my timesThe Korea Times
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.

Go to Email

Read more

Companies

NC AI to develop AI-powered autonomous welding system for Hanwha Ocean shipyards

Artificial intelligence (AI) company NC AI said Thursday it has won a contract from Hanwha Ocean to develop an AI-powered autonomous welding system aimed at automating one of the most labor-intensive and technically demanding processes in shipbuilding. The project, titled “Development of a Vision Recognition-Based Welding Model and Collaborative Robot-Based Autonomous Welding Model,” seeks to combine advanced computer vision and robotic control technologies to enable welding robots to identify weld seams, make real-time decisions and perform welding operations with minimal human intervention. The initiative targets a longstanding challenge for the shipbuilding industry, where welding quality and productivity have traditionally relied heavily on the skills and experience of veteran workers. According to NC AI, the companies aim to move beyond conventional industrial automation systems that repeatedly follow preprogrammed paths. Instead, the new system is designed to allow robots to recognize welding targets autonomously, assess changing conditions and adjust welding operations in rea

Jun 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
NC AI to develop AI-powered autonomous welding system for Hanwha Ocean shipyards
Companies

Mercedes-Benz Korea co-hosts 40th Korea Women's Open

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Thursday it will co-host the Mercedes-Benz 40th Korea Women's Open Golf Championship with the Korea Golf Association from June 11 to 14 at Lakewood Country Club in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, under a three-year title sponsorship agreement running through 2028. The Korea Women's Open, which held its inaugural edition in 1987, is the country's most prestigious national women's golf title. With Mercedes-Benz Korea's entry as title sponsor, the total prize purse has been raised to 1.5 billion won ($1 million), with the winner's share set at 400 million won — the largest first-place prize in the history of Korean women's professional golf. The champion will also receive automatic berths in the AIG Women's Open, one of women's golf's five major championships, and the Japan Women's Open Golf Championship. Defending champion Lee Dong-eun, who is competing on the LPGA Tour this season, is among the notable entrants. Mercedes-Benz Korea brand ambassadors Park Hyun-kyung and Kim Min-byeol will also join the field. Former world No. 1 Shin Ji-yai, a two-time Women's British O

Jun 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Mercedes-Benz Korea co-hosts 40th Korea Women's Open
Travel & Food

The Shilla Seoul hosts Asia's 1st luxury hotel summit event

The Shilla Seoul hotel recently hosted the 2026 Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) Asia-Pacific Membership Meeting, marking the first time the annual gathering of Asia-Pacific luxury hotel leaders has been held in Asia. More than 60 participants attended the event on Friday at the hotel's Yeong Bin Gwan banquet hall, a space designed in a contemporary interpretation of traditional Korean architecture, the hotel said Thursday. Attendees included Shannon Knapp, chief executive of The Leading Hotels of the World, who was visiting Korea for the first time, along with the organization's chief commercial officer, Chris Walker, and general managers and representatives from member hotels across Japan, Mongolia and other Asia-Pacific markets. Founded in 1928 and headquartered in New York, The Leading Hotels of the World is a global alliance of independent luxury hotels that admits only properties passing rigorous quality inspections. It currently counts more than 400 five-star hotels across over 80 countries as members. The Shilla Seoul has maintained its LHW membership for more than 45 years. The

Jun 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
The Shilla Seoul hosts Asia's 1st luxury hotel summit event
People & Events

Busan’s top kitchens cook up limited edition menus to attract BTS fans

When tens of thousands of K-pop fans descend on Busan next week, local tourism officials are hoping they bring a massive appetite. The Busan Metropolitan Government and Busan Tourism Organization announced Thursday the official launch of the "2026 Busan Gourmet Selection," a monthlong culinary campaign designed to transform the city into a playground for food lovers. Running through June 30, the event brings together the city's finest culinary minds in an unprecedented series of collaborative pop-ups and limited edition menus. A total of 26 restaurants, paired into 13 teams, are participating this year. The lineup features an eclectic mix of genres spanning traditional Korean, Western, Japanese, Thai and vegan dining, and includes several prominent venues recognized by the Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan. Unlike previous iterations of the program, which relied on handpicked selections primarily restricted to Michelin star establishments, city officials introduced an open public bidding system this year. The structural change lowers the barrier to entry, allowing independent neighborhood ea

Jun 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Busan’s top kitchens cook up limited edition menus to attract BTS fans
Society

Seoul expands safety net for small shops fighting inflation

Inside a modest neighborhood diner in central Seoul, the price of a bowl of kimchi stew has held steady despite a bruising wave of inflation that has driven up the cost of everything from cabbage to utility bills. The restaurant is one of more than 2,000 businesses designated by the city government as "Good Price" shops — a decades-old program that is suddenly becoming a critical tool in the city’s battle against the soaring cost of living. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it is launching a major push to expand this network, which grew to 2,025 participating storefronts by the end of May this year. Co-managed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the initiative targets everyday service providers — including neighborhood diners, barbershops, hair salons and laundromats — that voluntarily keep their prices below the local market average. To shield these businesses from the economic headwinds that usually punish low-margin operators, the city is offering a suite of tailored subsidies and operational safety nets. Each designated shop receives up to 830,000

