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COVER STORY French residents of Korea blame unresponsive gov't for unrest

The public anger in France spilling over into unrest has been brewing for a long time, with little response from the government over calls for reforms for better education and living conditions, French nationals living in Korea say. They generally agree that the French government's long-standing neglect and inaction have fueled mounting public anger, saying people's concerns have long gone unheard. "Government hasn’t listened enough to people’s concerns about the climate, the economy and now education. When people repeatedly feel unheard, frustration builds up," Hugo Adam, a graduate student at Seoul National University, told The Korea Times. A French filmmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, agreed that the French government has failed to "listen to its people," despite the many protests that have taken place over the years. He said his family and friends back home are participating in the protests. The protests began in mid-September by students calling for a better education environment, including more teachers and improved school facilities. Illustrator Zoe Constans said it

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N. Korea to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts toward S. Korea: Kim Yo-jong

Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, said Wednesday that Pyongyang will resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts toward South Korea later this month, state media reported. "Our tactical hunting teams are taking new positions, and within October, the loudspeakers for psychological warfare against the ROK will be in operation along the whole border," Kim said in a statement carried in an English-language dispatch by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. Kim, a department director at the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, described the move as the "most just measure" and an "appropriate response." She said she inspected key positions along the southern border earlier in the day with Pak Jong-chon, an adviser to the North's Ministry of National Defense, to review progress on a project to fortify the border. Kim corrected an earlier KCNA report that had said the inspection took place Tuesday. "Our army is carrying out a crucial and great undertaking in the face of the enemy's persistent threats

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Websites go dark worldwide as AI exposes critical security flaws

WASHINGTON — Government agencies and companies around the world shut down websites Wednesday after two critical flaws came to light involving PHP, a programming language that is the basis for a large share of the internet. PHP sits underneath popular web design platforms, so the weaknesses potentially affect a vast range of websites, from online stores and news outlets to government services. Wiz, one of the security firms that found the issues, estimated that PHP runs about 70 percent of the world's websites and said the flaws rank "among the most severe vulnerabilities discovered in PHP, and arguably in software history." The US National Security Agency told organizations to patch immediately or pull vulnerable systems offline. The flaws "often provide a direct path to the server's file system or database," the NSA said in a statement on X. Attackers could use them to take over web servers without needing a password. Volker Dusch, a security engineer at the PHP Foundation, told the Wall Street Journal it was the most serious problem PHP had faced in more than a decade, comparing it to

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Gangnam arson attack renews alarm over elderly men with grudges

A man in his 70s arrested on suspicion of injuring 19 people in an arson attack cited a personal grudge as his motive, renewing concern over elderly people driven by resentment starting fires. On Tuesday, two buildings in Seoul’s Gangnam District were set on fire and the suspect was caught fleeing. He mostly acknowledged planning and committing the arson, police said Wednesday. He is believed to have harbored a grievance against patent law firms over their handling of a trademark registration. When reporters asked about his motive, he shouted that the firms had cheated him. Asked what he would say to the victims, he replied, “Tell them to stop cheating people.” The suspect had already been detained in 2022 for preparing to commit arson after visiting the same two law firms, dousing employees with gasoline and threatening them with a lighter. The case is the latest in a pattern of arson attacks by older adults acting on accumulated grudges. One of the most striking was the 2008 arson of Sungnyemun — Korea's National Treasure No. 1, built in 1398 as the main southern gate of Seoul'

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US 8th Army chief stresses readiness for threats beyond Korean Peninsula: report

WASHINGTON — The commander of the U.S. Eighth Army in South Korea has said his troops must be prepared to respond to threats beyond the Korean Peninsula, stressing that it would be "irresponsible" to focus solely on threats facing the peninsula, according to a media report Wednesday. Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert made the remarks in an email interview with the South China Morning Post, underscoring the U.S. military's emphasis on strategic flexibility. Hilbert said it would be "irresponsible to focus myopically" on threats on the Korean Peninsula alone or to "suggest that we cannot do other things simply because we are in Korea," according to the report. "We view readiness as largely threat-agnostic. If we have a trained, ready force capable of executing the Army's assigned missions, we can apply that force against whatever threat is required," Hilbert was quoted as saying. "So, we train every day with our Korean allies against our principal threat, while also ensuring we remain available and ready for whatever the nation may require," he added. The remarks come amid growing attention to Wash

