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jhoo

Jhoo Dong-chan

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.

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Korean Heritage

From hanbok to K-pop: Global students celebrate Korean culture

A vibrant celebration of language, art and cross-cultural friendship concluded in Seoul as 163 exceptional students from 24 countries completed an unforgettable journey through Korea. Hosted by the King Sejong Institute Foundation, the second session of the 2026 Invitational Training Program for Outstanding Learners ran from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1, marking the largest gathering in the program’s history. Operating 273 institutes across 89 countries, the foundation continues to pave the way for global citizens to connect, share, and communicate through a shared love for Korea. Unlike previous years, the 2026 program expanded its scope beyond top language students to include learners who have demonstrated extraordinary passion and talent in Korean cultural arts. To accommodate the record number of participants, the foundation doubled the program's operations into two separate sessions throughout October. Over six days, participants engaged in a rich tapestry of Korean life. They explored iconic landmarks including Gwangjang Market, Myeong-dong and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, while immersing thems

NowBy Jhoo Dong-chan
From hanbok to K-pop: Global students celebrate Korean culture
Companies

Upstage's Solar Pro 4 becomes available to civil servants on gov't network

Korean artificial intelligence (AI) startup Upstage said Tuesday that its large language model Solar Pro 4 is now fully available on the government’s shared AI platform. Civil servants can now use a domestically developed AI model for daily work inside the government’s closed administrative network. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Science and ICT run the platform. Through it, they provide AI models, data and development tools to central government agencies and local governments. Solar Pro 4 is offered through FabriX, an AI agent platform from Samsung SDS, the IT services affiliate of Samsung Group. The model runs on network infrastructure that passed a security review by the National Intelligence Service, Korea’s spy agency. Internal government data remains within the network. The platform centrally manages the graphics processing units (GPUs), the high-performance chips needed to run AI models. This means agencies can use the model through a chat interface or an application programming interface without buying or leasing their own GPU servers. The mode

45m agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Upstage's Solar Pro 4 becomes available to civil servants on gov't network
Companies

CJ ONE offers grocery coupons, convenience store discounts in November promotion

CJ ONE, a lifestyle membership program run by CJ OliveNetworks, is holding its November Wonder Week promotion with discounts at CJ CheilJedang’s online mall and the convenience store chain emart24, the company said Tuesday. CJ ONE is the loyalty program of CJ Group, one of Korea’s largest conglomerates. Members earn and spend points across the group’s businesses and its partner brands. The promotion runs until Nov. 10. It offers coupons for CJ The Market, the official online store of food giant CJ CheilJedang, and is tied to the store’s monthly sale event. Members who sign up in the CJ ONE app by Thursday for a notice that the promotion has opened will get a random reward. It is either a CJ The Market credit coupon worth 1,000 won, 3,000 won or 10,000 won, or CJ ONE points. From Nov. 6 -10, members will get a 20 percent discount coupon, worth up to 14,000 won ($10.50), for purchases of 70,000 won or more at CJ The Market. To receive it, members must agree to terms for a personalized service shared among partner companies. Members who use the coupon and earn CJ ONE points will get

55m agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
CJ ONE offers grocery coupons, convenience store discounts in November promotion
Companies

SK Telecom named UN Global Compact LEAD company for 2027

SK Telecom has been named a 2027 LEAD company by the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Network Korea in recognition of its sustainability leadership, the mobile carrier said Tuesday. The company received the designation at the 2026 Korea Leaders Summit, which the network hosted at Grand Hyatt Seoul. The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, launched by the United Nations in 2000. It encourages companies to build principles on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption into their operations. Each year, the Korean network chooses about 10 companies and institutions as LEAD participants from its roughly 360 members. The selections recognize contributions to spreading sustainability management and developing the country’s ESG ecosystem. ESG stands for environmental, social and governance, the standards used to measure a company’s sustainability and ethical practices. SK Telecom co-chairs the network’s environment working group. In that role, it shared its experience handling major ESG issues and its know-how in building ESG management syst

1h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
SK Telecom named UN Global Compact LEAD company for 2027
Others

'Omniscient Reader,' 9 other works win main prizes at World Webtoon Awards

Ten Korean webtoons, including “Omniscient Reader” and “Return of the Mount Hua Sect,” have won main prizes at this year’s World Webtoon Awards, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday. Webtoons are digital comics made to be read by scrolling down on a smartphone. The format began in Korea in the early 2000s and has since spread around the world. The other winners are “The S-Classes That I Raised,” “Debut or Die,” “The Greatest Estate Developer,” “Cry, or Better Yet, Beg,” “Killer Pietro,” “Real Man,” “Jakdu” and “On the Way to Meet Mom.” Each winner will receive a trophy and 10 million won ($7,500). The ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency, a state-run body that promotes Korea’s cultural content industries, launched the awards in 2024. The goal is to honor creators and strengthen Korea’s standing as the birthplace of the webtoon. This is the awards’ third year. The winners were chosen from 20 finalists. Expert evaluations and online reader votes each counted for half of the final score. An 11-member panel of crea

3h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
'Omniscient Reader,' 9 other works win main prizes at World Webtoon Awards
Defense

