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Kim Sunwoo of the K-pop group THE BOYZ showed off a standout autumn street look at the opening photo call for Coach's 'LIVE YOUR STORY' pop-up in Seoul. The event took place on the morning of the 19th at Musinsa Space Seoul Forest in Seongdong District. Standing in front of a vintage-style poster wall, he paired a white long-sleeve top with wide-leg denim pants featuring unique cut-out detailing, capturing a trendy Y2K mood. The Look, Piece by Piece One hand tucked casually in his pocket, Sunwoo carried a large black leather shoulder bag with an effortless air. He gazed straight at the cameras with an intense stare and a relaxed, hipster attitude. Blue-toned sneakers added a fresh pop of color to the outfit, and his visuals drew a flurry of camera shutters from fans and press gathered at the venue. The pop-up marks the launch of Coach's 2026 fall campaign, which carries the message of 'the courage to be your true self.' It is expected to become a new photo-op ho...

In 1947, the Philadelphia Warriors received rings set with a single small diamond after winning the first championship of the early pro basketball era. On October 20, 2026, the New York Knicks received rings with roughly 800 diamonds and sapphires. The contrast says a lot about how a keepsake became a symbol of wealth and status in American sports culture. From One Diamond to 22 Carats When the Warriors won in 1947, each player also took home a $2,000 prize. The ring was a modest memento that recorded the achievement of being the best basketball player in the world on a personal career. Seventy-nine years later, the Knicks ring is a different object entirely. It is made of white gold and carries about 22 carats of gemstones. It even includes a mechanism that recreates the architecture of Madison Square Garden. Player names, jersey numbers, the number of playoff wins and the record of a comeback in the Finals are all worked into the stones and metal. The ring marks a genuine milestone. ...

Sunwoo of K-pop group THE BOYZ turned heads in Seoul's Seongsu-dong neighborhood with a polished autumn street look. He appeared at a photo call for the opening of the COACH 'LIVE YOUR STORY' pop-up, held at Musinsa Space Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the 19th. A Cool Fall Look That Stopped the Room Seongsu-dong is a Seoul district known for its trendy cafes, galleries and pop-up stores, and it is a favorite spot for fashion-forward events. On the photo wall, Sunwoo wore a white long-sleeve top with blue lines running along the sleeves, paired with wide-leg denim pants featuring bold cut-out details. The combination gave him a distinctly hip, relaxed feel. He slipped one hand into his pocket while lightly gripping the strap of a black leather shoulder bag slung casually over his shoulder, and he gazed straight into the camera. That intense, charismatic stare drew admiring reactions from THE BOYZ's fandom, known as THE B, as well as from the press on site. He f...

THE BOYZ members Ji Chang-min and Kim Sun-woo turned heads in Seoul's Seongsu-dong neighborhood with polished autumn styling. The two attended the photo call for the opening of Coach's 'Live Your Story' pop-up, held on the 19th at Musinsa Space Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu. Two Looks, One Autumn Mood Standing side by side in front of a poster-covered photo wall, the pair showed off outfits that contrasted yet complemented each other. Ji Chang-min went for a classic, chic look: a soft camel suede jacket over a black inner layer, with an oversized brown shoulder bag slung casually on his shoulder. Kim Sun-woo leaned into street style with a white long-sleeve top and wide-leg denim pants featuring distinctive cut lines. He gripped the strap of a black leather bag in one hand and added a fresh pop of color with blue-toned sneakers. His intense gaze drew a flood of camera flashes from fans, who go by the name 'THE B', and from the press. The event celebrates the laun...

Veteran actor Jang Dong-gun took the stage as a presenter at the 35th Buil Film Awards, one of South Korea's long-running film honors, held at Signiel Busan in Haeundae. Dressed in an all-white suit with a deep navy scarf, he brought an easygoing charm to the ceremony. A Witty Reply and a Reflective Speech Jang sat at his name-card seat in the matching white jacket and trousers, and he spoke into the microphone with his right hand or rested his hands on the table, gazing forward with a soft smile. He had won the Yu Hyun-mok Film Arts Award last year, and this year he returned to present the same category. Actor Kim Nam-gil, who hosted the event, greeted him by saying he looked even more handsome than last year. Jang replied lightly that it is not easy to get more handsome than this. Ahead of announcing the winner, Jang, whose upcoming film is 'Tropical Night' (original title 'Yeoldaeya'), said that receiving the award last year made him feel both the joy of winning ...

