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Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul said Wednesday the Navy is pushing to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology across its operations to prepare for future warfare and increase operational efficiency. Kim made the remarks during a seminar on the Navy's vision to accelerate its AI transformation by adopting innovative AI-related technologies from the private sector, according to the service. "The Navy has drawn up a comprehensive AI transformation plan and is reinforcing related organizations to enable the swift and proactive adoption of AI technologies across all mission domains," Kim said in his opening speech, while vowing to develop an AI-driven manned and unmanned teaming combat systems. The seminar, which included discussions on intelligent information, cyberspace and electromagnetic capabilities, brought together some 900 personnel from the defense ministry, academia and the private sector.
Rainbow flags ripple through downtown Seoul every June, but this year, some of the loudest, sweatiest and most determined faces of Korea's LGBTQ community were not young, cosmopolitan gays. They were 30- and 40-something women. At this year's Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF), a truck blasting remixed early-2000s K-pop rolled into the parade route, trailed by dancing marchers and a surprising number of parents. Banners displayed the logo of the 3040+ Jumma Queer group, a loose collective of lesbian, bisexual, queer and gender-nonconforming women in their 30s and 40s who came together last year. Their message was pointed at their own community. In lesbian circles, there is a persistent assumption that “everyone either leave the community for heterosexual marriage or disappear into domestic life by mid-30s.” The truck spoke to “break that script and invite lesbians pushing strollers, women who feel too old for bar meetups and self-desribed ajumma queers — to be visible, noisy and together in the streets. Instead of sleek pop divas and polished choreography, the truck leaned into
Australia and South Korea are both acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines, a parallel step-change in their conventional deterrent capability. Though their discrete pathways to realise this common goal reflect different strategic circumstances and problems, they can still usefully learn from each other’s experience and cooperate. Viewed from Australia, where AUKUS still stirs controversy five years after the tripartite initiative was announced, South Korea’s recently announced framework to acquire nuclear powered submarines is a refreshing contrast. Unlike Australia, which is acquiring 2 different types of nuclear-powered submarine in close partnership with the U.S. and U.K., President Lee Jae Myung’s administration is seeking a largely made-in-Korea solution, with limited assistance from the U.S. To be fair, Seoul had no other realistic choice. Despite claims by US President Donald Trump that Korea’s future nuclear submarines would be built in Philadelphia, following the surprise announcement on the sidelines of last October’s APEC summit in Gyeongju, Seoul has since pivo
A Korean two-way prospect has signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, forgoing a domestic league draft where he was projected as a top-three pick. The Diamondbacks announced Tuesday (U.S. time) that they have landed the 18-year-old player Eom Jun-sang during their international signing period. MLB.com reported that Eom agreed to a signing bonus of around $1.5 million. Eom's Seoul-based agency, Leeco Sports Agency, also confirmed the teenager's signing. "I'm really honored to have a chance to pursue my dream of playing in Major League Baseball," Eom said in a statement released by Leeco. "I want to thank the Arizona Diamondbacks organization for this great opportunity. I still have a lot of work to do, and I will take it one step at a time to reach the big leagues." Eom has excelled as a shortstop and a pitcher for both Duksoo High School in Seoul and Korea's junior national team. So far in 2026 for his school, Eom has batted .317/.443/.556 with three home runs and 20 RBIs in 18 games. On the mound, the right-hander has pitched to a 2.77 ERA and a 1-1 record in five outings covering 12 2/3 i
Seoul stocks opened lower Wednesday, partly driven by investors pulling out of stocks related to artificial intelligence (AI) in the U.S. market. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was down 75.79 points, or 0.87 percent, to 8,650.81, as of 9:15 a.m. The index followed declines on Wall Street overnight, where a tech sell-off knocked down the S&P500 by some 0.5 percent and the Nasdaq by 1.15 percent. Nvidia surprised investors with a plan to issue $25 billion worth of bonds, which marked the chip giant's first bond sale in five years. Its shares fell 2.4 percent. Investors were also cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy update due Wednesday (U.S. time) afternoon, with some concerned that the new Fed chair could signal a more hawkish tone in this first meeting. "Given that overall market conditions are neutral or better, the market is expected to rotate away from semiconductors to other sectors and narrow losses," said Han Ji-young, an analyst from Kiwoom Securities. Market top-cap Samsung Electronics fell 2.41 percent, while its rival SK hynix inched up 0.76 per
South Korea heads into the Lion’s Den to take on Mexico in Guadalajara late Friday morning Seoul time. Since the draw was made for the 2026 World Cup in December, all knew that this would be the toughest game. It is a journey that is not as daunting as it could have been as the Taeguk Warriors have three points in the bank after the 2-1 win over the Czech Republic at the same stadium last week. It means that, with a final game against South Africa still to come next week, Korea is in a good position. Had the opener ended in a loss, and with the Czechs taking the lead that was a possibility before Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeong-gyu scored, then the team would have desperately needed a result against Mexico and been under real pressure. Now, a draw would be fine and even a defeat, as long as the performance was OK, would not be the end of the world or the World Cup. A win however, would be spectacular and a real statement against a Mexican team ranked 13 in the world, eight above Hong Myung-bo’s men. It would mean that Korea become the first team at the tournament to secure a place in t
