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COVER STORY Korea's 2-track AI strategy casts uncertainty over sovereign model project

The government has been working to develop a national artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model, while planning to launch a separate effort to develop frontier models. This two-track strategy is raising questions: Why is the government pushing the new project and how will it draw the line between the two programs? The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed that the ongoing AI foundation model project will proceed with a third-stage evaluation, with two finalists expected to be selected in February. Separately, the government plans to allocate 4.7 trillion won ($3.5 billion) for a frontier AI program set to begin in March 2027. The split reflects the government's growing concern that the rapid advances in global AI have made the foundation model project's original goals harder to achieve, while abandoning the project could undermine the ecosystem and capabilities built up over the past year. Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon has repeatedly rejected speculations that the foundation model project is being scrapped. “The national AI foundation model project has b

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Korea's role in combined command set to grow after OPCON transfer

As Korea prepares to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, questions remain over how the leadership and organization of their combined military command will change. The Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) is expected to retain its integrated command structure, with Korean officers potentially taking more senior staff positions, military experts said. The outlook comes after Seoul and Washington disclosed that they have agreed on a provisional organizational plan for the post-transfer command. While the two countries have already agreed to put a Korean general in charge, the division of responsibilities beneath the commander has yet to be made public. Gen. Kim Seong-min, the CFC’s deputy commander, told a parliamentary audit Wednesday that the provisional arrangement would be finalized during the Full Mission Capability (FMC) assessment, a later stage of the OPCON transfer process. He described the plan as a draft and dismissed suggestions that the combined command would be dissolved after the handover. Kim Jung-sup, director of the Sejong Institute, sa

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87% of dog meat farms closed ahead of February ban

With the country’s ban on the dog meat trade slated to take effect on Feb. 7 next year, 87 percent of dog farms have been shut down, a pace faster than the government had anticipated, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Sunday. A total of 1,537 dog meat farms were registered nationwide when the government announced the ban in February 2024 and began accepting closure notices from farm owners. As of Sept. 21, 198 farms remained in operation. The number of farms that had closed was 30 percent higher than the government had expected by that point. The number of dogs kept in cages stood at 468,000 in August 2024, the final month of a six-month period during which the government encouraged farm owners to submit closure notices and plans. As of last month, an estimated 7,600 dogs remained at farms still operating. The ministry is encouraging the remaining farm owners to close their businesses before the ban takes effect next year. In collaboration with local governments, it will conduct a special inspection campaign from November to December to check whether closed farm

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Banks race to ramp up AI defenses as deposits fall after cyberattacks

A wave of recent data breaches at major Korean banks is putting pressure on both customer confidence and the industry’s defenses, with deposits at these lenders declining by more than 20 trillion won ($15 billion) in just 11 days, according to industry officials, Sunday. They are now stepping up security spending and hiring specialists to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI)-driven attacks. Demand deposits at the country’s five largest lenders — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup — totaled 675.5 trillion won on Sept. 30, but dropped to 655.4 trillion won as of Sunday. Fixed-term deposits, which had risen for five consecutive months, also fell by more than 2.7 trillion won to slightly more than 1 quadrillion won. On Oct. 1, Shinhan Bank first reported that about 25,000 customers were affected, with names, phone numbers, annual income and loan limits exposed. The following day, KB Kookmin reported 119 affected customers, while Hana Bank said personal information belonging to 89 customers was exposed. Lenders are responding with bigge

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7 in 10 workers get no extra pay for covering parental leave: survey

Most Korean workers who took on additional duties while colleagues were on parental leave or working reduced hours for childcare received no extra compensation, with 7 in 10 going unpaid for the added workload. According to a survey released by workplace advocacy group Gabjil 119 on Sunday, 47.8 percent of 1,000 workers said their workloads had increased due to colleagues taking maternity or parental leave. The survey was conducted nationwide from Sept. 1 to 7. The results suggest that employers are shifting the burden of staffing shortages caused by parental leave or reduced working hours onto existing employees rather than hiring replacements or adjusting workloads. Of the 478 respondents who reported taking on additional duties, just 29.5 percent said they had received extra compensation, such as allowances, while the remaining 70.5 percent received no additional pay. Awareness of government subsidies aimed at compensating workers who take on extra duties was also limited. Only 37 percent of respondents were aware of the government’s workload-sharing subsidy for parental leave, while

