Just an hour's drive from Seoul, in the scenic Gilsang-myeon area of Ganghwa Island, lies Art Factory Charmgiroom, an immersive media art museum and exhibition space. Once one of the largest sesame oil factories in South Korea, this expansive 23,000-square-meter complex has been upcycled into a cultural space. The centerpiece of Art Factory Charmgiroom is its immersive media art exhibition hall which stands at an impressive 8 meters tall and stretches 120 meters in length. The exhibitio

Social Affairs Aug. 3, 2024

Im Ae-ji secured a thrilling 3-2 split decision victory against Yeni Arias of Colombia in the women's 54-kilogram quarterfinal bout at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday night in the French capital. This achievement means South Korea will have its first Olympic boxing medal in 12 years, following the London Games where silver was won by Han Soon-chul, who is on hand at the Paris Games as Im's coach. As there is no match for third place in boxing, getting to the semifinals guarantees

More Sports Aug. 2, 2024

Korean sharpshooter Kim Ye-ji is experiencing overnight stardom, with social media swooning over her cool aura as she casually broke a world record at an air pistol competition earlier this year. A 27-second video of Kim performing in the 25-meter air pistol final at the ISSF World Cup, held in May in Baku, Azerbaijan, is circulating on social media, including X. One post by X user Del Walker, sharing the clip with a comment “most ‘Main Character Energy’ I've ever seen

More Sports July 31, 2024

Since the women’s archery team event was introduced at the Olympics in 1988, South Korean women have never failed to win gold. On Sunday in Paris, they demonstrated once again their dominance, winning the 10th consecutive gold. The South Korean team, consisting of Lim Si-hyeon, Nam Su-hyeon and Jeon Hun-young, defeated China in a shoot-off to win 5-4 in the women's archery team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The match took place at Les Invalides in Paris on Sunday. President Yoon

More Sports July 29, 2024

South Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday by becoming the first South Korean to win the men’s sabre individual final. But at the moment of victory, Oh's mind was not just on gold, but also on his two retired teammates who had shared so much of his journey with him. "I grew up eating from the same pots with them, and their departure brought significant changes,” he said. "With the change in team members, we really faced a lot o

More Sports July 28, 2024

Workers living in Seoul identified crowded public transportation as their biggest stressor, according to a survey conducted on Wednesday. The survey, carried out by online recruiting company Job Korea, polled 1,010 people nationwide on the current status of work commutes this month. The survey revealed that the average commute from home to work takes 48.4 minutes per day. By region, those living in Gyeonggi Province had the longest average commute at 58.2 minutes, followed by Seoul residents at

Social Affairs July 25, 2024

As South Korea sees the increase of foreign residents, understanding their lives and the challenges they face here is becoming increasingly important. To explore these issues, The Korea Herald sat down with Chad Ebesutani, a licensed psychologist in both the US and South Korea who runs the Seoul Counseling Center. "There are many great things about Korea, such as the infrastructure, consumer lifestyle and culture, but there are also unique stressors," he said. The intense urban environ

Hashtag Korea July 20, 2024

How can a nation fight a suicide crisis? On this question, South Korea, known for having one of the world’s highest suicide rates, may become a compelling case study. Here, as of the end of 2021, one person dies by suicide every 40 minutes. While addressing the root causes of the crisis remains daunting, demanding a comprehensive approach to mental health and a stronger social safety net, critical work is being carried out on the frontlines of suicide prevention. These initiatives, some of

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

The number of business owners who filed for business closure approached 1 million last year, the highest number since related data began to be compiled in 2006. Business closures stood at about 986,400 in 2023, a near 14 percent increase from the previous year’s 867,200, shows data from the National Tax Service. The tally hovered around 800,000 between 2020 and 2022, before surging last year. The most common reason cited for closures was poor business performance, accounting for about 48

Social Affairs July 15, 2024

Illegal sales of fentanyl, a potent and highly addictive opioid, have increased significantly in South Korea, raising concerns among authorities and the public alike. Data obtained by Rep. Kim Yoon of the Democratic Party reveals that there were 202 online cases of illegal fentanyl sales detected by June 27 this year. This figure is 3.2 times higher than the 62 cases reported throughout the entire previous year. Fentanyl, while used medically as a powerful painkiller, is highly addictive even in

Social Affairs July 14, 2024

Older local residents pushing carts laden with discarded cardboard on the street have become a poignant symbol of South Korea’s elderly poverty crisis. These individuals roam the streets collecting cardboard boxes to sell to recycling centers. According to the Ministry of Welfare on Wednesday, at least 1 out of every 650 South Koreans aged 65 or older engage in the activity to make a living. Between February and May this year, there were 14,831 such individuals. Their average monthly inc

Social Affairs July 10, 2024

Cho Sung-min is a cat detective. His job is to locate house cats that have wandered from home and return them to their worried owners. When a client calls, he comes equipped with an array of tools like high-performance flashlights, selfie sticks, endoscope cameras, scoop nets, cat traps and even crowbars, in case he needs to open manholes. But it’s not the apparatus that matters. It’s knowing where to look that truly makes him a successful cat detective, he said. “Cats leave

Hashtag Korea July 10, 2024

“A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free."​ “What now on the other hand makes people sociable is their incapacity to endure solitude and thus themselves." More than ever before, the wisdom of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), a German philosopher, resonates with contemporary South Koreans who seek relief from relationship fatigue, social expectatio

Hashtag Korea July 9, 2024

A suspected human case of tularemia, a rare disease carried by rodents, insects and wild animals, was found in a resident of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, health authorities said Monday. A man in his 20s experienced abdominal pain and fever after eating raw beef liver at a restaurant on June 24. He was admitted to a local hospital, where he tested positive for the tularemia bacterium. Although he dined with a companion, only he exhibited symptoms. He recovered and was discharged from hospital on

Social Affairs July 8, 2024

Low birth rates are not just statistics; their implications are evident across various aspects of Korean society, including the vacation scene. As childless couples and solo vacationers emerge as key target customers, more South Korean hotels and resorts are adopting adults-only policies to cultivate a serene and sophisticated ambience for adult guests. This trend, coming on top of an increase in “no-kid” venues in the country, raises questions about inclusivity and how to balance

Social Affairs July 2, 2024