SOUTH KOREA

A collection of 116 posts

SOUTH KOREA

KOSPI Surges 3.3% as Samsung, SK hynix Lead Seoul Tech Rally Despite Middle East Crisis

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Monday as semiconductor shares sparked a powerful rebound, pushing the KOSPI up more than 3% even as military tensions between the United States and Iran intensified in the Middle East. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 223.57

SOUTH KOREA

Lee Jae Myung Arrives in France as Macron Summit Draws Focus on Security, AI and Hormuz

NICE, France — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has arrived in France for a four-day state visit that could produce major developments in security, advanced technology, economic cooperation and cultural diplomacy, with a bilateral summit with French President Emmanuel Macron scheduled for Tuesday in Paris. Lee arrived in Nice

BUSINESS

Naver Shuts Down Services as South Korea’s Tech Giant Bets Big on AI and Commerce

SEOUL, South Korea — Naver is shutting down several standalone services as South Korea’s internet giant makes a major strategic shift toward artificial intelligence, AI-powered commerce and digital infrastructure. The latest move will see Naver’s music-streaming platform VIBE shut down on December 31, 2026, while Naver TV

SOUTH KOREA

100,000 Pack Taipei Streets as Giant Mechanical Elephants Take Over Shilin — And the Crowd Was So Huge, Officials Had to Step In

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Three enormous mechanical elephants transformed the streets of Taipei into a spectacular open-air theater Saturday night, drawing more than 100,000 people to Shilin for the opening of the 2026 Taipei Arts Festival. The free street performance, “Trois Éléphants Passent…” (“Three Elephants Pass…”), was staged by French

SOUTH KOREA

Civic Groups Renew Push for UNESCO Listing of Comfort Women Records as Survivors Dwindle

SEOUL, South Korea — A coalition of civic groups is once again pressing UNESCO to move forward with a long-delayed effort to place historical records documenting Japan's wartime sexual slavery system on the Memory of the World Register. The renewed campaign comes as the number of surviving victims

SOUTH KOREA

Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Surpasses 10 Million Admissions in Korea — And Its Record-Breaking Run Isn't Over Yet

SEOUL, South Korea — Christopher Nolan's epic blockbuster “The Odyssey” has officially crossed the 10-million-admission mark in South Korea, becoming the second film released in the country this year to reach the prestigious milestone — and the first foreign movie of 2026 to do so. The achievement cements

SOUTH KOREA

Family Waited 10 Days for the Worst — Then a Chinese Worker Was Found Alive Inside a Nepal Tunnel

KATHMANDU, Nepal — After 10 agonizing days of uncertainty, a family in China finally received the news they had been desperately hoping for: Lu Haitao was alive. The Chinese worker had been trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal after catastrophic floods devastated communities near the Nepal-China border, killing more

SOUTH KOREA

Blondie & Garfield Return to the Spotlight in Korea Times' September 7 Comics Feature

SEOUL, South Korea — Two of the world's most recognizable comic favorites are back on the page as The Korea Times features its latest Blondie & Garfield comic installment dated September 7, 2026. The feature brings together two legendary names in newspaper comics, continuing the tradition of giving readers

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea Closes In on Taiwan as AI Chip Boom Supercharges Exports — Could It Soon Take the Lead?

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is rapidly closing the gap with Taiwan in one of Asia's most closely watched economic indicators, as a historic semiconductor boom powered by artificial intelligence pushes the country's exports and current-account surplus to new heights. Global investment banks have sharply

SOUTH KOREA

An Se-young Wins China Masters Before Asian Games — 33 Straight Wins Put Korea’s Star on Historic Path

SHENZHEN, China — South Korea's badminton queen An Se-young has delivered another warning to her Asian Games rivals. The world No. 1 defeated Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki 21-17, 21-6 in Sunday's women's singles final at the China Masters in Shenzhen, winning

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea Could Lead the World in AI for Older People — But There’s a Catch

South Korea's rapidly aging population could give the country an unexpected advantage in the global artificial intelligence race — if it can make sure AI works for older people rather than leaving them behind. That is the assessment of Zvezdan Pirtosek, the U.N. Independent Expert on the enjoyment

SOUTH KOREA

Korean Firms Hold Onto Dollars as Won Surges to 23-Month High — Here’s What Could Happen Next

South Korean companies are accumulating U.S. dollars instead of rushing to convert their export earnings into won, creating an unusual twist in the country's rapidly changing foreign-exchange market. Dollar deposits at the country's five largest commercial banks reached a record $76.98 billion as

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea Police Launches Sweeping Reform Task Force as Investigative Power Shift Nears

SEOUL — South Korea's police are preparing to launch a dedicated reform task force this week, signaling a major internal overhaul as the agency faces mounting public scrutiny and prepares to assume significantly greater investigative responsibility. The Korean National Police Agency said Sunday that the new body will conduct