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Trump calls for replacing Ukraine's Zelenskyy in tussle over diesel deal with Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday called for Ukraine to replace its leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and railed against Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, a day after announcing a diesel supply deal with Russia that drew a sharp rebuke from Zelenskyy. "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals, but for some reason he never does," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president." Zelenskyy, in some of his sharpest criticism yet of the White House, blasted Trump's deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to lift sanctions on Russian diesel, which comes as soaring energy prices have become a political liability for Trump's Republican Party ahead of next month's midterm elections. The Russian government said on Saturday it had partially lifted a ban on diesel exports with immediate effect. "Today, Russia said thank you for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia," Zelenskyy said after a Russian strike on that

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ContributionUS partnerships vital to Korea's tech industry

As a venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley, I work with frontier technologies and the teams building them around the world. On a recent trip to Korea, I saw a surge in the number of companies and investors looking to engage with the U.S. technology ecosystem. The conversations were distinctly different from the ones I had five years ago. The question was no longer whether to engage, but how. That shift is promising, but Korea needs to move faster. The country has spent decades building world-class capabilities in semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, defense technology and data center infrastructure. It has the technical talent, industrial expertise and resources to become a leader in this technology cycle. What it does not yet have is influence within the U.S. innovation ecosystem that matches those capabilities. That matters more now than ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping nearly every major industry, and no one knows exactly where the technology will create the greatest value. The companies, investors and institutions closest to the people building it will have an

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Roh Jeong-eui, Show Kasamatsu uncover dark romance in 'Shaving'

BUSAN — Director Kim Jung-hoon said he hopes his new psychological thriller “Shaving” will offer catharsis and comfort to viewers dealing with past emotional scars. "Shaving is a daily routine for most men, but if you examine it closely, it is also dangerous and chilling," Kim said during a press conference at Busan Cinema Center at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) on Friday. "It suited the concept of an ordinary couple's daily life turning into something hazardous. I focused on following Su-yeon's emotional arc across genres to reach a sense of catharsis, hoping the film helps people overcome their trauma." The film was invited to the competition section of the 31st edition of the film festival. It also marks Kim’s return to feature filmmaking 13 years after his debut "Tinker Ticker" (2013). The movie follows Su-yeon (Roh Jeong-eui), a horror novelist carrying past trauma, who spends a holiday at a countryside house with her caring boyfriend Shinji (Show Kasamatsu). The peaceful trip turns into a nightmare when Shinji accidentally cuts his face while shaving with an

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Esports team DRX seeks to broaden territory into digital entertainment

The esports industry continues to expand, drawing large audiences across game titles and appealing to an increasingly diverse range of people. The Business Research Company expects the global market to grow at an average annual rate of about 20 percent, from $3.02 billion in 2025 to $7.71 billion in 2030. However, few esports team operators have managed to turn that popularity into profits, as player salaries continue to rise while revenues from competition, such as prize money and league revenue sharing, remain volatile. DRX has remained profitable since 2024, helped by a diversified portfolio across multiple esports titles and a stable revenue base built through its advertising agency subsidiary. During an interview with The Korea Times, CEO Yang “Can” Sun-il said he is seeking to transform DRX into a broader digital entertainment company, expanding beyond esports through intellectual property (IP) and its esports academy, particularly in Southeast Asia. “K-culture has certainly become much more sophisticated and valuable than it was 10 years ago,” Yang said. “If you go to co

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Houthi attack on Saudi airport kills 12, over 300 wounded, authorities say

RIYADH — The third attack this week on Riyadh's international airport on Saturday left at least 12 people dead and more than 300 wounded, Saudi authorities said, and the Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike, a major escalation of their campaign against the Saudis. The dead included four Saudis, two people from Bangladesh and one person each from the U.S., Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, the Saudi civil aviation authority said. At the latest count, they said 309 were wounded. Hospitals were flooded with wounded brought by ambulance and helicopter, people briefed on the matter said. Some were in critical condition. Saturday's attack occurred without warning, with no alert issued by Saudi Arabia's threat warning system. This week's two previous attacks on King Khalid International Airport left four people dead and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane parked on the tarmac. This week's deadly strikes exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom's self-defence capabilities as it wages an air campaign against the Houthis to support a ground war by the Yeme

