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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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Companies

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com opens buying office in Korea

In a bid to satisfy Chinese consumers’ growing appetite for Korean goods, JD.com, China’s largest e-commerce platform, opened a direct sourcing office in Seoul, signaling a potential turnaround for Korean exports after years of post-pandemic stagnation. The announcement, delivered jointly by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), comes as trade between the two Asian neighbors recalibrates around digital platforms and changing consumer habits. To celebrate the launch of JD.com’s new purchasing unit, government officials hosted a delegation of 12 senior executives from the Chinese e-commerce titan — led by Vincent Yang, vice chairman and head of cross-border business — for a high-level briefing and business matchmaking session at KOTRA headquarters in Seoul. The initiative arrives at a crucial inflection point. Exports across Korea's five primary consumer goods categories — cosmetics, food, fashion, household items and pharmaceuticals — had suffered a sustained downward slide following the pandemic. Howeve

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com opens buying office in Korea
Companies

9 gov't ministries adopt Samsung SDS' AI platform Brity Works

Samsung SDS said its AI-powered collaboration platform, Brity Works, is rapidly being adopted as an official tool across Korean government ministries, with nine central government bodies having confirmed their intention to use the platform as of this month. Following the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Ministry of Planning and Budget in April, seven more ministries — including the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Financial Services Commission and the Overseas Koreans Agency — have also confirmed their intention to use the platform, bringing the total to nine. The ministries are expected to roll out the service in stages through August, the company said. The moves follow an announcement by Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety that it plans to expand OnAI, a generative AI-based intelligent work management platform, to more than 40 central government agencies by the end of this year. Samsung SDS is providing Brity Works as the official collaboration tool supporting that in

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
9 gov't ministries adopt Samsung SDS' AI platform Brity Works
People & Events

World Print & Communication Congress returns to Korea after 10 years

The 2026 World Print & Communication Congress, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will run from Tuesday through Friday at the KINTEX exhibition center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and in nearby Paju. Hosted in Korea for the first time since 2016, this year's congress unites representatives from 33 nations and nearly 500 global industry leaders under the banner "A Global Printing Festival Connecting the World Through Hallyu." Vice Culture Minister Kim Young-soo will deliver welcoming remarks, Tuesday, for the general assembly’s official opening ceremony at KINTEX. Founded in 1989 in Brussels, the World Print & Communication Forum serves as a premier international platform driving innovation across the global publishing and print sectors. Korea joined as a full member in 2003. National influence within the forum has expanded steadily, culminating in 2024 with the election of Kim Byung-soon, president of the Korean Printers Association, as forum president. Korea subsequently secured hosting rights for this year's congress during the 2025 assembly in Zurich. The fo

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
World Print & Communication Congress returns to Korea after 10 years
People & Events

Gyeongju to host 18th President's Cup amateur esports championship

The national finals of the 18th President's Cup Amateur Esports Championship will take place this Saturday and Sunday at the Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday. Organized by the culture ministry alongside the Korea e-Sports Association, North Gyeongsang Province, the City of Gyeongju and the Gyeongju Cultural Foundation, the annual tournament has run continuously since 2009. The initiative aims to build a sustainable foundation for amateur talent while promoting balanced regional growth across Korea's esports ecosystem. Admission is free for all in-person spectators. For those watching remotely, the entire event will be livestreamed online via Naver's Chzzk, SOOP (formerly AfreecaTV) and YouTube. This year's competition brings together roughly 300 players and officials representing all 16 of Korea's provincial-level administrative regions. Competitors will face off across five distinct titles: League of Legends, the Korean-developed battle royale hit Eternal Return, football simulation game EA Spor

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Gyeongju to host 18th President's Cup amateur esports championship
Korean Heritage

'Int'l law is no match for military might': Hero's final words from prison return home

Ahead of Korea's 81st National Liberation Day, a long-lost calligraphic work written in prison by one of the nation's most revered independence activists has finally returned home from Japan. Unveiled to the public for the first time Thursday at Deoksu Palace’s Jungmyeongjeon Hall in Seoul, the eight-character scroll by Ahn Jung-geun offers a piercing, tragic reflection on the ultimate futility of global legal protocols when confronted by raw imperial aggression. The calligraphy reads “Man guk gong beop bul yeo dae po” — a stark declaration translating to: “International law is no match for military might.” At its core, the phrase delivers a bitter, cynical truth about global power politics: Diplomatic treaties and international laws mean nothing when faced with superior firepower. Ahn penned this stinging critique in March 1910 inside Lushun Prison in northeastern China, just days before his execution at age 30 by Japanese colonial authorities. Five months earlier, on Oct. 26, 1909, Ahn had assassinated Ito Hirobumi — Japan’s first prime minister and resident-general of

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
'Int'l law is no match for military might': Hero's final words from prison return home
Korean Heritage

Seoul to mark 81st Liberation Day with historic bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion

Seoul will mark the 81st anniversary of liberation this Saturday with a public bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak, the historic downtown pavilion, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The holiday commemorates Korea's 1945 liberation from 35 years of Japanese colonial occupation. Centered on the theme "The sound of liberation awakens the future," the event kicks off at 11:30 a.m. in Jongno District. It features the traditional 33-bell tolling, a nod to the centuries-old custom where 33 rings at dawn signaled the lifting of the capital's nightly curfew and the opening of its eight gates. Eleven figures will take turns tolling the bell across three rounds. Joining Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the speaker of the Seoul Metropolitan Council are nine descendants of independence activists recommended by the Heritage of Korean Independence, the official public association representing Korean independence activists and their surviving descendants. Among them are the daughter of a patriot imprisoned for anti-Japanese resistance and the child of an activist who organized a covert resistance gro

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul to mark 81st Liberation Day with historic bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion
Law & Crime

North African operator busted in global crackdown on $14 mil. K-content piracy ring

In a major blow to illegal digital distribution networks, Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in tandem with the Korean National Police Agency, Interpol and industry giant Naver Webtoon, succeeded in dismantling three major piracy websites operating out of North Africa. The joint operation resulted in the arrest of a primary site operator and the complete closure of the illegal portals. The shuttered network — comprising dedicated webtoon and web novel piracy platforms alongside a third hub that aggregated material from both — had been active since July 2024. Authorities revealed the ring illegally copied and distributed 83,688 copyrighted works, including 30,926 webtoons and 5,202 web novels. Among the compromised intellectual property were massive hit titles such as "The Trauma Code." Korean cultural exports accounted for approximately 57 percent of the pirated material. The ministry estimates these three platforms alone inflicted over 20 billion won ($14.2 million) in annual financial damage on the creative industry. Significantly, investigators highlighted that th

Aug 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
North African operator busted in global crackdown on $14 mil. K-content piracy ring
People & Events

Seoul Fashion Week expands from DDP to Lotte World Tower for 2027 S/S season

Seoul Fashion Week has operated largely within and around the stark, futuristic curves of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza for the last 12 years, serving as an industry-facing platform for buyers, press and domestic designers. But as global demand for Korean style and pop culture continues to surge, the capital’s flagship fashion event is stepping out into the open city air. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that the upcoming Spring/Summer 2027 Seoul Fashion Week, running Sept. 1 to 6, will expand its footprint beyond its traditional home at DDP to include the grounds of Lotte World Tower, the nation’s tallest skyscraper in southeastern Seoul. The strategic shift is designed to bridge commercial industry demands with direct-to-consumer experiences, turning a traditionally trade-focused gathering into a citywide public festival. Under the dual-venue arrangement, DDP will remain the anchor for high-end designer showcases and business-to-business commerce, hosting 17 runway shows, eight brand presentations and a trade show featuring 97 labels. Designers long central to the ev

Aug 12, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul Fashion Week expands from DDP to Lotte World Tower for 2027 S/S season
Law & Crime

One of Seoul's most multicultural districts expands safety net for children

In Yongsan District, a sprawling area known as a multicultural hub, language barriers, cultural isolation and socioeconomic strain have long simmered beneath the surface of family life. Local authorities took a significant step earlier this week toward addressing how those pressures can spill over into child welfare, establishing a cross-sector safety net designed specifically for immigrant and multicultural households. Yongsan District Office announced a landmark memorandum of understanding aimed at preventing child abuse in multicultural families through early intervention, public support and language education. Dubbed “Opening Words, Connecting Hearts,” the multi-agency pact brings together municipal officials, law enforcement, educational institutions and child protection specialists to tackle the root causes of domestic friction before a crisis hits. The program arrives as Korea grapples with rapid demographic shifts. Over the past decade, international marriages and foreign-born residents have reshaped the nation’s urban centers. Yet municipal research in Yongsan District

Aug 12, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
One of Seoul's most multicultural districts expands safety net for children
Arts & Theater

Seoul museum revives 1966 exhibition that unveiled capital's master development plan

The Seoul Museum of History will open a special showcase Friday revisiting the 1966 public launch of the city's inaugural urban master plan, museum officials said Wednesday. The exhibition, running from Friday through Nov. 8, marks the 60th anniversary of the 1966 Seoul Urban Master Plan, Korea's first comprehensive long-term development blueprint for the entire city. It revisits an earlier public exhibition held in August and September 1966 at what is now Seoul Plaza, where roughly 800,000 residents viewed drawings and models laying out the city's future development. In 1966, Seoul's population had more than doubled in just over a decade, growing to about 3.79 million from 1.56 million in 1955, while a major municipal expansion extended its administrative area from 268 square kilometers to over 600 square kilometers. While the city’s administrative boundaries have hovered at around 600 to 605 square kilometers ever since, its population has grown to nearly 9.4 million today. Jobs and public facilities remained concentrated in the city center even as the population surged, prompting of

Aug 12, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul museum revives 1966 exhibition that unveiled capital's master development plan
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