DUBAI—In his seminal 1956 paper “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two,” American psychologist George Miller made a deceptively simple argument: our working memory can hold only seven pieces of information at once. In effect, Miller identified a hard constraint on the human mind’s processing capacity, showing that short-term cognition operates within surprisingly narrow limits. At roughly the same time, the Nobel laureate economist Herbert A. Simon arrived at a strikingly similar conclusion. His theory of bounded rationality held that decision-makers never optimize in the sense that classical economics imagines, because cognition itself is a scarce resource. Faced with more variables than they can simultaneously process, human beings do not search for the best possible answer. Instead, they settle for an answer that is good enough within the limits of their cognitive resources. As Simon put it, “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” In the 1980s, educational psychologist John Sweller pushed this logic further with his cognitive load theory. Sweller
Korea plans to roll out tailored job support measures for different sectors, including manufacturing, construction and agriculture, amid the fallout from the Middle East crisis, the finance ministry said Wednesday. The Ministry of Finance and Economy held discussions with the labor ministry as the country lost 40,000 jobs in May from a year earlier, marking the first decline in 17 months, as the impact of the prolonged Middle East war weighed on the economy. "Recently, a peace agreement was reached regarding the Middle East war, but uncertainties have not yet been fully alleviated, and challenges in livelihoods and the job market persist," the finance ministry said. During the meeting, participants discussed ways to overcome three major challenges in the job market, namely demographic changes, the growing preference for experienced hires and the Middle East crisis, vowing to devise measures to revitalize youth employment. The employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 came to 43.8 percent in May, down 2.4 percentage points from a year earlier. The government added it will additionally utili
For many Indonesians, Korea first arrived through the infectious beats of K-pop, the emotional hooks of K-dramas and the overarching phenomenon of the Korean wave, also known as hallyu. The establishment of the Korean Cultural Center in Jakarta in 2011 institutionalized these connections, introducing the Korean language, arts and cinema to a wider Indonesian audience. Today, however, the relationship is entering a fundamentally different phase. President Prabowo Subianto’s historic state visit to Seoul from March 31 to April 2 marked an important milestone in the evolution of bilateral relations. During the visit, both countries agreed to elevate their ties from a Special Strategic Partnership to a Special Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This upgrade signals a deeper, far more calculated commitment to security and economic resilience. The upgrade represents far more than a diplomatic gesture. It reflects a growing recognition in both Jakarta and Seoul that traditional trade frameworks are no longer sufficient to navigate modern geopolitical realities. The state visit yielded 16
Korea’s younger generations have demonstrated how collective action can unite a community rather than divide it. Their creative, caring rallies offer a glimpse of hope in an increasingly fragmented world. While protesting what they view as violations of citizens’ voting rights in the June 3 local elections, they have organized rallies that are interactive and engaging. At Olympic Park in Seoul’s southern Songpa District, tens of thousands of citizens — many in their 20s and 30s — have gathered daily since June 4, the day after local elections were held nationwide. They chant slogans urging politicians to overhaul the National Election Commission (NEC) and demanding that local elections be redone. Instead of carrying professionally printed banners, many participants hold handwritten signs. When the rallies conclude, volunteers collect trash and clean the venue, helping to keep the area safe and welcoming. Olympic Park has evolved into a caring community. A man who introduced himself as having a science Ph.D. offers free math tutoring to school-age children accompanying their par
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Korea will try to win consecutive group stage matches for the first time in their FIFA World Cup history when they face Mexico this week. The kickoff between world No. 25 Korea and 14th-ranked Mexico will be at 7 p.m. Thursday (local time) at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, western Mexico, or 10 a.m. Friday (Korean time). Both teams won their first matches in Group A last week, with Mexico, one of the three co-hosts of the tournament, shutting down South Africa 2-0 and Korea coming from behind to beat Czechia 2-1. The winner of the upcoming match will be in the driver's seat to win Group A, with winnable matches against two clear underdogs — South Africa for Korea and Czechia for Mexico — on the horizon next week. History doesn't appear to be on Korea's side, though. Korea have never won their second match of a World Cup in their 11 previous tries, with four draws and seven losses. The drought includes a 2-1 loss to Mexico at the 2018 competition in Russia. The Taegeuk Warriors have won back-to-back matches at any point at a World Cup just once. In 2002, they be
The Korean school drama "Teach You a Lesson" retained its position at the top of Netflix's non-English show chart for the second consecutive week, the streaming platform announced Wednesday. Released June 5, the series accumulated 21.1 million views during the tracking week ending Sunday, marking a more than threefold increase from the 6.4 million views recorded during its debut. The show claimed the No. 1 spot in 46 countries and regions, including Korea, Japan, Thailand, Turkey and Brazil, and reached the top 10 in 91 others, according to Netflix. Based on the webtoon "Get Schooled," the action-packed series follows a team of inspectors at the fictional Education Rights Protection Bureau, which receives full-fledged support from Education Minister Choi Gang-seok, played by Lee Sung-min. Under Choi's leadership, who believes the bureau exists "not to fight students but to fight monsters," the inspectors — played by Kim Mu-yeol, Jin Ki-joo and Pyo Ji-hoon (also known as P.O of K-pop boy group Block B) — set out to teach the bullies a lesson. The narrative features extrajudicial punis
