Passengers buy tickets from automated motion-detecting ticket machines that do not require physical contact with touchscreens on the eve of the Chuseok holiday at SRT Suseo Station in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Monday. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Farmers are busy harvesting chestnuts for the upcoming Chuseok holiday in Banpo, a district in Gongju of South Chungcheong Province.  The Gongju district is the largest chestnut-producing region in South Korea. The chestnuts are ripe and ready for picking -- despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of typhoons hitting the nation. Farmers are preparing to offer a chestnut picking event to last until October. (Photos: Yonhap) By Song Donna (donnadsong@heraldcorp.com)

Models introduce Rolls-Royce’s luxury sedan the new Ghost at the automaker’s Seoul boutique, Monday. The new Ghost adapts a version of the 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 engine with a maximum power of 571 horsepower and a maximum torque of 86.7 kilogram-meters. The new vehicle can be ordered from Monday and will be delivered to customers sequentially from December this year. (Yonhap)

DRINK RESPONSIBLY -- Oriental Brewery CEO Ben Verhaert, who also goes by the Korean name Bae Ha-jun, attends an event to launch a campaign against drunk driving at a driver’s test site in southern Seoul, Wednesday.  OB has teamed up with the Road Traffic Authority for the campaign.

Shoppers look at luxury goods at Lotte Department Store in Jamsil, Seoul, in July. Department store sales of luxury brands jumped more than 30 percent last month, although overall sales declined due to the pandemic and the rainy season, government data showed Sunday. Analysts say people spent more of their savings on luxury goods because they were not allowed to travel abroad during the holiday season. (Photo: Yonhap)

Starfield Coex Mall in Gangnam, southern Seoul, is holding a media art exhibition titled “Cube9” to commemorate its installation of ultrahigh-definition LED signage. Cube9 presents impressionist paintings of various artists in video format on the signage, providing shoppers another type of entertainment at the mall. The exhibition will run through Sunday. (Photos: Shinsegae Property Starfield-Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

The Daegu Culture & Arts Center in Dalseo, Daegu, is hosting an exhibition titled “Pandemic & Daegu.” The event kicked off Wednesday and will run until Aug. 30. The exhibition presents a range of mask-inspired artworks created by members of the Daegu Contemporary Artists Association and many foreign artists, including eight from France. (Photos: Yonhap) By Lee Sae-byul (nstelle@heraldcorp.com)

Children hold up Lego figures of Super Mario at Lego Korea’s promotional event held at Four Seasons Hotel in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Wednesday.  Users can connect the Super Mario figures to an app via Bluetooth and play a game with them. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Swedish Ambassador Joachim Bergstrom has been practicing yoga at iconic sites in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang since May. The Swedish ambassador practices yoga near the Ryugyong Hotel on May 9. Ambassador Bergstrom practices yoga in front of the Juche Tower on June 21. The ambassador practices yoga at various places in Pyongyang earlier this month. (Photos: Reuters-Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

A sand sculpture titled ‘COVID-19 Out’ is on display at Haeundae beach in Busan on Wednesday to encourage visitors to wear masks.  Starting Saturday, those who go against the mandatory guidelines of wearing masks at any of the five most popular beaches in Busan will be fined up to 3 million won ($2,500). (Photos: Yonhap) By Lee Sae-byul (nstelle@heraldcorp.com)

GEORGIAN ENVOY’S VISIT -- Otar Berdzenishvili (right), ambassador of Georgia to South Korea, shakes hands with Herald Corp. CEO and Publisher Kwon Chung-won during a courtesy visit to Herald Corp. headquarters in central Seoul on Tuesday.

An SK IE Technology official checks on rolls of flexible cover window, a material used for flexible displays, waiting for shipment at the company’s factory in Jeungpyeong, North Chungcheong Province, on Sunday.  SKIET began commercial production of the material on the same day.  (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Sculptures that look as if they are melting under the hot summer heat are displayed at Hyundai Department Store in Daegu for its annual “Daefrica Campaign” event. “Daefrica” refers to a combination of Daegu and Africa. Daegu’s average temperature during the summer is much higher than other regions in the country.  The store has chosen summer vacation as the main theme for this year’s event in hopes of cheering up visitors amid the protracted spread o