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Presidential office announces reshuffle of 6 ministerial posts

President Lee Jae Myung reshuffled his Cabinet on Sunday, replacing ministers in six key posts. Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said at a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae that the president nominated Lee Hyoung-il, first vice minister of economy and finance, to serve as deputy prime minister for economic affairs and minister of economy and finance. Born in 1971, Lee is a veteran career bureaucrat who has held key economic posts at the finance ministry. Since joining the finance ministry in 1993, he has built extensive expertise in both domestic and international economics through his career as a senior economist at the World Bank and as Commissioner of Statistics Korea. Lee has served as vice minister since June 2025, after heading Statistics Korea from July 2023 to June 2025. President Lee also tapped Kang Shin-chul, a former deputy commander of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, as defense minister and Rep. Kim Seung-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as justice minister. Born in 1968, Kang graduated from the Korea Military Academy and built his career in the mil

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Seoul International Fireworks Festival 2026 guide: Everything you need to know

This year's Seoul International Fireworks Festival is set for Sept. 5, with teams from Korea, the United States and Britain set to showcase fireworks displays unique to their respective countries. The festival, hosted by Hanwha Corp., is expected to attract over a million visitors, many of whom gather at Yeouido Hangang Park to enjoy the lightshow in its full glory. The collective anticipation is palpable, as Starbucks Yeouido Hangang Park seat packages offering panoramic views of the fireworks — priced up to 300,000 won ($220) — sold out in 30 seconds. Here are all the details you need. When is the festival happening? The fireworks festival will take place on Sept. 5 from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., with shows running from 8 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. Britain's Pyrotex Fireworx will kick off the show from 8 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., followed by the U.S.' Ace Pyro from 8:20 p.m. to 8:35 p.m. For the finale, Korea's Hanwha Corp.'s fireworks display will take place from 8:40 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. A five-minute break will take place between each performance. A pre-festival event is scheduled for Sept. 4, from 1 p.m. t

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N. Korea names new defense minister amid modernization drive

North Korea has replaced its defense minister in a reshuffle of senior military leadership, state media reported Sunday, as the country accelerates its military modernization push and tightens discipline within the ranks. Kim Song-gi, director of the General Political Bureau of the North's Korean People's Army, was appointed as the country's new defense minister, replacing No Kwang-chol, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). No was removed as defense minister and from the party's central leadership and appointed first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The reshuffle was decided at the second meeting of the ninth WPK Central Military Commission held the previous day, which was guided by leader Kim Jong-un, the report said. In the latest reshuffle, veteran military official Pak Jong-chon was appointed vice-chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission after being re-elected as a member of the party's Central Committee and Politburo. Pak returned to the forefront of the North's military leadership after step

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Korean response team heads to flood site in Nepal in search of 9 missing

KATHMANDU/SEOUL — Korean rescue officials dispatched to Nepal boarded two chartered helicopters Saturday to search for nine nationals missing from the catastrophic flash floods, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The helicopters, each carrying four from the government rapid response team, took off from Kathmandu and headed to the flood site where the nine missing may be located, the ministry said. Six employees of Doosan Enerbility Co. and three of Korea South-East Power Co. remain missing for a fourth day following the massive floods in Nepal's north-central Himalayan border area. They were working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in the Rasuwa district when the floods struck the region Wednesday. Ten other Doosan workers who had been isolated at a different location have been moved to safety. The government response team had been struggling to reach the flood sites as Nepali authorities are restricting foreign access to the area for search and rescue operations, citing unpredictable weather and risks of further flooding. Separate search teams from Korea South-East Power an

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Traffic, crime, fine dust top Seoul residents' smart city concerns: poll

Seoul citizens named traffic congestion, nighttime crime and fine dust as the areas most in need of smart city solutions, a poll showed Sunday. The Korean megalopolis surveyed 8,531 Seoul residents online and offline from Feb. 10-21 last year as part of efforts to map out a smart city plan. Traffic, safety and the environment emerged as the three areas most in need of attention, cited by 37.5 percent, 21.2 percent and 16.2 percent of the respondents, respectively, according to the poll. When asked which areas most needed a smart city push specifically, the respondents again put traffic first at 30.1 percent, followed by safety at 27.5 percent and the environment at 18.8 percent. Within the traffic category, congestion was the top concern at 34.2 percent, followed by insufficient infrastructure at 18.5 percent and parking difficulties at 17 percent. In the safety category, nighttime crime topped the list at 22.5 percent, followed by sexual crime at 16.7 percent and concerns over school children's safety at 10.5 percent. In the environment sector, fine dust was seen as the most pressing issu

