Korea launched the 2024 World Webtoon Festival in Seoul’s trendy neighborhood of Seongsu-dong on Thursday, with the aim of expanding the global reach of webtoons or online comics, which are already hugely popular here and abroad.Co-organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), this first-ever festival was part of the ministry’s January announcement to drive the development of Korea’s comics industry to strengthen Korea’s position as the birthplace of webtoons and increase global awareness of the medium.The four-day event kicked off on Thursday featured 16 prominent Korean webtoon production companies. It included pop-up stores selling webtoon character merchandise, talk concerts and drawing shows with popular webtoon artists and experience events showcasing various derivative products utilizing webtoon intellectual property. With these events, the festival was planned to cater to a diverse audience, including comics enthusiasts and industry experts, while showcasing the unique appeal of webtoons.

On its inaugural day, the 2024 World Webtoon Festival exhibition hall’s outdoor area was brought to life, with beloved webtoon characters greeting visitors as if they had sprung from the pages. Despite the lingering heat of September, the venue was filled to capacity with attendees.From the entrance, popular characters from comics and webtoons such as “The Ruler of The Land,” “Lookism,” “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint” and 커뮤니티 “Solo Leveling” captured visitors’ attention.Also, each booth offered special events and unique merchandise that reflected the essence of the respective webtoons, offering attendees a diverse range of experiences. Kakao Entertainment, which operates KakaoPage, a platform for webtoons and web novels, ran an exhibition utilizing its ALIVE technology, applying various visual effects like motion graphics and screen transitions to 2D webtoons, allowing visitors to enjoy comics with sound and moving images as if watching a movie.

Naver Webtoon attempted to fuse technology and cultural content by offering events where visitors could create their own caricatures using AI technology and chat with the characters from popular webtoon artist Cho Seok’s “The Sound of Your Heart.”On the sidelines of the festival, the culture ministry and KOCCA also hosted the World Webtoon Awards on Thursday, a ceremony recognizing works published worldwide for their high quality and contribution to the industry’s development.”Solo Leveling” won the grand prize. The web novel-based webtoon centers around protagonist Sung Jin-woo, a hunter catching monsters in a world suddenly changed by their appearance. The webtoon recorded 14.3 billion views and achieved unprecedented success across the world.Sadly, the webtoon’s artist, Jang Sung-rak, died in 2022. Jang Jung-sook, CEO of Redice Studio, the webtoon production company the late artist founded, accepted the award on his behalf.

“We will strive to create quality webtoons that can continue to be loved by global readers with new episodes, honoring the wishes of the late artist Jang Sung-rak,” the CEO said. The jury’s special award went to “The Great” by Gwangjin and Jimin, which depicts the story of a protagonist living as both a warm-hearted mother and strong head of the family. For the overseas artist award, Greek cartoonist Odysseas Theodoratos’ “Tomahawk Angel” was selected.Culture Minister Yu In-chon remarked Thursday that this event would help establish webtoons as a key cultural export of Korea.Yu said, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will support this webtoon festival and awards ceremony, which started for the first time this year, to successfully settle and expand to become an international event representing Korea.”

Despite banks’ move to tighten household lending, home-backed loans fell a mere 5 percent on-month in September from a record high level a month earlier, data showed Sunday.The daily average amount of new mortgages extended by five major lenders came to 301.8 billion won ($230.03 million) in Sept. 1-26, down 16 percent from the daily average logged in August, according to data from the banks.Excluding the three-day Chuseok holiday this month, however, the September figure stopped short of falling 5 percent compared with a record high of 359.6 billion won logged in August.Banks’ household loans rose for the fifth consecutive month in August, led by a record increase in mortgages, on rising home prices in Seoul and the surrounding areas, according to central bank data.

The financial authorities, in response, called on banks to tighten their lending, and banks have raised interest rates and toughened lending rules.”But it would take some time for such new measures to have effects, as home transactions grew markedly this summer and loans for them are supposed to be actually extended for the following months,” a bank official said.New home-backed loans came to 11.15 trillion won in August, and those for 추천 Sept. 1-26 came to 7.85 trillion won.Banks’ total household loans stood at 729.49 trillion won as of Sept. 26, up from 725.36 trillion won at the end of-August.The Bank of Korea (BOK) has cited rising household debts as a major factor for its rate decision.Last month, the central bank held its key interest rate steady at 3.5 percent, which was the highest level in about 16 years, and some expect a pivot by the BOK as early as October on easing inflation and weak domestic demand.But BOK Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said it needs to consider housing prices and household debts as crucial factors for a possible rate cut.The BOK is scheduled to hold a rate-setting meeting Oct. 11. 

