Category: Korea-General Topics

This a horrible likely accident in Anseong if it is true this guy simply lost control of his truck:

A tragedy struck at the site of a flea market in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday, as a small truck killed two volunteer workers and injured five others.

The victims were preparing for the event at a neighborhood park, when the vehicle ran them over at around 11:18 a.m. The two people who died were a woman in her 40s and her son, who was in middle school.

The five injured include a woman in her 20s who sustained fractures on both her legs.

Police are conducting interviews of the driver and eyewitnesses, while checking the surveillance footage to determine the cause of the accident, which occurred in an area normally not accessible to vehicles.

Investigators believe that the driver, in his 60s, lost control of the vehicle as he was entering the park.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

To me this is not surprising because not only does Korea have beautiful mountain scenery, but the trail infrastructure is really outstanding:

Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young, left, hikes a trail on Mount Bukhan in Seoul, Sunday, alongside famed mountaineer Um Hong-gil, right, and members of France’s trekking organization Fédération Française de la Randonnée. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Overseas visitors to Korea are increasingly choosing mountain peaks over historic palaces.

On Sunday, the trend was highlighted when 11 members of France’s Fédération Française de la Randonnée hiked in Bukhansan National Park with Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young and renowned climber Um Hong-gil.

The visit is part of a larger group of about 40 association members currently touring Korea in three separate 11-day trips, hiking not just Mount Bukhan, but also Hahoe Folk Village in Andong, Mount Nam in Gyeongju, Mount Geumjeong in Busan, Suncheon Bay and a temple stay at Hwaeom Temple near Mount Jiri. The Korea Tourism Organization arranged the trip as part of its marketing push for Korean walking tourism.

The timing lines up with a campaign the tourism agency launched in July with the Korea National Park Service, aiming to draw a combined 3 million visitors to national parks by 2028.

Under the initiative, foreign visitors can borrow hiking boots and trekking poles for free and receive a keychain souvenir at participating parks, lowering the barrier for tourists who arrive in Korea without gear or a plan.

That barrier has already been falling on its own. Foreigners accounted for roughly 2.05 million of the visits to Korea’s national parks last year, according to the Korea National Park Service, with Mount Halla on Jeju Island drawing the largest share at more than 270,000, followed by Mount Seorak and Mount Bukhan.

In Seoul specifically, foot traffic data from the Seoul AI Foundation showed foreign visitation climbing fastest not at palaces or shopping streets but at hiking spots, up 11.8 percent at Mount Acha and 10 percent at Mount Gwanak year-on-year.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It just goes to show that if you have enough money that it doesn’t matter how much your reputation is in tatters people will still flock to see you:

TerraPower founder Bill Gates arrives at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul on Aug. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)

American billionaire and founder of TerraPower Bill Gates arrived in South Korea on Thursday to meet with political and business leaders to discuss cooperation on next-generation nuclear reactors. 

Gates, who also chairs the Gates Foundation, landed aboard a private jet at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul at around 9:20 p.m., according to people close to the matter. He last visited Seoul just about a year ago. 

While in Seoul, Gates is expected to have a string of meetings with key figures in political and business circles for discussions on expanding partnerships in small modular reactors (SMRs) and other areas. 

He is expected to meet Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Friday and top business leaders, including SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Modern eating habits are definitely changing in South Korea:

Koreans are consuming significantly less kimchi than in the past despite the surge in global popularity of the country’s signature side dish, data showed Sunday.

According to a joint study by researchers from Chung-Ang University, Jeju National University, and the World Institute of Kimchi, the proportion of Koreans who reported eating no kimchi within the past 24 hours jumped from 11.7 percent in 2010 to 22.7 percent in 2024.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Dried reservoir

The Hagok Reservoir in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is seen nearly dried up, with most of its bed now exposed, on Aug. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)

Even without the small stones in it, this burger doesn’t sound to appetizing:

McDonald’s Korea ended sales of its new burger featuring locally produced corn after multiple customers reported biting into what they claimed to be small stones.

The global hamburger chain said on Sunday that it stopped selling the Chungju corn cheese croquette burger nationwide as of Thursday at 8 p.m.

Launched on July 9, the burger featuring a deep-fried cheese croquette filled with glutinous corn kernels from Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, was originally scheduled to remain on sale through Aug. 12.

A McDonald’s Korea official said company policy required sales to be suspended once three or more similar complaints had been received, adding that there were no plans to bring the burger back.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

It is currently scorching hot in Korea:

Temperatures soared to a record high of 42.5 C in the southeastern city of Yangsan on Sunday, as a scorching heat wave continues to grip South Korea, the state weather agency said.

The mercury reached 42 C in Yangsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 1:16 p.m. and further rose to 42.5 C at 1:26 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

It marked the highest reading since modern weather observations began on the Korean Peninsula in 1904, based on records from the KMA’s 97 long-term observation stations.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I wonder if San Francisco cleaned up the city for President Lee like they did when President Xi visited?:

President Lee Jae Myung wrapped up a two-day visit to San Francisco aimed at promoting artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation on Saturday and departed for Brazil as part of a three-nation South America tour for summits with regional leaders.

During his visit to San Francisco on Friday and Saturday, the South Korean president met with the chiefs of four global tech giants, including OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman and Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang, calling for closer partnerships with South Korean firms in AI.

At a separate high-level meeting attended by Lee, global tech giants and South Korean tech conglomerates agreed to pursue a series of cooperation projects worth a combined US$950 billion.

The projects include a long-term deal under which SK Group will supply $750 billion worth of high-performance semiconductors to Nvidia and others.

As part of the South America tour, Lee will first pay a four-day state visit to Brazil from Sunday, which will include a summit with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the capital, Brasilia, on Monday, followed by a business roundtable in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.

After Brazil, the president will travel to Chile and Argentina through Aug. 1.

The South America tour is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in critical minerals and supply chains.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.