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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.

Nighttime splashes draw nearly 600,000 to Seoul's Han River parks this summer

Seoul’s Han River parks drew nearly 600,000 visitors to six public swimming and splash facilities this summer, as longer hours and nighttime entertainment turned the riverfront into a destination well after sunset. The facilities recorded 556,981 visitors over 73 days from June 19 to Aug. 30, with Yeouido and Ttukseom recording increases of 58 percent and 36 percent, respectively, from last year. Nighttime use proved particularly strong, with 126,498 people — about 23 percent of all visitors — using the facilities after hours as Seoul extended operations at four sites to 10 p.m. beginning July 3. Yeouido recorded the largest attendance at 214,745 visitors, followed by Ttukseom with 182,581, Jamsil with 56,748, Nanji with 46,367, Gwangnaru with 38,813 and Yanghwa with 17,727. Seoul attributed the increase to extended hours, distinctive water facilities and nighttime programming, including DJ performances and busking. At Yeouido, emerging DJs performed live every Friday through Sunday beginning July 24, while Yeouido and Ttukseom hosted busking performances under the SUMMER YOUTH: Our

Sep 7, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Nighttime splashes draw nearly 600,000 to Seoul's Han River parks this summer

Seoul to host 2026 Seoul Design International Forum on future of vital cities

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will host the 2026 Seoul Design International Forum on September 15 at Art Hall 2 of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), bringing together leading domestic and international experts to explore how design can shape the cities of the future. Under the theme “Vital Cities: Designing New Possibilities for Life,” this year’s forum will examine ways to enhance the vitality, resilience and sustainability of future cities through innovative design. Now in its seventh year, the annual forum is part of Seoul’s efforts to strengthen the city’s global competitiveness and establish itself as a world-leading design city. The forum will begin with a keynote presentation by Liam Young, followed by two sessions featuring presentations and discussions by nine experts from Korea and abroad. The first session, “Urban Design That Brings Vitality to Life,” will feature professor Lee In-ah of Seoul National University’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Director of Architecture and Engineering Services at the New York City Housing Authority Suh Eun-ryung a

Sep 7, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul to host 2026 Seoul Design International Forum on future of vital cities

Seoul expands guided night walks through historic districts

Under the glow of neon signs and high-rise buildings, Asia’s late-night economies are usually associated with bustling night markets, rooftop bars and late-night shopping centers. Now, Seoul is taking a more historical approach aimed at keeping tourists on their feet past dusk: guided midnight walks along ancient fortress walls and illuminated royal palace grounds. The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday announced a major expansion of its evening walking tour programs as part of an aggressive push to convert casual daytime sightseers into high-spending nighttime tourists. The initiative extends the city's night tour calendar from a limited six-month season to nine months — stretching from mid-March through mid-November — while pushing back final departure times from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. To capture the weekend crowd, special Friday Night Life tours will be held as late as 9 p.m. across prime central locations. The effort is central to the city’s broader strategy to build a "24-Hour Vibrant Economic City." Rather than simply encouraging bar owners to stay open later, municipal le

Sep 7, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul expands guided night walks through historic districts

Seoul invites pampered pups for 'Petlympic' glory

Move over, human swimmers and marathon runners: Korea is gearing up for a far more chaotic, tail-wagging display of athletic prowess. On Oct. 24 and 25, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will transform Peace Plaza at World Cup Park in the northwestern part of the capital into the epicenter of canine athleticism for the 2026 Seoul Petlympic. Now in its second year, the event aims to democratize dog sports, offering a hilarious, high-stakes arena where pampered city pups can trade their couch cushions for competitive glory. The spectacle reflects a major demographic transformation across the country. In a nation navigating low fertility rates and growing single-person households, pet ownership has quietly soared. One in four households has at least one pet. This cultural pivot has spawned a booming "pet economy," complete with canine daycares, clinics and now, municipally sponsored athletic games. While seasoned canine athletes will compete in hair-raising agility courses, frisbee showdowns and choreographed dancing, the real draw lies in the beginner-friendly track events. Ordinary city d

Sep 7, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul invites pampered pups for 'Petlympic' glory

AI meets history at Gyeongju's landmark World Heritage Industry Expo

Ancient history meets cutting-edge innovation this week as Gyeongju, the former capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.–935 A.D.), transforms into a testing ground for the future of cultural preservation. The 2026 World Heritage Industry Expo opens its doors Thursday, offering a glimpse into how artificial intelligence, extended reality and immersive media can revitalize the nation’s heritage sector. Marking its 10th anniversary, this year’s milestone event stands as the largest to date, uniting 133 companies, research institutions and organizations. The expansion reflects a broader national push to bridge historical conservation with high-tech industries, turning legacy into a forward-looking economic engine. Across the venue, dynamic exhibitions will span advanced restoration tech, digital archive tools, consumer products and interactive public installations. The core focus of the 2026 program lies in the integration of AI and extended reality, tools increasingly used in historical reconstruction, digital storytelling and global outreach. On Friday at 2 p.m., Suwen Wang, a special