During this year’s Seoul Beauty Travel Week, people spent the weekend enjoying wellness-themed programs aimed at promoting relaxation and self-care.The event, organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, ran from Monday to Sunday and engaged participants with its focus on discovering true beauty through immersive experiences in K-wellness.On Saturday, people participated in the event at Seoul Forest, which included yoga, meditation and gardening as part of Seoul Beauty Travel Week.Seong Yoo-jin, a 34-year-old office worker and regular yoga enthusiast, visited to participate in the outdoor yoga session, calling it a unique and memorable experience.”It’s a rare opportunity to do yoga outdoors, and having the sessions offered for free makes it even better,” she said.”It’s also reassuring to see the city government taking an interest in residents’ physical and mental well-being.”International tourists also showed an interest in the event.

“I think it’s amazing. I’ve never seen an event like this in a major city, involving the community so actively,” said Harry Bryce, a tourist from Scotland who visited Seoul Forest as part of his trip.He noted that it was refreshing to see so many people enjoying the space peacefully.”I think it’s important and a good opportunity to spend time in parks like this, creating a nice balance within the city,” he said.Cho Geul-saim, a yoga instructor who participated in the event by teaching massage and stretching, praised the program for its enthusiastic attendees.”People are genuinely engaged in the sessions, eager to fully enjoy and learn about wellness,” Cho said. “I think there’s a growing desire for relaxation, and the turnout here reflects that demand.”She added that events like this can help yoga and wellness become more popular, providing more opportunities for people to experience them.

In addition to wellness programs, a variety of activities were held throughout the week in collaboration with local businesses in Seoul’s Seongdong District. A total of 17 restaurants and cafes participated, offering cuisine under the theme of “refresh.”A fusion snack bar OFTT in Seongsu-dong prepared special menu items inspired by Seoul. The three featured dishes included Seoul Ramen — the first ramen brand created by a local government in 스포츠 Korea — alongside black bean sauce ramen and dumplings.”We aimed to present ‘bunsik,’ Korean-style snacks or street food like ramen and tteokbokki, with a fusion twist, making it enjoyable for both Korean visitors and international tourists,” said Seo Tae-won, CEO of OFTT.Seo expressed disappointment that bunsik is not widely recognized globally. This inspired him to adopt the slogan of his restaurant, “Bunsik Change the World,” with the goal of raising global awareness about the cuisine.

He also mentioned that about 20 percent of the visitors to his snack bar were foreigners, and he enjoyed explaining the menu items to them. OFTT also hosted a special event, offering to take photos of visitors with a digital camera.”I think bunsik, like ramen and tteokbokki, represents everyday food that Koreans actually enjoy, so it plays a significant role when talking about K-food,” Seo said.”This event provides a great opportunity to showcase the versatility of bunsik, which can serve as both a snack and a meal.”AmorePacific, one of Korea’s leading beauty brands, also participated in the event. At Amore Seongsu, a week-long potted plant exhibition by potted plant studio CEO Choi Moon-jeong was held, along with special programs to celebrate Seoul Beauty Travel Week.”This event offers an opportunity to experience the region’s unique charm firsthand, aligning with the growing trend of valuing experiences over material ownership,” said Kim Young-hwan, director general of the Tourism and Sports Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government

Israel killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut, dealing a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks.The Israeli military said on Saturday it had eliminated Nasrallah in the strike on the group’s central command headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday. Hezbollah confirmed he had been killed, without saying how.Nasrallah’s death is a major blow to both Hezbollah and Iran, removing an influential ally who helped build Hezbollah into the linchpin of Tehran’s network of allied groups in the Arab world.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the killing of Nasrallah as a necessary step toward “changing the balance of power in the region for years to come.””Nasrallah was not a terrorist, he was the terrorist,” Netanyahu said in a statement, warning of challenging days ahead.U.S. President Joe Biden described Nasrallah’s death as a measure of justice for what he called his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese, and said the U.S. fully supported Israel’s right to self-defense.

