Largest soybean producers vie for China’s massive market
What would you do if you won the lottery? For many office workers, the answer would be to quit their job. The Tving’s new workplace drama "The Ordinary Jackpot" begins with that familiar dream, but quickly turns it into something much more realistic. Its protagonist wins big and shows up to work anyway, using his newfound money not to abandon his career, but to stop unfair treatment at his workplace. Based on a popular web novel of the same title, the 10-epidose series follows Gong Eun-tae (Lee Jun-hyuk), the youngest team leader at an apparel company. Gong earned his title through sheer diligence, but his fast promotion left him facing disdain from older colleagues. Tired of office politics and approaching burnout, his routine life takes an unexpected turn when he unthikingly purchases a lottery ticket and hits a jackpot of around 1.3 billion won ($960,000). The windfall is not enough to retire forever, but the money serves as a solid financial safety net. Rather than resigning, Gong uses the prize money as a psychological shield, walking back into the office the next morning with the
TOKYO — Hundreds of Japanese visitors lined up outside the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo each morning from Friday through Sunday, eager to try on hanbok (Korean traditional attire), get K-pop-inspired makeovers and meet young Koreans face-to-face at the annual Korea-Japan Festival. Drawing visitors ranging from young adults to families, the three-day festival offered hands-on experiences designed to showcase both contemporary trends and traditional Korean culture. Visitors could speak directly with young volunteers from Korea and Japan, experience professional K-pop-style makeovers and take part in cultural activities. Organizers expect nearly 6,000 visitors across the three days of the festival. This year marked the festival's 20th anniversary, with the event having launched in 2005 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. In a departure from previous years, the event moved from Hibiya Park to the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo as organizers experimented with a new format. The indoor venue allowed the festival to place greater emphasis o
President Lee Jae Myung’s trip to the United Nations and Mexico, where he emphasized peace on the Korean Peninsula and renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue, was overshadowed at home by controversy over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and a suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Experts said the incidents drew attention to the challenges facing Lee’s peace initiative as Pyongyang maintains its hostile stance toward Seoul. They also questioned whether renewed U.S.-North Korea talks would adequately address South Korea’s security concerns. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, said North Korea would be unlikely to respond positively to peace overtures under normal circumstances, and that the incidents have likely added to the tension. “I don’t think North Korea would have shown much enthusiasm toward the Lee Jae Myung government even if these two incidents had not happened,” Nam said. “North Korea is already playing a bigger game with President Trump.” Nam said Pyongyang is more interested in negotiating directly
The Chuseok holiday box office has found its clear winner. Director Hur Jin-ho's historical thriller "The Assassin(s)" held the top spot for four consecutive days since its Sept. 23 release, drawing 432,341 admissions on Saturday alone to garner a total of over 1.3 million, according to data from the Korean Film Council. “The Assassin(s)” has also topped advance ticket sales for eight straight days as of Sunday morning. That streak began well before its theatrical premiere and has not been challenged by any other Chuseok title, including the casino crime sequel "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub." Opening on the same day, the "Tazza" sequel attracted 663,140 viewers through Saturday to take a distant second place. Starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, "The Assassin(s)" reimagines the investigation into the 1974 shooting that killed first lady Yuk Young-soo. The story follows courageous journalists and detectives who risk their careers and safety to expose the truth behind the attack. Crossing the 1 million admissions milestone just four days after release, the film is on track
Southeast Asia is welcoming the thaw in US-China ties continuing after the Xi-Trump summit, with analysts saying the region could feel less pressure alongside fewer open frictions between the two over the South China Sea. Yet, caution persists as the summit left deeper disputes unresolved. “Stable great-power relations – competitive but with sturdy guardrails – will create more legroom for third countries to navigate an increasingly complex world,” according to Lucio Blanco Pitlo III, a research...
We have put together stories from our coverage of the Xi-Trump summit. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. From wine to ping-pong, Trump and Xi’s state dinner leans on historic symbolism When US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room, every detail of the state dinner was steeped in symbolism, with sparkling wine served as a nod to a pivotal moment in Sino-US relations and references to “ping-pong diplomacy”. 2. How...
President Lee Jae Myung’s trip to the United Nations and Mexico, where he emphasized peace on the Korean Peninsula and renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue, was overshadowed at home by controversy over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and a suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Experts said the incidents drew attention to the challenges facing Lee’s peace initiative as Pyongyang maintains its hostile stance toward Seoul. They also questioned whether renewed U.S.-North Korea talks would adequately address South Korea’s security concerns. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, said North Korea would be unlikely to respond positively to to peace overtures under normal circumstances, and that the incidents have likely added to the tension. “I don’t think North Korea would have shown much enthusiasm toward the Lee Jae Myung government even if these two incidents had not happened,” Nam said. “North Korea is already playing a bigger game with President Trump.” Nam said Pyongyang is more interested in negotiating direc
Mrima Hill, a sacred site about 65km (40 miles) southwest of Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, is emerging as a new front in the US-China rivalry for critical minerals. US-led and Chinese bidders are competing for rights to develop the site, which is rich in rare earths and niobium, a metal used to make steel stronger and lighter. American officials have offered to support Kenya’s development of its domestic critical minerals processing industry as Washington seeks to challenge Beijing’s...
Qufu: Where Confucian heritage lives on
As China celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival, the three-day holiday is highlighting both the enduring appeal of traditional culture and the vitality of domestic consumption, with a wide range of festive activities and tourism offerings bringing new momentum to the holiday economy.
On September 8, Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first chief executive, died. It prompted reflection, not only on a political figure who once stood at the centre of the city’s public life, but also on nearly three decades of change since its return to China. History is rarely shaped by a single person or isolated decisions. Individual choices, institutional adjustments, social expectations and external circumstances all interact to form the historical process. This is particularly true in Tung’s case....
In the second of a two-part series on Hong Kong’s economic transformation, Ambrose Li and Wynna Wong profile three established enterprises that have rejuvenated their brands and reinvented their businesses. Read part one here. Late into the night, Hong Kong football fans in their twenties, thirties and forties sat in Lin Heung Lau restaurant on Wellington Street watching World Cup matches over dim sum rather than pints at a sports bar. The historic restaurant, traditionally associated with...
