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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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South Korea

Free EV safety inspections expanded to electric buses, motorcycles

Amid the rapid proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) and persistent public concerns over battery-related fires, the government announced Thursday a significant expansion of its annual EV safety inspection program. For the first time, the free initiative will cast a wider net to include electric buses and motorcycles. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the expanded effort builds upon a proactive fire prevention campaign initiated in 2023, which had previously focused almost exclusively on passenger cars. By extending the inspection program to public transit and two-wheeled vehicles, officials hope to mitigate hazards across a broader swath of the country’s transportation network. Thirty-four manufacturers have committed to participating in this year's program, comprising 15 makers of passenger vehicles, six bus manufacturers and 13 motorcycle companies. The importance of the government’s safety campaign is underscored by its recent track record. In 2025, technicians inspected more than 300,000 EVs nationwide. During the routine inspections, mechanics identifie

Jun 18, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Free EV safety inspections expanded to electric buses, motorcycles
Travel & Food

Korea plans new map for travelers, guided by K-drama scripts

Korea’s booming television industry has usually acted as an accidental travel agent, turning quiet provincial corners into bustling tourist hot spots overnight. Now, tourism officials and studio executives are trying to codify that cultural alchemy into a deliberate economic engine. The Korea Tourism Organization signed a joint agreement Wednesday with Studio Dragon, the country’s largest television production house, aimed at systematically channeling global fandom directly into regional economies. Under the new agreement, the two organizations plan to integrate a tourism strategy directly into the preproduction phase of upcoming dramas. Rather than capitalizing on a show's location after it becomes a hit, scenic regional backdrops and narrative elements will be mapped with travel in mind before a single scene is shot. The cornerstone of the initiative is the creation of the “Hallyu Olle Trail,” a network of curated travel routes across Korea's provinces. The project aims to link filming locations nationwide using symbolic installations and interactive spaces, effectively mappin

Jun 18, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea plans new map for travelers, guided by K-drama scripts
K-pop

U-Know Yunho of TVXQ announces 1st solo concert tour across Asia

U-Know Yunho has been anchoring packed stadium shows for the last 20 years as one-half of the seminal K-pop duo TVXQ!. Now, the veteran K-pop star is stepping into the spotlight entirely on his own, announcing a highly anticipated solo concert tour that signals a new chapter in a remarkably enduring career. His agency, SM Entertainment, unveiled Thursday the itinerary of the tour, titled “U-KNOW PROJECT 26 : SCENE#1.” The announcement immediately ignited a flurry of excitement across social media platforms, underscoring the singer’s continuous draw in an industry notorious for its rapid turnover of talent. The tour is scheduled to open in Seoul with a three-night residency at the Ticketlink Live Arena in Olympic Park from July 17-19. Demonstrating his formidable power as a standalone act, tickets for all three initial dates sold out immediately upon release. Following the Seoul engagement, the 40-year-old artist will embark on a sweeping regional tour across seven major Asian markets. The itinerary includes stops in Macau on Aug. 8, Singapore on Aug. 15, Bangkok on Aug. 29, Taipei

Jun 18, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
U-Know Yunho of TVXQ announces 1st solo concert tour across Asia
Others

Busan Mobility Show pivots to land, sea, air

Signaling a major shift in how the global automotive industry interfaces with the public, municipal planners in Busan are turning the southern port city into an open-air testing ground for next-generation transport. Under the banner "Moving Tomorrow," the 2026 Busan Mobility Show will open next week, stretching far beyond the traditional convention hall to embed historic auto exhibits, robotics expos and experiential test drives directly into the city's prominent cultural and tourist corridors. The Busan metropolitan city said Wednesday that the 2026 Busan Mobility Show (BIMOS 2026) will open its doors at the BEXCO convention center from June 26 through July 5. Marking its 25th anniversary under the forward-looking banner "Moving Tomorrow," the biennial event is pivoting away from the traditional showroom spectacles. Instead, it will serve as a vast multidisciplinary festival bridging land, sea and aerospace technology. The expanded footprint of this year's show signals an aggressive push to integrate industrial transformation with urban culture. Beyond the core exhibition halls, downto

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Busan Mobility Show pivots to land, sea, air
Business

Public approval of Korea’s corporate giants hits record high

Public favorability toward domestic businesses has climbed to its highest level since tracking began in 2003, according to an annual survey released Wednesday by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). The business lobby’s Corporate Favorability Index — a comprehensive barometer tracking public sentiment across seven distinct categories — rose 3.9 points from a year earlier to land at 60.1 out of 100. It marks the first time the index has crossed the symbolically important 60-point threshold. The upswing was remarkably broad-based, with all seven sub-indexes posting year-on-year gains for the first time in the survey's history. Global prestige led the charge: International competitiveness registered the sharpest spike, jumping 6.8 points, followed closely by environmental management and industrial productivity. Yet, old anxieties linger. Ethical management, despite a modest 3.1-point uptick, remained the sole category trapped below the favorability waterline, scoring 47.1. Lee Won-jae, a professor at KAIST's Graduate School of Culture Technology, noted that this long-te

