When you have never pitched a tent or roughed it for a night, glamping -- a combination of glamor and camping -- might seem like the only way to give it a shot. But it does not always have to be a “glamorous” version of camping with resort-like services for beginners to best enjoy pristine natural surroundings, argues Hwang Woo-jong, general manager of Kolon Sport Camping Park.Kolon Sport Camping Park is located in Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province. Photo: Kolon Sport“The first thing kid

Travel June 1, 2018

Official campaigning begins Thursday for next month’s local elections and parliamentary by-elections in South Korea, amid ongoing talks between North Korea and the US. National Election Commission office. YonhapNationwide campaigning will take place until the eve of the elections on June 13 in a time of high-approval ratings for President Moon Jae-in, who took office in May last year and promised inter-Korean peace. Aided by Moon’s latest average approval rating of 72.7 percent, according to sur

Social Affairs May 30, 2018

The Supreme Court indicated that it will cooperate with the prosecution in investigating former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae over allegations that he kept a secret list of judges and their political orientations. On Tuesday, Chief Justice Kim Myeong-so of the top court told reporters on his way to work that “all options are on the table” in response to questions on whether the prosecution could launch a separate investigation into Yang. The remark came a day after Kim said he was “disappointed”

Social Affairs May 29, 2018

Among cyclists, there is a common saying that no one owns the roads. Bicycles should be permitted on the roads as much as they are on bike paths, they argue. However, if the Eunpyeong district government has its way, they will soon have to get off their bikes when using pedestrian crossings.  A warning sticker on the side of a pedestrian crossing in Yeokchon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, says “Get off your bike.”The northwestern district in Seoul issued a press release on Monday saying the district

Social Affairs May 28, 2018

For many cities, widening roads and building more flyovers can be a solution to traffic congestion. However, from the pedestrians’ point of view, it can lead to less walking space and missing links between buildings. When the Seoullo 7017 opened in Seoul last year, Mayor Park Won-soon’s goal was clear: making the city “more walkable” by creating bike paths, pedestrian-only roads and redesigned sidewalks to make them more pedestrian-friendly, all ways to reduce vehicle traffic. The former Seoul S

Social Affairs May 27, 2018

As a valet driver, Kim Sung-jin, 54, follows two rules that he set for himself -- always smile at his customers and park their cars right. “When you leave your key with me, you expect one thing and one thing only: that you don’t have to drive an extra hundred meters searching for a parking spot,” said Kim, who has worked 11 years for a local Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.“Nothing gets on customers’ nerves more than inadequate spaces for parking,” Kim said. “People can drop

Social Affairs May 25, 2018

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is recruiting 33 international students here for its 22nd biannual global internship program from Friday to June 3. Seoul-based foreign undergraduate or graduate students, including exchange students whose visas are valid until Aug. 20, are eligible to apply, the city said Thursday. Seoul City HallOnce selected, interns will work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Seoul City Hall and affiliated organizations for a seven-week period between July 2 and Aug. 20 this year. Th

Social Affairs May 24, 2018

Two baseball players for the Seoul-based Nexen Heroes who are under investigation for alleged sexual assault told police that there was no use of force or violence against a woman at an Incheon hotel, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, according to media reports Thursday. Pitcher Cho Sang-woo (left) and catcher Park Dong-won of Nexen Heroes (Yonhap)The two teammates, pitcher Cho Sang-woo, 23, and catcher Park Dong-won, 28, have been placed on suspension without pay by the Korea Baseball Organization,

Social Affairs May 24, 2018

The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, Embassy of Bangladesh and Korean public institutions jointly held the first Bangladesh Investment Seminar in Seoul on Friday, with the aim of attracting global capital to the booming, lucrative South Asian market.The three-hour event was attended by BIDA executive chairman, Kazi M. Aminul Islam, Bangladeshi Ambassador to Korea Abida Islam, and senior officials from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources as well as the Banglad

Diplomatic Circuit May 21, 2018

Park Won-soon, the incumbent Seoul mayor who is running for his third term, announced his election manifesto Sunday, saying he would make Seoul a “smart city” by boosting artificial intelligence and bio health sectors. Mayor Park Won-soon (left), Ahn Cheol-soo (middle) and Kim Moon-soo. YonhapPark made the pledge in his manifesto issued ahead of the June 13 local elections, highlighting six strategic sectors that the city hopes to expand, including the internet of things, AI, big data and bio he

Social Affairs May 20, 2018

-대한항공 지상조업체 직원들, 활주로 매연 장시간 노출에 기관지 질환 등 호소-차량 운전석 덮는 캐노피 설치 수년간 요구해도 사측, “마스크 써라” 묵살 -캐노피 없는 항공 차량, 악천후 때 기내 승객 안전에도 직접적인 영향 미칠 수 있어 -직원들, “명백한 산업안전법 위반” -“한국공항의 장비 구입 권한 사실상 조양호 회장이 독점. 직원들의 안전은 뒷전이고 오로지 비용 절감에만 혈안” 내부 제보도-공항 매연관리 주무부처 국토부도 기준치 초과 차량 점검 ‘주먹구구식’으로 진행해 　공항 차량 배기가스에 무방비로 노출돼 있는 대한항공 계열사 한국공항 직원들에 대해 주무부처인 국토교통부가 관리는커녕 수수방관하고 있다는 지적이 이어지고 있다. 특히 한국공항은 항공기 견인, 급유, 수하물 운반 과정에서 매연과 미세먼지를 직접적으로 들이마시는 직원들의 대책마련 요구를 수년 간 묵살해 온 것으로 코리아헤럴드 취재 결과 드러나 ‘또 다른 갑질 피해 사례가 아니냐’는 비판을 피하기 힘들 것으로 보인

한국어판 May 18, 2018

Among the biggest -- and most exciting -- events in university life in Korea are the campus festivals that are held annually across the country. Konkuk University’s campus festival posterVarying in format and size from university to university, the festivals usually take place for two to three days in May, frequently featuring K-pop celebrities and artists.The May university festival season also means rampant ticket scalping by students.According to posts on several university online communities

Social Affairs May 18, 2018

Korea Airport Service, a subsidiary of Korean Air, has been exposing employees to airborne carcinogens against safety regulations, the employees claimed Thursday.Korea Airport Service's towing tractor is seen with no cover at the back seat. Photo credit: Kim Byung-sooThe ground personnel at Incheon International Airport who handle Korean Air’s cargo, refueling and other ground operations say that the vehicles they use “have no canopy that properly covers the driver’s seat.” According to the empl

Social Affairs May 18, 2018

CHEORWON, Gangwon Province -- Small towns across South Korea are on the verge of collapse. For decades, young people from rural villages have been moved to Seoul in search of employment, never to come back. Their elderly parents are left to themselves in the hometowns, wondering what will become of their farms. The economic fallout of the demographic shift has been devastating, according to local residents interviewed by The Korea Herald in Gangwon Province.  Closed stores and restaurants are se

Social Affairs May 16, 2018

Seoul city will offer free office space and incubation programs to startups run by foreign residents, the city said Tuesday. The program is run by Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Seoul Global Center and the Seoul Business Agency. Seoul Global CenterLaunched in 2010, the city’s support program for foreign startup groups has been provided to a total of 160 teams as part of measures to promote local industry. This year, 16 teams -- 13 in the Jongno center and three in the Gangnam center of the Seou

Social Affairs May 15, 2018