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'No retirement from giving': Catholic priest returns to school to care for elderly

A Catholic priest in his 60s who has spent his life serving others is embarking on a new educational journey after decades away from the classroom, hoping to continue his service to the elderly after retirement. Father Carlo Yoon Haeng-do, 65, is head of the Wolyeong Catholic Church in the Diocese of Masan. Yoon enrolled in a master's program in social welfare at Kyungnam University in South Gyeongsang Province in March. He returned to his studies after nearly 30 years to prepare for a new chapter of service to the elderly after retirement. Although priests step down from active ministry at 70, Yoon believes that “there is no retirement from serving one's neighbors.” “As the elderly population grows, someone has to work for older people, and older people themselves should also take part in that work,” he said with a broad smile. Yoon begins each day by rising around 3 a.m. and praying for about two hours before cleaning the church and nearby alleyways. He has maintained this routine since taking up his post at Wolyeong Catholic Church in 2024. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings,

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Cold wave advisory set to take effect Thursday night as temperatures drop 10 degrees

Thursday morning temperatures are forecast to drop about 10 degrees Celsius from Wednesday, with parts of northeastern Gyeonggi Province and inland and mountainous Gangwon Province dipping below freezing. A cold wave advisory will take effect after midnight Thursday for most inland areas. It is issued from October to April when the morning low is forecast to fall at least 10 degrees from the previous day to 3 degrees or below and to run at least 3 degrees below normal. Morning lows on Thursday are forecast at 0 to 10 degrees nationwide. Frost will form in inland areas and ice in eastern Gyeonggi Province, inland and mountainous Gangwon Province, North Chungcheong Provice, northeastern North Jeolla Province and inland central and northeastern mountainous areas of North Gyeongsang Province. Daytime highs will stay between 14 and 19 degrees. Temperatures will swing by 15 degrees or more between morning and afternoon. Forecast lows and highs are 5 and 16 degrees in Seoul, 3 and 15 in Incheon, 3 and 17 in Daejeon, 8 and 17 in Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, 5 and 17 in Daegu, 7 and

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Lee meets with WHO chief to discuss cooperation in healthcare

President Lee Jae Myung met with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in healthcare, Lee's office said. The meeting at Cheong Wa Dae came as Tedros is visiting Seoul to attend the World Bio Summit 2026, which WHO is hosting in partnership with South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday. During the meeting, Lee stressed the need for South Korea to expand its role and contributions to the international community, presidential spokesperson Kim Sung-wan said in a written briefing. Lee also expressed hope that Seoul would continue to expand its cooperation with WHO in health security. The president asked Tedros to help ensure that more highly skilled South Koreans could contribute to the WHO, noting that South Korea has transformed itself from a recipient of international assistance into a major contributor. Tedros thanked South Korea for its efforts to strengthen cooperation with WHO and promote global health, saying he was well aware of the country's development experience. Stressing the importance of equita

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Brunson refuses to back down on his position on OPCON transfer

The Korean Peninsula faces a rapidly evolving threat environment, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson and a senior U.S. official said in back-to-back warnings from Seoul and Washington, raising questions about how those changes could affect the timing of the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON). Their remarks followed a renewed dispute over the OPCON transfer after Brunson suggested on Oct. 14 that evolving threats called for new transition standards, drawing objections from Seoul’s defense ministry and an unusual response from President Lee Jae Myung. “Our security environment is not standing still. We see continued DPRK use of ballistic and cruise missiles and their advancements,” Brunson said Wednesday at a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), using the acronym for North Korea’s official name. Brunson and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Park Steel were the featured speakers at the event, attended by Korean and American business leaders. Held to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the program exp

