Latest news with #SportsandTourism
RTHK
6 hours ago
- Sport
- RTHK
Fencer Ryan Choi wins gold at the World Championships
Fencer Ryan Choi wins gold at the World Championships Hong Kong, China's Ryan Choi is the world number one. Photo: Courtesy of the Fencing Association of Hong Kong, China. Fencer Ryan Choi has made history by winning Hong Kong, China's first-ever gold medal at the Fencing World Championships. Choi beat his opponent from Russia, Kirill Borodachev, 15-9 in the men's foil final in Tbilisi, Georgia. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law congratulated Choi on winning the gold medal. "Ryan made impressive performance in the competition, demonstrating Hong Kong athletes' charm and perseverance," she said in a statement. "I hope the Hong Kong China fencing team will continue to strive for excellence. I have faith in them to perform spectacularly again in the 15th National Games to be held in November."
Korea Herald
18 hours ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Cue the popcorn — Korea is giving out 6,000 won discounts on movie tickets
Foreign national residents are also eligible for discounts with valid ID Moviegoers in South Korea can receive discounts of 6,000 won on regular admission prices starting Friday at 10 a.m. The joint initiative by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Film Council, aims to revive the struggling cinema industry and boost consumer spending. The ministry allocated 27.1 billion won ($19.6 million) of the second supplementary budget to the program, which passed a National Assembly vote on July 4. Moviegoers can claim up to two coupons each through the websites and apps of major chains CGV, Lotte Cinema, Megabox and CineQ. The coupons remain valid through Sept. 2. Foreign national residents with valid identification can also access the discounts by creating accounts on theater websites and apps, where they can receive the coupons while booking, according to a Korean Film Council official. Independent theaters not affiliated with major chains or without online booking systems will offer the discount on-site without ID verification. The coupons work with existing promotions. Customers can combine them with Culture Day discounts, senior citizen rates, student prices and early morning screenings. On Culture Day — an initiative by the Culture Ministry held on the last Wednesday of each month — when tickets are discounted to 7,000 won, the additional discount brings prices down to just 1,000 won. Credit card cashback offers also apply if minimum payment requirements are met. Mobile carrier membership discounts cannot be combined with the government coupons. Theaters must charge a minimum of 1,000 won per ticket after all discounts. The program covers all films screening during the promotion period, excluding paid preview screenings. The initiative comes as Korea's film industry faces its worst first-half performance in over two decades. Through July 22, just 50.04 million tickets had been sold nationwide. If current trends continue, annual attendance could fall below 100 million for the first time since 2004, excluding pandemic years (2020-21).
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Culture minister nominee cautious on labeling gaming disorder as disease
Chae Hwi-young sees gaming as one of Korea's representative forms of leisure culture and a major export Chae Hwi-young, the nominee to head the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, expressed a cautious stance regarding the classification of gaming disorder as a disease, according to Rep. Kim Seung-soo of the main opposition People Power Party on Tuesday. In a written response submitted to Rep. Kim regarding his confirmation hearing scheduled for later Tuesday, Chae stated, 'Gaming is one of Korea's representative leisure cultures.' He added, 'The scientific basis for viewing gaming disorder as a disease is not sufficient. The issue remains controversial not only among academia, the medical and gaming industries, but also internationally.' Chae, the CEO of Nol Universe and a journalist-turned-tech platform expert, noted, 'I believe that a broad social consensus must be reached before introducing a disease classification code for gaming disorder. Classifying game content, which is a major export sector, as a disease could significantly hurt the gaming industry and its exports.' In 2019, the World Health Organization designated gaming disorder as a disease and included it in the International Classification of Diseases. In response, the South Korean government established a public-private consultative body under the Prime Minister's Office to discuss whether to include gaming disorder in the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases. However, the country has yet to reach a consensus. Amid ongoing divisions between the medical and gaming industries ― as well as between the Health and Culture ministries ― the government had initially planned to launch a fact-finding study last year. The plan was postponed due to sharp disagreements over key issues such as research methodology, the lead agency responsible for the study, specific terminology and the phrasing of survey questions. 'If appointed as minister, I will actively coordinate with relevant ministries on this issue," Chae added. Regarding calls within the industry to allow "play-to-earn" games that utilize blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, Chae said it is too early for such a move. 'I believe a comprehensive decision should be made only after the Financial Services Commission has established a legislative framework to protect users and manage virtual assets," Chae said. 'There are concerns about harm to game users due to the lack of a robust regulatory framework for virtual assets.' Chae also outlined three key strategies to strengthen the competitiveness of Korea's gaming industry. These include expanding tax incentives and financial investment to support the development of major intellectual properties, promoting AI-powered tools to make game development accessible to anyone with creative ideas and supporting entry into new overseas markets to position gaming as a strategic export industry. The National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee is scheduled to convene at 2 p.m. Tuesday to discuss items including the adoption of the confirmation hearing plan for Chae's nomination.
