Articles by No Kyung-min
No Kyung-min
minmin@heraldcorp.com-
Waning commitment? Govt. moves to abandon plan to reduce disposable cups
The South Korean government appears to be reconsidering its earlier plan to introduce a disposable cup return program by 2025, in spite of the country’s proliferation of cafes and their widespread use of single-use cups. Designed by the previous Moon Jae-in administration, the deposit-refund system for plastic cups mandates cafe and restaurant owners to impose a surcharge of 300 won ($0.23) on each takeaway cup, eligible for a refund upon return of the used cup. Ahead of its scheduled nati
Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2023
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[Subway Stories] Sillim remains young at heart
On the high-traffic Seoul Subway Line No. 2 sits Sillim Station in southwestern Seoul, which recently added the Sillim Line to Seoul’s sprawling web of metro stations. Sillim Station bustles with budding Seoulites, mostly university students and office workers, who take advantage of the neighborhood’s easy accessibility to universities like Seoul National University, as well as key business districts like Gangnam and Yeouido. Yet, it's not solely the location that adds to the
Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2023
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Top 10% of spenders devour half of all fried chicken sales: data
The expansion of the Korean fried chicken market has been driven by young Korean consumers using delivery services, with the biggest spenders accounting for nearly half of the sales, data showed Thursday. According to data released by KB Kookmin Card, a subsidiary of South Korea's KB Financial Group, the top 10 percent of individuals who splurge the most on Korean fried chicken constitute 41.5 percent of total fried chicken sales. On average, these individuals shell out approximately 80,0
Social Affairs Sept. 8, 2023
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‘Flower monk,’ social media’s latest sensation
A young Buddhist monk with a strong social media presence has created a sensation by selling out tickets to a temple tour program. According to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, a free nighttime tour of Hwaeomsa, which accepts 22 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, was fully booked in about four hours after booking opened. The program includes a tea time session with Venerable Beomjeong, who belongs to the temple located on Jirisan Mountain in South Jeolla Province. Venerable B
Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2023
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'Snap and share’: The rise of new museumgoers
Browsing through a collection of photographs on his smartphone, Kim, a 28-year-old Seoul resident, fondly revisited moments from a recent art exhibition. Before long, some of these digitized memories would find their place on his social media profile, joining the stream of posts from young South Koreans eager to flaunt their recent museum adventures online. “This customary practice of taking artsy photos has taken root fairly recently, ever since I came across my friend’s online po
Hashtag Korea Sept. 5, 2023
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Jeju loses grip on domestic visitors, hopes for Chinese return
Jeju, South Korea's southern resort island, saw a 16 percent drop in domestic tourist arrivals in the peak vacation season of July and August, data showed Monday. According to statistics provided by the Jeju Tourism Association, the volcanic island received some 2.13 million domestic tourists in the two-month period. That is about 397,000 less visits, compared to the previous year's figure of 2.53 million. Total tourist arrivals encompassing both domestic and foreign visitors came in a
Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2023
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Heat-related illnesses tripled this summer in Seoul
Seoul City has seen a threefold increase on-year in the number of serious heat-related illnesses this summer, authorities said Friday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Management Headquarters, a total of 158 cases were reported through 911 emergency calls between May 15 and Aug. 31. This year's figure is approximately three times larger than the 50 cases recorded last year. Of those patients, 104 were diagnosed with heat exhaustion, followed by 24 cases of heat stroke
Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2023
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Divorcees say they could've been more generous or caring in past marriages
Divorced singles looking for new relationships regretted not having been more generous and kind toward their partners during their marriages, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey of 516 divorcees (258 men and 258 women), conducted by South Korean matchmaking agencies Only U and Bien-Aller, the highest percentage of male respondents at 29.1 percent said they should have been "more generous" in their past married life, while 32.2 percent of female respondents regretted not hav
Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2023
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'PC bang' seek to hit refresh in post-COVID era
From dimly-lit dens shrouded in cigarette smoke in the 1990s to bright, cafe-like environments in the 2020s, South Korea's internet cafes – called “PC bang” in Korean -- have updated their appearance and services to stay relevant amid rapid changes in people's lifestyles and preferences here. These days, PC bang are stocked with state-of-the-art computer equipment and super high-speed internet, offering a myriad of video game titles for players, while serving as s
Hashtag Korea Aug. 29, 2023
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'Korean Zombie' wraps up MMA career at UFC Fight Night
"The Korean Zombie," Jung Chan-sung, a 36-year-old South Korean mixed martial arts veteran, lost his battle against former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Max Holloway at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Saturday, seeing the two-time UFC title challenger leaving the octagon for good. Despite being on the losing foot throughout the fight, the Korean Zombie gave his best during the adrenaline-fueled bout. Known for his never-back-down fighting style, J
More Sports Aug. 27, 2023
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[Weekender] Storytelling grannies share their love with children
Contagious laughter broke out among a group of 6-year-olds as 78-year-old Yang Moon-jah energetically narrated a Korean folktale about a fart competition between a man and a woman. The septuagenarian delivered the tale with impeccable clarity, ensuring every word resonated throughout the entire 20-minute storytelling session. Officially known as an "iyagi halmeoni" in Korean, which translates into "storytelling grandmother," Yang boasts nine years of storytelling experience w
weekender Aug. 26, 2023
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Have food deliveries had their heyday?
During COVID-19, social distancing forced Koreans to eat at home, leading many to seek solace in the convenience of delivered food. Now that life has essentially returned to normal, a new cost-benefit analysis is reshaping the food delivery landscape: declining numbers of orders, decreases in delivery jobs and increases in commissions, pushing up food prices and weighing down order volumes. According to Mobile Index, the big data analysis unit of local data tracker IGAworks, the number of users
Hashtag Korea Aug. 15, 2023
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[70th Anniversary] Joining the dots, connecting people
With The Korea Herald’s 70th anniversary comes an opportune moment to reflect on the path it has forged and the lives it has impacted. A number of readers have shared their journeys with The Korea Herald, many of which illustrate how the daily has evolved into being not just an English-language lens into Korean society, but also catalyzes personal growth, opens up new perspectives and serves as a cultural connector. Here are some of their stories. Expanding perspectives through a globa
Newsmaker Aug. 13, 2023
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Korean girl safe after abduction in suitcase in Philippines
An 8-year-old Korean girl, who had been abducted and taken away in a suitcase by a man on Cebu Island, Philippines, has returned home safely, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Friday. The girl appears unharmed, but was admitted to hospital for checks. According to officials and media reports, the girl had been taken from her home in Cebu at around noon, Thursday. Surveillance camera footage showed a man dragging a large suitcase before fleeing the scene in a car. The suspect, in his 30s, appe
Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2023
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Ice cream and snacks given out as Koreans try to make up for botched jamboree
From sharing a treat of 300 ice creams and delivering boxes of assorted snacks for Scouts, ordinary Koreans couldn’t help but do something to make amends for the botched World Scout Jamboree that took place in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province. Fredrik, an adult member of the Swedish contingent, shared with The Korea Herald the story of a mystery man who wanted to buy some ice cream for jamboree participants suffering from extreme heat. “We don’t know his name, but he wanted
Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2023
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