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N. Korea marks party anniversary on modest scale

North Korea has held a celebration performance for the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, state media reported Sunday. Patriotic songs, acrobatics and dance filled Pyongyang Indoor Stadium the previous day in a show that stressed loyalty to the party and Kim, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Kim, whom the article described as "representing the dignity and mightiness" of the country, waved to the audience "as a token of his congratulations to all the participants on the party founding day" and expressed satisfaction with the performance, the KCNA said. A photo released by the KCAN shows Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter, Kim Ju-ae, accompanying him. Diplomatic envoys and members of foreign missions sat alongside senior party and military officials and Pyongyang citizens, according to the report. Kim did not issue a statement marking the anniversary. The performance capped a series of events and gatherings marking this year's anniversary, which were modest in scale. North Korea considers anniversaries ending in zero or

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Transgender performer's 50 years on nightclub stages come to life in play

Korean society in the 1970s and 1980s was rife with violence and control masked as institutions and social order. At 16, the world saw her as a boy, but she already knew who she was. At a time when even the term “transgender” did not exist in common parlance, she performed on nightclub stages, singing and dancing in heavy makeup. She even underwent a risky, illicit gender-affirming surgery under only local anesthesia in a motel room. Her life was likely a relentless succession of discrimination and anger, difficult to imagine today. Yet even amid the violence and suffering that were commonplace at the time, she never lost faith in her choices. A one-person play portraying the fearless life of 69-year-old transgender performer Saek-ja, who spent five decades singing and dancing on nightclub stages, will meet audiences at the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) on Oct. 15 and 16 at the small venue of Arko Arts Theater in Jongno District, Seoul. Titled “You Can't Make a Life Out of Not Getting Slapped in the Face," the play was first presented at the Feminism Theater Festival in 2

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Incheon airport to host Sky Festival in November

Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) said Sunday it will host the 2026 Incheon Airport Sky Festival on Nov. 7 and 8 at Inspire Arena near the airport, featuring K-pop performances and hands-on cultural activities. Marking its 21st edition, the event is billed as the world's only airport-based cultural festival. Under the theme “K-Vibe Starts at Incheon Airport,” it will offer visitors a chance to experience Korean culture through music, fashion, beauty, food and tourism. The Korea Tourism Organization, Incheon Tourism Organization and Korea Heritage Agency will offer hands-on programs showcasing Korean culture and tourism. The two-day concert will feature popular K-pop acts spanning various genres and generations. Epik High, BIBI, TNX, KickFlip and H//PE Princess will perform on Nov. 7, followed by PSY, Zion.T, Kim Na-young, Forestella, xikers, hrtz.wav and OURBIRTHDAY on Nov. 8. A 300-seat viewing area will also be set up near Inspire Arena, allowing visitors to watch live broadcasts of the concerts outside the main venue. Inspire Ballroom will host about 20 booths offering hand

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A monk's purple garden blooms in Mungyeong

MUNGYEONG, North Gyeongsang Province —Every step along the country road reveals another pale purple flower emerging through the mist. Any visitor soon finds themselves surrounded by thousands upon thousands of blossoms. A wave of flowers winds along the ridges of the wooded hillside, revealing here and there a statue of the Buddha or stately pine trees. It is a truly dreamlike and otherworldly scene. Bongcheon Temple, a small Buddhist temple halfway up Mount Wolbang in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, is blanketed in purple aster flowers every autumn. The sight is spectacular every year, but the flowers are particularly abundant this year. Seven asters grow into a field of flowers The flowers cover an area of 23,100 square meters, but began with just seven aster flowers. When the abbot first came to the temple 12 years ago, the surrounding hillside was barren. It was covered with kudzu vines, with only a few small vegetable plots cultivated by local residents scattered here and there. Looking for a wildflower that could thrive on the rocky, weed-covered hillside, the monk chose aste

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InterviewFast food fulfills dreams in aging society