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OpenAI says its AI agents disabled their own safety monitors

WASHINGTON — OpenAI has revealed that two of its artificial intelligence agents disabled or weakened systems built to catch them misbehaving, with one later denying it had done so. The cases are the latest in a string of safety scares at the world's top AI developers involving agents, AI programs that carry out tasks without human involvement. In a report released Tuesday, the ChatGPT maker said that during two internal coding jobs, its agents switched off or undermined tools for detecting incidents of AI models acting against human wishes. On October 3, an agent running on OpenAI's GPT-6.1 Sol model, which had been told not to send any messages on the workplace chat app, took that as license to switch off safety alerts meant for the company's security team while fixing a testing system. Three days later, a GPT-6 Astra agent stripped out its own monitor while copying code from another project, then told the human programmer it had done no such thing. The company said it had also seen several cases of agents launching software with monitoring switched off, exposing a gap in its oversight

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Busan authorities guide shark out of canal on third attempt

Authorities in the southeastern port city of Busan successfully guided a shark out of a city canal Wednesday on their third attempt after the animal spent more than a month trapped there. The shark — named "Bukangi" after Bukhang, the Korean word for North Port — was first spotted in the canal Sept. 18. Since then, the canal park has turned into a major attraction, drawing over 1.6 million visitors as of Sunday. A joint rescue team involving municipal and Coast Guard officials used a net secured to a flat floating platform to drive the shark out of the canal at Busan's North Port, located about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Authorities began the operation around 10 a.m., steering the shark toward Marina Bridge with the net. The shark, which had been swimming near the bridge, was spotted in waters outside the canal near a pier at around 6 p.m. The sighting indicated that Bukangi had left the canal, at least for the time being. However, the waters near the pier are not considered open sea. Authorities hope the shark will eventually make its way to open waters. After two previous att

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InterviewKorean doctor operates remotely from Seoul on pig in Shanghai

Sitting at a console in Seoul, a Korean doctor successfully operated on a pig using a surgical robot about 870 kilometers away in Shanghai, marking Korea’s first cross-border telesurgery demonstration using a commercial platform. Kang Seok-ho, a professor of urology at Korea University College of Medicine, says the technology could profoundly transform surgical care, allowing doctors to operate from distant facilities and across borders, including on patients in disaster zones and battlefields. “I was delighted. I also found it remarkable that I could actually perform surgery in Shanghai from here,” Kang said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. The demonstration was conducted on Friday at Coex in Seoul during the Korean Urological Association’s annual meeting. The Toumai system developed by China’s MicroPort MedBot was used, according to the hospital. Telesurgery allows a physician to control surgical instruments through a communications network rather than being physically present in the same surgery as the patient. Unlike remote consultations, it involves the surgeon

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National museum chief resigns over misattributed work from private collection

You Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea, resigned Wednesday amid a controversy over the museum's display of a misattributed calligraphic work from his private collection. He offered to resign earlier in the day, and President Lee Jae Myung accepted his resignation. You came under fire after the piece, written by a prominent pro-Japanese collaborator during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, was wrongly introduced as the work of a Korean independence activist and was found to be from his private collection. The museum removed the item from its ongoing special exhibition following the controversy. In a statement sent to reporters, You said he has concluded that he should step down "to restore the museum's tarnished honor." "The deep trust the public has placed in the National Museum of Korea and the value our staff has built collapsed in an instant because of my personal mistake," he said. "All criticism over this matter is entirely my responsibility." You, a prominent art historian and author of the bestselling book series "My Exploration of Cultural Heritage," apologiz

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Shoppers turn to warehouse stores as grocery bills climb

