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Lotus in bloom

Lotuses bloom in a pond near Mount Songni National Park in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, Wednesday./ Yonhap

Hanbit unit in S. Sudan

Korea’s 1st Lt. Suh Min-wook, a master of the traditional Korean martial art taekwondo, fastens a black belt around the jacket of a foreign soldier, who is in the United Nations peacekeeping mission, at a parade ground of the South Korean contingent “Hanbit” unit in the city of Bor, South Sudan’s Jonglei State, Wednesday. Suh gave black belts to 18 soldiers who are dispatched from India, Uganda, Ethiopia and Guatemala for peacekeeping activities./ Joint Press Corp

Today's topic news 제1회 세계 요가의 날

Changmin of TVXQ to join military

 By Lee Min-hyungMax Changmin of two-member boy group TVXQ will serve his mandatory military service as a conscripted policeman, his management company said Tuesday.The idol singer, 27, whose real name is Shim Chang-min, had applied to serve as a policeman and was recently admitted by the military manpower agency, according to SM Entertainment.Details of his enlistment are yet to be revealed.He debuted in 2003 with the idol group’s first single, “Hug.” He has since gained popularity, appearing in many dramas including “Athena: Goddess of War” that aired in 2010.Another group member, U-Know Yunho, 29, will join the army late this month.

Chains take a shot at low-priced coffee market

As low-priced coffee grows in popularity, more coffee retailers are vying to expand their market share. The photo shows cups of iced Americano from four major low-priced coffee drink retailers ­ from left: Paik’s Coffee, McDonald’s McCafe, Ediya Coffee and CU’s Delaffe. / Korea Times photo by Lee Min-hyungBy Lee Min-hyungA price war is brewing among four major low-priced coffee drink retailers vying to get a greater share of the market.Among the four retailers, which include Ediya Coffee, convenience store chain CU and McDonald’s McCafe, Paik’s Coffee is the fastest-growing. To date, the coffee drink retailer has achieved unparalleled success, opening 69 stores across the nation since it began franchising in February 2014.Paik’s Coffee “We sell about 1,000 cups every day, mostly Americanos,” said a Paik’s Coffee store manager in Seoul.Paik’s Coffee, headed by CEO Paik Jong-won of parent company The Born Korea, attributes its success in part to its lower prices and generous servings. A medium cup of iced Am

Student attempts suicide over bullying

By Lee Min-hyungA high school student allegedly rushed onto a road in an apparent suicide attempt after his seniors bullied him for more than a year.The student, 18, suffered verbal and physical violence after entering the school’s kendo, or Japanese fencing, club last year, the North Chungcheong Province Office of Education said Tuesday.But he cracked under the bullying and showed signs of mental illness, the office said.“There has not been serious violence among students after we investigated the incident,” a school official said. The seniors received five days of voluntary service at the school as punishment.“The victim did not want them to be punished seriously,” he said. “So we handed down the punishment according to the rules of the school.”

Pressure on floor leader

Saenuri Party lawmakers, including Rep. Rhee In-je, third from left, who represent North and South Chungcheong Province, attend a joint meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, to discuss the fate of the party floor leader, Yoo Seong-min. / Yonhap

Eating samgyetang

Foreign students participating in Hansung University’s international summer school program eat samgyetang, a traditional chicken soup with ginseng, ahead of chobok, the first of the traditionally three hottest days of the year, at the school’s campus in Seoul, Tuesday. Chobok falls on July 19 this year. Fourteen students from six schools in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand are attending the summer school program that kicked off on June 29 and will finish on July 24. The university has run the program since 2010 to help foreign students better understand Korean culture through hands-on experience. / Yonhap

Etiquette for backpackers

Students show how passengers can be inconvenienced by huge backpacks on a subway train in Seoul, Tuesday. They are running a campaign urging backpackers to hold their backpacks or put them on luggage racks. / Yonhap

For abolishing death penalty

Rep. Yoo Ihn-tae of the main opposition New Politics for Democracy (NPAD) submits a legislative bill calling for abolishing the death penalty to a National Assembly office in charge of receiving bills, while fellow lawmakers and religious representatives look on, Monday. Yoo claimed that the abolishment of capital punishment was an international trend, earning support from 171 lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party and the NPAD. The nation has not executed a criminal in the past 17 years, virtually becoming a country that has abolished the death penalty./ Yonhap