One thing Shin Jeong-ok, a team leader at a McDonald’s restaurant in Seoul’s Seongbuk District, enjoys about her job is being looked up to by friends and acquaintances in their 60s and older. In Korea, where the population is rapidly aging, seniors face increasingly fierce competition for employment as they outnumber younger job seekers. As of this year, more than 11 million people in Korea, or 21.6 percent of the population, are aged 60 or older. Many are baby boomers born between 1955 and 1963, a generation larger than those that came before them. Now entering retirement, they are increasingly seeking jobs, but age-related health issues and physical limitations restrict their employment options. Fortunately for Shin, her current job title is a hard-earned position she began in her early 50s. Now, the 63-year-old says she cannot imagine a life without working five times a week at McDonald’s Jongam SK branch in northern Seoul. “When I tell my neighbors or friends that I work at McDonald’s, I see the envy in their eyes. Being able to say that I have a job and seeing their admira

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In Korea, towns compete to host prisons as population declines

Local governments across Korea are competing to host prisons, once widely regarded as undesirable facilities, as shrinking populations and struggling local economies prompt communities to seek new sources of jobs, residents and spending. Cheongsong and Yeongdeok counties in North Gyeongsang Province, Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province and Boeun County in the same province are among the municipalities that have entered the competition. According to the Ministry of Justice, Thursday, the government is seeking sites for four correctional facilities to address prison overcrowding and aging infrastructure. Each facility would accommodate 1,000 inmates and employ 250 permanent staff members, requiring at least 192,000 square meters of land. The four projects have a combined construction cost of 967.6 billion won ($680 million). They will be carried out as build-transfer-lease projects, under which private companies construct the facilities and transfer ownership to the government, which then pays rent for their use. Cheongsong is touting its experience as host to four correctional facilitie

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'Doctor X' delivers satisfying dose of justice with Kim Ji-won at center

“Doctor X” took aim at doctors chasing power and personal interests within the hospital, delivering a satisfying blow against corruption from its very first episode. At the center is Gye Su-jeong, a brilliant surgeon played by Kim Ji-won, in a rare female lead role for a medical drama. SBS' "Doctor X: Mafia in White," which premiered Friday, is a medical drama centered on Gye, also known as Doctor X, who takes on deeply rooted corruption with exceptional surgical skills and a refusal to accept failure or compromise. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode recorded nationwide viewership of 11.4 percent and 11.2 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area, peaking at 12.9 percent. It was the highest-rated premiere among miniseries that debuted in 2026, giving "Doctor X" a double-digit start. The premiere introduced Gye, a temporary doctor dispatched to Guseo University Hospital, as she confronted the institution's hierarchy and corruption while demonstrating her surgical prowess. Gye and Jang Hee-sook, played by Lee Jung-eun, encountered a customer who suddenly collapsed in pain at a b

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Editor's Pick

[COVER STORY] After interviewing 42 death row inmates, researcher believes capital punishment should end

COVER STORY After interviewing 42 death row inmates, researcher believes capital punishment should end

Every weekday before 1997, death row inmates in Korea braced themselves between 6 and 9 a.m. — the hours when executions could happen. If 9 a.m. passed uneventfully, they felt relief. Then they went to sleep wondering if the next morning would be their last. No one has been executed since Dec. 30, 1997, but 56 people remain on death row — 52 in Ministry of Justice correctional facilities and four in military prisons. Kim Dae-keun, a research fellow at the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, interviewed 42 of them. "Most of them were ashamed, distressed or regretful about what they did," Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times. "I imagine they were brutal and frightening when they committed their crimes. But many I met in prison now were older, frail men." Oct. 10 marks World Day Against the Death Penalty, an annual international observance calling for the abolition of executions as judicial punishment. In Korea, the day arrives with the death penalty still on the books but widely regarded as unenforceable. Most inmates now believe executions will not resume — a beli

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Life in Korea

Comedy takes root in Korea's Russian-speaking community

Comedy takes root in Korea's Russian-speaking community

Lyazzat Khan, a proud resident of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, has quietly been building an empire of laughter. Originally from Kazakhstan, she is the mastermind behind Event Max, a business that brings Russian-speaking comedians to Korea. For Korea’s Russian-speaking population of nearly 200,000, there is a growing market for entertainment services. Most of these residents are Koryo-saram, or ethnic Koreans from former Soviet Union countries. Many are employed in the country’s light and heavy industry factories, working grueling hours. Leisure services for this group of workers remain underdeveloped, mostly because of the language barrier to accessing Korean entertainment. Over half of Korea’s Russian-speaking population lives in Ansan and Incheon, where in some neighborhoods, it is common to hear Russian spoken on the street. Restaurants and lounges catering specifically to Russian-speakers have sprung up in these neighborhoods since the early 2000s. However, a demand for more community-centered entertainment is on the rise as many businesses were shuttered during the pandemic. Ent

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Lifestyle

6 apps for learning Korean: Which ones are most useful?

