Sep 26, 2026
The number of international flight passengers using Korean airports rose around 10 percent in the January-August period from a year earlier despite a sharp rise in oil prices, data showed Saturday. A total of 68.44 million people used international flights in the first eight months of the year, up 9.8 percent from the previous year, according to the data from the airport portal information system of the transportation ministry. Experts said the yen's weakness and China's visa-free program for Korean nationals helped boost demand for flights to and from Japan and China. The number of travelers using Incheon International Airport, Korea's main gateway, for transit also increased amid the Middle East war. By destination, the number of travelers using flights linking Korea and Japan rose 20.3 percent on-year to 21.3 million in the cited period, and the number using China flight routes increased 23 percent to 13.6 million. Meanwhile, the number of passengers using flights to and from Southeast Asian nations markedly declined, the data showed. The number of travelers using flights linking Korea
Koo, 28, who works on a contract basis at a large company, is growing anxious as the end of his contract approaches. Since his position does not offer the possibility of becoming a regular employee, he knows he must secure a job during the second half of this year. Until now, he has applied only to companies he really wanted to work for, but he is now prepared to consider any employer, including startups. “From what I can tell, the number of job postings this year seems to have fallen by half compared with last year,” Koo said. “I hate being compared with my cousins who have already found jobs, and I feel sorry toward my parents, so I don't want to go home for Chuseok.” For young people preparing for employment, Chuseok is not necessarily a welcome holiday. While Korea's economy is said to have recorded its highest-ever growth rate, driven by semiconductor exports, the gateway to employment for young people has narrowed to a gap smaller than the eye of a needle, leaving them reluctant to face their families. According to government data, the August employment rate among people ag
The world has a long and rich history of dragons. Various cultures have interpreted the powerful symbol differently, from the fire-breathing destroyers often seen in European settings, to the benevolent and compassionate images often found in ancient Asian spiritualties — notably shamanism and Daoism — and finally, to the adoption in Korean Buddhism of this rich symbolism found in almost every temple on the peninsula. The royal and imperial nature of dragon iconography is also recognized when referring to the peninsula's historical monarchies. For example, royal robes were embroidered with dragon imagery. The ceiling of the throne hall at Gyeongbok Palace features a golden dragon sculpture symbolizing the king's power. The same is true of most Asian entities. Dragons are also symbols of life, representing the planet's large-scale water cycle. An understanding of Korea’s dragon culture is an essential part of understanding Korea and its people. David A. Mason, a retired professor of cultural tourism, has been engaged in Korea since the early 1980s. He is a passionate storyteller,
Daily reports of domestic violence spiked by nearly 45 percent during last year's Chuseok holiday compared to an ordinary day — a pattern that has grown more pronounced each year since 2021, with authorities on heightened alert for this year's holiday. According to data from the National Police Agency obtained by Rep. Kim Yea-ji of the People Power Party, police received 8,017 domestic violence reports via the 112 emergency hotline during the seven-day Chuseok holiday from Oct. 3-9 last year. That translates to a daily average of 1,145 reports during the holiday period, 44.5 percent higher than the typical daily average of 792. Police received a total of 289,368 domestic violence reports throughout the year. During the Chuseok holiday, the daily average rose from 914 reports in 2021 to 915 in 2022, 937 in 2023 and 1,049 in 2024, before reaching 1,145 last year. In total, police received 4,568 reports over the five-day holiday in 2021, 3,660 over four days in 2022, 5,623 over six days in 2023 and 5,246 over five days in 2024. Amid this continued increase, police plan to strengthen protec
More than eight in 10 social media users in Korea said artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content and advertisements should be clearly labeled, reflecting growing discomfort over material that can appear artificial, misleading or difficult to verify. In a survey released Saturday by research firm Opensurvey, 85.6 percent of 900 YouTube, Instagram and TikTok users said social media platforms should disclose whether content was made using AI. Among respondents, 54.1 percent said such labeling was “absolutely necessary.” Support for disclosure was high across all three platforms: 88 percent among YouTube users, 85.3 percent among Instagram users and 83.3 percent among TikTok users. Nearly half of respondents, 49.9 percent, said AI-generated content felt artificial or awkward. Another 39 percent said they questioned whether its information was factual, while 33.8 percent said undisclosed AI use made them feel deceived. Only 11.4 percent described AI content as creative, 10.4 percent called it interesting and 9.6 percent said it felt new. The skepticism also extended to advertising. Am
An immersive exhibition on Seokguram, Korea’s UNESCO-listed Buddhist grotto in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, will open at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris next month to mark 140 years of diplomatic ties between Korea and France. Titled “Seokguram: The Millennium of Mystery of Buddhist Art,” the exhibition will run from Oct. 2 through March 13, 2027, presenting the spiritual and artistic legacy of the eighth-century artificial grotto through photography, tactile displays, contemporary art and digital technology. The center is organizing the exhibition with Korea Heritage Service, Gyeongju City and the Korea National University of Heritage. Seokguram was built during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) on Mount Toham in its ancient capital by shaping and assembling granite stones into an artificial cave. It is known for its stone Buddhist sculptures, including its central Buddha, as well as the architectural precision of its domed chamber. Seokguram was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1995 along with nearby Bulguksa Temple. The exhibition will feature photogr
Just a month after Saudi Arabia signed a regional mutual defence deal with Pakistan and Turkey, attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against the kingdom’s energy infrastructure and military sites are testing the pact’s limits. At a hastily convened meeting of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Riyadh on Friday, military chiefs of the three parties reaffirmed their commitment to collective defence, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The agency said the talks focused on “intelligence cooperation,...
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered an investigation into “nefarious” foreign activities in the Philippines, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Saturday.
MANILA, Philippines — Wage Order No. 28 took effect starting Saturday, Sept. 26, raising the minimum wage in Metro Manila by P60 for workers in both the nonagricultural and agricultural sectors. Under the new wage order, the daily minimum wage for nonagricultural workers increased from P695 to P755, while agricultural workers will receive P718 from
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is targeting an 85 percent reduction in plastic pollution by 2040 under a new national roadmap that seeks to prevent plastic waste at the source while improving collection, recovery and recycling nationwide. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the Philippine National Plastic Action Roadmap 2026-2040, launched in Makati
MANILA, Philippines — Severe Tropical Storm Queenie maintained its strength on Saturday morning as it continued to move northwestward over the Philippine Sea, the state weather bureau said. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in its latest typhoon bulletin, Queenie was last spotted 600 kilometers (km) east northeast of Ibtayat,
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A 50-year-old man was shot dead by motorcycle-riding assailants in Sitio Bontong, Barangay Camaman-an here on Friday, Sept. 25, police said. The victim, identified as Marlou Valmoria, a resident of the city’s Barangay Bonbon, was attacked at 11:15 a.m. and sustained a gunshot wound to the head, which killed him
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