Korea launches 3,600-ton submarine, boosting naval deterrence, defense export capacity

Korea’s Navy and Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) launched the Seo Hui (SS-088), the nation’s second 3,600-ton Dosan Ahn Changho-class Batch-II diesel-electric attack submarine, during a ceremony at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Okpo Shipyard on Tuesday. The vessel is named after Seo Hui (942–998), a prominent diplomat and statesman of the Goryeo Dynasty renowned for using strategic negotiation to fend off a massive invasion by the Khitan-led Liao Empire in 993, securing vital territory along the northwestern border without shedding blood. Navigating regional security threats around the peninsula, Korea designated his name to symbolize military foresight, national crisis resolution and maritime sovereignty defense. The ceremony was attended by around 200 officials, including National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik. Following naval tradition, Cho’s wife, Cho Mi-seon, cut the launching ribbon attached to the vessel, symbolizing new life breathed into the newly built warship, followed by a ceremonial champagne bottle break against the hull. Measuring 89 meters in length,

3h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea launches 3,600-ton submarine, boosting naval deterrence, defense export capacity
Health

Seoul names 19 'medical-friendly' hotels for foreign patients

Seoul has designated 19 hotels and accommodations as “medical-friendly” lodgings tailored for international patients and their families, part of an effort to capture a growing global market traveling to Korea for health care, the city government said Monday. According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, about 1.76 million foreign patients were treated at medical institutions in Seoul in 2025, a record high. That is 3.7 times the roughly 470,000 in 2023. Seoul accounted for 87.2 percent of the roughly 2.01 million foreign patients treated nationwide last year. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization chose the 19 facilities from 40 applicants in the program’s first year. The selection involved document reviews, on-site inspections and expert evaluations. Unlike regular tourists, foreign patients often need long stays that follow their treatment schedules, rooms for family members or caregivers, and places to recover after surgery or other procedures. Some have trouble getting around after treatment. The facilities were judged on how easy i

23h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul names 19 'medical-friendly' hotels for foreign patients
People & Events

Busan Fireworks Festival to light up Gwangalli Beach Saturday

Korea’s southern port city of Busan will host its massive annual fireworks display Saturday along Gwangalli Beach, illuminating the landmark Gwangan Bridge across the bay, city officials said Monday. The hourlong show starts at 7 p.m. Fireworks will be launched from three spots, Gwangalli Beach, Igidae Park and Dongbaek Island, to give the show more depth. The program will open with a 15-minute show by China’s Sunny Fireworks. It will be followed by a 30-minute show by Korea’s Hanwha Corp. on the theme “Busan’s dream,” featuring 25-inch shells, waterfall-style “Niagara” fireworks and multimedia lighting on the bridge. A five-minute “curtain call” display will then offer thanks citizens and festival staff. Before the fireworks show, the Black Eagles, the Korean Air Force’s aerobatic team, will put on an air show at 4 p.m., alongside beach events and busking by local indie bands. The city will offer some 17,000 paid seats. About 3,000 more seats than last year have been added, all set aside for foreign tourists and sold through overseas travel agencies and online trav

23h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Busan Fireworks Festival to light up Gwangalli Beach Saturday
Companies

LS Cable, LS Marine Solution sign deal on Taean offshore wind cable project

LS Cable & System and its affiliate LS Marine Solution have signed a deal with the developer of a 504-megawatt offshore wind farm off Korea’s west coast to supply and install its subsea cables, the companies said Monday. The two companies signed a capacity reservation agreement (CRA) with Taean Wind Power. A CRA reserves cable production capacity and installation vessel schedules before a final contract is signed. The agreement follows the developer’s selection of the two companies as preferred bidders in 2024. They are now reviewing cable specifications and the scope of installation work through engineering and site surveys. They plan to agree on the contract value and other details and sign a final contract within the year. The Taean offshore wind project is being jointly developed by state-run Korea Western Power, Singapore-based renewable energy company Vena Energy and Danish renewable energy investor Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The wind farm will be built off Taean County in South Chungcheong Province, about 150 kilometers southwest of Seoul, and is scheduled for comple

23h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
LS Cable, LS Marine Solution sign deal on Taean offshore wind cable project
Business

Discount subscriptions put money, personal data at risk, experts warn

Subscriptions to services such as Netflix and YouTube Premium cost an average of 65 percent less when bought through unofficial resellers, but buyers risk losing their accounts, their money and their personal data, a cybersecurity firm said Monday. Netherlands-based Surfshark compared official prices for 10 popular subscription services, including Netflix, Spotify, YouTube Premium and Duolingo, with prices on resale platforms. Resold subscriptions averaged about 6,200 won ($4.60) a month, compared with about 17,600 won through official channels. That is a saving of about 11,400 won a month, or more than 130,000 won a year. Resellers typically sell shared accounts or access to them, often at prices far below official rates. The study found that eight of the 10 services required a minimum 12-month commitment on resale platforms, and the other two required at least six months. Buyers who lose access before the term ends may have to rely on the reseller for help or a refund. Some platforms also asked for more personal information than needed. One asked for a buyer’s name, address, postal c

1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Discount subscriptions put money, personal data at risk, experts warn
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