Actress Lee Hye-ri drew all eyes at the handprinting ceremony for the 35th Buil Film Awards, held at the Grand Ballroom of Signiel Busan in Haeundae District, Busan. She lit up the room with a wide range of expressions, from bright greetings to focused listening. A Navy Floral Look and Warm Stage Presence The pre-ceremony event took place on the afternoon of the 7th, ahead of the main awards show. Lee, who won Best New Actress last year for the film 'Victory', joined other key winners from the 34th edition, including Lee Byung-hun for 'Victory' in the film 'The Match', Jang Dong-gun, who received the Yu Hyun-mok Film Arts Award, and Choi Hyun-jin of 'Summer Scent'. Seated at the panel table beside her name card, Lee wore a navy dress with thin straps and a deep V-neckline, embroidered with white flowers and leaves. She paired it with a delicate necklace with a small pendant, keeping the styling simple. With her long, dark hair worn straight and down, she...

Actress Lee Hye-ri struck poses for the press on the photo wall of the Buil Film Awards handprinting ceremony at Signiel Busan in Haeundae District. She wore a navy gown with a deep V-neckline, embroidered with white flowers and vines. The event took place on October 7, ahead of the main ceremony of the 35th Buil Film Awards, one of Busan's biggest cultural events. A Red Carpet Look in Navy and White Lee walked the red carpet to the center of the photo wall in a long navy dress with thin straps and a deeply plunging V-neckline. White floral and vine embroidery covered the gown, and layers of sheer white lace were added to the lower part of the skirt. With her long, straight hair worn down, she raised both hands to chest height to make a finger heart and then lightly poked her cheek with one finger, striking the poses back to back. The pre-ceremony handprinting featured major winners from last year's 34th Buil Film Awards. Lee attended as the winner of Best New Actress for the f...

Swiss watch exports to the United States fell 8.3% in the first eight months of 2026 to 3.078 billion Swiss francs, while shipments to China dropped 4.8%. Meanwhile, South Korea grew 3.8% and India surged 31.7%. The shift shows that the growth base of the Swiss watch industry is changing by region, as the world's largest market and the long-time driver of luxury demand both cooled. Divergent Signals From Export Data and Company Results Even as exports to the US declined, some big luxury groups posted strong local sales. Richemont, the owner of Vacheron Constantin, reported that its Americas sales for April to June 2026 rose 27% at constant exchange rates. Jewelry houses such as Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels sold well, and the specialist watchmaking division also kept growing. In China, Hong Kong and Macau combined, Richemont's sales also increased over the same period. Its specialist watchmaking division, however, declined in that region. These numbers are not directly com...

Some South Korean workers hold 'permanent' contracts and still plan their exit. They are the public service employees, known as gongmujik, who keep local government services running on the ground. On Oct. 20, Lee Gi-dae, a Democratic Party member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council's Economy and Labor Committee, met with the Gyeonggi Local Government Public Service Workers Council to discuss closing pay gaps across 31 cities and counties. A Push for a Formal Channel and a Tougher Audit Ten council representatives led by chair Kim Young-jun attended, along with six committee members including chair Jang Tae-hwan. They discussed setting up an official line of communication with Gyeonggi Province and holding regular meetings. Lee said wages, benefits and treatment differ considerably by region and job type, even for people doing the same or similar public work. He plans to examine the province's policies during the upcoming administrative audit and demand corrections where ...

A 1967 yellow gold Vacheron Constantin chronograph, Ref. 4072, sold for HK$711,200 at the Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo watch auction in Hong Kong on May 30, 2026. The pre-sale estimate was HK$240,000 to HK$380,000, so the watch finished far above the top of its range. A Dial That Carries Two Names What set this watch apart was its dial, which bears the maker's name alongside that of Italian luxury house Bulgari. It is the only known Ref. 4072 that still carries the retailer's signature, a detail that turns a well-regarded vintage chronograph into a one-of-a-kind collectible. Vacheron Constantin has produced the Ref. 4072, a manually wound chronograph, since 1938. It came in yellow gold, pink gold and stainless steel, with variations in dial layout, scales and movement. The example sold in Hong Kong has a Caliber 492 movement and a 34.5 mm case. Its well-preserved yellow gold case, silver dial and tachymeter scale, combined with the Bulgari signature, gave it co...

