Top Gyeonggi Province spots for gazing at full moon on Chuseok

Ranging from hanbok to food and games, the traditions of Chuseok are what make this major Korean holiday more special. Another distinctive Chuseok tradition is celebrating the mid-autumn full moon, during which people come together and pray for a plentiful year. Just in time for Chuseok, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization has unveiled the province’s top spots for gazing at the moon. Gapyeong Starlight Garden, formerly known as Hwaak Tunnel Ssamji Park, is Gyeonggi Province's highest place

TravelSept. 14, 2024

[What to Play] Timeless songs to share with family on long Chuseok drives

With Chuseok beginning this weekend, long hours of driving in heavy traffic to visit family in people's hometowns await. Here are some timeless songs to listen to in the car that bridge generation gaps between parents and children. Lee Moon-sae’s “Sunset Glow” Released in 1988, this ballad by Lee Moon-sae, a Korean pop icon since his debut in 1978, remains a favorite. The song's enduring appeal is evident as it was also covered by legendary K-pop boy group Big Bang

weekenderSept. 14, 2024

Long Chuseok holiday perfect for exploring hometown attractions

Whether you are heading home to reunite with family or plan on traveling domestically, Chuseok -- celebrated on Aug. 15 of the lunar calendar, and falling on Tuesday Sept. 17 this year, with the holiday break running Monday through Wednesday -- is a great time to explore different cities and counties in South Korea. Avoid the last day of Chuseok holiday, however, when millions of South Koreans travel back to cities, especially the capital of Seoul. For those who will be staying in the southweste

TravelSept. 14, 2024

Over half of Koreans plan to spend same on Chuseok gifts as last year: KCCI survey

Most South Koreans showed positive sentiments about spending more on Chuseok gifts this year, despite the ongoing inflation and economic challenges, a recent survey found. According to the survey conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the nation’s largest business lobby, more than half of respondents, or 56.2 percent, planned to spend a similar amount on Chuseok gifts as they did last year, while 29.1 percent said they would increase their spending. The survey polled 1,00

IndustrySept. 14, 2024

N. Korea pledges deeper ties with Russia as security chief visits

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to deepen ties with Russia as he held talks with visiting security chief Sergei Shoigu, state media reported Saturday. Western powers have accused cash-strapped North Korea of selling ammunition to Russia in defiance of sanctions over the more than 30-month war in Ukraine. North Korea has recently bolstered military ties with Russia, with President Vladimir Putin making a rare visit to Pyongyang in June, where he signed a mutual defence agreement with Kim.

North KoreaSept. 14, 2024

Traffic heavy on expressways on 1st day of Chuseok holiday

Traffic was backing up heavily on many expressways across the country Saturday and is expected to ease at around 8 p.m., on the first day of the Chuseok holiday. Chuseok, which falls on Tuesday this year, is the Korean autumn harvest celebration during which people head to their hometowns to get together with family members and relatives and visit their ancestors' graves. The Chuseok break runs for five days from Saturday to Wednesday. According to the Korea Expressway Corp., major highways

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2024

OpenAI's stunning $150 bln valuation hinges on upending corporate structure, sources say

OpenAI's new financing round is expected to come in the form of convertible notes, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter, who said its $150 billion valuation will be contingent on whether the ChatGPT-maker can upend its corporate structure and remove a profit cap for investors. The details of the conditions of the $6.5 billion funding, which have not been previously reported, show how far OpenAI, the most valuable AI startup in the world, has come from a research-based no

World NewsSept. 14, 2024

China retail sales, industrial production slow in August

BEIJING -- Chinese retail sales and industrial production growth slowed in August, official data showed Saturday, as leaders in Beijing seek paths to achieve growth targets despite consumers' reluctance to spend. More than a year and a half since abolishing strict Covid-19 measures that had dampened activity, the world's second-largest economy has yet to achieve a highly anticipated post-pandemic recovery. A prolonged debt crisis in China's vast property sector, continued deflatio

World NewsSept. 14, 2024

China new home prices fall at fastest pace in over 9 years in August

BEIJING - China's new home prices fell at the fastest pace in more than nine years in August, official data showed on Saturday, as supportive measures failed to spur a meaningful recovery in the property sector. New home prices were down 5.3 percent from a year earlier, the fastest pace since May 2015, compared with a 4.9 percent slide in July, according to Reuters calculations based on National Bureau of Statistics data. In monthly terms, new home prices fell for the fourteenth straight mo

World NewsSept. 14, 2024

Vietnam typhoon death toll rises to 233 as more bodies found in areas hit by landslides and floods

HANOI, Vietnam — The death toll in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam climbed to 233 on Friday as rescue workers recovered more bodies from areas hit by landslides and flash floods, state media reported. Flood waters from the swollen Red River in the capital of Hanoi were beginning to recede, but many neighborhoods remained inundated and farther north, experts were predicting it could still be days before any relief is in sight. Typhoon Yagi made landfall Saturday, setting off heavy