1 MIN READ
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As women crowd ballparks, K-drama actors take on new professions

Kim Woo-bin and Ryu Seung-ryong have little in common in terms of age or acting style. Their filmographies, however, are about to gain one common thread, and it has something to do with baseball. In December, Kim is set to appear in tvN drama “Gift,” a tentative English title, as a former baseball player who coaches a high school baseball team. Ryu, meanwhile, stars as a famous baseball player in the film “Portrait of a Family,” which opens next month. They are not the only ones. Suddenly baseball players and coaches have become some of the most sought-after characters in the Korean drama and film industry; Gong Myoung is currently filming MBC drama “Your Ground,” a tentative English title set to air at the end of this year, in which he plays a pitcher. Kim Rae-won will appear as a coach in SBS drama “Full Count,” expected to air next year. There are more baseball-related projects on the way. They include “Green Light” and “Sunning Baseball Club,” both tentative English titles. Together with the four aforementioned works, they bring the number of baseball-themed

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High notes, salutes and protests: Why national anthems spark controversy in sports

During a game bewteen the NC Dinos and the Kiwoom Heroes at Changwon NC Park on May 16, singer Eom Ji-young drew considerable controversy with her rendition of the national anthem, “Aegukga.” Unlike the conventional style of singing the anthem, Eom incorporated high notes and various vocal flourishes. A video of her performance quickly spread online, prompting criticism that she had undermined the anthem’s essence and purity. Eom eventually apologized. “National ceremonies” at Korean baseball stadiums have repeatedly found themselves at the center of controversy. During the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Kim Tae-kyun came under fire after saluting during the playing of the national anthem, imitating Lee Dae-eun, who at the time was a member of the Korean Police Baseball Team. Kim later apologized on his YouTube channel, saying he did not fully understand the precise meaning of the salute and had simply followed Lee because he felt sorry for his teammate standing alone and saluting. There have also been cases in which controversy over conduct during a national ceremony led to a p

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Fake office in Seoul helps reclusive youth fight social isolation

In a quiet community center in western Seoul, 33 young adults recently committed to a novel daily routine: waking up, dressing and reporting for work at a company that exists entirely to help them reenter society. For many, stepping through the front door marked their tentative first foray into the outside world after months or even years spent largely behind closed bedroom doors. They are the newest employees at "NEET Company," a virtual firm operating in Seodaemun District through Oct. 19. Despite its corporate veneer, this office imposes no sales targets, demands no career milestones and measures no corporate performance metrics. Designed specifically for reclusive youth and those classified as NEET — an acronym for adults not in education, employment or training — the municipal initiative acts as a low-stakes buffer zone. Its goal is to help participants rebuild daily life rhythms and human connections without the overwhelming pressure of traditional competitive employment. The program addresses a silent epidemic sweeping Korea. According to comprehensive national health and welfa

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Interview'Cosmetics ODM's role is creating what's not out there yet,' Cosmax makeup research head says

SEONGNAM, Gyeonggi Province — Cosmax, one of Korea’s largest beauty original development manufacturing (ODM) companies, has to stay ahead of market trends as it develops products for some 5,000 beauty brands worldwide. Working with clients ranging from major European labels to emerging boutique brands, the company seeks not just to follow demand but to help shape the next beauty trend. At its research center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, the company is working on what it hopes will be the next market breakthroughs. While many basic consumer needs and desires are relatively obvious, the paths to providing those solutions can be creative and innovative. According to Woo Young-hwa, director of the Cosmax Makeup Research & Innovation Center, there are three technologies currently under development that could emerge as major trends in the global beauty industry. Gel-type formulas are one of the technologies Cosmax sees as potentially reshaping product lines. After introducing a gelatinous lipstick this summer that leaves little residue after use, Woo is now focusing on developing form

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Why are Korean celebrities handpicking, importing foreign films despite losing money?