Swiss luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet is preparing a program to certify and sell its own pre-owned watches, a move that could reshape how luxury watches are distributed. The company is expected to unveil its Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program at the end of this month, though no official launch date or operating terms have been announced yet. A Brand Steps Into the Resale Market Reports first surfaced on October 20 through an international watch outlet. A direct-sales model using brand-run boutiques and AP House venues is considered the most likely format, with online sales also under review. The idea dates back to 2018, when then-CEO François-Henry Bennahmias spoke of buying back and reselling existing watches. Pilot projects followed in Japan, Switzerland and the United States, and in October 2024 Marc Montagne, a former Vacheron Constantin digital and e-commerce executive, joined to lead the business. The timing reflects a booming secondary market. In the first half of 2026, global ...

Decades of hands-on experience from veteran factory workers are being converted into training data for artificial intelligence. As manufacturers digitize this know-how, a debate is growing over how much the workers who provide it should be paid and how new experts will be trained. Companies have begun recording how skilled workers handle equipment, spot defects and respond to unexpected problems. The stated aim is to preserve that experience after veterans leave the floor and make it usable for younger colleagues. The Compensation Gap in Korea's Manufacturing AI Project In October, South Korea's National Assembly raised the issue of compensation in a government-backed manufacturing AI project. The project turns the experience of master craftspeople into data. Of the 30 consortiums taking part, 14 set their research allowances below 20 percent of labor costs, short of the level recommended by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, which oversees industrial policy. The lo...

Incheon City Council Chairman Park Jong-hyuk held a policy meeting on October 22 to discuss how to improve tap water quality for residents. The talks covered aging water pipes in homes and schools, as well as eco-friendly ways to clean up the Gulpocheon stream in the city's Bupyeong District. Pipes, Schools and a Pilot Project The meeting took place at the council chairman's office and included Shim Hak-seop, CEO of Jinhaeng Waterway, and Jang Dae-gyeom, chairman of Gil Co., along with council officials. Water quality depends not only on treatment plants but also on distribution networks, indoor pipes and storage tanks, so old buildings, schools and public facilities can see differences in color and turbidity at the tap. Incheon already runs a roughly 10 billion won program this year to help replace aging indoor water pipes, such as corrosion-prone galvanized steel. Eligible homes can receive up to 80 percent of construction costs, capped at 1.5 million won per household, and s...

A hoodie for 170 dollars and a T-shirt for 105 to 110 dollars: that is what the American label Fear of God charges for its ESSENTIALS Signature pieces. These are the same basics most people already own, yet a brand name changes the price tag. Fear of God's 2026 fall/winter collection shows how today's fashion industry borrows from sports culture and everyday clothing. Sportswear Becomes a Premium Product The brand presented ESSENTIALS Signature alongside NFL ESSENTIALS and NBA ESSENTIALS. The NFL line applies the names of all 32 teams to apparel. The NBA line draws on old basketball uniform graphics, heathered fabrics and a circular logo reminiscent of traditional sports crests. The campaign was shot on the streets of New York, bringing together team history, 1990s style and the everyday outfits of young people in one brand. ESSENTIALS, developed by Jerry Lorenzo, rarely changes the basic shape of its clothes. Hoodies, sweatshirts, T-shirts and pants return each season in simil...

Fear of God's 2026 fall/winter collection returns to hoodies, T-shirts, sweatshirts and shorts, reworking everyday clothes through shape and proportion. ESSENTIALS, the brand's second line, now carries price tags far above its accessible beginnings. The strategy is simple: familiar basics, generous silhouettes, restrained color, and a premium price. Proportion Over Decoration ESSENTIALS launched in 2018 when Jerry Lorenzo introduced it as a lower-priced second line, spreading the brand's signature relaxed fit to everyday wear. In 2026, official US prices tell a different story: the Signature 1990s-style relaxed T-shirt costs 105 to 110 dollars, the Signature Classic hoodie 170 dollars, the Signature Classic shorts 110 dollars, and a bonded nylon jacket 350 dollars. The designs are not complicated. Apart from large logos, decoration is minimal, and the real differences sit in the shoulder line, sleeve fullness, body width and hem length. In the runway looks, a tan hooded jac...

