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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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Travel & Food

Seoul's Dream Forest unveils canopy walkway, upgraded outdoor cafe

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday announced the opening of a new 500-meter elevated wooden boardwalk and a refreshed outdoor terrace space at Bukseoul Dream Forest, offering parkgoers refreshed, shaded retreats amid the intense summer heat. Managed by the city's Northern Park Leisure Center, the renovation project focused on upgrading key areas around Mount Byeogo and Mount Opae within the expansive 17-year-old park, which originally opened on the former grounds of the iconic Dreamland amusement park. The newly constructed boardwalk along the forested slopes of Mount Byeogo was specifically engineered to bypass previously steep and difficult terrain while carefully preserving the surrounding natural environment. Winding beneath a dense, cool canopy of mature shade trees, the accessible route seamlessly connects the popular Olmangjolmang Play Forest directly to the park’s western entrance. Along the pathway, four newly built observation decks offer scenic panoramic vistas over distinct park landmarks, including the Changnyeongwi Gungjaesa historical site, the traditional Ae

14h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul's Dream Forest unveils canopy walkway, upgraded outdoor cafe
Law & Crime

Seoul expands emergency alarm program to protect women small business owners

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that it is significantly expanding eligibility for its "Small Business Emergency Alarm" initiative, extending protection beyond single-employee shops to include women-owned small businesses across the capital. The emergency system — recently rebranded as "Sosanggoin Ansimbell" — provides retail storefronts with a compact, real-time threat-mitigation device. Designed for immediate physical intervention during on-site crises, the setup features a wireless panic button, a smart hub and an external flashing warning light equipped with a high-decibel siren. When a merchant triggers the button during an emergency, the exterior siren alerts nearby pedestrians while automatically transmitting a signal to the local district’s CCTV monitoring control center. Security personnel review live camera feeds near the premises and dispatch emergency police services to the location when necessary. Previously restricted to strictly solo operator businesses or shopfronts where employees work alone on temporary shifts, the updated policy extends coverage t

16h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul expands emergency alarm program to protect women small business owners
Companies

Kakao upgrades Kanana-o AI to express emotions, accents via text prompts

Kakao, the operator of Korea’s dominant messaging app KakaoTalk and a major digital services ecosystem, has upgraded the voice generation technology in its proprietary omni artificial intelligence (AI) model, Kanana-o. The update allows users to fine-tune tone, speed, emotions and accents through simple natural-language instructions alone. According to a post on Kakao's tech blog published Tuesday, the improved model lets users shape how speech is delivered — not just what is read aloud — by giving instructions such as "read it very quickly," "read it in a low voice," "read it in a sad voice" or "read it in a Gyeongsang Province accent." The AI adjusts speed, volume, pitch, emotion, intonation and intensity accordingly. The model can also follow role-based instructions, such as reading "like a sports broadcast," "like a news anchor" or "like a storybook," and can combine multiple instructions at once — for example, "lower the tone and read it quickly in a sad voice." Kakao said that although the model was trained primarily on Korean-language data, it can follow the same kinds of

16h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Kakao upgrades Kanana-o AI to express emotions, accents via text prompts
Companies

Starbucks Korea teams up with local farmers to support small cafes

Starbucks Korea has unveiled its eighth “shared growth” beverage — a Sangju Shine Muscat Ade crafted with locally sourced grapes from North Gyeongsang Province — as part of an ongoing initiative to help independent coffee shops boost sales and sharpen their competitive edge. The company held a handover ceremony Aug. 3 at its Seoul support center, attended by officials from the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership and a national cooperative representing independent cafe owners. Starbucks launched the program in March 2022, becoming the first coffee company to sign a "cafe industry shared growth agreement" with the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership and the cafe owners' cooperative. Under the agreement, Starbucks has developed and shared drink recipes using local agricultural products, supported recovery efforts after natural disasters and helped improve aging cafe facilities. Over the past five years, the company said it has provided about 1 billion won ($694,000) in related funding. The shared drinks have become known as an effective way for Starbucks to pass along

16h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Starbucks Korea teams up with local farmers to support small cafes
Environment & Animals

Busan to provide 1-year free pet insurance for adopted rescue dogs

Busan Metropolitan City will provide one year of free pet insurance to residents who adopt rescued dogs from designated animal shelters and adoption centers, as part of an initiative to encourage pet adoption and reduce the financial burden on new owners. The 2026 Rescue Animal Pet Insurance Program continues a city initiative launched in 2023 to help adopted dogs settle into new homes by covering veterinary expenses that may arise during the early stages of adoption. Eligible applicants are residents who adopt a rescue dog from one of Busan's designated municipal animal shelters or adoption centers on or after Jan. 1, 2026, and complete mandatory microchip registration for the animal. The program covers dogs adopted through five contracted municipal animal shelters and two adoption centers, including the Busan Companion Animal Welfare and Culture Center and the Haeundae-gu Rescue Animal Adoption Center. New adopters can apply for the insurance at the shelter or adoption center when completing the adoption process. Those who have already adopted a rescue dog after Jan. 1, 2026 may also en

16h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Busan to provide 1-year free pet insurance for adopted rescue dogs
Companies