“Infinite Challenge” producer Kim Tae-ho announced that his company is expanding into the film distribution business, as he took the stage at a press screening for Hollywood film “The Drama.” “It’s my first time speaking before an audience at a movie theater,” said Kim, who is the founder and head of content production company TEO, during the film's press screening at Megabox in Coex, southern Seoul. “We decided not to limit our content to videos, but to try our hand at dramas and films, and anything else that can leave audiences with good memories.” So far, TEO has mainly produced entertainment shows for television, streaming platforms and YouTube, including “Earth Marble World Tour,” “Seoul Check-in” and “Salon Drip.” However, the company recently formed a partnership with Waterhole Company, a film distributor that has brought titles such as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: Mugen Train” to Korean audiences. For TEO’s first film distribution project, Kim chose “The Drama,” which has drawn a

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K-LIT REVIEW Minyoung Kang's 'Plant Lady' gets comfortable with 'cozy horror'

A lush plant shop tucked away in an unassuming residential neighborhood; a lone woman snipping and pruning, enveloped by leaves and shoots she cares for with motherly tenderness; a small cast of ordinary characters each bearing issues the resolution of which promised happy endings; and lastly, the must-have feature — some cats. "Plant Lady" by Minyoung Kang has all the essential ingredients of a typical cozy read. If you disregard the murders, that is. My advice for this book is to skip the blurb. Do not read it at all. This is coming from someone who sorely regrets scrutinizing the blurb from start to finish before diving into the book. Had I ignored the synopsis of events, the preposterous juxtaposition of a soothing neighborhood plant shop and the gruesome plot that unfolds in it would have been 10 times more impactful. Instead, this book is best approached from the following angles: feminine rage, cozy horror and a fast-paced plot that takes no prisoners. Start with feminine rage. In her author’s note, Kang explained that she had read too many books in which unnamed women died

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[K-LIT REVIEW] Minyoung Kang's 'Plant Lady' gets comfortable with 'cozy horror' thumbnail

Formula for love: How dating reality shows achieve quick attraction

Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. If you watch dating reality shows closely, you’ll notice several recurring devices that seem designed to accelerate intimacy. Interestingly, these familiar “dating-show formulas” overlap with psychological effects known to increase attraction and feelings of closeness. Time seems to move unusually fast on dating shows. After just a few dates, conversations about marriage can emerge. In real life, that might be around the time two people are exchanging phone numbers and waiting to see when they’ll meet again. So why do contestants seem to fall in love so easily? It may not be entirely by chance. Behind the scenes are carefully designed “love-inducing” mechanisms. Putting feelings into words Dating-show producers don’t simply leave contestants alone with their emotions. They repeatedly ask questions such as, “Who are you drawn to?,” “Why do you think you’re interested in that person?” and “Were you jealous?.” Eventually, contestants have to put into words emotions that had previously been floating around in their heads.

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Woman fined for repeatedly banging ceiling over upstairs noise

A woman in her 50s has been fined for repeatedly banging on her ceiling with a backscratcher and contacting her upstairs neighbor over noise, with a court ruling that her actions amounted to stalking. The Chuncheon District Court fined the 55-year-old woman, identified only as A, 2 million won ($1,400) for violating the Act on Punishment of Crimes of Stalking, according to legal sources Saturday. The court also ordered her to complete 40 hours of a treatment program for stalking offenders. A was accused of stalking her upstairs neighbor on nine occasions between March 17 and May 11 last year at an apartment complex in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Her actions included repeatedly striking the ceiling with a backscratcher and calling the upstairs apartment through the building's intercom system. According to the investigation, A had been asking the neighbor, a woman in her 40s identified as B, to keep the noise down since January last year. When the problem remained unresolved, A repeatedly contacted B directly through the intercom to complain. B asked A not to contact her directly over the

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Fires, rescues — and hornet's nests? Korean firefighters face growing burden

A Seoul firefighter surnamed Lee, 33, has good reason to dread hornets. Earlier this month, while removing a hornet's nest in a residential neighborhood, he was stung on the ring finger of his right hand. At first, it felt like a leaf lightly brushing against his skin. But the pain soon became so severe that he could barely tolerate it unless he kept his finger submerged in ice water. "As hornet's nest removal calls increase, the burden on firefighters in the field is also growing," Lee said. "The hornets seem to have become even more aggressive." Removing hornet's nests has long been a routine part of firefighters' work in Korea, but a growing hornet population in urban areas is placing an increasingly heavy burden on emergency crews. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters on Friday, firefighters responded to 2,913 hornet nest removal calls across Seoul in June, up about 71 percent from the same month last year. The trend is also evident nationwide. According to the 2026 Fire Statistical Yearbook, the annual number of hornet's nest removal operations rose from 1

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COVER STORY International students, Korean companies find fit at Hanyang University career fair

