The Transport Ministry on Wednesday announced a new set of guidelines for low-cost carriers, urging them to allocate seats in order of flights canceled due to natural disasters.So far, passengers of all delayed or canceled flights were given boarding tickets on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of the time of their original flight. Kwon Yong-bok, head of aviation policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (center) poses with representatives from airlines after an MOU

GUINNESS ON ST. PATRICK‘S -- Irish Ambassador to Korea Aingeal O’Donoghue (left) and Irish deputy ambassador David Murphy pose at a Guinness promotional event at the Namsan Grand Hyatt Hotel on Tuesday to celebrate the upcoming St. Patrick‘s Day holiday. (Diageo)

Nearly 40 percent of tobacco manufacturer KT&G’s sales abroad last year were in relatively new markets such as the U.S., Africa, South America and Asia-Pacific, according to the company Wednesday.KT&G said that of the 46.5 billion cigarettes sold abroad in 2015, 39.6 percent (18.4 billion cigarettes) were sold in these markets. A customer buys a pack of KT&G’s TIME cigarettes at a store in the U.S. (KT&G)These markets’ share of sales has increased 2.5 times since 2010.The most notable surge was

The head of Korea’s main international airport has been appointed to the Asia-Pacific Regional Board of the Airports Council International, the airport said Tuesday.Chung Il-young, the CEO of Incheon International Airport Corp., will take part in creating policy at ACI as a representative of Asian-Pacific airlines for three years.  Chung Il-young (Incheon International Airport)He was appointed to his post on March 13.Chung Il-young has been the CEO of Incheon International Airport Corp. since Fe

Asiana Airlines received approval from the Transport Ministry to oversee flight training for cabin crew, according to the carrier Tuesday.The certification, attained on March 8, allows Asiana to provide safety training for cabin crew for other airlines, both from Korea and abroad.  Cabin crew receive instructions in emergency care at Asiana Airlines’ training facilities in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. (Asiana Airlines)“We hope for this to be an opportunity for Asiana to spread its specialized know-how in

Incheon Airport aims to become the fifth-largest airport in the world, able to handle 66 million international passengers a year by 2020, the airport’s new CEO said Monday.To reach that goal, Incheon International Airport Corp. CEO Chung Il-young vowed to upgrade its infrastructure, service facilities, human resources and airline network.  Incheon International Airport Corp. CEO Chung Il-young (Won Ho-jung/The Korea Herald)“Our facilities have grown old, and must be restored and maintained. The

Growing fears about the spread of the Zika virus has led to more than 1,000 people canceling their international flights in February, according to Korean airliners Thursday.They said a total of 1,376 pregnant women and their families canceled flights from six airlines -- Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Eastar and T’way Airlines -- flying to countries where Zika virus infections broke out. In this file photo from Feb. 12, passengers are checked for fever as they enter Incheon Inte

KT&G, Korea’s largest tobacco manufacturer, has opened a cultural facility at Myongi Hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, as part of its social contribution project, according to officials on Wednesday.The company has donated 150 million won ($124,000) for the hospital to hold musical performances for patients and their families.  Kim Jin-han (fourth from left), head of the social contribution office at KT&G, and Kim Hyoung-soo (sixth from left), superintendent of Myongji Hospital, at the ribb

Cheese-topped lobster, grilled steak, steaming bowls of Vietnamese rice noodle and deep-fried whole squid on a stick -- these are but some of the foods from around the globe that can be had on the go on Seoul streets.Myeong-dong and Hongdae neighborhoods today boast street foods that have shed any trace of their humble origins as a cheap, quick bite for people short of money and time. Even staple street foods like tteokbokki and fishcakes have been given new twists -- spicy tteokbokki served smo

Trying out diverse types of street food may be tempting, especially for tourists who wish to experience Korea‘s unique food culture. About 8,000 street vendors operate in Seoul, mostly food vendors, attracting visitors with a wide variety of offerings ranging from Korean traditional desserts to hot meals.Most of them, however, are illegal, as occupying streets with unauthorized facilities is officially banned in Korea. Acknowledging the public’s complaints over the overcrowding of the city’s maj

Korea is famous the world over for its vibrant street food culture, with stalls, carts and booths selling time-tested delicacies at every turn. So it may come as a surprise to some that food trucks -- vehicles outfitted to accommodate cooking facilities -- were just legalized in Korea in August 2014 as a part of the deregulation efforts pushed by the Park Geun-hye administration.Although food trucks were touted as a way to increase opportunities for young entrepreneurs who may not have the capit

Indie director Cho Jung-lae’s film “Spirits’ Homecoming,” about the ordeals of the former euphemistically labeled “comfort women,” has been in the making for nearly a decade and a half, written and prepared independently of the ever-changing tide of Korea-Japan relations. After years of struggling to secure investors and a distributor, the film is finally getting a theatrical release -- right when the issue of the Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese troops has come b