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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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People & Events

Netflix joins 2026 K-Expo USA to highlight Korea's creative ecosystem

Netflix participated in 2026 K-Expo USA: All About K-Style in Los Angeles, showcasing the global reach of Korean content and its collaborations with emerging domestic creators and production partners. The expo, held from May 23-27 in Los Angeles, was organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). The event brought together Korean entertainment content — including dramas, films, webtoons, games and music — alongside related sectors such as food, beauty and tourism, under the banner of a comprehensive Korean Wave lifestyle fair. The Los Angeles City Council designated the event an official city event, a recognition that reflects the growing global influence of Korean content. At the expo, Netflix operated two exhibit spaces, K-STAR and K-Lounge. The K-STAR space highlighted the work of emerging Korean creators who have built international profiles through the platform, while the K-Lounge featured case studies of collaborations with Korean production companies, broadcasters and talent agencies. Netflix used the spaces to

May 29, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Netflix joins 2026 K-Expo USA to highlight Korea's creative ecosystem
Law & Crime

Gov't targets murky rental fees in crackdown on tenant gouging

Korea is launching a sweeping legislative push to clean up the notoriously opaque management fees plaguing "officetels," a kind of studio or one-room apartment, and other non-apartment multifamily complexes, a long-standing legal blind spot that critics say has left young and low-income tenants vulnerable to gouging. For decades, Korea’s sleek, high-rise apartments have enjoyed strict regulatory oversight, but smaller non-apartment options have remained a "wild west" territory for renters. Government officials hope this new push will finally close the gap, ensuring equal transparency for all tenants. Under the current legal framework, neither the Act on the Ownership and Management of Aggregate Buildings nor the Housing Lease Protection Act guarantees tenants the right to demand a detailed breakdown of their utility and maintenance fees. This legislative vacuum has made it nearly impossible for residents to verify what they are paying for, while leaving local municipal heads toothless in regulating unlawful billing practices. The momentum for reform shifted into high gear following a

May 29, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Gov't targets murky rental fees in crackdown on tenant gouging
Law & Crime

Gov't launches tax crackdown on supercar owners

Korea’s tax authorities announced a sweeping investigation Thursday into what they described as an expanding culture of tax evasion among wealthy business owners using corporate money to finance lavish personal lifestyles — from fleets of Ferraris and Lamborghinis to luxury hotels, designer shopping and overseas asset concealment. The National Tax Service said it had launched audits into 19 corporations suspected of abusing company-owned supercars and siphoning off corporate funds through questionable accounting practices, shell companies and irregular family transactions. Together, the firms owned about 90 high-end vehicles worth roughly 30 billion won ($22 million), while the total amount of suspected tax evasion reached nearly 300 billion won. The investigation reflects growing public frustration in Korea over widening inequality and the conspicuous displays of wealth by corporate executives, particularly on social media platforms where luxury lifestyles are often flaunted before millions of followers. In one example cited by the tax agency, the owner of a manufacturing company a

May 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Gov't launches tax crackdown on supercar owners
Environment & Animals

As record heat looms, Seoul deploys high-tech fog, canopies to cool residents

Facing forecasts of an unseasonably brutal summer and the earliest heat-related fatality on record, municipal authorities here are transforming the capital’s public spaces into a fortified network of cooling zones to combat extreme urban temperatures. The seasonal counteroffensive, scheduled to run through Sept. 30, comes after the Korea Meteorological Administration projected that mean temperatures this summer will significantly exceed seasonal norms. The threat took on new urgency when a heat-related death was recorded on May 15 — the earliest such fatality since the country established its emergency room heat illness surveillance system in 2011. To protect pedestrians in a sprawling metropolis dominated by asphalt and concrete, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is rolling out an array of architectural and mechanical interventions. Among the additions are "Happiso" zones — air-dome-equipped outdoor cooling shelters — scheduled to be pitched at 14 high-traffic landmarks, including Gwanghwamun Square and Cheonggye Plaza. The city will also deploy large canopy-style shade structu

May 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
As record heat looms, Seoul deploys high-tech fog, canopies to cool residents
Foreign Affairs

From halal beef to war zones, Korea’s diplomats double as corporate advocates

When a military conflict erupted between Iran and Israel last year, Korea’s diplomats in Tehran did not just coordinate a standard geopolitical evacuation. They scrambled an emergency response network specifically designed to track down, shelter and extract stranded Korean business executives and commercial travelers through volatile third-country routes. The wartime rescue is one of 137 real-world vignettes detailed in a newly published compendium by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, documenting the expanding, hyperfocused role that the country’s overseas embassies play in securing and defending private corporate interests abroad. The 2025 case studies paint a vivid portrait of economic diplomacy, illustrating how a nation heavily reliant on export-led growth uses its diplomatic weight to resolve thorny operational crises, untangle bureaucratic gridlocks and salvage stalled commercial deals. The report, organized by region and industrial sector, functions as both a corporate survival guide and a public relations blueprint for Korean conglomerates and small enterprises looking to nav

