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  • Travel & Food

    Meet Korea’s pioneering ‘instant noodle critic’

    For many, instant noodles are a quick, cheap meal designed for convenience. But for Ji Young-jun, Korea's pioneering "ramyeon critic," they represent a lifetime of history, complex food science and a rapidly growing cultural phenomenon. Ji’s unconventional journey into the world of noodles began during a period of personal frustration. After enduring consecutive failures on Korea's grueling college entrance exam, he enlisted in the military. It was while wandering the aisles of the military commissary (PX) that he found an unexpected spark of inspiration. "Before finishing my service, I set a humble goal for myself: 'Let’s taste every single instant noodle available here,'" Ji recalls during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. "Astonishingly, that simple objective completely revitalized my military life and filled it with excitement. I wanted to carry this amazing energy into the civilian world, so in 2013, I began sharing my detailed reviews on social media." For a decade, Ji balanced his passion for instant noodles with a stable career as a primary school teacher. However,

    4 MIN READBy Park Jin-hai
    Meet Korea’s pioneering ‘instant noodle critic’
  • Travel & Food

    Hong Kong teams up with Korea's travel industry group to invite tourists back

    2 MIN READBy Baek Byung-yeul
    Hong Kong teams up with Korea's travel industry group to invite tourists back
  • Trends

    Why Gen Z are turning to 'worry stones' to ease anxiety

    2 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    Why Gen Z are turning to 'worry stones' to ease anxiety
  • People & Events

    'KPop Demon Hunters' director visits Lotte World Adventure

    1 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    'KPop Demon Hunters' director visits Lotte World Adventure
  • People & Events

    Exhibition honors heroes of Korean War

    2 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    Exhibition honors heroes of Korean War
  • Korean Heritage

    Rare shamanic paintings gain national heritage status

    2 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    Rare shamanic paintings gain national heritage status
  • Music

    Lim Yunchan wins Instrumentalist of the Year at Germany's top classical awards

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lim Yunchan wins Instrumentalist of the Year at Germany's top classical awards
  • Trends

    Rare Pokémon cards fetch premium prices among Gen Z, sparking thefts

    2 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    Rare Pokémon cards fetch premium prices among Gen Z, sparking thefts
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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.

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People & Events

'It's my duty': woman who asks grieving families about organ donation

At 3:20 a.m., the piercing ring of a cellphone shatters the nighttime silence. For Park Su-jeong, a 43-year-old organ procurement coordinator, the volume is permanently set to maximum. She must answer within three seconds, no matter how deeply asleep she is. When a hospital reports a patient with a devastating brain injury, Park sets out immediately, whether the call comes from Seoul or the farthest reaches of the country. From the moment she opens the hospital doors, she compartmentalizes her emotions. Her duty is to inform devastated families that their loved one's organs could save others. Yet, she adheres to one unyielding principle — never persuade. "Whatever decision they make, there must never be regrets left in the families' hearts," Park said. "Appealing to emotions by mentioning the beneficiary is strictly forbidden. The families of brain-dead patients should not feel like they decided something because they were caught up in the moment." The raw grief she encounters often manifests as rage. Some lash out, telling her she is lucky they do not hit her because she is a woman. O

Mar 10, 2026By Hankookilbo
'It's my duty': woman who asks grieving families about organ donation
Travel & Food

The next Dubai chewy cookie? Butter rice cakes go viral

Butter rice cakes, also known as butter mochi and butter tteok, are emerging as the next trending dessert following the Dubai chewy cookie, with long lines already forming at bakeries across Korea. Although some sources identify it with a dessert from Shanghai, the chewy treat is more similar to Hawaiian butter mochi and Filipino bibingka. It recently gained widespread attention on social media and is now becoming popular among younger consumers in Korea. As the trend spreads across platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, many local bakeries are introducing their own unique twists on the dessert. Butter rice cakes are made using basic baking ingredients such as eggs, sugar and butter. Recipes vary slightly, with some adding tapioca starch to enhance the chewiness. However, glutinous rice flour — the key ingredient — is what gives the dessert its signature chewy texture. Although the shapes and sizes differ from shop to shop, the defining characteristic remains the same: a crispy exterior paired with a chewy interior. What makes this dessert especially distinctive is the butter, which

Mar 10, 2026By Kim Sur-hyun
The next Dubai chewy cookie? Butter rice cakes go viral
Others

