WOSM plans early departure of participants from World Scout Jaboree site due to typhoon Khanun

SEOUL -- The World Organization of the Scout Movement, the main international Scouting organization, has said that it plans an early departure of participants from a massive Jamboree site located on the southwestern coast of South Korea due to Typhoon Khanun, described as "very strong" that is expected to hit the southern coast of the Korean peninsula and move northwards this week. The 25th World Scout Jamboree held in Saemangeum, a reclaimed land area some 200 kilometers (

August 7, 2023

Osaka selected by S. Koreans as favorite vacation spot in 1H 2023

SEOUL -- Osaka, Japan's western city where the country's main seaport nests, was South Koreans' favorite getaway destination during the first half of 2023, data released by the transport ministry showed. Among the list of top 10 tourist destinations, there were four Japanese cities while the other six were located in the Southeast Asian region. According to aviation traffic data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on August 7, the flight route bet

August 7, 2023

Seoul's southern district joins Viet Nam's healthcare exhibition to attract more medical tourists

SEOUL -- At an international exhibition to promote medical products and devices in Ho Chi Minh City, Gangnam, a southern district in Seoul well known for rapper Psy's 2012 song "Gangnam Style," is promoting South Korea's medical technology to attract more Vietnamese patients. In 2022, medical tourists from Viet Nam to Gangnam was the sixth largest group with 2,806 after the United States, China, Thailand, Japan, and Mongolia. Data released by South Korea's health

August 4, 2023

14 people injured in car and stabbing rampage in Seoul's satellite city

SEOUL -- A man in his 20s has hurt at least 14 people by intentionally hitting pedestrians with a car and stabbing people at a department store in Seongnam, a southeastern satellite city of Seoul. 12 victims were found to be seriously injured, including a woman in her 60s who was hospitalized with cardiac arrest. The police received the report around 5:59 p.m. (0859 GMT) on August 3. The incident happened near Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast o

August 4, 2023

Convenience store chain CU starts drone delivery service for water parks

SEOUL -- The operator of South Korea's largest convenience store chain CU is currently delivering various food and medical items using a drone to two water parks in Seongnam, a southeastern satellite city of Seoul. BGF Retail, the operator of CU, said in a statement on August 1 that the company started a drone delivery service in the Tancheon water parks. Anyone can receive products such as snacks and quasi-drugs using a QR code. The service is part of Seongnam City's project

August 1, 2023

Number of S. Korean overseas travelers surpasses six mln in July

SEOUL -- The number of South Korean overseas travelers exceeded six million in July, recording the highest number of overseas flyers after the COVID-19 pandemic. Among some 6.4 million outbound travelers, about 1.7 million South Koreans visited Japan. The operator of South Korea's main gateway Incheon International Airport estimated that about 5,202,500 people traveled to foreign countries through its airport. An estimated number of about 1,205,440 went abroad to other seven airpor

August 1, 2023

Number of immigrant families continues to increase in S. Korea

SEOUL -- Recent data released by South Korea's state statistical information service has shown that the number of foreigners who stayed in South Korea for at least three months increased by 6.2 percent year-on-year in 2022, surpassing 1.75 million. The number of families that contain at least one member of foreign background reached 399,396, up 3.7 percent from a year ago. South Korea is experiencing a significant aging phenomenon, with about 30 percent of its population expec

July 31, 2023

S. Korean health authorities on alert due to possible highly pathogenic avian influenza infection

SEOUL -- South Korea's disease control body has been put on high alert after two stray cats at an animal shelter near central Seoul were diagnosed with avian influenza (H5N1) in the last week of July. Another cat was suspected of being infected with deadly influenza after it died while being diagnosed at a different shelter four days past the initial diagnosis of the two street cats. Cats are one of the few species that can get infected with avian influenza. The specific virus that

July 31, 2023

Number of foreign tourists to S. Korea in June surpasses 960,000, up 321.9 percent year-on-year

SEOUL -- Thanks to the reopening of borders and lifting of regulations on mandatory face masks in public areas, the number of foreign tourists in South Korea soared 321.9 percent year-on-year in June 2023, exceeding 960,000. This is the highest number of visitors since the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea recovered 65 percent of the number of tourists in June 2019, before the first wave of the pandemic hit the country. Data released by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) on July 28

July 28, 2023

​Türkiye's deputy social minister attends memorial ceremony at UN Cemetery in Busan

SEOUL -- Türkiye's Deputy Minister of Family and Social Services Ministry has attended a special memorial ceremony held to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended the fighting in the Korean War (1950~1953). The Turkish Embassy in South Korea said in a statement on July 27 that Zafer Tarıkdaroğlu, Deputy Minister of Family and Social Services, attended the commemoration ceremony held at the United Nations Ceremony in the southern port city of Busan. Th

July 28, 2023