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Small Seoul temple becomes beacon for religious harmony

A seven-story stone pagoda stands at Gilsang Temple, Seoul, Monday. A senior member of the temple's neighboring Ducksoo Presbyterian Church made a donation here to promote religious harmony. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rinInspired by friendship between two towering Buddhist and Catholic leaders, Buddhist monk, priest and pastor team up to help poorBy Lee Hae-rinPartway up Mount Bugak, in northeastern Seoul's serene Seongbuk-dong, stands a small Buddhist site named Gilsang Temple. Since its establishment in 1997, the temple has come to represent religious harmony. There, Buddhists and interdenominational Christians mingle and work together on joint projects to help the poorest of the poor in the community. According to the temple's official, the temple formed a partnership with Seongbuk Catholic Church and Ducksoo Presbyterian Church in 2008, and the three have held a bazaar together every year to raise donations for disadvantaged youths in the district.“First proposed by Pastor Son In-ung of the neighboring Ducksoo Presbyterian Church, the bazaar has been held 10 times so far

May 19, 2022By Lee Hae-rin
Small Seoul temple becomes beacon for religious harmony

Air Seoul to resume Incheon-Boracay flights next month

An Air Seoul aircraft/ Korea Times file Low-cost carrier Air Seoul said Tuesday it will resume flights on its Incheon-Boracay route next month to meet pent-up travel demand amid eased virus curbs.Air Seoul will provide four flights a week on the Boracay route from June 17, the company said in a statement. On Saturday, the carrier resumed services to Guam from Incheon and will expand the number of flights from four to seven a week starting July 1, it said.With six A321-200 chartered planes, the carrier currently offers flights on domestic routes to Jeju Island, and the international destinations of Guam, Yantai and Saipan. Air Seoul is a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines, the country's second-biggest full-service carrier after Korean Air Lines. (Yonhap)

May 17, 2022
Air Seoul to resume Incheon-Boracay flights next month

T'way Air to open Incheon-Singapore route this month

A T'way Air aircraft/ Korea Times fileT'way Air said Monday it will open an Incheon-Singapore route later this month, becoming the first Korean low-cost carrier to offer flights to the Southeast Asian country.T'way will use an A330-300 on the route and provide two flights a week beginning May 28, the company said in a statement. Inbound passengers are exempt from COVID-19 tests when they enter Singapore. And those who are fully vaccinated, as well as unvaccinated children under age 12, can travel to the country without a quarantine period, it said. T'way Air has suspended most of its international routes since March 2020, after countries strengthened entry restrictions over the pandemic.For the whole of 2021, its net losses deepened to 156.2 billion won ($122 million) from 137.8 billion won. Sales fell to 214.4 billion won last year from 269.2 billion won the previous year. T'way Air plans to operate 20 large planes, as well as 30 midsized and small ones, by 2027 to achieve 3 trillion won in sales. To prepare for post-pandemic demand, the carrier will bring in an average of four larg

May 16, 2022
T'way Air to open Incheon-Singapore route this month

Gov't to significantly increase international flights to meet travel demand

Domestic airplanes are parked on the tarmac at Incheon International Airport, in this April 5 file photo. YonhapThe government will add an additional 230 international flight routes by next month to meet growing demand for travel in the wake of its easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Friday. The addition will raise the number of weekly international flights from 532 in May to 762 in June.Starting May 23, the government will also recognize negative rapid antigen test results for travelers boarding flights to South Korea, on top of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results currently being accepted, the minister said.From June, international arrivals will also be required to undergo a PCR test within three days of their entry into South Korea. The mandatory test is currently required on the day of arrival.Oral COVID-19 medications enough to treat 1 million patients will be additionally brought in, while the age limit for taking such medications will be further reduced to include children aged 12 and those with underlying health problems. Currently, pe

May 13, 2022
Gov't to significantly increase international flights to meet travel demand

Royal Culture Festival to kick off in Seoul after two-year pandemic disruption

A nighttime image of the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion in Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, Oct. 14, 2021, is seen in this file photo provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukThe Royal Culture Festival, the country's largest festival themed on the Korean royal court and its culture, will return almost to its normal state Tuesday after two years of pandemic-caused disruptions.This year's event will kick off its spring season with an open ceremony at 8 p.m. at the square in front of the Heungnyemun Gate in Gyeongbok Palace, central Seoul, which served as the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).Founded in 2015, the event hosted by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) and its affiliated Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation has been held twice every year ― in May and October ― at Seoul's five Joseon-era palaces ― Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong, Deoksu and Gyeonghui ― as well as two other royal sites. The festival, however, was held virtually for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.This spring's edition, set to last till May 22

May 10, 2022
Royal Culture Festival to kick off in Seoul after two-year pandemic disruption

