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  PHOTOS: Seoul library offers cool retreat with award-winning design SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - In a city grappling with intense summer heat, the Odong Forest Library in Seoul offers a free, cool retreat where books meet innovative architecture. The library is the seventh installment in the "Park Book Rest Area," a collaborative project between the city and local districts. Located in Seongbuk District's Odong Neighborhood Park, the single-story, 430-square-meter building mirrors the park's winding paths in its design. It recently wo August 8, 2024
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  'Buldak' maker Samyang establishes Dutch subsidiary for European expansion SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Samyang Food Co., known for its "Buldak" spicy chicken-flavored instant noodles, has established a subsidiary in the Netherlands to spearhead its business expansion in European markets, industry sources said Thursday. The Korean food maker chose the Netherlands for its well-developed infrastructure for trade, investment, information and services, which will help enhance logistics efficiency across Europe, they said. It is Samyang's fift August 8, 2024
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  Seoul Metro to offer free short films for commuters SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Commuters can catch films during their subway ride, whether on their way to work or home, as Seoul Metro's annual film festival featuring shorts films returns late this month. The Seoul Metro International Subway Film Festival (SMIFF), now in its 15th year, is set to begin its month-long run on Aug. 29. SMIFF offers about 50 short films, selected from 1,669 entries across around 59 countries. They are mostly micro-short films with a running time of August 8, 2024
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  Opinion: Imane Khelif controversy at Paris Olympics shows how sex testing in women's sports puts regulators in impossible bind SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - In their preliminary 2024 Olympic women's boxing match, Algeria's Imane Khelif delivered a painful blow to the face of Italy's Angela Carini, who abandoned the fight after 46 seconds. "I've never been hit with such a powerful punch," Carini told reporters after the match. The incident might have been relatively uncontroversial were it not for what had happened during the 2023 International Boxing Association (IBA) Women's W August 8, 2024
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  Korea claims first taekwondo gold in Paris SEOUL, August 08 (AJU PRESS) - Park Tae-joon delivered South Korea its first gold medal in taekwondo at the Paris Olympics, Thursday, capturing the men’s -58-kilogram division. The victory marked a triumphant return to the top of the podium for Korea which had endured a three-Olympics gold medal drought. Park’s path to gold was marked by dramatic turns. He ousted world No. 1 Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi of Tunisia in the semifinals to set up a clash with Gashim Magomedo August 8, 2024
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  Asiana Airlines' cargo operations to be sold to Air Incheon for 470 billion won SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) — Korean Air, which is in the process of acquiring Asiana Airlines, said Wednesday that it has signed a master agreement with Air Incheon, a domestic cargo airline, to sell Asiana’s cargo operations for 470 billion won ($341.9 million). In June, Korean Air named Air Incheon as the preferred bidder for the deal. The European Union's competition regulators required the sale as a precondition for approving the Korean Air-Asiana merger. In August 7, 2024
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  An Se-young says she didn't intend to cause conflict SEOUL, August 07 (AJU PRESS) - Olympic gold medalist An Se-young returned to South Korea on Wednesday, dialing back criticism of the badminton association while the embattled sports body denied any rift with the star athlete. An, who captured the women’s singles title at the Paris Olympics, had publicly accused the association of mismanagement, particularly regarding a knee injury she sustained last year. She claimed the injury was misdiagnosed and poorly treated, forcing h August 7, 2024
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  Comedian tries to break Korean's wall of Confucian 'uptightness' through standup gigs SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - Unlike slapstick-based TV shows, which have dominated Korea's comedy scene for half a century, standup comedy is just beginning to gain traction. The slow development of standup gigs is primarily due to the genre's often taboo topics -- sex, drugs, racism, and religion -- in the conservative country often associated with Confucian values. Danny Cho, a 42-year-old Korean-American comedian, is a key figure in Korea's emerging standup comedy August 7, 2024
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  PHOTOS: Korea hopes to end Olympics on high note SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - With the Summer Olympics in Paris winding down, Korean athletes continue to strive for more medals. Korea now sets its sights on adding medals in golf and high jump which begin this week. Earlier in the week, badminton player An Se-young won gold in the women's singles, dominating the final match against He Bingjiao of China to win her first Olympic medal. After her triumph, she claimed in a post-victory interview that her knee injury had been poorly handl August 7, 2024
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  PHOTOS: Abandoned railway transforms into urban forest park SEOUL, AUGUST 7 (AJU PRESS) - The Gyeongui Line Forest Park near Hongdae, Seoul's popular youth hotspot, offers a green sanctuary in one of Asia's most dynamic metropolises. The 6.3-km-long park was developed between 2011 and 2016 by transforming a section of railway after the line was moved underground. The project resulted in a landmark park where residents and visitors can enjoy a brief respite from the city. August 7, 2024