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump last year that he was the “greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House." Now, as Trump tries to finalize a deal to end the war with Iran, he's unloading on Netanyahu with rhetoric that no other American leader has dared to use publicly. He claimed credit for Israel's existence — “without me, there would be no Israel” — and cursed his judgment in interviews. He even described him as “crazy.” Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister spans four U.S. presidents, and he's frustrated all of them at one point or another. But none has voiced that as openly as Trump, who started the conflict in tandem with Netanyahu. The tension comes as Trump criticizes recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon, which threatened to jeopardize negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Trump has been pushing for a deal as he faces political blowback at home, where the war is unpopular and has driven up gasoline prices. “If Netanyahu gets in between something Trump really wants, and that’s out of this war, he’s prepared to use t
Male celebrities in Korean entertainment are adopting high-profile weight-loss regimens ranging from marathon training and lifestyle overhauls to the use of obesity medications to redefine their public images. While weight loss among female celebrities has long been a focal point in Korean entertainment media, recent trends show male celebrities as the focus of health management. Singer Shindong, comedian Kwak Bum and singer Sung Si-kyung are drawing attention for recent weight loss. Shindong, a member of veteran K-pop boy band Super Junior, recently posted photos from a trip to Beijing. "I really had fun in Beijing — eating delicious food, sightseeing, taking pictures and riding amusement park rides," he said. The singer had previously discussed regaining weight after earlier diet attempts. He said he used the obesity treatment Wegovy but stopped after he did not get the results he expected. Shindong later continued his efforts to lose weight. Comedian Kwak Bum is combining medical assistance with exercise. He said during a recent broadcast of SBS Radio's "Yoo Min-sang's Hungry Radio"
When bitcoin's price hit an all-time high of $126,210 last October, Lee Roo-da made up her mind. She would bet big when the next bear market came. That bear market has indeed arrived, but she remains hesitant. "Semiconductor stocks have been performing extremely well. Come to think of it, semiconductors are an industry with real earnings, whereas bitcoin isn't," the 33-year-old office worker told The Korea Times. "What if this is the end? Even if it isn't, how long will I have to wait for the price to go up?" Korea has long held a strong presence in the global crypto market, backed by enthusiastic retail investors, widespread internet access and a tech-savvy population. Many crypto projects refer to Korea as the "El Dorado of liquidity," as local investors have poured money into both bitcoin and altcoins. But recent data suggests that Korea's retail-driven crypto boom may be losing momentum amid a broader global slump, even as the country remains one of the world's most active retail markets. According to TRM Labs, a global blockchain intelligence firm, Korea ranked second in retail cryp
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Korean players trained behind closed doors Tuesday, two days before their second group stage match of the FIFA World Cup against Mexico. According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), Korea worked out for about 90 minutes at their training facility, Chivas Verde Valle, in Zapopan, near Guadalajara in western Mexico. The Taegeuk Warriors also trained behind closed doors two days prior to their first Group A contest against Czechia last week and went on to win that match 2-1. With Mexico having beaten South Africa 2-0 to begin their tournament as a co-host last week, the winner of the upcoming match will likely determine who will advance to the knockout round as the top dog out of Group A. The kickoff is at 7 p.m. Thursday (local time) at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, or 10 a.m. Friday (Korean time). The eve of the match will include the official prematch press conference for head coach Hong Myung-bo and a player to be named later, plus a training session open to media. According to KFA officials, Korea concentrated on sharpening their defensive and offensive ta
Korea's tourism and casino industry faces a critical turning point as it races to overhaul its public image and ease regulatory burdens before Japan opens its massive integrated resort in 2030. Industry experts and academic figures gathered at The Korea Times' roundtable discussion in Seoul on Thursday to share survival strategies against Japan's upcoming integrated resort in Osaka, which could trigger a massive outflow of tourists and capital. Kang Sung-sook, a professor at Tezukayama University in Japan, stressed that the Osaka development is designed to be much more than a simple gaming venue. "The Osaka integrated resort is not merely a facility to attract tourists," said Kang, who joined the meeting online. "It aims to become an innovation hub for international conferences, exhibitions and corporate activities." The Osaka project is spearheaded by a consortium where U.S. entertainment giant MGM Resorts International and Japanese financial services group Orix each hold an investment ratio of about 44 percent. The remaining 12 percent is backed by 22 local minority shareholders. The ma
When you go to a concert these days, it seems like everyone around you has their cellphone out — capturing what everyone else is recording, messaging friends or maybe just doomscrolling on social media. With the new single "Square Eyes," the Busan-based rock band Daisy Gun takes aim at this culture that is consumed through smart devices. "It's a bit of a political number, and is basically about how people spend too much time on their phones making them susceptible to a whole lot of nonsense," Louis Cilliers, the band's South African guitarist and vocalist, told The Korea Times. "After a few heated arguments about not trusting everything you read online, I started writing the lyrics with the idea of disinformation spreading through social media. People are very comfortable in their echo chambers and are naive enough to believe anyone with a strong enough rhetoric." He added that the lyrics also touch on our overreliance on phones. "There's a phrase in the chorus, 'with square eyes, and a turtleneck,' that references the posture that develops from the overuse of phones," he said. But he wa
The Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 lost ground on Tuesday under pressure from technology stocks, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average touched a record high and SpaceX surpassed Amazon's market value to become the fifth-most valuable U.S. company. After rallying sharply on Monday on optimism about a U.S.-Iran peace deal, investors in the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq took a breather even as oil prices fell to their lowest levels since early March. Shares of SpaceX climbed more than 10 percent, helping the AI and rocket company surpass Amazon's market value and briefly top Microsoft's value as its blistering surge continued after its initial public offering. While falling oil prices offered some support to equities, Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia, said building on steep gains in the heavyweight technology sector was too difficult. Luschini said investors are cautious ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy update due on Wednesday afternoon. "We had a big move yesterday in the market," said Luschini, alluding to the S&P 500's 1.65 perc
