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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.

Kang Min-whee named IOM Republic of Korea chief of mission

Kang Min-whee, 57, has been appointed International Organization for Migration (IOM) Republic of Korea chief of mission. A veteran U.N. official, she began her job last month at the organization, which is often branded as IOM U.N. Migration following its integration into the U.N. system. Kang has rich experience fostering partnerships across governments, the U.N. system and diverse stakeholders. She is expected to further position migration as a key driver of sustainable development while strengthening cooperation between Korea and the international community. "Migration is one of the defining global issues of our time, intersecting with climate change, conflict, disasters, labor and demographic change," Kang said in a press release. "As the Republic of Korea continues to play an increasingly important role on the global stage, IOM looks forward to deepening its collaboration not only with the government, but also with civil society and the private sector to advance safe, orderly and regular migration." Kang began her U.N. career as a junior professional officer in 1998 working at the I

Jul 10, 2026By Kim Ji-soo
Kang Min-whee named IOM Republic of Korea chief of mission

K-beauty expands into men's grooming

Korea's globally recognized beauty industry, long associated with skin care, cosmetics and hairstyling for women, is increasingly extending its influence into men's grooming, with a new international festival aiming to showcase the country's growing barber culture. Organized and hosted by N2RAGE Global, Korea’s first beauty subculture community exclusively for men, the DISTRICT 82 festival is set to take place on Aug. 24. The organizer said Thursday the event will bring together barbers and hairstylists from Korea, Japan, Brazil and other countries for a day of live demonstrations, educational seminars, music performances and an international barber competition. “The event will be a platform where grooming is presented not simply as a service but as part of contemporary youth culture,” said An Hee-jin, global head of N2RAGE. “It will attract up to 700 professionals and enthusiasts.” The event reflects a broader evolution of K-beauty, a term for Korea's globally influential cosmetics sector that has traditionally focused on skin care and women's trends but is now expanding into

Jul 10, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
K-beauty expands into men's grooming

Yoido Full Gospel Church ramps up efforts to tackle low birthrate

Yoido Full Gospel Church is stepping up its efforts to combat the country’s chronically low birthrate by expanding its financial support and community programs for multichild families, demonstrating how religious communities can help address the national demographic crisis. The move comes as the country’s total fertility rate stood at 0.95 in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. While showing a slight rebound, the figure is still very low by global standards, which is why the church decides to take a more active role in supporting families. To mark World Population Day on July 11, the country’s largest megachurch announced Thursday that it will hold a special ceremony during its Sunday service on July 12. The church will present appreciation plaques and cash prizes to 42 families with five or more children, and plans to expand this initiative next year to include families with four children. Under the program, the church will distribute a total of 33.3 million won ($22,000) in incentives. Families with five children will receive 700,000 won

Jul 9, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Yoido Full Gospel Church ramps up efforts to tackle low birthrate

Korea's traditional liquors step into neon-lit Seoul hotspot to woo Gen Z

Korea is bringing its ancestral spirits out of rural distilleries and into the neon-lit heart of Seoul’s fashion district, launching a high-profile retail initiative aimed at capturing global tourists and the domestic market. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, alongside the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT), will officially open a second branch of Sool Gallery inside Doota Mall in Dongdaemun, Seoul’s bustling, neon-lit tourist and shopping hub, on Friday. The move represents a strategic push by policymakers to transform traditional alcohol into a modern cultural commodity. Rather than treating it as a legacy product from a bygone era, the ministry is re-introducing it to a target demographic of local Generation Z consumers and international travelers. "Dongdaemun is a primary destination where younger consumers and global tourists converge," said Kim Jeong-wook, deputy minister of the Agricultural Business Innovation Policy Bureau. "We anticipate that this new Sool Gallery will become an accessible, engaging hub where visitors can experience our heritag

Jul 9, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea's traditional liquors step into neon-lit Seoul hotspot to woo Gen Z

PHOTO 11th anniv. of foreign language newspapers guild

This year's recipients of the Foreign Language Newspapers Association of Korea (FNA) award pose with FNA chief and Aju Daily CEO Yang Kyu-hyun, fourth from left, during the association's 11th anniversary ceremony at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Thursday. From left are Jim Bulley from Korea JoongAng Daily, The Korea Times advertising bureau staffers Han Seung-min and Nam Yoon-jae, Yang, Lee Jae-hyeon from Aju Daily and Cho Ju-yeong from The Korea Herald. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Jul 9, 2026
[PHOTO] 11th anniv. of foreign language newspapers guild

