Move over macarons and Frappuccinos. Just as Starbucks made coffee drinks a daily essential for millions of Koreans and consumers around the world, authentic Taiwanese desserts are soaring in popularity here. Taiwanese dessert shop 315 Taiwan Cafe located on Teheran Street in Gangnam, southern Seoul (315 Taiwan Cafe)Seoul isn’t exactly home to the most authentic Taiwanese desserts. But if you take a chance and indulge in freshly crafted milk tea and munch on a heated Taiwanese pancake at 315 Tai

South Korea’s rapidly aging population could become a hurdle to economic growth in the near future, according to economists at the Bank of Korea.According to central bank’s data, the number of South Koreans over 65 accounted for 12.8 percent of the population in 2015 and that figure is projected to grow to 28.7 percent by 2035 and 42.5 percent by 2065.As the economically active population falls, the growth rate could reach zero percent after 2035, Ahn Byung-kwun, a BOK economist, sai

Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju“Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju,” a program selected by the Cultural Heritage Administration in a competition, offers visitors the chance to walk through hundreds of traditional Korean houses in Jeonju Hanok Village under the moonlight.Its highlights include a moonlight photography competition, a traditional music night, Jeonju traditional opera, a shadow orchestra and night views of Jeonju.The event is being held until Sept.13. For more information, visit www.jeonju-

Carmakers in South Korea are likely to face worker strikes again this summer, as fears mount that the strikes will deal a severe blow to their already faltering businesses hit by poor sales, emerging protectionism and diplomatic disputes. 　Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor, the nation’s largest carmaker, said Thursday that an annual wage negotiation they had been engaged in with the management for the last two months had collapsed, and the group will hold a vote next week to make a decision on

BERLIN -- President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that he is willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “anytime and anywhere” despite heightened tension over Pyongyang’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, stressing Seoul does not seek regime change or forced unification. “I make this clear here and now. We do not want North Korea’s collapse, nor will we seek any form of unification by absorption,” he said in a speech hosted by the Korber Foundation at Berlin’s Old City Hall. “When

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, prices of vegetables jumped due to heavy downpours that followed a long drought, industry sources said Wednesday.The price of napa cabbage soared 26.2 percent to 1,416 won per kilogram from a month earlier, the price of spinach jumped 12.7 percent to 4,568 won per kilogram from 4,053 won, while that of lettuce gained 4.4 percent to 662 won from 634 won per 100 grams. The price of cucumbers was tallied at 5,733 won per 10 units, up a

Among measures being considered by the South Korean government to help reduce the burden of mobile costs on households, the separation of subsidy costs paid by mobile phone manufacturers and telecom companies and expansion of the “blacklist system” on all mobile phones are highly likely to be implemented this year. The two measures were mentioned during the confirmation hearing of Yoo Young-min, the nominee for minister of science, ICT and future planning earlier this week, with the candidate sh

Less than two months in her position as the first lady, Kim Jung-sook is on second visit abroad.Accompanying President Moon Jae-in to the annual G-20 summit in Germany, Kim has her own itinerary as well, the first stop being a visit to Korean-born composer Isang Yun’s grave in Berlin. It was a bold move, given the controversy surrounding the composer who had ties with North Korea. He was abducted from Germany by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency in 1967 and sentenced to life in prison on sp

French President Emmanuel Macron invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Paris as his first foreign guest, while US President Donald Trump will attend this year’s Bastille Day celebrations. By reaching out to two world leaders who made no secret of their hope that he would never make it to the Elysee Palace, Macron has set the stage for a new and ambitious French foreign policy.The message Macron is sending is that he will remain open to new opportunities for compromise -- talking to anyone

Korea Railroad Corp., also known as Korail, is expected to post massive operating losses this year, as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has reportedly decided to review integrating it with Supreme Railways.SR operates the SRT, new high-speed trains that began operation in December last year, connecting the southeast metropolitan area with other parts of the country. The new trains have been cited as one of the reasons behind Korail, the national railroad operator, suffering a d

BERLIN -- President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed on the need for dialogue, along with sanctions and pressure, and South Korea taking a leading role in resolving North Korea’s escalating military threats in their first bilateral summit held in the German capital on Thursday. Moon and Xi met amid escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula after the communist state said it successfully tested a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, putting the US