Homegrown ingredients, spirits served at Yoon's inaugural dinner

President Yoon Suk-yeol, first from right, toasts with foreign guests during a dinner for dignitaries who attended his inauguration ceremony at the Shilla Seoul, Tuesday. From left are Second Gentleman of the United States Douglas Emhoff Harris, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and President of Singapore Halimah Yacob. YonhapBy Lee Hae-rinPresident Yoon Suk-yeol held his inauguration dinner at Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday evening, with some 150 domestic and foreign dignitaries including high-ranking government officials, foreign delegation members and CEOs of major Korean companies. An array of Korean food made with regional specialties, paired with six Korean liquors, was served at the dinner. This is the first time the presidential inauguration dinner was held outside of the Cheong Wa Dae reception hall, which was built in 1978. The dinner had to be offered at a hotel since the relocated presidential office in Yongsan does not have enough space yet to organize a large-scale dinner and Cheong Wa Dae was opened to the public as of Tuesday.As the dinner began, Yoon deli

May 10, 2022By Lee Hae-rin
Homegrown ingredients, spirits served at Yoon's inaugural dinner

Cheong Wa Dae to open to public this week

People stand near Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, May 8. YonhapCheong Wa Dae will open to the public on incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration day Tuesday as the sprawling compound ended its 74-year-old role as the site for the presidential office and residence in line with Yoon's pledge to relocate the top office.With online reservations, visitors will be able to look around the compound, including the Nokjiwon garden and the state guest house of Yeongbin-gwan, from noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and then from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day after that, according to the officials of the Cheong Wa Dae relocation task force. The inside of Cheong Wa Dae buildings, however, will be off-limits until after all sensitive equipment and documents are carried out. Visits will be limited to 6,500 people per two-hour time slot and 39,000 per day.The tour program was launched in accordance with Yoon's election promise to relocate the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae and give the compound back to the public. He said the move would help him connect better with the people as Cheong Wa Dae had become

May 9, 2022
Cheong Wa Dae to open to public this week

Jeju Air to resume Busan-Singapore route next month

Jeju Air / Yonhap Jeju Air said Monday it will resume the Busan-Singapore route next month as eased virus restrictions unleash pent-up demand. Korea's biggest low-cost carrier (LCC) will offer two flights a week on the Singapore route from June 24 after it suspended the route 28 months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a statement. Singapore currently allows fully vaccinated travelers to visit the country without a quarantine period.Jeju Air also plans to resume two flights a week on the Busan-Bangkok route in late June.It resumed flights from Incheon to Saipan in July, and Guam in November. Flights from Incheon to Weihai and Harbin in China, Cebu and Clark of the Philippines, and Osaka are currently available.Jeju Air operated 39 B737-800 chartered planes on 87 routes, including six domestic ones, before the pandemic. (Yonhap)

May 9, 2022
Jeju Air to resume Busan-Singapore route next month

Asiana to expand flights to Europe amid eased virus curbs

Asiana Airlines Airbus 380 / Courtesy of Asiana Airlines Asiana Airlines said Monday it will expand flights on its European routes later this month as eased virus restrictions unleash pent-up demand.The carrier will increase flights on routes from Incheon to Frankfurt and London beginning May 28 and May 30, respectively, it said in a statement.The company will resume flights from Incheon to Paris and Rome, June 18 and June 22 respectively, while planning to resume flights on routes from Incheon to Barcelona and Istanbul July 23, it said.With the planned flight resumption and expansion, Asiana said it will be able to offer half of the flights it used to serve on European routes before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the airline industry nearly two-and-a-half years ago.On non-European routes, Asiana reopened Incheon-India flights in late April and will expand the number of flights to Sydney, Los Angeles, Osaka, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila starting this month

May 9, 2022
Asiana to expand flights to Europe amid eased virus curbs

Gimpo-Haneda flight service to resume early next month: diplomatic source

Travelers queue in lines at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, July 8, 2021. Korea and Japan have agreed to resume flight services between major airports in their capitals early next month. YonhapKorea and Japan have agreed to resume flight services between major airports in their capitals early next month after suspending them for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a diplomatic source Friday.The Northeast Asian neighbors plan to reopen the air route between Gimpo International Airport in Seoul and Haneda Airport in Tokyo in early June, at the latest, the source said.While flights between Korea's main gateway Incheon International Airport and Japan's Narita International Airport have remained operational, services between the Gimpo-Haneda airports, more convenient in terms of public access, had been shuttered since March 2020.Late last month, a delegation sent by Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol to Japan proposed reopening the Gimpo-Haneda route among several measures to boost people-to-people exchanges during its meetings with Japan's Prime Ministe

May 6, 2022
Gimpo-Haneda flight service to resume early next month: diplomatic source
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