For Kim Eun-young, a 42-year-old mother of two living in Seoul’s Gwangjin District, a monthly trip to Costco has become routine this year. She used to pick up what she needed at a nearby supermarket, but rising prices prompted her to change her shopping habits. She said buying groceries and household essentials in bulk seems more economical, at least for her family of four. “The bill is bigger each time, but buying in bulk works out cheaper for the same amount,” Kim said. “I mainly buy food we eat regularly and everyday household essentials, and divide the food into meal-sized portions for storage.” Kim’s changing habits reflect a growing appetite for warehouse shopping as consumers seek relief from high prices. According to market tracker WiseApp Retail, combined estimated card spending at Costco and Emart Traders totaled a record 1.45 trillion won ($1.09 billion) in September. The estimates are based on a sample of Korean consumers’ credit and debit card payments. They exclude cash and bank transfers and therefore differ from the retailers’ reported revenue. Warehouse ret

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InterviewLee Sun-bin embraces comedy, chaos in movie about college entrance exam

In the upcoming comedy film "Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng," actor Lee Sun-bin plays Maeng Bo-ram, an earnest provincial high school teacher who unexpectedly finds herself locked away in a top-secret camp to draft questions for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). Ahead of the movie's theatrical release, Lee expressed both anxiety and anticipation during a recent interview in Seoul, saying the unique subject of the annual exam posed its own challenges. "This moment right before the release is both the time I want to avoid and the moment I look forward to," Lee told The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul on Wednesday. "I tend to be harsh on myself and worry about my shortcomings. At the same time, I am deeply curious whether audiences will recognize actors’ intentions behind the performance. It feels like I am scared, but also eager to face the verdict as soon as possible." The movie centers on the 40-day isolation period where test developers are completely cut off from the outside world under strict security. Lee said that while the CSAT is an inescapable part of life in Korea, the secre

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Rarely opened gate links 2 Seoul palaces for exclusive night tours

Visitors will be able to walk between Changdeok Palace and Changgyeong Palace in central Seoul at night next month through a gate that is normally closed to the public, as part of a ticketed night tour, the Korea Heritage Service said Wednesday. The tour, called “Donggwol Dongnak,” runs from Nov. 10-15. It is organized by the agency’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Heritage Agency. The two palaces were together known as Donggwol, or the “Eastern Palaces,” during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) because they stood east of Gyeongbok Palace, the main royal palace. The 110-minute program combines a guided tour of both palaces with free time to explore their rear gardens. Guides playing court painters from Dohwaseo, the Joseon-era royal bureau of painting, will lead participants through major halls of Changgyeong Palace and the rear garden of Changdeok Palace. Short plays about historical figures linked to each site will be staged at four stops along the route. During the free-viewing time, participants can pass through Yeongchunmun, a gate between the palaces’ rear g

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K-pop soars on Asian tour revenue, physical album sales

K-pop is riding a surge in concert ticket and physical album sales, two of the industry's key revenue streams, as data released this month showed the genre dominating Asia's touring market and closing in on 100 million album sales for the year. The two businesses sit at the core of K-pop agencies' earnings. At HYBE, concerts brought in 647.7 billion won ($488.5 million) of its record 1.45 trillion won in second-quarter revenue, while albums and digital music accounted for 326.8 billion won, followed closely by merchandise and licensing at 310.6 billion won. K-pop acts took six of the 10 highest-grossing touring spots in Asia over the past year, led by boy band Seventeen, which grossed $97.4 million and sold 661,088 tickets, according to U.S. concert industry publication Pollstar's Asia Focus Top Touring Artists chart. The chart covers shows played between Aug. 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026. K-pop acts filled the chart's top four spots. TWICE came in second with $76.18 million, followed by TXT and BTS, which grossed $49.07 million in Asia as part of its "ARIRANG" world tour. BLACKPINK and EN

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Korea's crypto tax faces 4th delay as gov't turns cautious amid low approval ratings

Korea’s tax on cryptocurrency gains, scheduled to take effect in January, could face a fourth postponement as the government turns cautious amid mounting calls for a delay from investors, the industry and lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties. Authorities have defended the levy on the principle that income should be taxed and on grounds of fairness across asset classes. However, the government’s recent pledge to reassess tax infrastructure and market conditions has fueled expectations of another postponement. The subtle shift comes as falling stock prices and tighter property taxation have already frustrated investors, raising concerns that crypto taxation could provoke further backlash. Low approval ratings for President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling party are adding to the political pressure. The issue is particularly sensitive among young investors. Under the current timetable, the first filing and payment deadline would fall in May 2028, immediately after parliamentary elections that April. On Wednesday, Rep. Park Soo-young of the main opposition People Power Party joi

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Is AI investment slowing Naver's profits?