World NewsSept. 14, 2024

Nat'l badminton body rejects embezzlement allegations, threatens legal action

The beleaguered national governing body of badminton has pushed back against the embezzlement allegations recently raised by the sports ministry, threatening to take legal action in response. The Badminton Korea Association released a statement late Friday, three days after the ministry of culture, sports and tourism announced interim results of its probe into the badminton body's administration. The ministry launched the investigation last month after An Se-young, the women's single

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2024

Ambulance transport time rises 22% amid doctor shortage at hospital ERs: report

The number of emergency patient transports to hospitals that took more than an hour increased by 22 percent this year compared with the previous year, a National Fire Agency report showed Saturday, amid the protracted doctor walkout. According to the report submitted to Rep. Chai Hyun-il of the main opposition Democratic Party, the number of such cases from March to August came to 13,940 this year, up 22 percent from 11,426 cases tallied during the same period last year. In Seoul, 1,166 cases

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2024

Trump says he'll be able to solve 'most' problems related to N. Korea, Iran via 'phone calls'

WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Friday he will be able to solve "most of the problems" related to North Korea and Iran through "phone calls" and possibly in-person talks, as he commented on Pyongyang's rare disclosure of a nuclear facility and Tehran's supply of missiles to Russia. Trump highlighted his foreign policy chops during a press conference as various polls have shown the former president and his Democratic rival, Kamala

PoliticsSept. 14, 2024

US says 'only viable path' for peace is 'complete' Korean Peninsula denuclearization

WASHINGTON -- The "only viable path" toward lasting peace is through the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a State Department spokesperson said Friday, after North Korea made a rare disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility this week. The spokesperson made the remarks, renewing calls for Pyongyang to return to "constructive" dialogue and reaffirming America's "ironclad" security commitment to South Korea and Japan. The North'

PoliticsSept. 14, 2024

NK leader meets top Russian security official on 1st anniv. of Vostochny summit: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with the head of Russia's Security Council in Pyongyang and vowed to deepen the bilateral ties between the two countries, state media said Saturday. The meeting came on the anniversary of a rare summit between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin last year at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space center in Russia's Amur region, during which Kim pledged his "full support" for Moscow. During their talks Friday, Kim and Sergei Shoigu, secreta

North KoreaSept. 14, 2024

BOK likely to cut key rate in November: analysts

South Korea's central bank is likely to cut its policy rate in November, rather than in October, as it wants to be confident of a slowdown in household debt increase amid moderating inflation, analysts have said. The Bank of Korea has only two rounds of its monetary decision meetings left this year in October and November. Last month, the BOK kept interest rates unchanged at 3.5 percent, the highest level in about 16 years, for the 13th straight time. The central bank delivered seven cons

EconomySept. 14, 2024

US stresses reconnaissance efforts for Korean Peninsula after NK uranium enrichment site disclosure

The United States on Friday highlighted it has "devoted" more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets for security on the Korean Peninsula, after North Korea made a rare disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility this week. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby commented on the North's nuclear facility, saying that the US continues to monitor developments in the recalcitrant regime's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The North&#

North KoreaSept. 14, 2024

Daewoong unveils new Indonesian stem cell facility with GMP certification

South Korean drug maker Daewoong Pharmaceutical has announced the launch of a new stem cell plant in Indonesia, marking the 20th anniversary of its entry into the Indonesian market. The facility is set to drive large-scale research and development projects in collaboration with local pharmaceutical and biotech industries, according to the firm. The stem cell plant, established by Daewoong Biologics Indonesia -- a subsidiary of Daewoong Pharmaceutical -- will begin full-scale operations following

IndustrySept. 13, 2024

Suwon FC terminate contract with banned midfielder Son Jun-ho

Suwon FC announced Friday they have terminated their contract with Son Jun-ho, three days after the Chinese Football Association slapped the midfielder with a lifetime ban for match fixing. The CFA banned Son for participating in illegal transactions and manipulating matches while playing for Shandong Taishan FC in the top Chinese league from 2021 to 2023. Son was detained by the Chinese police in May 2023 over bribery allegations and was released in March this year. In a teary press conferenc

SoccerSept. 13, 2024

Doctors reject participation in govt.-led consultative body amid standoff over medical school quota hike plan

Doctors and medical professors announced a decision Friday not to join a consultative body proposed by the government and the ruling party to resolve the monthslong medical standoff, saying that it is "premature" to do so unless the government changes its course. Earlier this month, the government and the ruling People Power Party proposed the establishment of a joint consultative body involving rival parties and the medical community to discuss the government's medical reform plan tha

Social AffairsSept. 13, 2024