ASIA

Japan Airlines Buys Into Korean Air’s Parent as Alliance Deepens — But the Timing Could Reshape a Brewing Hanjin KAL Power Contest

Japan Airlines Buys Into Korean Air’s Parent as Alliance Deepens — But the Timing Could Reshape a Brewing Hanjin KAL Power Contest SEO Meta Description: Japan Airlines has reportedly acquired an undisclosed stake in Korean Air parent Hanjin KAL while expanding its strategic alliance with Korean Air ahead of the

SOUTH KOREA

Lebanon’s Dabke Brings a Cultural Celebration to Korea as 19th Arab Cultural Festival Unfolds

SEOUL — Lebanon is bringing one of its most recognizable cultural traditions to Korean audiences this week, as celebrated dance troupe Hayakel Baalbeck tours the country for the 19th Arab Cultural Festival. The performances, running from Sept. 5 to 10, are part of a broader cultural exchange marking the 45th anniversary

ASIA

South Korea’s Big Banks Just Saw Household Loans Drop by ₩728 Billion — But the Debt Problem Is Far From Over

SEOUL — Household borrowing at South Korea’s biggest banks has suddenly moved in the opposite direction. Outstanding household loans at the country's five major lenders stood at approximately 781.39 trillion won ($580.49 billion) as of Sept. 3, down 727.6 billion won from the end of

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea Tightens Vape Rules, but Nicotine-Imitation Products Create a New Regulatory Gap

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has tightened its rules on electronic cigarettes, bringing natural and synthetic nicotine products under the country's tobacco-control framework. But regulators now face a new problem: products marketed as nicotine-free or using nicotine-like chemicals can fall outside the main tobacco law,

SOUTH KOREA

Lee Jae Myung’s Inclusive Cabinet Faces a Credibility Test as Two Nominees Draw Fire

SEOUL, South Korea — President Lee Jae Myung's attempt to broaden his Cabinet is facing an unexpected credibility test, with two high-profile nominees becoming the focus of controversies that threaten to overshadow the political message behind his latest reshuffle. Lee announced a major Cabinet reshuffle on August 30,

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea Bill Could Let Parents Choose Mother’s Surname When Baby Is Born

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea could be moving toward a significant change in one of its most deeply rooted family traditions, after ruling-party lawmakers introduced legislation that would give parents more flexibility in deciding whether their child takes the mother's surname. The proposed amendment would allow married

ASIA

South Korea Is Selling 60 Eggs for Just ₩9,990 Ahead of Chuseok — But Shoppers May Have to Move Fast

SEOUL — South Korean shoppers struggling with grocery bills are being offered an unusually aggressive deal ahead of the Chuseok holiday: 60 eggs for just 9,990 won, or less than 5,000 won per 30-egg tray. But there is a catch. The heavily discounted eggs are being distributed through

ASIA

SK Is Bringing AI From Chips and Data Centers Into Korea’s Factories — But Ulsan’s Biggest Test Comes Next

ULSAN, South Korea — South Korea’s industrial heartland is preparing for an ambitious experiment: taking artificial intelligence beyond chatbots and software and putting it directly onto factory floors, production lines and industrial equipment. SK and the Ulsan Chamber of Commerce and Industry are set to bring manufacturers, policymakers, academics, AI

SOUTH KOREA

AI Could Democratize Legal Services in South Korea—But Regulation May Hold the Key

SEOUL, South Korea — Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how lawyers work around the world, and South Korea is facing a difficult question: Can AI make legal help more accessible without weakening the safeguards surrounding professional legal services? The debate was highlighted in a Sept. 6 Korea Times opinion column by

ASIA

11-Year-Old Dies After Alleged Abuse at South Korean Church — But Authorities Had Already Received Multiple Warnings

An 11-year-old boy who had been living at a church in Cheonan, South Korea, died after what authorities say was a prolonged period of alleged abuse and neglect. A new report has now revealed additional details about the treatment the child allegedly endured in the days before his

BUSINESS

Tesla and BYD Gain Ground in South Korea as Hyundai, Kia Strikes Disrupt Auto Market

SEOUL, South Korea — A prolonged labor dispute at South Korea’s biggest automakers has created an unexpected opening for two of the world's most aggressive electric-vehicle competitors: Tesla and China’s BYD. Domestic vehicle sales plunged in August as strikes and production disruptions hit major Korean manufacturers,

SOUTH KOREA

Sungkyunkwan Professor Named Asian Young Scientist Fellow for Breakthrough Biomedical Research

SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean biomedical engineer whose research is pushing the boundaries of soft, electrically conductive materials has been selected as one of the 12 recipients of the 2026 Asian Young Scientist Fellowship, placing her among a new generation of researchers gaining recognition for potentially transformative work in