DUBAI — A $300 billion private fund designed to trigger investment into Iran is outlined in the U.S.-Iran framework agreement and more than half that sum has already been committed, a source with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters. The fund is designed to give both sides an economic incentive to conclude a final deal, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not yet been announced as Washington and Tehran prepare to sign on Friday. U.S. and Iranian officials said on Sunday they had agreed on a framework to end their war, which began when U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran on February 28, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key supply route for global oil and gas. The new fund is a private investment vehicle, not a reconstruction or reparations program and will not include any government money or grants, the source said, adding that companies based in the U.S., the Gulf Arab states, Asia, South America and Africa have agreed to commit financing. Investments pledged span energy, logistics, manufacturing and transpor
SEATTLE — As protests over South Korea's ballot shortage controversy continue, many foreign observers are asking an unusual question: Why are American flags being waved at a protest over a Korean election? Images from the demonstrations show participants carrying U.S. flags alongside South Korean national flags, renewing a long-running debate over the symbolism of the Stars and Stripes in Korean politics. The question has surfaced across social media platforms including Reddit, X and Threads, where expatriates and international observers have debated why a foreign flag has become a recurring feature at some Korean political rallies. "It's so bizarre seeing so many American flags," one user wrote. "It's not really about America," one commenter responded, arguing that the flag has come to symbolize anti-communism and conservative political identity in South Korea. Others pointed to the history of the U.S.-South Korea alliance and the Korean War, saying the flag has long been associated with support for the alliance and opposition to North Korea. Several commenters said the symbolism has ev
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s top diplomat said Tuesday that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon — a condition Israel has already rejected and that could sink the agreement, leading to the resumption of all-out war. The deal, which is between the U.S. and Iran, has not been made public, and officials have sometimes offered contradictory interpretations of what is in it. While Israel is not party to the agreement, it is part of the war: It joined the U.S. in launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, and has since fought the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and seized large swaths of that country. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Israel’s continued occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the deal. “Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end,” Araghchi said. A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss outlines of the agreement, has said the deal did not call for an Israeli
PARIS — Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz stayed at a trickle Tuesday, maritime trackers indicated, two days after the U.S. promised to reopen it under an agreement with Iran to end their war. As of 1500 GMT on Tuesday, tracking platform Kpler had detected just four crossings of the strategic waterway that day by vessels carrying raw materials. Five were detected on Monday — a similar rate to traffic during the week before the US-Iran agreement to end the Middle East war, announced late Sunday. "The Strait of Hormuz continues to operate below normal commercial levels, despite signals of diplomatic progress," Kpler said on X. The Iranian government said on Tuesday that the U.S. military's counter-blockade of Iranian ports, imposed on April 13, had been lifted ahead of the formal signing of the agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that ships were starting to come out of the strait. He said it would "completely" reopen as soon as the accord is signed on Friday. Shipping groups have warned however that uncertainty remains about the steps towards reopening and how long
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, saying bilateral ties are advancing briskly in a mutually beneficial manner. The meeting came on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, which Lee is attending for the second consecutive year as the head of an invited country. The two leaders met ahead of Canada's expected selection of a preferred bidder for its submarine acquisition project, worth 60 trillion-won ($39.8 billion), in late June. A consortium of South Korea's Hanwha Ocean Co. and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. is competing with Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems for the deal. "As like-minded countries, relations between our two nations are briskly advancing in a mutually beneficial manner," Lee said in his opening remarks. "As we have a lot to cooperate on, let us discuss more detailed areas of cooperation," the South Korean president added. Carney highlighted the deepening partnership between the two countries, citing defense, investment and culture as areas in which
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held bilateral talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in France on Tuesday, calling for efforts to advance their countries' bilateral relations to an unprecedented level. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, as Lee attended the event for the second consecutive year as the leader of an invited country. "I think South Korea and Germany are countries that could cooperate in many fields and create synergy through cooperation," Lee said, opening the talks. "I hope that South Korea and Germany will work together to advance (their relations) to a new and different level," the South Korean president said. The German chancellor called bilateral relations "pretty good" and said South Korea is highly regarded in Germany. "The cooperation is on a very high level. So I am very much looking forward to my visit to your country by the end of October," Merz said, referring to his planned visit to South Korea.