Sofitel Ambassador Seoul joins Virtuoso’s global luxury travel network

Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences, a French luxury hotel in Songpa District, southern Seoul, has joined the global luxury travel network Virtuoso as a global partner, the hotel said Tuesday, expanding its reach among high-end travel agencies and reinforcing its standing in the global luxury market. Opened in 2021, the property is Sofitel’s first combined hotel and serviced residence in Asia, offering 563 rooms. Built around a “Cultural Link” theme, it blends French and Korean influences through cuisine, art and design. Located near Jamsil Station on subway lines 2, 8 and 9, it offers convenient access across the city, including major business and shopping districts such as Gangnam. Incheon International Airport is about an hour away by car, while Gimpo International Airport can be reached in roughly 50 minutes. Considered one of the travel industry’s most influential networks, Virtuoso partners with more than 2,500 selected travel companies, including hotels, resorts and airlines, in about 100 countries and generates about $35 billion in annual sales. Unlike th

Mar 10, 2026By Park Ung
Sofitel Ambassador Seoul joins Virtuoso’s global luxury travel network
Travel & Food

4 easy mountain trails accessible by subway in Seoul

Minutes after stepping off the subway, visitors in Seoul can find themselves climbing toward mountain vistas high above the capital. In few other capitals can hikers leave a downtown train and begin an ascent almost immediately — a convenience officials say has helped turn “K-hiking” into a travel essential alongside Korean food and K-pop. The Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) has spotlighted four trails on Mount Bukhan, Mount Gwanak, Mount Nam and Mount Acha as must-visit routes this spring, citing their easy access, gear rentals and scenery that layers granite peaks with skyscrapers, royal palaces and the Han River. At the city-run Seoul Hiking Tourism Center sites near Mount Bukhan, Mount Bugak and Mount Gwanak, visitors can rent boots, clothing and trekking poles for a small fee, get trail information in four languages and store their belongings in lockers before setting out. Mount Bukhan, home to the popular Baegundae Peak course, remains the centerpiece, offering a steep but manageable two-hour climb that rewards even novice hikers with sweeping views of northern Seoul, ringe

Mar 10, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
4 easy mountain trails accessible by subway in Seoul
Arts & Theater

Interview8,800 km apart, towns in England and Korea explore how culture can revive declining regions

Aging populations, rural towns losing their pulse and main streets hollowed out by years of decline. It may sound like a familiar portrait of Korea’s struggling regional centers. But the same scene could just as easily be found 8,800 kilometers away in Stockport, a town in Greater Manchester, England. Once a thriving textile hub, Stockport saw its fortunes fade in the 20th century as Britain’s cotton industry collapsed. The decline stretched well into recent years as shops continued to shutter and residents drifted toward London, and later the booming city of Manchester. Today, neighborhoods around Stockport’s town center remain among the most deprived in the United Kingdom, grappling with demographic decline and elevated rates of disability and depression. It was to this landscape that the Manchester Digital Laboratory, better known as MadLab, made an unexpected move in 2018. Originally founded in 2009 in Manchester’s city center as a grassroots technology community organization, MadLab began with a simple idea: to create “human-sized spaces” where creatives could gather —

Mar 10, 2026By Park Han-sol
8,800 km apart, towns in England and Korea explore how culture can revive declining regions
Travel & Food

Foreigners flock to Chinese malatang eateries, host birthdays, believe rich soup is healthy

A growing global craze has seen foreigners flock to malatang restaurants to celebrate birthdays and go on dates. The trend has sparked widespread online sharing and lively discussions on Chinese social media. Malatang, which literally means “numbing, spicy and hot”, is a popular Chinese street food originating from Sichuan province in southwestern China. It consists of various self-selected meats, vegetables and noodles boiled in a broth. Often described as a “personal hotpot”, diners choose their ingredients by weight or skewer, making it a quick, affordable and comforting meal. Since 2025, malatang has been going viral worldwide, taking over streets across the globe. In Japan, visiting malatang shops has become a trendy activity among young women. On social media it is widely claimed that the broth contains more than 20 kinds of spices and Chinese herbs that can enhance beauty and even help weight loss. “There are more than 20 spices in this soup. After drinking it, your skin will glow,” said one Japanese woman. In Germany, some people have even skipped traditional birthday banq

