoors as a virus outbreak in the country's northwestern region of Xinjiang appears to have been brought under control. AP People wearing face mask and face shields to help curb the spread of COVID-19 ride a bus in Quezon city, Philippines on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Philippine

Aug 26, 2020By Choi Won-suk

Not wearing a mask is not an option (Part 2)

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Amazon is in danger

This file picture taken on May 29, 2019 shows an aerial view of an agriculture field next to a native Cerrado (savanna) in Formosa do Rio Preto, western Bahia State, Brazil. - Faced with growing pressure in 2020 for Brazil to put a stop to deforestation in the Amazon, the agri-food giants are increasing the checks on the origin of their products and say they are calling on the Bolsonaro government to enforce environmental legislation. The recent case of Brazilian meat giant JBS, the world's number 1 meat producer, accused in July 2020 by a consortium of investigative media of having illicitly sourcing cattle from ranches blacklisted for destroying the Amazon, has reinforced this pressure. AFP This file picture takes on December 17, 2014 shows an aerial view of cattle in an agriculture field in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. AFP This file picture taken on May 29, 2019 shows an aerial view of an agriculture field next to a native Cerrado (savanna) in Formosa do Rio Preto, western Bahia State, Brazil. AFP Aerial view of the Coca River and a large erosive event around it, in Rev

Aug 25, 2020By Choi Won-suk

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PHOTOS COVID-era catwalk 'Mask is the new normal'

Models wearing face masks wait in line during a fashion show amid the coronavirus pandemic in Seoul, Aug. 14. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Bae Eun-jooFashion is all about making a statement. And in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, where everyone is advised to wear face masks to curb the spread of the virus, the face mask has become an entirely new form of self-expression.The fashion world has quickly embraced and beautified the face coverings to express personal style without failing to adhere to protective guidelines.Masked models dressed in hanbok are seen behind the stage at a mask fashion show in Seoul, Aug. 14. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk The “2020 Face Mask Fashion Show” was staged last Friday with the aim of creating a “contactless” fashion event amid the ongoing virus crisis which has put great strain on the industry.Staged in the bustling streets of Gangnam, synonymous with Seoul’s trendsetting youth, the mask fashion show drew surprise attention from passersby who joined the audience to experience a feast for the eyes. Vibran

Aug 20, 2020By Choi Won-suk

COVID-era catwalk 'Mask is the new normal' [PHOTOS]

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Masks hold images of pandemic, Hong Kong protests

Edmond Kok, a Hong Kong theater costume designer and actor, wearing a face mask decorated with many different fruits in Hong Kong Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. With little theater work because of the coronavirus pandemic, Kok has found a way to turn the now ubiquitous face mask into a creative opportunity. Since February, he has created more than 170 face masks inspired both by the pandemic and Hong Kong’s political problems - not for actual use but as pieces of art. AP Edmond Kok, a Hong Kong theater costume designer and actor, wearing a spiky green mask which is a 3D visualisation of corona virus in Hong Kong Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. AP Edmond Kok, a Hong Kong theater costume designer and actor, wearing a face mask made from Chinese bamboo steamer in Hong Kong Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. AP Edmond Kok, a Hong Kong theater costume designer and actor, wearing a face mask covered in blue artificial flowers which he made on Valentine's Day this February in Hong Kong Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. AP Edmond Kok, a Hong Kong theater costume designer and actor, wearing a face mask

Aug 17, 2020By Choi Won-suk

Masks hold images of pandemic, Hong Kong protests

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PHOTOS Jeju is suffering

A bird’s eye view of Darangshi Oreum, a parasitic volcano that rises 382 meters above sea level, is located in the northeastern part of Jeju Island. The aerial views were captured from a drone camera. Courtesy of Choi Jae-youngBy Bae Eun-jooEarlier this month, a group of environmentalists and activists protested against rampant development and destruction on Jeju Island and demanded the island province’s Governor Won Hee-ryong answer their repeated calls to preserve the island’s natural environment. The demonstration came in line with the government’s plan to build a second Jeju airport in the island’s eastern Seongsan area at an estimated cost of more than 5 trillion won ($4.2 billion). As Korea’s longtime favorite tourist destination is facing deforestation, environmentalists fiercely oppose forest lands being converted for reckless urban use, raising doubts over the reliability of feasibility studies, ecological evaluations and government transparency. Jeju is the only island in the world with three UNESCO designations — the international

Aug 14, 2020By Choi Won-suk

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PHOTOS Crisis fatigue - Struggling to survive recession