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — G7 leaders agreed on Tuesday to intensify pressure on Russia to end more than four years of war against Ukraine, with US President Donald Trump saying Moscow should "make a deal" and indicating Washington could re-impose waived sanctions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the summit at the French resort of Evian, with both increased sanctions and the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between the Ukrainian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin in discussion. Analysts say Ukraine is increasingly holding up well on the battlefield but its cities are still the target of deadly Russian attacks in a conflict that has now lasted longer than World War I. The summit of the G7 group of world powers notably brought Zelensky together with Trump, who has sought to reach out to Putin but also showed signs of losing patience with Moscow. "Russia should make a deal" to end the war against Ukraine, Trump said after meeting Zelensky. He pointed to the high casualties on both sides in the conflict, the deadliest on European soil since World War II. "The whole
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday and had a brief encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump during a photo session. Emmanuel Macron, president of host France, welcomed Lee to the summit venue. The South Korean president responded, "I am so happy," after Macron asked, "How are you?" During a subsequent group photo session for leaders of participating countries, Lee had a brief encounter with Trump for about 30 seconds, a livestream of the event showed. Lee and Trump were seen eagerly speaking to each other through who appeared to be an interpreter. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung later said in a briefing that Trump asked Lee about the latest developments in inter-Korean ties during the conversation. Lee asked Trump to spearhead a peaceful resolution of North Korean issues, as he did with the war in the Middle East, to which the U.S. president responded by expressing his intention to work toward such a resolution, according to the spokesperson. This year marks the second cons
A recent public sighting of actor Bae Yong-joon, one of the biggest figures of the Korean wave's early years, has sparked a wave of online discussion in Korea and renewed interest in celebrities who have largely disappeared from public life. Photos of Bae and his wife, actress Park Soo-jin, surfaced this month after the couple was reportedly spotted traveling in Singapore with actors Park Shin-hye and Choi Tae-joon and their children. Singaporean media outlets reported that the two families arrived at Changi Airport before later boarding the Disney Adventure cruise. The images quickly drew attention because Bae, once known as one of Asia's most recognizable Korean stars, has rarely been seen in public since stepping away from the entertainment industry. In the photos, Bae appears in casual clothing with long hair tied back under a cap, while Park is seen looking after the couple's children. As the images spread online, a netizen who claimed to have seen the families aboard the cruise shared additional impressions of the actor. "Other than his hair turning gray, he looked very well-maintain
South Korea will review measures to offer income tax cuts for young workers at small and medium-sized enterprises in line with efforts to revitalize regional economies, the finance minister said. "We will review applying differentiated income tax reduction rates and benefit periods for workers at SMEs," Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol told reporters during a press event held in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Tuesday. "In order to achieve economic growth led by regional areas, we will review
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul said Wednesday the Navy is pushing to expand the use of artificial intelligence technology across its operations to prepare for future warfare and increase operational efficiency. Kim made the remarks during a seminar on the Navy's vision to accelerate its AI transformation by adopting innovative AI-related technologies from the private sector, according to the service. "The Navy has drawn up a comprehensive AI transformation plan and is reinforcing
A South Korean two-way prospect has signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, forgoing a domestic league draft where he was projected as a top-three pick. The Diamondbacks announced Tuesday that they have landed the 18-year-old player Eom Jun-sang during their international signing period. MLB.com reported that Eom agreed to a signing bonus of around US$1.5 million. Eom's Seoul-based agency, Leeco Sports Agency, also confirmed the teenager's signing. "I'm really honored to have a chance to pursue my
Seoul stocks opened lower Wednesday, partly driven by investors pulling out of stocks related to artificial intelligence in the US market. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was down 75.79 points, or 0.87 percent, to 8,650.81, as of 9:15 a.m. The index followed declines on Wall Street overnight, where a tech sell-off knocked down the S&P500 by some 0.5 percent and the Nasdaq by 1.15 percent. Nvidia surprised investors with a plan to issue $25 billion worth of bonds, which marked the
South Korea will try to win consecutive group stage matches for the first time in their FIFA World Cup history when they face Mexico this week. The kickoff between world No. 25 South Korea and 14th-ranked Mexico will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, western Mexico, or 10 a.m. Friday. Both teams won their first matches in Group A last week, with Mexico, one of the three co-hosts of the tournament, shutting down South Africa 2-0 and South Korea coming from behind to beat Cz
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attended the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday as an invited guest, marking South Korea’s second consecutive participation in the gathering despite not being a G7 member. Ahead of the summit, Lee said in a post on X that the back-to-back invitations reflected the international community’s trust and expectations for South Korea and pledged to showcase the country’s strengthened capabilities and confidence on the global stage. “Buildi
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By Park Eun-sik Minister of Korea Forest Service June 17 is World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, designated by the United Nations. Established to mark the adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994, this day calls on the global community to recognize the severity of desertification, land degradation and drought, and to reaffirm our collective commitment to action. This year's theme — "Rangeland: Recognize, Respect, Restore" — serves as a sober
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attended the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday and had a brief encounter with US President Donald Trump during a photo session. Emmanuel Macron, president of host France, welcomed Lee to the summit venue. The South Korean president responded, "I am so happy," after Macron asked, "How are you?" During a subsequent group photo session for leaders of participating countries, Lee had a brief encounter with Trump for about 30 seconds, a