The outlook for internet giant Naver’s third-quarter earnings is turning gloomy, with analysts expecting operating profit to decline by double digits, citing spending on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and the slow monetization of AI services. According to market tracker FnGuide, the brokerage consensus estimate for Naver's third-quarter operating profit stood at 500 billion won ($377.5 million), down 12.4 percent from 570.66 billion won a year earlier, as of Wednesday. This contrasts with the projected 12 percent increase in revenue to 3.51 trillion won from 3.14 trillion won over the same period. Among the various factors, rising costs appear to be the biggest contributor to the decline. These include increased marketing expenses for Naver's commerce business, World Cup broadcasting rights costs reflected in the third-quarter results and higher depreciation expenses stemming from investments in graphics processing units (GPUs). Naver categorizes its operating expenses into development, operations, partnership, infrastructure and marketing costs. Of these, infrastructure e

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Election official found dead after special counsel questioning

A National Election Commission (NEC) official was found dead Wednesday, a day after being questioned by a special counsel team investigating the election watchdog in connection with the unprecedented ballot shortages in the local elections. According to the sources, the official in his 40s was found in the flowerbed of an apartment building in Hwaseong, about 45 kilometers south of Seoul, at 7:06 a.m. with a suicide note expressing grievances he felt during the questioning. Police suspect he jumped from his apartment. The investigation team has been looking into why the ballot shortages happened and if any corruption or irregularities were involved in contracts for election-related supplies, such as early voting ballot boxes and voting site banners used in last year's presidential election and the June 3 local elections. The deceased underwent questioning at the investigation team's office Tuesday as a suspect over alleged obstruction of the bidding process and breach of trust. The questioning ended around 8:55 p.m., and the official left the office at 10:40 p.m. after reviewing his sta

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Editor's Pick

[COVER STORY] Should women serve? Korea's female conscription debate is back as troop pool shrinks

COVER STORY Should women serve? Korea's female conscription debate is back as troop pool shrinks

South Korea’s decade-old debate over female conscription resurfaced during a National Assembly audit this month, amid growing concerns that a shrinking draft-eligible population could undermine military readiness. During a National Assembly defense committee audit on Oct. 12, opposition lawmakers raised the issue, arguing that the time has come for a public discussion as the eligible male population continues to fall. Defense ministry data shows the pool of 20-year-old men eligible for service dropped from 332,000 in 2019 to 257,000 in 2022, and is projected to fall further to 228,000 by 2035 and 120,000 by 2043. Rep. Yoo Yeong-ha of the main opposition People Power Party said, "Now, we must officially put female conscription on the table. This will also require broad societal consensus." Rep. Chun Ha-ram of the Reform Party used the term “gender-equal conscription” — meaning mandatory service for both men and women — to call for a broader discussion on reforming the system. “If we continue wringing a dry towel without even considering gender-equal conscription as an option,

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Life in Korea

Seoul spreads nighttime attractions across all 25 districts

Seoul spreads nighttime attractions across all 25 districts

Late-night leisure in Korea's capital is moving beyond downtown and the Han River as city officials prepare to build dozens of neighborhood evening hotspots designed to boost local alleyway economies. The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled a plan Tuesday to establish 10 Seoul Starlight Destinations by late 2027, with the ultimate goal of creating 25 localized night-leisure hubs — one for each administrative district — by 2028. By bringing curated evening attractions closer to residential neighborhoods, the city aims to enrich daily life for locals while funneling foot traffic and consumer spending directly into quiet alleyway commercial districts. The initiative responds directly to shifting public preferences. A municipal survey of 1,000 residents revealed that 82.6 percent expressed a desire to visit evening attractions if located near their homes, favoring illuminated waterfront trails, outdoor dining avenues and late-night cultural openings. To kick off the multiyear program, 21 districts submitted 27 candidate locations spanning natural retreats, historical landmarks and urb