Hyundai E&C tests water-spraying drone at demolition site

Hyundai Engineering & Construction (Hyundai E&C) said it is expanding the use of unmanned robots for environmental and safety management at construction sites after completing a field test of a water-spraying drone aimed at reducing dust during demolition work. The company said it recently completed the test at the site of the Gwacheon Jugong Complexes 8 and 9 redevelopment project in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, evaluating the drone's performance, flight stability and how well it functioned alongside demolition workers in an active work environment. Demolition sites face a dual challenge of reducing airborne dust while keeping workers safe. Dust suppression is an essential part of environmental management at such sites, but the process of spraying water can itself create hazards, including slipping, electric shock and collisions with heavy equipment. Those risks are heightened in areas such as upper floors or structurally unstable sections where it is difficult for workers or equipment to reach. In the test, Hyundai E&C deployed the drone over dust-generating areas of the site, spraying

16h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Hyundai E&C tests water-spraying drone at demolition site
Korean Heritage

Korea exports heritage restoration expertise worldwide

Two decades of sharing preservation expertise — painstakingly restoring ancient wooden architecture, analyzing historic pigments and fortifying archaeological sites — with neighbors across Asia have culminated in a broader mission for Korea: opening those specialized vaults to the rest of the world. The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, an arm of the Korea Heritage Service, officially launched the International Cooperation Program on Conservation (ICPC) on Tuesday. The intensive 60-day initiative marks a major strategic expansion of Korea’s flagship technical training program, which had previously focused exclusively on regional Asian partnerships. Following a highly competitive selection process that drew applicants from 31 countries, five distinguished experts were selected for the inaugural global cohort: David Nkusi of the University of Rwanda, Zilola Tulkinova of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Phub Thinley of the National Library and Archives of Bhutan, Fernando Andres Zambrano Luque of Ecuador’s National Institute of Cultural Herita

16h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea exports heritage restoration expertise worldwide
Health

Sweating for savings: Korea's exercise incentive program sees participation double

Korea’s national experiment in paying its citizens to exercise is paying off — so quickly, in fact, that its doubled budget has already run dry. Participation in Teunteun Money, a government initiative that rewards people with cash-equivalent points for working out, has roughly doubled this year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday. Even after officials halved the reward rate per 30-minute workout session to manage demand, public enthusiasm for the health scheme only continued to climb. By the end of July, nearly 700,000 citizens had earned points through the system, up from roughly 317,000 during the same period last year. More importantly for public health officials, participants aren't just signing up — they are spending significantly more time exercising. Excluding promotional sign-up bonuses, the average time spent exercising per participant rose by 19 percent year-on-year, adding roughly two additional hours of physical activity per person. Now in its fourth year, the program, whose name uses a Korean phrase roughly meaning "sturdy money," allows partici

17h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Sweating for savings: Korea's exercise incentive program sees participation double
Companies

L7 Hongdae by LOTTE opens rooftop 'Neoguri' noodle pop-up with Nongshim

L7 Hongdae by LOTTE has partnered with Nongshim, one of Korea's largest instant noodle makers, to open "Neoguri's Ramyun Shop," a pop-up experience built around the company's popular Neoguri brand, a spicy seafood-flavor known for their thick, udon-style noodles. The pop-up is centered on the hotel's 22nd-floor rooftop pool, where guests can cook and eat Nongshim noodles while taking in views of the city, combining a swim with a warm snack. The noodles are served with Lotte Hotel's signature seasoned kimchi and bottled water for 10,000 won ($7). The hotel has created several links to Neoguri, a raccoon-dog mascot that has represented the noodle brand since it launched in 1982. The rooftop pool area has been styled as a "pool party with DJ Neoguri," featuring a photo zone with headphones, sunglasses and other props related to the character. On the 21st floor, the hotel's Blue Roof Lounge has been redesigned and modeled on a hotel reception desk featuring a branded photo zone with Neoguri and other Nongshim products, along with a "Memory Wall" where visitors can leave their own messages. The

17h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
L7 Hongdae by LOTTE opens rooftop 'Neoguri' noodle pop-up with Nongshim
Companies

OpenAI to hold 1st Codex game development event in Korea

OpenAI said Tuesday it will hold a one-day, in-person hackathon on Aug. 31 built around Codex, the company's artificial intelligence (AI) coding agent, marking its first event anywhere dedicated to game development with the tool. The event, called the OpenAI Game Builders Seoul, will bring together Korean developers to explore new approaches to building games with Codex, under the theme "Build with Codex, Play with Hive." It is supported by Com2uS, one of Korea's leading game companies. Legendary developer Jake Song, who helped shape the history of Korean MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) through titles including "The Kingdom of the Winds," "Lineage" and "ArcheAge," will take part throughout the event and discuss how Codex inspired his return to hands-on game development. Additional participating developers are expected to be announced later on the event website. Codex is OpenAI's coding agent, which supports the full software development cycle, including writing, modifying and testing code, based on natural-language instructions. Meanwhile, Hive is Com2uS' game bac

17h agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
OpenAI to hold 1st Codex game development event in Korea
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