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held bilateral talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in France on Tuesday, calling for efforts to advance their countries' bilateral relations to an unprecedented level. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, as Lee attended the event for the second consecutive year as the leader of an invited country. "I think South Korea and Germany are countries that could cooperate in many fields and create synerg
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, saying bilateral ties are advancing briskly in a mutually beneficial manner. The meeting came on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, which Lee is attending for the second consecutive year as the head of an invited country. The two leaders met ahead of Canada's expected selection of a preferred bidder for its submarine acquisition project, worth 60 trillion-won ($39.8 bill
![[Graphic News] Population movement up 6% on property market boom](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2026%2F06%2F16%2Fnews-p.v1.20260616.d882fc1d30414e68905f1730c2f01ef6_T1.gif&w=3840&q=75)
The number of South Koreans relocating to new regions moved up 6.3 percent in April from a year earlier amid the growing number of houses traded in the country, data showed. Around 506,000 people changed residences in April, up 30,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The rising number of people changing residences came amid the recent rebound in the country's housing market. The number of homes bought and sold in March came to 71,975, up 7 perc
![[Cathy O'Neil] AI 'siege pricing' must be stopped](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2026%2F06%2F16%2Fnews-p.v1.20260616.2a9bb4aac5a84ee79a04bc944b12ea5f_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
My great uncle Fred, a former World War II prisoner living in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, had little to his name but a four-wheel-drive truck. When the treacherous winter storms came, he would drive around, offering to help poor souls who had gotten stuck in the snow. But he was no good Samaritan: He charged exorbitant prices, sussing them out to determine the maximum he could extract. He had all the power and he knew how to use it. Call it siege pricing. Today’s online markets, with the he
![[Kim Seong-kon] Time Travelers to the past and the future](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2026%2F06%2F16%2Fnews-p.v1.20260616.0cbbcf3e1a764417b4e4eaa05347083f_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Since the release of "The Time Machine" in 1960, Hollywood has produced a plethora of films about time travel. Among them, “The Terminator,” “Back to the Future” and “12 Monkeys” immediately come to mind. “The Butterfly Effect,” "The Time Traveler’s Wife" and, more recently, “The Adam Project” also deal with time travel and its merits and problems. These movies open our eyes to both the past and the future of human civilization. The themes of time-travel movies revolve around our desire to fix p
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates discussed strategic cooperation in the energy sector, including joint oil reserves and nuclear power plants, the industry ministry said Tuesday. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with Musabbeh Al Kaabi, chief executive officer of upstream at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, to discuss the stable supply of crude oil, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. During the meeting, South Korea was briefed that imports of the 24 million barre
A high school student on Jeju Island is being investigated for allegedly entering an elementary school teacher's classroom on multiple occasions and leaving behind semen and urine, police said Tuesday. According to Seogwipo Police Station and the Jeju Teachers' Union, the student allegedly sneaked into an elementary school near his high school in April and left semen in a teacher's personal tumbler kept in a classroom. On June 4, the student came back to the same classroom, where he urinated on
A recent controversy involving IVE's Jang Won-young during an airport identity verification check has prompted Korea Airports Corporation to strengthen guidance on passenger screening procedures. Korea Airports Corporation said Monday it will step up efforts to inform travelers about identity verification procedures, including by posting related information on its website. The K-pop star drew criticism online after a video showed her lowering her mask only briefly while undergoing an identity ch
Police have launched an investigation into possible medical negligence at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, where a newborn who suffered respiratory distress shortly after birth died nearly two months later. According to the Gunpo Police Station Tuesday, the infant was born at the clinic on April 15 and was transferred to a university hospital after developing breathing difficulties of unknown cause. The baby was later diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
Architect Byoung Cho, known in Korea as Cho Byoung-soo, has long been celebrated for his earthbound architecture, earning him the nickname “the architect of the earth.” “My parents always told me that I should know where I came from,” Cho said Wednesday during an interview at BB&M Gallery in Seoul. “Every school vacation, they would send me to our family’s rural hometown in Sangju. Although I grew up in Seoul, there was a period when I preferred the countryside.” "I especially loved the smells a
A Dutch hiker was rescued by helicopter from Seoraksan on Monday after an ankle injury left her stranded in the mountain. Local fire authorities said the 24-year-old hiker called emergency authorities at 7:14 a.m. after injuring her ankle near the Heeungak Shelter on Seoraksan in Inje, Gangwon Province. Unable to access the area by vehicle or land a helicopter, the Gangwon 119 Special Rescue Team carried out an aerial rescue, lowering rescuers from a firefighting helicopter to reach the hiker. S
Pianist Lim Yunchan closed a five-concert, all-Mozart tour of Japan and Korea at Lotte Concert Hall on Monday, alongside Camerata Salzburg under Masato Suzuki. The collaboration was Lim's own idea. The 22-year-old, who in 2022 became the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, proposed the series to Camerata Salzburg, the ensemble long resident at the Salzburg Festival and Mozart Week, on a single condition: that the music be all Mozart. The program paired two concert
South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service is examining Mirae Asset Securities and several asset managers, including Korea Investment Management, over SpaceX-related investment products after they failed to secure IPO allocations despite marketing them as vehicles for gaining exposure to the highly anticipated listing. According to industry sources Tuesday, the FSS initially launched an on-site inspection of Mirae Asset Securities before escalating it into a formal examination. The probe also c