But when asked if an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon was inevitable, Biden told reporters on Saturday: “It’s time for a ceasefire.”A senior member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan, was also killed in the Israeli attacks in Beirut on Friday, Iranian media reported.Sources told Reuters that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been moved to a secure location in Iran following Nasrallah’s killing.Iran later called for a United Nations Security Council meeting on Israel’s actions in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region. It also warned against any attacks on its diplomatic facilities and representatives.”Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent rights under international law to take every measure in defense of its vital national and security interests,” Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said in a letter to the 15-member council.Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed 33 people and wounded 195 others on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The strikes continued on Beirut’s southern suburbs throughout the early evening on Saturday, according to a Reuters live broadcast, sending large clouds of smoke over the city.One Israeli strike hit an industrial area 500 metres (yards) from Beirut airport buildings, a security source told Reuters. The airport continued to operate normally, according to Middle East Airlines boss Mohammad al-Hout.More than 1,000 people have been 한국을 killed and more than 6,000 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks in the past two weeks, the health ministry said, and about one million Lebanese have been displaced by the strikes, including hundreds of thousands since Friday, Nasser Yassin, the minister coordinating the government’s crisis response, told Reuters on Saturday.Israel said it killed a senior Hezbollah intelligence official in a strike on southern Beirut, naming him as Hassan Khalil Yassin. Hezbollah has made no mention of this.

In Israel, air raid sirens sounded across the centre of the country — including Tel Aviv — and large bangs were heard after a missile was fired from Yemen and intercepted, according to the Israeli military.A projectile fired from Lebanon crashed in the occupied West Bank, sparking fires, the Israeli military said. There were no casualties, according to the Israeli ambulance service.Hezbollah said in a statement that it would continue its battle against Israel “in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people.” Iran’s Khamenei said Nasrallah’s death would be avenged and his path in fighting Israel would be pursued by other militants.Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his country was facing the threat of danger, without mentioning the death of Nasrallah. His office later announced three days of mourning for the Hezbollah chief.

Hezbollah and Israel have been fighting a conflict in parallel with Israel’s war against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza since Hamas’ attack on Israel last Oct. 7, in a cross-border confrontation that has sharply escalated in recent days.Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV aired verses from the Koran after Nasrallah’s death was announced. Bursts of gunfire were heard in Beirut and Lebanon’s army deployed tanks in the city centre, according to Reuters witnesses.The Israeli military said Nasrallah was eliminated in a “targeted strike” on the group’s underground headquarters below a residential building in Dahiyeh — a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut. It said he was killed along with senior Hezbollah official Ali Karaki and other commanders.Nasrallah’s death is by far the largest blow in a traumatic fortnight for Hezbollah, starting with a deadly strike on thousands of communications devices used by its members.Days later, Israel significantly ramped up airstrikes in Lebanon, killing several top Hezbollah commanders and hundreds of other people across wide areas of the country.

Stung by the prospect of its first season without a major trophy for 12 years, Bayern Munich looks set to appoint Max Eberl to oversee a major shakeup.The Bavarian powerhouse is expected to confirm Eberl as its new sporting director this week. He will be charged with rejuvenating a team that has lost its aura of dominance and no longer demonstrates the assured belief it used to as the best in Germany.Eberl enjoyed success as sporting director at Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2008 until he quit abruptly citing burnout in January 2022. He joined Leipzig in the same role eight months later but was fired last September for “his failure to commit to the club.”At Leipzig, Eberl led a rebuild that saw established players like Jo?ko Gvardiol and Dominik Szoboszlai depart for big sums, while young talents like Loïs Openda and Paris Saint-Germain loanee Xavi Simons arrived to star this season.

Eberl’s alleged lack of commitment to Leipzig likely had to do with the speculation linking him with Bayern, where the former right-back’s work in a managerial capacity at Gladbach had long been admired.Eberl was already a target for Bayern before it appointed Hasan Salihamid?i? as sporting director in 2017.Salihamid?i? was fired hours after Bayern clinched the league title last season, along with chief executive Oliver Kahn, as both paid the price for the problems that Eberl will now be expected to address.Bayern only won the Bundesliga last season because Borussia Dortmund squandered its chance on the final day. The decision to axe Kahn and Salihamid?i? had been taken earlier, after a season in which the team’s decline had been plain to see.