A restaurant owner squats in an empty street in Jongno 3-ga, July 30. The district, famous for its many eateries, usually bustles with office workers during lunch hour. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Bae Eun-jooAs the months-long pandemic is taking a heavy toll on the country, the economy has slumped into a recession, delivering the worst performance in over two decades. The Bank of Korea (BOK) reported the country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 2.9 percent in the April-June period from the same period last year, marking the slowest growth since the 3.8 percent year-on-year contraction seen in 1998 at the height of the Asian financial crisis. Economic lockdowns in major import countries were the biggest drag on the growth of Asia’s fourth-largest economy as it marked a 13.6 percent plunge in exports. This is the sharpest year-on-year decline in exports since 1974 when outbound shipments dropped 17 percent. The central bank noted that the Korean economy this year will likely suffer a heavier blow than previously anticipated due to the spread of COVID-19, a

Aug 7, 2020By Choi Won-suk

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PHOTOS Beirut blast: Dozens dead and thousands injured

An injured man walks at the explosion scene that hit the seaport, in Beirut Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. Massive explosions rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a giant mushroom cloud rose above the capital. Witnesses saw many people injured by flying glass and debris. AP  A view of the damaged buildings next to the site of an explosion at the Beirut Port, Beirut, Lebanon, 04 August 2020. EPA  A picture shows the scene of an explosion in Beirut on August 4, 2020. AFP Firefighters douse a blaze at the scene of an explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. AFP A general view shows the aftermath at the site of Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon August 5, 2020. Reuters

Aug 5, 2020By Choi Won-suk

Photo News

PHOTOS Heavy rain hammers South Korea

A worker begins the clean-up in the aftermath of a torrential rain storm that hit the capital city at Han River park on August 04, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. Damage from heavy rain that pounded the country's central region earlier this week continued to grow, leaving 14 dead and 12 missing as of Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulWorkers begin the clean-up in the aftermath of a torrential rain storm that hit the capital city at Han River park on August 04, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulWorkers begin the clean-up in the aftermath of a torrential rain storm that hit the capital city at Han River park on August 04, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulA worker begins the clean-up in the aftermath of a torrential rain storm that hit the capital city at Han River park on August 04, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulWorkers begin the clean-up in the aftermath of a torrential rain storm that hit the capital city at Han River park on August 04, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. Kor

Aug 5, 2020By Choi Won-suk

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Life goes on amid coronavirus pandemic (Part 8)

Visitors wearing face masks take pictures at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 22, 2020. The museum reopened Wednesday after having been closed for two months due to new coronavirus concerns. AP Workers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant as a precaution against a new coronavirus at a theater in Sejong Center in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. South Korea’s new virus cases have bounced back Tuesday, a day after it reported its smallest daily jump in local COVID-19 transmissions in two months. AP A Nepalese student wears a face shield at a training class during a partial lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic in Kathmandu, Nepal, 16 July 2020. The Lainchour Takenwondo Dojang has resumed self-defense martial art classes for people aged between seven and 18-years-old at a community ground in Kathmandu. The Nepal government has started to ease the COVID-19 lockdown in an effort to restart its economy. EPA A contractor cleans a subway car at the 96th Street station to control the spread of COVID-19, Thursday, July 2

Jul 22, 2020By Choi Won-suk

Life goes on amid coronavirus pandemic (Part 8)

Undiagnosed virus infections could be 27 times higher in Daegu city: study

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Comet Neowise in the sky. It won't be back for 6,800 years.

Comet Neowise appears over Mount Washington in the night sky as seen from Dee Wright Observatory on McKenzie Pass east of Springfield, Ore., Tuesday, July 14, 2020. According to NASA the lower tail, which appears broad and fuzzy, is the dust tail created when dust lifts off the surface of the comet's nucleus and trails behind the comet in its orbit. The upper tail is the ion tail, which is made up of gases that have been ionized by losing electrons in the sun's intense light. AP The comet Neowise or C/2020 F3 is be seen before sunrise over the Allg'u landscape, in Bad W'rishofen, Bavaria, Sunday, July 12, 2020. AP Comet NEOWISE, upper left, is seen before sunrise over Washington, Sunday, July 12, 2020. AP The Comet NEOWISE or C/2020 F3 is seen above clouds over the Buschberg mountain in Puerstendorf, Austria, 12 July 2020. It passed closest to the Sun on 03 July and its closest approach to Earth will occur on 23 July. EPA The Comet NEOWISE or C/2020 F3 is seen above Prague Castle with St. Vitus Cathedral, in Prague, Czech Republic, 13 July 2020. The comet passed c

Jul 21, 2020By Choi Won-suk

Choi Won-suk

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Not wearing a mask is not an option (Part 2)

Amazon is in danger

PHOTOS COVID-era catwalk 'Mask is the new normal'

Masks hold images of pandemic, Hong Kong protests

PHOTOS Jeju is suffering

PHOTOS Crisis fatigue - Struggling to survive recession

PHOTOS Beirut blast: Dozens dead and thousands injured

PHOTOS Heavy rain hammers South Korea

Life goes on amid coronavirus pandemic (Part 8)

Comet Neowise in the sky. It won't be back for 6,800 years.

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