Hanwha Group affiliates have raised the group's stake in Korea Aerospace Industries to 9.04 percent, becoming the second-largest shareholder after the state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea and further solidifying Hanwha’s ambitions in the aerospace and defense sectors. Hanwha Aerospace, the group’s key defense unit, said Tuesday it acquired 3.02 million shares of KAI for 499.9 billion won ($332 million), bringing its total holdings to 6.33 million shares, or a 6.5 percent stake. Another affiliat
South Korean firm Upstage said Tuesday it will pull its model, its workplace AI tools and a web portal into a single operation. The bet is that a home-grown AI system built end-to-end can compete without leaning on American or Chinese technology, a pitch the company is making as it prepares to go public. The ambition is not Upstage's alone. It is one of five firms the government picked last year to develop Korea's own AI models rather than rely on foreign ones, a push officials call "sovereign A
South Korea’s National Assembly is set to launch a parliamentary probe into ballot shortages reported during the June 3 local elections, after the rival parties agreed to pass an investigation plan at a plenary session set for Thursday. Rep. Cheon Jun-ho of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Rep. Kim Seung-su of the main opposition People Power Party, the senior deputy floor leaders in charge of parliamentary operations, reached the agreement Tuesday. The bipartisan move comes amid growing
South Korean labor and business groups clashed Tuesday as the state wage-setting panel opened talks on a variable minimum wage, a proposal backed by employers and fiercely opposed by unions. The talks came a day after labor groups proposed raising the 2027 minimum wage by 16.3 percent to 12,000 won ($7.93) an hour. The sixth plenary meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission in Sejong focused on proposals to have different minimum wages depending on industry, one of the most divisive issues in this
Riize released its second EP, “II,” featuring the lead single “Do Your Dance,” on Monday. The album highlights the group’s free-spirited energy and confidence in six songs that include “Soar,” “D-D-Done,” “Overdrive,” “Like a Bomb” and “In a Loop.” According to SM Entertainment, “II” sold more than 910,000 copies within a day of its release, debuting at No. 1 on Hanteo Chart’s daily album chart. It also topped the digital album sales chart on China’s QQ Music and earned a Triple Gold certificati
Two doctors have been referred to prosecutors over allegations that they refused to treat an emergency patient without proper justification, leading to the patient’s death in Daegu three years ago, police said. Police sent the case to prosecutors in April after a three-year investigation into the March 2023 incident, in which several hospitals allegedly refused to accept the patient or provide first aid. The patient, a 15-year-old girl, had fallen from a four-story building in Daegu and suffered
A Libyan national who led an illegal cryptocurrency transfer scheme worth 94 billion won ($62 million) faces removal from Korea after a court upheld an order requiring him to leave the country. According to legal sources Tuesday, the Daejeon District Court recently ruled against the man, who had filed an administrative lawsuit against immigration authorities over the order issued last year in connection with crypto-related financial crimes. The court rejected his claim that he should be allowed
Hong Kong-based Affinity Equity Partners has launched a sale process for BKR, the Korean operator of Burger King and Tim Hortons, reviving a divestment plan that was shelved four years ago, industry sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, the private equity firm has hired Deutsche Bank to explore a sale of its entire stake in BKR, which operates about 550 Burger King stores and 25 Tim Hortons locations in Korea. "The firm is considering a sale and evaluating various options, but no decis
For years, South Korean soccer fans were used to pulling all-nighters to watch World Cup games after work. But this year is different. With all three of Korea’s Group A matches kicking off at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. on weekdays, people are finding themselves juggling work or school, while trying to follow the sport’s biggest spectacle. As the Taegeuk Warriors are set to face co-host Mexico, the favorite to top Group A, at 10 a.m. Friday, fans are once again trying to find ways to squeeze the "Brunch
A travel program set in Jeju Island and featuring actor Yutaka Matsushige is set to air in Japan today as the island steps up efforts to draw more Japanese tourists. The hour-long program features Matsushige, who plays the lead in the popular Japanese food drama "Solitary Gourmet" and is widely recognized in Japan, alongside Hiroe Igeta, who appeared in "If You Like What You Hear," a Japanese TV series about chain-restaurant fare. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the Jeju Tourism Organizati
President Lee Jae Myung began the final leg of his trip to Europe on Tuesday, bound for Evian-les-Bains, France for the Group of Seven Summit, held just as the anticipation grows for an end to the war in the Middle East. Lee's trip there from Tuesday to Wednesday comes as South Korea seeks to expand its role on the international stage and amid rising speculation about US President Donald Trump's intentions regarding North Korea. Lee will kick off his official activities at the G7 meeting upon hi
Seoul stocks shot up by more than 2 percent Tuesday, extending their winning streak to a fourth day on optimism over a US-Iran deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The local currency weakened against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 180.62 points, or 2.11 percent, to close at 8,726.6. Overnight, US stocks rallied after US President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the conflict with Iran had already been signed and the Strai
South Korea’s labor authorities have ruled that Hyundai Motor and Hanwha Ocean are legally responsible as employers for some subcontracted workers for collective bargaining purposes, a move that could significantly expand labor-management negotiations across the country’s manufacturing sector. The Ulsan Regional Labor Relations Commission ruled Monday in favor of 10 subcontractor labor unions seeking direct collective bargaining with Hyundai Motor, recognizing the automaker's “employer status” i
South Korean labor and business groups clashed Tuesday as the state wage-setting panel opened talks on industry-specific pay floors, a contentious proposal backed by employers and fiercely opposed by unions. The talks came a day after labor groups proposed raising the 2027 minimum wage by 16.3 percent to 12,000 won ($7.93) an hour. The sixth plenary meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission in Sejong focused on differentiated rates, one of the most divisive issues in this year's negotiations. Labor
Public attention is turning to Rep. Jung Chung-rae’s future ahead of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's national convention set for August, as competition for power within the party intensifies. The four-term lawmaker is facing mounting pressure to resign from his post. Jung has chaired the party since August 2025, filling in for Lee Jae Myung, who stepped down after winning the presidential election in June 2025. Calls for his resignation intensified after June 10, when, in response to Lee’