Sep 7, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
AI meets history at Gyeongju's landmark World Heritage Industry Expo

Fireworks show to light up Seoul skies

Korea's largest annual fireworks show is set to take place in Seoul on Saturday. The Seoul International Fireworks Festival, hosted by Hanwha Group, begins at 8 p.m. in Seoul's Yeouido area. This year's show takes place about three weeks earlier than in previous years due mainly to the Chuseok fall harvest holiday coming later this month. Under the theme of "Find Your Light," this year's show features fireworks teams from three countries — Korea's Hanwha Corp., the United States and Britain. A pre-festival event will take place for the first time in the history of the festival that was launched in 2000. About 6,800 personnel will be mobilized to manage crowds and handle emergencies. The Seoul city government said a safety headquarters will be set up together with the police, fire departments, Hanwha and other relevant agencies to oversee crowds and traffic around the site. Operational command centers doubling as emergency medical stations will be established at six locations across the Yeouido and Ichon neighborhoods, while 45 patrol boats will be used to monitor safety on the river. Add

Sep 5, 2026By Yonhap
Fireworks show to light up Seoul skies

Seoul's taekwondo performance series returns for fall season after summer break

The free 2026 Seoul Taekwondo Performance series resumes Sept. 5 at Namsangol Hanok Village and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), the city said, following a summer hiatus after drawing more than 20,000 spectators in the first half of the year. The city held 35 performances in the first six months of 2026, attracting 20,809 viewers — more than double last year's turnout for the same period and already surpassing all of 2025's annual attendance of 19,835. Of the 22,308 people who took part in performances and hands-on experience programs combined, 7,462, or 33.4 percent, were foreign tourists — meaning roughly one in three participants came from abroad. The series combines traditional taekwondo demonstrations with staged performance elements, aimed at giving both domestic and international visitors an accessible introduction to Korea's national martial art. The main fall performances run weekends at 2 and 4 p.m. from Sept. 5 through Oct. 18 at Cheonu Pavilion in Namsangol Hanok Village, a recreated traditional village in Jung District. Performing groups include Kukkiwon, Korea's offi

Sep 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul's taekwondo performance series returns for fall season after summer break

Rotary leader uses power of storytelling

What is required to lead a 117-year-old institution like Rotary — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic era? For Jennifer Jones, a Canadian from Windsor, dedication and "the power of storytelling" were essential to the job. As Rotary International's first female president, she knew her authentic and real communication style and desire to provide "vulnerable" leadership would see her through. "I think that sometimes the timing is right. My vocational strength, communication, was important as we were coming out of the COVID times," Jones said in an interview with The Korea Times at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Seoul, Wednesday. She said it was important to make sure that "people were not feeling isolated and that even in our solitude, we had the ability to connect across nations and still do good and support each other." During the pandemic, Rotary made use of infrastructure set up to fight polio — one of its most successful initiatives — helping people access treatment, vaccines and materials like masks in over 70 nations. "Rotary was meant for challenging times," Jones said, adding

Sep 4, 2026By Kim Ji-soo
Rotary leader uses power of storytelling

Seoul tourism program turns hidden coins into lessons in inclusion

A Seoul tourism program brought 20 people, including people with disabilities, older adults and families with young children, together to explore traditional culture, public art and accessible travel. The Seoul Tourism Organization said Friday that it held the "Own Your Way Mingling Tour" at Namsangol Hanok Village and Seoul Namsan Gugak Center as part of a campaign promoting Seoul as a city open to everyone. The program included a hunt for hidden coins, a universal tourism quiz, a guided tour of Namsangol Hanok Village and a talk show on accessible travel. The tour was linked to The Find Seoul, a public art project by British artist Ryan Gander that invites people to discover specially designed coins hidden around Seoul. Frieze Seoul says The Find Seoul is running from Aug. 31 through Sept. 10, with 16,000 coins hidden across Seoul. Participants searched for coins at Namsangol Hanok Village, using the hunt to explore the traditional cultural site from a different perspective. The organization also provided a Seoul Danurim Tourism minivan equipped with a wheelchair lift so participants cou

Sep 4, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul tourism program turns hidden coins into lessons in inclusion

Jogye Order elects Ven. Jinwoo as new leader

Ven. Jinwoo, the current leader of the Jogye Order, was elected as the leader of Korea's biggest Buddhist sect for another term Thursday. Jinwoo won 57 percent of the vote to beat Ven. Gyeongwoo, who earned 43 percent of the ballot. Jinwoo is the second person in the Jogye Order's history to win a second term since Ven. Jaseung was elected for his second term in 2013. "I will wholeheartedly devote myself to ushering in a new century for Korean Buddhism," Jinwoo said after winning the election. He also vowed to embrace everyone who took part in the election and to stabilize the order while making Buddhism younger and more dynamic. As the leader of the country's biggest Buddhist sect, he will oversee some 3,500 temples and 12,000 monks associated with the Jogye Order across the country. He is set to begin his four-year term on Sept. 28 after receiving approval from the order's elders assembly.

Sep 3, 2026By Yonhap
Jogye Order elects Ven. Jinwoo as new leader
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