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Lifestyle

In Seoul's Seongbuk-dong, art finds a home in historic spaces

In Seongbuk-dong, a quiet neighborhood tucked beyond Seoul’s centuries-old city wall, traditional houses and secluded gardens have long drawn generations of modern and contemporary Korean artists, poets and architects seeking space to live, work and reflect. Painters Kim Whan-ki, known for his abstract works, and Lee Jung-seop, best known for his paintings of white oxen, were among them. So it is fitting, then, that Seongbuk Art Week is taking shape here. Opening Tuesday, the inaugural art week will turn the neighborhood and surrounding district into an interconnected museum, featuring more than 40 exhibitions and projects. Organized by Seongbuk District, the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation and the Seongbuk Museum of Art, the event will also explore how attachments to places can endure across generations. Home shared across generations At Seongbuk Museum of Art, a special exhibition brings together abstract ink painter Suh Se-ok and his son and installation artist Do Ho Suh, through their shared connection to the family’s Seongbuk-dong hanok, or traditional Korean house. For the elder Suh

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In Seoul's Seongbuk-dong, art finds a home in historic spaces

K-Culture

After 20 years in acting, Jung Il-woo ventures into film investment, distribution

Actor Jung Il-woo has added another title to his resume: film investor. After expanding his presence beyond Korea into markets across Asia, including China, Japan and Vietnam, he is broadening his scope by investing in and distributing films. His goal is to use the name and experience he has built over 20 years to introduce good films to audiences. At this year's Busan International Film Festival, Jung was invited as a guest to Japanese Cinema Night, where he added star power to the event. Having appeared in numerous Japanese productions, he took on a role that went beyond the boundaries of Korea and Japan, helping share films and foster cultural exchange as part of the global film community. In an exclusive interview with the Hankook Ilbo in Busan on Oct. 9, Jung said he was invited through his involvement in the Amazon Prime original series "Criminal." "The Busan International Film Festival has long been an extremely important place where filmmakers from across Asia meet and discover new works. That's why I wanted to talk about what role I could play there as an actor and how I could

5 MIN READ
After 20 years in acting, Jung Il-woo ventures into film investment, distribution

Celebrities

TWICE's Jihyo leaves JYP after 21 years to launch own agency

Jihyo, a member of K-pop girl group TWICE, said Wednesday she has left JYP Entertainment to establish her own agency. In a handwritten letter posted on social media, Jihyo said she had ended her contract with JYP, where she had been for 21 years since childhood. "I have established Emithaus," she wrote. "Through this new home, I hope to freely explore even the possibilities within myself that I have yet to discover." The 29-year-old singer added, "I will approach every future choice and activity with greater care and a stronger sense of responsibility, as I step out of a familiar environment and continue my work in a new way." Jihyo plans to pursue her solo music career under the new agency while continuing activities with TWICE. JYP Entertainment, one of Korea's major K-pop agencies, had managed Jihyo since she joined the company as a trainee before TWICE's 2015 debut.

1 MIN READ
TWICE's Jihyo leaves JYP after 21 years to launch own agency

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Opinion

Top 10 Stories

  1. Brunson refuses to back down on his position on OPCON transfer

  2. Gangnam arson attack renews alarm over elderly men with grudges

  3. COVER STORY French residents of Korea blame unresponsive gov't for unrest

  4. N. Korea to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts toward S. Korea: Kim Yo-jong

  5. NK leader's sister, military marshal inspect border fortification site, warn of 'overwhelming' responses

  6. Busan to launch 3rd attempt to guide canal-trapped shark back to sea

  7. Cold wave advisory set to take effect Thursday night as temperatures drop 10 degrees

  8. Websites go dark worldwide as AI exposes critical security flaws

  9. Busan authorities guide shark out of canal on third attempt

  10. Shoppers turn to warehouse stores as grocery bills climb

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