Until last year, Angelina Chrysanta Antolis, a 21-year-old Indonesian student at Hanyang University (HYU), did not have a specific plan for which companies she wanted to join in Korea and did not know what job positions were available. That changed at last year's HYU Global Career Fair, where she met recruiters from various companies in person and discovered her dream career: a global marketer who plans advertising campaigns. On Thursday, she returned to this year's fair with that goal in her sights. “When you look for job information online, you can't ask questions directly, so you end up just guessing. But at a job fair like this, you get solid information about what companies are looking for,” Antolis told The Korea Times. “Even if I don't get hired right away, the company gets to know me and can reach out later if I'm a good fit.” Launched in August last year, the HYU fair connects companies with international students looking for jobs here. It has gained attention quickly. The first edition saw 560 students join, followed by 1,021 at the second edition in March this year and

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[COVER STORY] International students, Korean companies find fit at Hanyang University career fair thumbnail

As deepfake sex crimes surge, Korea's response struggles to keep pace

Korea has strengthened criminal penalties and takedown systems for digital sex crimes, but experts warn that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating widening gaps between the speed of online abuse and the ability of institutions to stop it. At a forum on the issue, hosted Thursday by Amnesty International Korea, a police officer, a legislative researcher and a media regulator said deepfake technology has made it possible to create and distribute sexualized images of real people with little technical knowledge, often through overseas platforms beyond the reach of Korean authorities. “Crimes exploiting new technologies erupt across society, but the law is always running behind them. While the justice system is still trying to identify and punish offenders, victims’ lives are already being devastated online,” said Heo Min-sook, a researcher at the National Assembly Research Service. Police data presented at the forum showed that deepfake-related offenses were the largest category of cybersex crimes detected during a 2025 crackdown, accounting for 1,553 cases, or 35.2 per

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How will 13-member SEVENTEEN navigate military hiatus with just 5 members?

For SEVENTEEN, a group that has built much of its identity around the chemistry and synchronized performances of all 13 members, the looming absence of eight members due to mandatory military service poses an unusual challenge. Beginning in October, only five members will be available for activities as eight are either currently fulfilling their military duties or are set to begin service. The scale of the absence could be particularly noticeable for SEVENTEEN. Since its debut, the group has emphasized the identity created by all 13 members performing together. Last month, all 13 members renewed their contracts with Pledis Entertainment for a second time, reaffirming their commitment to remaining together as a group. SEVENTEEN debuted in 2015 and first renewed its contracts in 2021, with no member leaving the agency in either round. The group's identity has long been closely tied to its 13-member lineup. Since their debut, the members have worn matching team rings, while their performances have become known for tightly synchronized choreography involving all members. Some productions hav

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Editor's Pick

[COVER STORY] Trump's America is losing Koreans

COVER STORY Trump's America is losing Koreans

Koreans are increasingly viewing the U.S. unfavorably, with less trust as a partner than before, according to a recent survey released by Washington-headquartered Pew Research Center. Experts and Korean citizens say the unfavorable sentiment was driven largely by the Donald Trump administration’s unilateral policies that often put more importance on transactions rather than alliances with trade and security partners. The survey showed 55 percent of Koreans expressed unfavorable views of the U.S. during the survey period from March 3 to April 4, including 18 percent who held very unfavorable views. It was 16 percentage points up from the 2025 figure. At the same time, 45 percent said they held favorable opinions of the U.S., down 16 percentage points, according to the survey of 1,045 Korean adults. Favorability reached its peak at 89 percent in 2022 under the Joe Biden administration. This was the first time unfavorable views took the majority since 2002. It is also the second time that unfavorable views surpassed favorable views following 2003, when unfavorability stood at 50 percent co

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Life in Korea

Australian punk rocker Ray Ahn embarks on long, hard journey back to Korea

Australian punk rocker Ray Ahn embarks on long, hard journey back to Korea

Australian punk band the Hard-Ons are coming to Korea for the first time in September, but for bassist-vocalist Ray Ahn, it's a return to his birth country. Ahead of the tour, the band released a Korean-language EP, with Ahn singing four of their most memorable songs in Korean, including "Where Did She Come From?" and "Suck and Swallow." Ahn was born in Seoul, and emigrated to Australia at age 9 in 1974 with his family. Now in his early 60s, he still plays for the Hard-Ons, a legendary Sydney punk band known for its multicultural lineup when it was formed in 1982. The band also became notorious because of the name — which shouldn't shock anyone in Korea, where there was once a mainstream band called DickPunks and nobody ever made it weird. For Ahn and his bandmates, who got sick long ago of having to keep justifying their name, calling themselves the Hard-Ons meant playing the music industry on a hard setting. They faced barriers where other bands might not have, and they seem to have thrived on controversy in their early days. "Our rudeness was wielded as performance art," Ahn said. "I