RTHK
2 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
Bordeaux draw set for Wine and Dine Festival
Bordeaux draw set for Wine and Dine Festival Rosanna Law says merchants for Bordeaux region's vineyards are expected to be well represented at this year's Wine and Dine Festival. File photo: RTHK Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law says visitors to the upcoming Wine and Dine Festival in October can get a taste of the finer bottles that France's famed Bordeaux vineyards have to offer. In an interview with Sing Tao Daily published on Tuesday, she said the festival, which made its debut in the SAR in 2009, has now become a signature mega event. It has been scaled down since its return from the pandemic, but the hope for Law is for it to get back to being the place where wine merchants go to ply their trade. Also hoped for is a better balance between wine and food this year, with her finding that there were more stalls selling food last year. Visitors this year will be able to sample Bordeaux wines with the return of the grand tasting pavilion as, Law said, an industry group responsible for promoting the region's offerings globally had been invited, during her visit to France this month, to bring merchants to the SAR. A further proposal to the group is for it to set up an "Everyday Bordeaux" event so as to recommend the region's offerings that represent high value for money to visitors. Separately, Law said the SAR should not expect travellers to have the kind of high spending habits that the city is used to. Hong Kong needs repeat visitors, she added, and the city needs to leave a good impression on tourists, as well as make them feel like home. Additionally, Law said even though the SAR is co-hosting the National Games in November with Guangdong and Macau, it has to "think very carefully" about whether it should consider applying to stage the Olympic Games under a similar arrangement. The Olympics, she said, involves different regions globally and the situation is complicated. Any such application, she pointed out, needs to be in line with the nation's policies, and requires careful assessment of issues such as public finances and resources.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Culture minister nominee Choi Hwi-young cautious on labeling gaming disorder as disease
Choi Hwi-young, the nominee to head the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, expressed a cautious stance regarding the classification of gaming disorder as a disease, according to Rep. Kim Seung-soo of the main opposition People Power Party on Tuesday. In a written response submitted to Rep. Kim regarding his confirmation hearing scheduled for later Tuesday, Choi stated, 'Gaming is one of Korea's representative leisure cultures.' He added, 'The scientific basis for viewing gaming disorder as a disease is not sufficient. The issue remains controversial not only among academia, the medical and gaming industries, but also internationally.' Choi, the CEO of Nol Universe and a journalist-turned-tech platform expert, noted, 'I believe that a broad social consensus must be reached before introducing a disease classification code for gaming disorder. Classifying game content, which is a major export sector, as a disease could significantly hurt the gaming industry and its exports.' In 2019, the World Health Organization designated gaming disorder as a disease and included it in the International Classification of Diseases. In response, the South Korean government established a public-private consultative body under the Prime Minister's Office to discuss whether to include gaming disorder in the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases. However, the country has yet to reach a consensus. Amid ongoing divisions between the medical and gaming industries ― as well as between the Health and Culture ministries ― the government had initially planned to launch a fact-finding study last year. The plan was postponed due to sharp disagreements over key issues such as research methodology, the lead agency responsible for the study, specific terminology and the phrasing of survey questions. 'If appointed as minister, I will actively coordinate with relevant ministries on this issue," Choi added. Regarding calls within the industry to allow "play-to-earn" games that utilize blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, Choi said it is too early for such a move. 'I believe a comprehensive decision should be made only after the Financial Services Commission has established a legislative framework to protect users and manage virtual assets," Choi said. 'There are concerns about harm to game users due to the lack of a robust regulatory framework for virtual assets.' Choi also outlined three key strategies to strengthen the competitiveness of Korea's gaming industry. These include expanding tax incentives and financial investment to support the development of major intellectual properties, promoting AI-powered tools to make game development accessible to anyone with creative ideas and supporting entry into new overseas markets to position gaming as a strategic export industry. The National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee is scheduled to convene at 2 p.m. Tuesday to discuss items including the adoption of the confirmation hearing plan for Choi's nomination.
