Around 94 percent of tickets for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games have been sold, as the Olympics hit its halfway point.Sung Baik-you, spokesperson for the PyeongChang Organizing Committee, said at a press conference held at the Main Press Center in PyeongChang on Sunday that approximately 1 million tickets have been sold as of Saturday evening.This accounts for 94 percent of the target sales, which is 1,068,000 tickets. Crowds fill the stands at Kwandong Hockey Center in Gangneung on Monday, w

Olympic Games Feb. 18, 2018

North Korean cheerleaders showed up at the men’s giant slalom games held at Yongpyong Alpine Center on Sunday, drawing the attention of spectators and reporters at the venue. The cheerleaders sported sunglasses while cheering for North Korean alpine skiers who competed at the games. The cheerleading squad was seen holding both the Korean Unification Flag and the flag of North Korea.  North Korean cheerleaders wear sunglasses at the men’s giant slalom games that started Sunday at 10:15 a.m. Cheer

Olympic Games Feb. 18, 2018

Sunglasses in the shape of the Olympic rings, which have gained mounting interest online, are available for free, but you will have to be quick.The iconic sunglasses in the shape of the Olympic rings are being handed out at the Medals Plaza within the PyeongChang Olympic Plaza. They will be given out randomly during the Olympic Games period, but it’s first come, first served. The sunglasses are not sold at official goods stores of the PyeongChang Olympics. This has led them to “sell out” within

More Sports Feb. 13, 2018

1. Oh Wonder (Oh Wonder's Instagram)Feb. 20 (Tues.) 9 p.m.MUV-HallTickets: 80,000 won (purchase on the spot from 6 p.m.)http://ticket.yes24.com/Pages/Perf/Detail/Detail.aspx?IdPerf=28878 A London-based alt-pop duo, Oh Wonder are holding their first concert in Korea after their first-ever performance here at Holiday Land Festival, July 2017. The duo has released two studio albums so far, both of which have gained favorable reviews -- their self-titled debut album and “Ultralife.” Their voices cre

Performance Feb. 13, 2018

Gangneung, the sub-host city of the PyeongChang Winter Games, is facing an unforeseen boom in its local coffee scene.This year, Gangneung’s annual coffee festival takes place during the Winter Olympic Games, from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25 under the name, “2018 Gangneung World Winter Coffee Festival: JazzPresso.”On the first weekend after the Olympic Games kicked off, many foreign visitors could be seen at Anmok Beach, which is known for having cafes line the beach. Visitors to Gangneung spend time on Gy

Olympic Games Feb. 12, 2018

Those heading to the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games will have to leave their hot beverages behind.Spectators are not allowed to bring thermoses or glass containers to the Olympic opening ceremony, set to be held Friday at 8 p.m., due to safety reasons.Organizers of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics said that such containers could be thrown at spectators or used as dangerous explosives. Empty thermos and glass containers are banned as well, along with those containing beverag

Olympic Games Feb. 9, 2018

Passengers on the Super Rapid Train will be able to enjoy live broadcasts of the Winter Olympics aided by the extended capacity of the train’s wireless internet. SR, the operator of SRT, said Thursday that it is extending trains’ on-board wireless network capacity by 150 percent during the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games.SRT, a high-speed train which started service in December 2016, operates two lines, connecting southern Seoul with Busan to the southeast and Mokpo, South Jeolla Provin

Technology Feb. 8, 2018

McDonald’s Korea launched three new menu items Wednesday as one of the official partners of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.The Golden Potato Burger, Golden Potato Tomato Muffin and Golden Potato Bacon Muffin are now available at McDonald’s Korea. The Golden Potato Burger (McDonald's Korea)The Golden Potato Burger consists of two beef patties, fried potatoes, white cheddar cheese and pine mushroom sauce, while the other two are breakfast items that each contain tomatoes, bacon and frie

Industry Feb. 7, 2018

A mobile simulation game with K-pop phenomenon BTS is to be released in the first half of the year.Korean publisher Netmarble Games introduced “BTS World” in the lineup of new games at the 4th Netmarble Together with Press, held Tuesday. “BTS World” is a mobile game where users can manage and train members of the Korean idol group.  (Netmarble)Bang Jun-hyeok, chairman of Netmarble’s board of directors, said that musical and visual content of BTS had been made exclusively for the game. More than

Industry Feb. 6, 2018

The number of cryptocurrency-related app users has continued to go down in the past two weeks, shortly after it topped 2 million.Wiseapp, which tracks mobile apps, said Tuesday that it had analyzed approximately 23,000 Android smartphone users in Korea over a span of 14 weeks, from Oct. 30, 2017 through Feb. 4. The number of people using smartphone apps which show cryptocurrency exchange rates and market analysis have surged more than 14-fold from 140,000 in the first week of November to 2 milli

Technology Feb. 6, 2018

Three Asiana flights leaving Incheon Airport on Sunday were delayed because of passengers who had loaded their luggage but did not show up.According to the airline, a flight bound for Beijing scheduled for 8:20 a.m. was delayed for about an hour and 50 minutes, as 50 passengers did not show up at the gate. Unloading the luggage of those 50 passengers led to the delay, forcing the 115 passengers onboard the plane to wait until around 10:10 a.m. for the plane to take off.Another flight bound for O

Social Affairs Feb. 4, 2018

A range of Korean regional cuisine will be available at K-Food Plaza in Festival Park, located near PyeongChang Olympic Plaza, during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.K-Food Plaza opened Saturday and will operate through Feb. 25. It is set to reopen during the Paralympic Games, from March 8-18.As of Sunday, regional specialties from Wonju and seafood from Korea’s neighboring seas are included in the list of food to be presented at K-Food Plaza.  Peach bulgogi (Yonhap)Visitors can try traditi

Food Feb. 4, 2018

In South Korea, university students are emerging as the most active users of Instagram, a photo-sharing app which now has more than 800 million monthly active users worldwide. Its image-based interface and the ‘hashtag (#)’ feature are suited to Korean youths’ desire to express themselves and hunt for hotspots. With around 70 percent of high school graduates going to university here, undergrad students in Korea consist mainly of those in their early to mid-20s. Koreans in their 20s use Instagram

Technology Feb. 1, 2018

Naver’s live broadcasting service ‘V Vietnam’ saw the number of monthly users reach 3.3 million in January, the Korean portal operator said Wednesday.This means that the Vietnamese version of video streaming app ‘V’ has seen a tenfold growth in the number of users who used the service at least once a month since its launch in January 2016.Launched in September 2015, V is a real-time broadcasting service that allows users worldwide to stream videos of K-pop stars or celebrities. Personal videos t

Industry Jan. 31, 2018

Video game addiction may be a problem that some North Koreans face along with their South Korean counterparts.North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Shinmun said Monday that “If the world does not put in effort to address the dependence on entertainment (referring to gaming addiction), many more people will suffer from its damaging effects.”The article claimed that “most electronic games pouring out from capitalist nations destroy sound minds of teenagers and are harmful both mentally and ideo

North Korea Jan. 29, 2018