5 MIN READ

Lifestyle

How running changed Kian84's battle with panic disorder

More than a decade ago, one of the many diet trends to capture public attention was the so-called paleo diet. The basic idea was to eat plenty of meat, fat and vegetables while sharply reducing bread, grains and dairy products. Its premise was that many human diseases emerged after the transition to settled agricultural life, and that people would therefore be healthier if they returned to something closer to the diet of their hunter-gatherer ancestors. Grains and dairy products that became abundant after the rise of agriculture were pushed aside in favor of meat and vegetables — although, of course, no one was suggesting a return to the brutal struggle for survival, hunger after failed hunts or the shorter life spans of prehistoric humans. "The Perfect Primitive," a book published in March by popular YouTuber Ja Chung, whose online name is short for "self-made young man" in Korean, builds on a similar idea. The book has gone through more than 14 printings since its release. Like many books written by prominent YouTubers, its greatest strength lies in packaging a range of existing inf

5 MIN READ
How running changed Kian84's battle with panic disorder

K-Culture

'A Bona Fide Killer': A working mom with a deadly secret wins over drama viewers

The void left by So Ji-sub's secret agent dad in "Agent Kim Reactivated" has been filled by “killer mom” Gong Hyo-jin, as MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “A Bona Fide Killer” surpassed a nationwide viewership rating of 10 percent after just six episodes, taking first place in its time slot. Playing a contract killer named “Kingfisher,” Gong's character returns to work as an assassin to target vicious criminals let off with light sentences. Unbeknownst to everyone, “Kingfisher” is actually Yoo Bo-na, a working mom with a 4-year-old daughter. She works on a sales team at Durumi Electronics, which is the front for an organized group of killers specializing in poisoning, stabbing and sniping. Having just returned from parental leave, Yoo Bo-na worries when a nighttime assignment is suggested: “Let’s do it during the day. I have to go pick up my kid.” The drama has drawn praise from critics for its fresh blend of genres, combining the catharsis of punishing villains and the struggle to juggle work and private life with a touching family drama. The premise of a family-orient

3 MIN READ
'A Bona Fide Killer': A working mom with a deadly secret wins over drama viewers

Celebrities

BOYNEXTDOOR's Sungho named new host of 'Show! Music Core'

BOYNEXTDOOR member Sungho has been named a new host of MBC's weekly K-pop music program "Show! Music Core." The position opened after ZEROBASEONE's Kim Gyuvin and TWS' Dohoon stepped down following the Aug. 22 broadcast, ending their approximately 17-month run as hosts. Sungho is set to host the show alongside another new host who has yet to be announced. Sungho debuted as a member of BOYNEXTDOOR in May 2023 and has since been active with the six-member boy group. The group has gained popularity with songs including "If I Say, I Love You" and "Hollywood Action," and released its first full-length album, "HOME," in June. BOYNEXTDOOR is also set to return Sept. 28 with a repackaged version of its first studio album. Sungho will become the latest BOYNEXTDOOR member to take on a hosting role for a major Korean music program. Fellow member Jaehyun previously hosted Mnet's "M Countdown," while Woonhak served as a host of SBS' "Inkigayo." Attention is now on whether Sungho can continue the group's run of music show hosting projects with his steady presenting skills and approachable personality. "

1 MIN READ
BOYNEXTDOOR's Sungho named new host of 'Show! Music Core'

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Opinion

Top 10 Stories

  1. Fake office in Seoul helps reclusive youth fight social isolation

  2. N. Korea names new defense minister amid modernization drive

  3. Woman fined for repeatedly banging ceiling over upstairs noise

  4. Presidential office announces reshuffle of 6 ministerial posts

  5. High notes, salutes and protests: Why national anthems spark controversy in sports

  6. Trump ranks himself 'greatest' US president ever, above Lincoln, Washington

  7. Seoul International Fireworks Festival 2026 guide: Everything you need to know

  8. Fires, rescues — and hornet's nests? Korean firefighters face growing burden

  9. Traffic, crime, fine dust top Seoul residents' smart city concerns: poll

  10. How running changed Kian84's battle with panic disorder

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