Mar 10, 2026By SCMP
Foreigners flock to Chinese malatang eateries, host birthdays, believe rich soup is healthy
Books

Korean literature continues its global journey at London Book Fair

Renowned Korean writers, including novelist Gu Byeong-mo and award-winning children's book author Choi Yeon-ju, will be featured at this year’s London Book Fair, building on growing global interest in Korean literature. The Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) will operate the Korean booth at the event, where 10 Korean publishers will promote their own titles and the agency will showcase 101 additional books entrusted to it for overseas rights promotion. The fair runs from Tuesday through Thursday (local time). Munhakdongne will seek international publication deals for Gu's novel "Cut Wound," published last year. The book follows a woman who can read people’s memories and emotions by touching their wounds. The story unfolds after she encounters a businessman who seeks to exploit her unusual ability. The novel is currently a bestseller in Korea and recently won both the Kim You Jeong Newcomer Literary Award and the Hahn Moo-sook Literary Prize. Choi Yeon-ju’s “Mo Story” (2023) depicts the journey of a kitten through a forest and the process of building courage

Mar 9, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
Korean literature continues its global journey at London Book Fair
Travel & Food

4 places in Yeongwol to visit after watching ‘The King’s Warden’

Yeongwol, a quiet county of 36,000 people tucked into the mountains of Gangwon Province, was always there. Then the film "The King's Warden" hit 11 million admissions on Sunday, a little over a month after its Feb. 4 release, and suddenly everyone wants to see the place where a boy king spent his final days. The historical film follows Joseon’s sixth monarch, King Danjong (1441-57), who ascended the throne at age 12 and was later killed at 17 while in exile in this remote mountain town. Now the rest of Korea is paying attention. Local authorities report an average of 2,000 visitors a day since the film's release, rising to as many as 6,000 on weekends, with blogs and social media filling up with photos and reviews from those who made the trip. For those planning to follow, The Korea Times has compiled four destinations featured in the film that are worth visiting. Cheongnyeongpo Cheongnyeongpo, where Danjong was first exiled, is one of Yeongwol’s most historically significant sites. The young king stayed there only briefly before moving to nearby Gwanpungheon after flooding made the a

Mar 9, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
4 places in Yeongwol to visit after watching ‘The King’s Warden’
Arts & Theater

Rapper Cheetah finds new voice in painting

Rapper Cheetah is stepping into the gallery, trading her microphone for a paintbrush. In her first upcoming solo exhibition at the Hwangchangbae Museum in western Seoul, the singer-turned-artist presents 22 paintings that trace the pulse of life across nature, animals and humans. The exhibition will open Monday. Titled “Voices Beyond Sound,” the show turns its gaze toward lives bruised, sacrificed or silenced by environmental pollution and ecological destruction. Through these canvases, Cheetah said, she hopes to raise a more fundamental question about “the sacrifices made in the name of progress and humanity’s restless appetite for the next new thing.” “These animals don’t know why the Earth is breaking down, why it’s becoming messier and hotter, or why they are the ones who have to suffer. Yet they still endure that pain. I wanted to capture that look in their eyes through painting,” the rapper said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. Using a mix of oil paint, pastel, crayon and sand, Cheetah conjures up a menagerie of animals on canvas, from horses and foxes to

Mar 8, 2026By Park Han-sol
Rapper Cheetah finds new voice in painting
People & Events

Plan for Korean War memorial park in Seoul gains momentum

The ambitious vision to build a memorial park for U.N. veterans in the heart of Seoul has gained significant momentum following a high-level meeting between South Korean and U.S. representatives. Lee Young-hoon, chairman of the Korean War U.N. Veterans Memorial Association and senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, reaffirmed the joint commitment during a meeting with the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation (KWVMF) in Virginia, Tuesday (local time). Lee and KWVMF Chairman John Tilelli, a former commander of U.S. Forces Korea, signed a formal agreement and issued a joint statement to cooperate on establishing the tentatively named "U.N. Veterans Memorial Park" in Seoul. The project aims to preserve historical truths and stand as a symbol of the unwavering alliance forged during the 1950-53 Korean War. The brutal three-year struggle ended in a stalemate with an armistice agreement, which resulted in the long-standing division of the Korean Peninsula into North and South, demarcated by the Demilitarized Zone. The association, officially launched in November 2025 following an inaugur

Mar 7, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Plan for Korean War memorial park in Seoul gains momentum
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