Former chief financial officer Jan-Christian Dreesen took over as CEO and Bayern hired former Salzburg sporting director Christoph Freund to take over from Salihamid?i? , though he didn’t start officially until Sept. 1, and wasn’t involved in the summer transfer business.Eberl and Freund will be expected to work together, with a priority being the hiring of a new coach following Bayern’s decision not to continue with Thomas 커뮤니티 Tuchel next season after the team lost three games in a row .Tuchel said Friday he wasn’t the “only problem” at Bayern and his employers were unable to contradict him over the weekend.“If FC Bayern loses three times in a row, then we all have to question ourselves, the team, the coach, we in management, we do it as well, it’s not in question at all,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said Saturday. “But you will see, we will draw the right analysis and conclusions and do the right thing.”

Asked why Bayern had worked its way through three highly regarded German coaches in Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann and Hansi Flick since 2021, Hainer replied that the demands at Bayern were very high and there was constant pressure to do well.“But I believe that at the end of the day, the formula for success at FC Bayern is that we are never satisfied with where we are, and then we continue to move forward,” Hainer said.Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso – a former Bayern player – is the favorite as Tuchel’s replacement , though former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeneß have also been linked. The latter is the nephew of Bayern’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß and has led Stuttgart to third place in the Bundesliga after saving it from relegation last season.Hainer placed the onus on the new coach for success by saying the Bayern squad is “not un-coachable.”Eberl will be under pressure from the start.

Chelsea’s underperforming players were described by one leading British soccer pundit as “billion-pound bottle jobs” after their loss in the English League Cup final .They’ll need to show they have the stomach for a fight when they return to action on Wednesday in another cup competition that represents their last chance of winning a trophy this season.Fresh off Sunday’s defeat by a youthful Liverpool team at Wembley Stadium, Chelsea hosts Leeds — an in-form second-tier side on course for an immediate return to the Premier League — in the fifth round of the FA Cup.No doubt ringing in the ears of Chelsea’s squad will be that cruel taunt by Gary Neville — a former Manchester United and England defender who is now a high-profile analyst for broadcaster Sky Sports — that is dominating the post-League Cup final media agenda.Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino brushed off the criticism, saying it was “not fair to talk in this way” and that Neville knew the “dynamics” in play as the London club looks to gel a squad of young players that has been expensively assembled over the past two years.

Prior to the recent January transfer window, Chelsea had spent more than $1 billion across three windows in the new Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital regime and has yet to see the benefits.The tag of “bottle jobs” — meaning people who collapse under pressure — might stick if Chelsea succumbs to Leeds at Stamford Bridge, given how much of a favorite Pochettino’s team will be for the last-16 match.“They need to feel the pain,” Pochettino said of his players. “We played for a trophy we didn’t get and now, it is the same — what can you tell me to feel better? Nothing. They need 토토 to feel the pain and of course they need to realize we need to work more, do better things, we need to improve.” Chelsea is not in Europe this season and is also far from certain of making it into any European competition next season. The team is in 11th place in the Premier League, though only four points off seventh spot. Finishing in seventh would guarantee a berth in either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League.

The FA Cup, therefore, is suddenly a big deal for Chelsea and Pochettino. Their problem is, there are quite a few top teams left in the draw.Like defending champion Manchester City, which continues its defense of the trophy — and its bid for back-to-back trebles — with a trip to Luton on Tuesday.Like Liverpool, which is at home to second-tier Southampton on Wednesday. Jurgen Klopp might have to roll out the kids once again, with an injury crisis robbing the manager of at least 10 senior players. Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo were the latest to pick up injuries in the final against Chelsea.Manchester United visits Nottingham Forest in an all-Premier League matchup on Wednesday, when Wolverhampton has a home game against fellow top-flight team Brighton.Tuesday’s other games see second-tier Blackburn hosting struggling Newcastle and Bournemouth at home to second-tier leader Leicester.