President Yoon Suk Yeol checks a “barrier-free” kiosk during the AI TECH+ exhibition at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, September 28, 2022. The kiosk, developed by a local IT company, offers features for the visually impaired such as enlarged buttons and audio guides, and the height of the control panels can be lowered for people in wheelchairs. (Korea Times file)   The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently finalized its five-year policy roadmap for people with

Visitors take pictures of falling cherry blossoms during the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, April 5, 2019. (Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul) After a long, cold winter, most outdoor activities in Korea begin in spring. Flower blossoms, seasonal delicacies, cultural programs and other attractions lure people out into the warm weather. Spring is also one of the two seasons – the other being fall – when the most regional festivals are held across

Actor Kim Soo-hyun, right, poses with President Yoon Suk Yeol during the Taxpayers’ Day event at COEX in Seoul, March 3, after being named this year’s model taxpayer. (Courtesy of the Office of the President) As part of its strategy to inspire more members of the public to take action, the Korean government regularly appoints celebrities to serve as messengers for its policies.   Celebrity endorsements are a powerful tactic that government agencies use to draw attent

Visitors attending the annual Korean International Art Fair (KIAF) in Seoul (Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Travelers to Korea fill itineraries with their own areas of interest – some may want to immerse themselves in traditional culture by donning Hanbok and visiting palaces, some may crave street food or fine dining and others may seek beautiful scenery in mountains or on a beach.   All of these itineraries become more enriching and colorful whe

Dongdong e-Nature Playground inside the Gangdong Children Center, a kids’ café-like facility run by the Gangdong-gu Office in eastern Seoul (Courtesy of Gangdong-gu Office) Korea’s birth rate is one of the lowest in the world. The nation’s total fertility rate, the average number of babies a woman bears between the ages of 15 and 49, has stayed below 1 and consistently fallen since registering 0.98 in 2018. It was 0.92 in 2019, 0.84 in 2020 and 0.81 in 2021.   Reasons