Underground shopping mall in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul. Korea Times file ● Affordable underground shopping malls and shops are replacing dark, dingy tunnels in Korea. ● Some underground spaces were originally intended as emergency bunkers against North Korean air raids. Underground spaces in large cities are typically perceived as dark, dingy places that people use as shortcuts to their destinations.   But in Korea, underground spaces are home to gl

Government 24's character "GoodPy” that provides virtual assistant services. Courtesy of Ministry of the Interior and Safety The government has been implementing more convenient and contact-free administrative services by combining AI and other Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies with government systems.   The move is in line with the Moon Jae-in administration’s Digital New Deal policy that was one of the two pillars of the Korean New Deal stimulus package unveiled by

Housewife Song Joo-ok's baby son. Courtesy of Song Joo-ok ● The government is wooing the “Me First” generation with generous childcare support. ● Millennials, Generation Z put personal wellbeing first and choose to forgo marriage to pursue personal growth. Song Joo-ok, a housewife living in Yongin south of Seoul who is pregnant with her second baby, fondly recalls something that happened last May when her husband visited City Hall to register the birth of the cou

gettyimagesbank The government will spend 22.5 trillion won (US$20 billion) on its Green and Digital New Deal initiatives this year, aiming to find sustainable growth engines for the Korean economy, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said.   According to an economic policy report released by the Finance Ministry, the government will keep accelerating its drive for New Deal projects throughout this year, focusing more on generating tangible outcomes.   The

Singers perform the national anthem of the 1897-1910 Korean Empire at the Appenzeller Noble Memorial Museum, June 30. Courtesy of the museum The Jeongdong area of Seoul experienced an influx of new Western culture and values during the late Joseon era, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the establishment of diplomatic missions, Western-structured schools and churches in the vicinity of Deoksugung Palace, the residence for King Gojong.   As a result, the