Hangeul Day celebrates the creation and excellence of the Korean alphabet. To mark the holiday this year, I tested six of the most popular apps for learning Korean, based on Google Play downloads, to discern which are actually worth a download — and perhaps more importantly, your phone’s precious memory space. I’m at an upper-intermediate level in Korean, but it’s taken years to reach this point. I’ve taken lessons here and there and downloaded apps to improve my fluency. Remembering where I was when I downloaded my first language app, Drops, gave me a good point of reference. I’m well aware of how quickly apps start to feel tedious or too far removed from actual language lessons. I tried to keep the comparison as simple as possible. Each app had to specialize in Korean, rather than offering various languages. I tested each on an iPhone, using the Apple App Store versions, and focused primarily on content accessible for free. The results here are a personal reflection on my overall experience and reflect how I felt about each app. BNR BNR has a simple, polished interface usin

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6 apps for learning Korean: Which ones are most useful?

K-Culture

SEVENTEEN's Hoshi drops love song 'Boyfriend' during military service

Hoshi of K-pop boy group SEVENTEEN is dropping a new digital single, "Boyfriend," at 6 p.m. on Saturday, the latest in a string of solo releases since his military enlistment last year. "Boyfriend," according to the singer's label Pledis Entertainment, is an R&B-based pop track about carefully approaching a loved one. Hoshi co-wrote the lyrics, and the song is built on breezy shuffle rhythms and synthesizer sounds. Hoshi enlisted in the Army as an active-duty soldier on Sept. 16 last year, becoming the fourth SEVENTEEN member to begin mandatory military service. He is scheduled to be discharged on March 15, 2027. On the day he enlisted, he released "Take a Shot," a hip-hop track for which he co-wrote the lyrics. Pledis has since continued to put out his music during his service, releasing "Fallen Superstar" in November and "Baby, Honey" in March this year. "Snapback," which Hoshi co-wrote and co-composed, followed in June. Other SEVENTEEN members are also pursuing individual projects as the group works through its members’ military service schedules. Jun released his first Chinese-langu

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SEVENTEEN's Hoshi drops love song 'Boyfriend' during military service

Celebrities

Actress breastfeeds in public, cheers on fellow mothers

Actress Choi Yu-hwa has shared an update on breastfeeding her baby for six months after giving birth, expressing pride in reaching her goal and offering words of encouragement to mothers everywhere. On Monday, Choi posted photos on social media, writing, "The day my baby turned six months old was also the day I successfully reached my goal of breastfeeding for six months." The photos offer a glimpse into Choi's daily life as a mother. In particular, they show her breastfeeding her baby in public places, including restaurants and cafes. "I worked really hard," Choi said. "Taking care of a baby through the night is difficult, but traveling without having to carry extra things is convenient, so I've decided to keep breastfeeding a little longer." She added, "To all the mothers in the world, keep going!" Choi made her acting debut in 2010 in the KBS2 one-act drama "The Great Gye Choon-bin." She later appeared in TV series including "Suits," "Life," "Class of Lies" and "River Where the Moon Rises," as well as films such as "Tazza: One Eyed Jack" and "The Truth Beneath." In December last year, C

1 MIN READ
Actress breastfeeds in public, cheers on fellow mothers

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Opinion

Top 10 Stories

  1. Trump calls for replacing Ukraine's Zelenskyy in tussle over diesel deal with Russia

  2. Houthi attack on Saudi airport kills 12, over 300 wounded, authorities say

  3. InterviewFast food fulfills dreams in aging society

  4. Spy agency denies report US only shares intelligence on NK missiles with S. Korea

  5. Esports team DRX seeks to broaden territory into digital entertainment

  6. A monk's purple garden blooms in Mungyeong

  7. 87% of dog meat farms closed ahead of February ban

  8. N. Korea marks party anniversary on modest scale

  9. Paradise Hotel Busan blends spa, sound healing for ultimate coastal wellness

  10. COVER STORY Korea's 2-track AI strategy casts uncertainty over sovereign model project

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