In 2026, Swiss furniture maker Vitra reissued Jean Prouvé's Antony Chair as a global limited edition of 1,000 pieces. A design once meant for university dormitories now carries a price tag of 3.7 million won in Korea, roughly the cost of a premium sofa. From a Paris Purchase to a Museum Icon The story begins in 1984, when Rolf Fehlbaum of Vitra bought an old chair in Paris. It was an Antony Chair, designed in the 1950s by Jean Prouvé, the French designer and metalworking technician. The design pairs a single piece of plywood forming both seat and backrest with a metal frame beneath it, reflecting Prouvé's goal of producing dormitory furniture by industrial methods. That chair became the first piece in the Vitra Design Museum collection. It marked the starting point for collecting and studying Prouvé's furniture, and it influenced Vitra's later decision to work with Prouvé's family to put his past designs back into production. A chair once used by students became a m...

Universities are no longer just for people in their early twenties. Gimpo College, a regional college in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, is widening its role from guiding teenagers to teaching working adults through its Lifelong Education Center. From Teen Career Fairs to Adult Classrooms On the 15th, the 2026 Gimpo Career Education Expo took place at Gimpo Sports Complex, where middle school students tried out college majors for the first time. Park Hae-ryun, head of Gimpo College's Lifelong Education Center, was among the university officials watching. On the same campus, the center runs separate programs for adults. For the 2026 academic year, the center offers general courses, an executive program and part-time courses. The second-half general courses include Korean and Chinese-character calligraphy, urban sketching, vocal music and a certification course for folk painting (minhwa) instructors, with 73 participants in total. The minhwa course runs in both daytime and evening sessions...

Gimpo, a city west of Seoul, is training women who are re-entering the workforce to use artificial intelligence in everyday office tasks. A job-cooperation meeting held on October 21 at the Gimpo Women's New Job Center looked at how to match that training with real hiring needs. AI Plus Office Basics The Smart Office Worker course with AI runs from September 4 to November 4, takes 20 trainees and is free. It covers AI document writing, video and image editing, Excel, the Computer Skills Level 2 certificate, resume writing and interview coaching. Meeting participants raised ideas such as teaching prompt writing, strengthening Excel and ERP basics, and building portfolios from practice work. ERP, or enterprise resource planning, is software that manages a company's orders, inventory and accounting in one place. The program fits the direction of Gimpo's ninth popularly elected administration, which took office on July 1, 2026 and stresses AI-era education, future high-tech ind...

When the New York Knicks opened the NBA season on October 20, 2026, at Madison Square Garden, the lowest resale ticket price briefly hit $2,168, up 106% from three days earlier. The night featured a championship ring ceremony and banner raising to mark the franchise's first title in 53 years, since 1973. Demand was also boosted by LeBron James playing his first regular-season game in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, and by a separate fan-ring launch from Jason of Beverly Hills. A Title Turned Into Products On the floor, players received championship rings set with about 800 diamonds and sapphires. The ring maker Jason of Beverly Hills used the same day to start selling a commemorative fan ring. The top-tier version, made of white gold and diamonds, is priced at $19,995. Unlike the players' rings, buyers can have their own name engraved on it, and production is capped at 200 pieces. The championship itself came from years of competition by the players, investment by the club, and s...

A US federal court has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Korean singer Song Ga-in, ruling that it had no jurisdiction over the case. The judge also warned the plaintiff that repeatedly filing poorly drafted, AI-generated legal documents could lead to sanctions. A Korean Song, a California Courtroom The dispute centers on 'Danjangui Miari Gogae,' a classic Korean song. According to Song's agency, JG Star, the federal district court for the Central District of California dismissed the case on August 27, local time, because a case involving a Korean singer and broadcasts in Korea does not fall under US jurisdiction. JG Star announced the ruling in an official statement on October 21. The plaintiff, identified only by his surname Lee, says he is the son of the late composer Lee Jae-ho, who wrote the song, and that he legally inherited the copyright from his mother. He took issue with Song singing the song on Korean television and repeatedly pressed JG Star for ...