Jun 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul expands safety net for small shops fighting inflation
People & Events

K-culture to take center stage in Mexico for 2026 World Cup

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host a series of Korean cultural events in Mexico during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, using the tournament as a platform to promote Korean culture to global audiences. The events are organized through the Korean Embassy in Mexico City and the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico, and are being coordinated under the K-Initiative Council, a standing interagency consultative body that links Korean overseas missions with relevant government ministries. Korea's national football team will play all three of its group-stage matches on Mexican soil — two in Guadalajara, in the western state of Jalisco, and one in Monterrey, in the northern state of Nuevo Leon — giving the events added local relevance. The festival is organized around four themes: "Connected by Passion," "Connected by Light," "Connected by Gaze" and "Connected by Rhythm." The centerpiece event, "Korea Day" (Dia de Corea), is scheduled for June 6 in Zapopan, a city in the Guadalajara metropolitan area in Jalisco state. The event will bring together Korean

Jun 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
K-culture to take center stage in Mexico for 2026 World Cup
Travel & Food

Beyond Busan: Korea redraws tourism map for BTS fans

For the global fandom of BTS, all roads lead to Busan this June. But Korean tourism officials are betting that the journey won’t end there. The state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced Thursday a sweeping campaign to leverage the upcoming BTS "The City" events in Busan, transforming a weekend of pop music into a monthlong regional economic boost. The initiative, timed around the group's concerts on June 12 and 13, aims to redirect the massive influx of international visitors toward under-visited destinations beyond the coastal metropolis. Partnering with domestic tech giant Naver and major global travel platforms, KTO is rolling out "BE LOCAL," a digital push that highlights lesser-known hot spots via English-language mapping and curated travel packages. Traditional tour itineraries — long anchored around Seoul and the alpine heights of Pyeongchang — are being aggressively redrawn by local operators like Hanatour ITC to feature Busan and its neighboring provinces. "Major Hallyu events present the ultimate window to guide incoming visitors toward regional Korea," said H

Jun 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Beyond Busan: Korea redraws tourism map for BTS fans
Business

Korea wins $2.8 bil. Louisiana FLNG vessel contract

A Korean public-private consortium has secured a $2.8 billion contract to build a massive floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel for an export project off the coast of Louisiana, officials said Thursday, a deal intended to anchor Korea’s dominance in high-tech shipbuilding while shielding its economy from volatile global energy supply chains. The contract, awarded to Samsung Heavy Industries on Monday by Delfin Midstream, was structured through a novel financing arrangement. Korean state-backed financial institutions co-invested directly in a fund managed by Global Infrastructure Partners, an affiliate of the asset management giant BlackRock that is leading the Louisiana project. The $5 billion Delfin venture, which is also backed by the Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and commodity trader Vitol, reached a final investment decision earlier this week. The project’s first vessel is scheduled to begin production in 2030, converting American natural gas into liquid form for export. Floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessels function as mobile, offshore factories. Equi

Jun 4, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea wins $2.8 bil. Louisiana FLNG vessel contract
People & Events

Seoul invites world to ‘take it easy’ in ultimate anti-competitive triathlon

For those who find the grueling, lung-searing intensity of a traditional triathlon a bit too much, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has an alternative. Starting Friday, the city will host the 2026 MY PACE Han River Triathlon Festival along the Ttukseom and Jamsil waterfronts. It is an athletic competition designed specifically for people who would never consider entering a traditional competition. In a radical departure from normal sports competitions, this three-day event features no official timers, no podiums and a guarantee that no one will be crowned the winner. Instead, organizers are promising a “healing race” where participants are actively encouraged to move at a snail's pace. The race metrics have been adjusted to accommodate the truly unconditioned. To complete the cycling portion, participants do not even need to own a bicycle. The city is deploying a fleet of its utilitarian public "Ttareungyi" rental bikes. Should ambition outpace cardiovascular capacity, riders can simply stop mid-route and contemplate life. The reward for completing the event is a modular medal tinted

Jun 2, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul invites world to ‘take it easy’ in ultimate anti-competitive triathlon
Society

Seoul moves to measure new form of inequality as AI divide widens

The traditional definition of the digital divide — the simple barrier separating those with high-speed internet from those without — is rapidly becoming obsolete. As generative artificial intelligence (AI) weaves its way into the fabric of daily commerce and public life, municipal authorities here are warning of a more complex and volatile disparity: an emerging "AI divide" that threatens to permanently disadvantage those unable to navigate the new algorithmic landscape. Seeking to quantify this friction point, the Seoul AI Foundation announced a joint initiative with researchers at Yonsei University to develop a formal analytical framework for measuring AI inequality. The ultimate goal is to establish a Seoul-specific "AI divide index" that can be used to shape future public policy and targeted municipal interventions. The project lands amid mounting anxiety from global institutions, including the United Nations and UNESCO, which have warned that the breakneck pace of AI development and use risks exacerbating deep-seated socioeconomic gaps if access to technical literacy remains u

Jun 2, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul moves to measure new form of inequality as AI divide widens
previous page
3940414243
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.