BTS played two sold-out concerts at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Friday and Saturday, drawing approximately 220,000 fans over two days as part of its ongoing “Arirang” world tour. While the concerts concluded without major safety incidents, they brought long-standing issues surrounding major K-pop concerts into the fore, including crowd management, accommodation pricing and illegal ticket resales. The most immediate controversy emerged on opening night, when the concert began approximately 75 min
Ha Myung-mi's "Hallan," a mother-daughter survival tale set during one of the darkest chapters of modern Korean history, will screen at the 25th New York Asian Film Festival, local distributor Whenever Studio confirmed Tuesday. Director Ha and lead actor Kim Hyang-gi will both attend the festival for talks with the audience, the studio said. The invitation comes paired with an off-screen tie-in: in partnership with the Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation, the festival will host an exhibition in New York s
South Korea's department store operators have become some of the market's standout performers, as luxury shoppers and foreign tourists return in force, turning the once-stagnant sector into an investor favorite. Over the past six months, shares of Shinsegae, Lotte Shopping and Hyundai Department Store have surged 166.5 percent, 146.1 percent and 97.2 percent, respectively, as of Monday's close. Shinsegae stands apart, up more than 300 percent over the past year, far outpacing its peers. Industry
Across Korea’s southwest, politicians have spent the last week hinting that the country’s two chip giants may be preparing investments there. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix say they know nothing about it. The promise was put most plainly on June 6, when Min Hyung-bae, the incoming leader of the new unified Gwangju region, told a forum that the prime minister had leaned in and told him, quietly, that "something is coming." That something, he indicated, was a share of the semiconductor boom that
At the National Human Rights Commission of Korea headquarters in Seoul, a former detainee at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center recalled the day he was taken into custody. “Immigration officers stormed into my company cafeteria, stopped our meal, threw away our food, handcuffed all the undocumented workers and took us by bus to the detention center,” he said during a press conference Tuesday. The testimony added to rights groups’ broader criticism that Korea’s immigration detention system rem
South Korean asset managers are rushing to increase exposure to SpaceX through exchange-traded funds, as investor demand for the newly listed aerospace company remains strong. Leading the pack is Ace US Space Tech Active ETF, managed by Korea Investment Management, with SpaceX accounting for 26.41 percent of its portfolio as of Tuesday. The fund had initially sought to secure initial public offering allocations through Mirae Asset Securities but pivoted quickly to open-market purchases after the
In the fan voting for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, two Korean players -- Kim Hye-seong, who is currently playing in the minors, and Kim Ha-seong, who has been struggling badly at the plate -- have ranked surprisingly high. According to the interim results of the American League and National League All-Star fan voting released by MLB headquarters on Monday, Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers has received 345,924 votes, placing fourth among National League second basemen. Kim Ha-
Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin took part in the group's "CEO AI Academy" earlier this month, building AI-powered services and developing an AI agent himself as the conglomerate accelerates its artificial intelligence transformation. The two-day program, held June 5-6, brought together the CEOs of 50 Lotte affiliates to review the group's AI transformation strategy and discuss future business applications of AI. During the training, Shin created AI services using vibe coding and developed an
North Korea on Tuesday slammed the recent large-scale live-fire drill carried out by Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, claiming the drill was part of plans to complete what it called Japan’s capability for reinvasion. Nodong Sinmun, the North’s main Rodong Workers’ Party newspaper, said in an article published Tuesday that Japan’s "counterstrike" capability is “in essence, a preemptive attack capability.” The paper took issue with the drills conducted by Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force on Jun
The Korea Tourism Organization staged the 2026 France B2B Travel Mart in Paris and Lyon over two days from June 10, courting about 130 French travel industry figures as Korea and France mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The opening day in Paris unfolded at the Guimet Museum, where the agency tied its sales pitch to two Korean exhibitions on view there, "K-Beauty. Korean Beauty, Story of a Phenomenon" and "Silla : Gold and the Sacred. Royal Treasures of Korea." Juliette Morillot
Artificial intelligence may be lowering barriers to game development, but Nexon Korea co-CEO Kang Dae-hyun believes the industry's most valuable asset remains difficult to automate: context. In a keynote speech at the 2026 Nexon Developers Conference on Tuesday, Kang identified "context" and "compound interest" as the two critical factors that will determine success in the AI era. "Now, games must compete through the depth of context, not based on how well they're made," he said. Kang presented
A group of travelers traverses an endless range of mountains with bundles slung over their backs. They sweep across the floor on their knees, shifting from side to side, and stooping under invisible burdens as they labor forward one step at a time. Then, as if momentarily released from gravity itself, they burst into free, weightless runs. At times, they move hand in hand. Moments later, they scatter across the stage, each tracing a different path. As bodies overlap and intertwine, they merge wi
South Korea's hit massively multiplayer online role-playing game MapleStory is making the leap to the big screen with the release of its first animated film. "Dear My Hero" follows Aidan, a new recruit in the Cygnus Knights who joins the order out of admiration for the legendary Adversary. The story traces Aidan's journey as he confronts his limitations and forges his own path. The 32-minute film is rated PG-12. Tickets are available through Lotte Cinema's website and mobile app, and priced at 5
The first half of 2026 marked a distinct shift in scale for Park Ji-hoon. Coming off his performance as the tragic young king Danjong in the historical epic "The King’s Warden" — which broke box-office records to become the second-highest-grossing Korean film of all time — the actor has found himself at the center of Korea's entertainment landscape. But rather than cash in on that momentum with another heavy dramatic vehicle, Park made a creative pivot with his follow-up project. In the comedy s