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Public approval of Korea’s corporate giants hits record high
Companies

NY ice cream brand Van Leeuwen to open 1st Korea store in southern Seoul

Van Leeuwen, a New York-based premium ice cream brand, will open its first Korean store near Gangnam Station on July 3, operated under a master franchise agreement with Korean dessert cafe chain A Twosome Place, the company said Wednesday. Founded in 2008 when siblings Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen and Laura O'Neill launched a yellow ice cream truck in Brooklyn, Van Leeuwen has grown into one of the fastest-expanding ice cream brands in the United States, with more than 100 company-owned scoop shops and distribution through over 10,000 retail channels as of January. The Gangnam Station flagship will serve the brand's full lineup, including French-style classic ice cream made with more than double the egg yolks of conventional recipes and no artificial stabilizers, dairy-free vegan varieties using oat, coconut and cashew bases, American-style sundaes and milkshakes. Signature flavors include vanilla bean, Sicilian pistachio and Earl Grey tea. A Twosome Place plans to open a second location inside Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch and a third near Sinnonhyeon Station, both targeted f

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
NY ice cream brand Van Leeuwen to open 1st Korea store in southern Seoul
Companies

LS Electric wins $70 mil. North American data center contract

LS Electric, the Korean industrial conglomerate’s unit specializing in power grid infrastructure, electrical equipment, and automation solutions, said Wednesday that it has secured a contract worth 106.4 billion won ($70.43 million) to supply a 38-kilovolt power distribution system for a large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) data center project spearheaded by a major North American tech firm. Under the terms of the agreement, equipment delivery is scheduled to take place between August and November this year. The new order pushes LS Electric’s cumulative data center bookings from North American tech clients to nearly 1.2 trillion won. The company has surpassed its 2024 tally of 800 billion won in just the first six months of 2026, highlighting the explosive demand for specialized power infrastructure driven by the global AI boom. According to LS Electric, the order came from an existing client that is actively expanding its server capacity. LS Electric noted that this pattern of repeat business reflects the solidification of its role as a core power infrastructure partner for hy

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
LS Electric wins $70 mil. North American data center contract
Companies

Kolon Industries signs AI research agreement with University of Seoul

Kolon Industries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of Seoul Tuesday to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI)-integrated research and development for advanced materials, the company said Wednesday. The agreement pairs Kolon Industries' expertise in high-performance chemical materials — including products designed for waterproofing, sound insulation, durability and heat resistance — with the university's AI research capabilities in areas such as deep learning and machine intelligence. The partnership aims to accelerate what the company calls "AX," or AI transformation, across its new materials development process. Under the agreement, the two organizations will establish a joint research system for AI-integrated research and development, share research facilities and technical information, and work together to develop industry-ready talent with expertise in both materials science and artificial intelligence. Kolon Industries said it has already been applying AI across several research and development functions, including literature research, data anal

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Kolon Industries signs AI research agreement with University of Seoul
People & Events

Seoul’s tap water gets hip riverside makeover

Municipal authorities have long faced a notoriously tough public relations challenge: how to convince skeptical urbanites to ditch plastic bottles and actually drink from the tap. This weekend, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is gambling that the answer lies in the city's favorite summer pastime — lounging by the Han River with a cold drink and a stash of limited-edition merchandise. Starting Friday, the Seoul Waterworks Authority is launching a sprawling, ultramodern pop-up store titled "Aridapda, Arisu" (Beautiful Arisu) at the Yeouido Hangang Park Event Square. Nestled alongside the river, the three-week installation aims to rebrand "Arisu" — Seoul’s heavily filtered municipal tap water — from a bureaucratic utility into a trendy lifestyle choice centered on sustainability. The phrase Aridapda, a play on the Korean word for beauty and grace, is the centerpiece of a fresh campaign designed to highlight the city's rigorous water-quality standards in a way that resonates with a younger, eco-conscious crowd. Rather than bombarding visitors with dry technical charts, the pop-up t

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul’s tap water gets hip riverside makeover
Travel & Food

Foreign tourist spending in Korea tops $1.3 bil. for 1st time

Foreign tourist spending in Korea has shattered historical records, surging past the 2 trillion won ($1.3 billion) mark in a single month for the very first time. According to data analyzed by the Korea Tourism Organization, international visitors spent a staggering 2.12 trillion won in Korea using credit cards this past May. The figure represents a massive 67.1 percent jump compared to the same period last year, marking the highest growth rate the country has seen since 2023. The explosive growth was the result of a tidal wave of Chinese visitors, whose card usage skyrocketed by more than 200 percent year-on-year. However, analysts say the real story is that tourist habits are sharply bifurcating, with younger visitors hunting down local lifestyle trends while other tourists, mostly from China, concentrate on shopping for high-end luxury goods. For the younger crowd, tourism has evolved from checking off traditional landmarks to mimicking the daily routines of Seoulites. In the trendy alleys of Seongsu-dong and the shopping blocks of Myeong-dong, "gorpcore" fashion — the art of styli

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Foreign tourist spending in Korea tops $1.3 bil. for 1st time
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