Seoul extends stress-free morning runs due to surge in popularity

In a major push to reform urban fitness into an inclusive, stress-free way to exercise, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that it will launch the permanent expansion of its highly successful "Easygoing Morning" program this July. The initiative departs sharply from marathons focused on rigorous records, professional pacing and competition. Instead, the municipal program invites participants to walk, jog or cycle at their own pace while explicitly welcoming strollers, kickboards and leashed pets to join, creating a leisurely, community-centered atmosphere. Originally introduced as a pilot project in March, the concept generated overwhelming public enthusiasm. A civic satisfaction survey conducted during the trial phase revealed a 90.4 percent satisfaction rate, with 96.1 percent of participants expressing a desire to return. The expanded season will commence on Sunday, running from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. along a five-kilometer waterfront route. Participants will depart from the Cultural Plaza in Yeouido Park, crossing back and forth over the Mapo Bridge. City planners note

Jul 8, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul extends stress-free morning runs due to surge in popularity

Incheon welcomes Burbank students for cultural exchange

Incheon Metropolitan City is hosting a delegation of high school students from Burbank, California, for an 11-day youth exchange program running through July 17. The delegation, made up of 10 Burbank high school students and two accompanying teachers, was arranged with help from the Burbank Sister Cities Committee. The group arrived at Incheon International Airport Tuesday afternoon and is staying in the Songdo area while taking part in cultural activities across the city. On Wednesday, the students toured Incheon's smart city operations center, a promotional hall for the Incheon Free Economic Zone and the National World Writing Systems Museum as part of a city tour themed "Incheon's Past and Present." On Thursday and Friday, they will visit Geomdan Ara High School to sit in on classes, try school cafeteria meals and learn K-pop dances alongside Korean students. The itinerary also includes a historical and cultural tour of Ganghwa Island — including a peace observatory, the Buddhist temple Jeondeung and a traditional textile experience hall — along with visits to Incheon's former ope

Jul 8, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Incheon welcomes Burbank students for cultural exchange

Seoul spotlights North Korean defectors with art, dialogue

Looking to foster a deeper sense of social cohesion amid protracted cross-border tensions, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a weeklong series of cultural events Wednesday designed to integrate the city's sizable North Korean-born population and bolster public interest in Korean unification. The initiative marks the third annual North Korean Defectors’ Day, a commemorative holiday observed on July 14. Running from July 12 through July 18, the cultural festival will span across several prominent venues in the South Korean capital, which currently serves as home to roughly 6,200 North Korean defectors. Municipal officials framed the campaign as a critical mechanism to heighten civic awareness of the challenges defectors face in resettlement while expanding consensus on the peninsula's integration. The main event will take place on Monday, July 13, at the Seoul Gallery concert hall situated beneath City Hall, featuring a collaborative musical performance by instrumentalists from North Korea along with vocalists from the South. Organized to cultivate what officials describe as

Jul 8, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul spotlights North Korean defectors with art, dialogue

Seoul to offer hands-on art workshops at Jamsil Hangang Park this month

Residents looking for a weekend activity can head to Jamsil Hangang Park, one of the public parks along the Han River that runs through Seoul, for a hands-on art program running from July 11 to 18. The municipal initiative, officially titled “Hangang Sagaksagak Art Place: Creative Experiences With Artists,” will run from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on both Saturdays. The workshops are set to take place at Sagaksagak Place, a compact enclave of modular studio spaces established by the city in 2018. Designed to insulate emerging creators from the city's prohibitive real estate market while demystifying the creative process for the public, the complex will open its doors to participants of all ages. Four resident artists will lead the intimate, specialized sessions, bringing together traditional Korean craftsmanship with contemporary trends. Gwak Bukku, a visual artist whose given name is Gwak So-ra, will guide attendees in fabricating custom keyrings modeled after the Han River’s native otter population, utilizing a specialized heat-shrink plastic technique. In another workshop, the art

Jul 8, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul to offer hands-on art workshops at Jamsil Hangang Park this month

Korea takes center stage as guest of honor at Europe's premier modern dance festival

Korea has been named the official guest of honor at ImPulsTanz 2026, Europe’s largest contemporary dance festival, marking a significant expansion of the country’s cultural influence into the upper echelons of the global performing arts scene. The Korean Cultural Center in Austria said Wednesday that it will launch Fokus Südkorea (Focus South Korea), a dedicated, monthlong spotlight program running from July 9 through August 9 across Vienna. The milestone marks a shift for Korean culture, which has enjoyed global popularity through K-pop and K-drama, as it cements its footprint in the avant-garde world of contemporary choreography. Established in 1984, ImPulsTanz operates as a critical five-week hub for international choreographers, artistic directors and producers to premiere new works and secure global distribution. Korea’s selection as the guest of honor elevates the nation from a recurring invitee to a central curatorial partner. Officials in Seoul framed the initiative as a major execution of the "K-Initiative" — a state-backed strategy leveraging language, arts and media

Jul 8, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea takes center stage as guest of honor at Europe's premier modern dance festival
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