The South Korean government said Thursday that it will soon begin work on the modernization and expansion of a major port south of Seoul in an effort to meet the growing number of Chinese tourists.The program also seeks to expand the capacity of the passenger terminal at the Pyeongtaek port, located some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.The move comes as the number of international tourists using the seaport has been growing steadily, jumping nearly

Ulsan-based expat volunteering group We-hope has applied for nongovernmental organization status in a bid to step up its activities and improve transparency.The group, which until recently operated as T-HOPE ― its Facebook page still has that name ― has been running since 2009, volunteering at orphanages, children’s centers and elsewhere.The group was founded by Dan Gauthier, with the initials standing for Teachers Helping Other People Everywhere. Nate Mandigo, who took over running the group wi

The New Zealand, Australian and British chambers of commerce will host a rugby charity dinner Tuesday, with a World Cup-winning coach and a Korean Olympian among the guest speakers.The 2015 Rugby World Cup Charity Dinner will feature keynote addresses by Graham Henry, coach of the 2011 Rugby World Cup-winning New Zealand All Blacks, and Olympic gold medalist Chang Mi-ran, who will speak on sporting excellence. The dinner will generate funds for three charities ― Helping Hands Korea, Jeon Jin San

The Gwangju International center will host an outdoorsy GIC tour for people into energetic activities this month.The tour will visit Gokseong and include activities along the Seomjingang River.The first stop on the tour will be a walk up the valley toward Dorimsa Temple. The scenic valley has been named a provincial monument. After the valley the tour will stop for lunch, which will be trout sashimi and trout soup ― specialties of the Seomjingang River area.Then participants will ride railbikes

The Seoul Global Center is opening a new session of its Business Start-up School in June to provide aspiring foreign entrepreneurs in Seoul with training on how to run a business and networking opportunities. International residents in Seoul can apply for the course until May 22 by sending an application form via email. Attendees will learn about 10 subjects including business plan writing, employment issues and financing. Classes will be held in English on weekdays at the Seoul Global Center fo

The start of shopping malls in Korea is hard to pinpoint. Up until the late 1990s, the concept of a “mall” was not established. People who were looking to buy new items would head to big traditional market areas like Dongdaemun or Namdaemun, or to the clusters of underground shops located at subway stations with large waves of foot traffic. The most famous underground shopping centers were located at Seoul’s Express Bus Terminal and Gangnam Station, both in southern Seoul. Although these undergr