May 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
From halal beef to war zones, Korea’s diplomats double as corporate advocates
Defense

Defense minister to attend Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

Confronting a rapidly shifting and increasingly volatile Asian security landscape, Korea’s defense chief is set to pitch the country’s modern military strategy to a gathering of international defense leaders this weekend, aiming to solidify global alliances against mounting regional threats. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back is scheduled to participate in the 23rd Asian Security Summit in Singapore, a major regional defense forum widely known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. The high-stakes multiday summit brings together defense ministers, military commanders and intelligence chiefs from across the Asia-Pacific and Europe. Ahn is scheduled to deliver a keynote address Friday during a plenary session centered on regional security challenges and Korea’s strategic responses. He is expected to outline Seoul’s modern defense policy, balancing its traditional deterrence strategies with an expanding domestic military posture designed to counter growing security anxieties in East Asia. The summit comes at a pivotal juncture for Korea. Seoul has faced an intensifying array of regional geopolitic

May 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Defense minister to attend Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore
Companies

Chicken chain bhc bets on supermarket outpost for next US push

To conquer the hypercompetitive American appetite for Korean fried chicken, one of Korea’s largest food service giants is trying a more pedestrian strategy: setting up shop next to the grocery aisles. The major Korean chain bhc opened its first outlet inside H Mart’s San Francisco outpost, marking the brand’s debut within the largest Asian supermarket network in the United States. Occupying a modest 440 square feet in the store’s bustling food court, the counter-and-kiosk operation is bhc’s first food-court-style location in the country, adding to the full-service and fast-casual restaurants it already operates. The location, which opened in early May, is also the company’s first foothold in San Francisco. Since its launch, the outlet has drawn steady lines, the company said. H Mart operates more than 100 stores across the United States, serving both a large diaspora and a swelling base of non-Korean consumers drawn to the country’s culinary exports. For bhc, setting up inside the grocery giant allows it to capitalize on existing foot traffic. “By opening inside a high-tr

May 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Chicken chain bhc bets on supermarket outpost for next US push
People & Events

The Trinity Gallery marks 140 years of Korea-France ties with 3-artist exhibition

The Trinity Gallery opened a joint exhibition with the French Embassy in Korea to commemorate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, featuring works by three Korean artists exploring the visual dialogue between the two countries across 140 years. The exhibition, titled "L'Avenir Ancien: 140 Ans, Dialogue des Images Coree-France" — or "An Ancient Future: 140 Years, A Dialogue of Images between Korea and France" — runs through Sunday at The Trinity Gallery inside the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District. Artists Kim Hong-shik, Bae Joon-sung and Lee Lee-nam each approach the relationship between past and present through distinct mediums. Kim engraves historical art images onto metallic surfaces to reframe them in contemporary space. Bae unsettles the boundary between painting and photography, shifting the viewer's perception as their vantage point changes. Lee combines classical imagery with digital technology to animate still works, reviving them as moving, time-layered experiences. The exhibition's premise is that the two countries' 140-year relations

May 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
The Trinity Gallery marks 140 years of Korea-France ties with 3-artist exhibition
Companies

Korean Air, RMHC Korea, Inha University team up to build refuge for pediatric patients

In a bid to ease the financial and emotional burden on families of severely ill children, Korean Air is teaming up with a major global nonprofit and a regional medical center to build a dedicated sanctuary for pediatric patients. The airline, along with Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Korea and Inha University Hospital, signed an agreement earlier this week to establish a Ronald McDonald House adjacent to the hospital’s campus in Incheon. The facility will provide free lodging and comprehensive support for the families of children undergoing long-term medical treatment. The deal, finalized during a ceremony marking the hospital’s 30th anniversary at the Grand Hyatt Incheon, relies on a highly coordinated tripartite model. Korean Air will donate the land for the project, RMHC Korea will oversee construction and daily operations and Inha University Hospital will manage medical coordination and facility maintenance. The initiative fills a critical gap in regional pediatric care. Inha University Hospital operates a government-designated public specialized medical center for childr

May 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korean Air, RMHC Korea, Inha University team up to build refuge for pediatric patients
South Korea

Jeju moves to cap car rental discounts, end price wars

Jeju officials announced Wednesday that the southern island will cap car rental discounts and standardize vehicle damage waivers, a sweeping regulatory effort to stabilize chaotic pricing and curb rising consumer disputes on the popular holiday destination. Under a legislative notice, rental companies on the island will be prohibited from discounting their registered daily rates by more than 60 percent. The rule, which replaces a decade-old rate-calculation regulation, follows a March amendment to the province’s rental car ordinance. The move aims to halt aggressive undercutting among the island's many operators, which officials say has fueled a race to the bottom that ultimately compromises service quality and safety. Under the new framework, base rental rates must be anchored to objective financial data, including corporate accounting records and financial statements. It also addresses the ambiguity of vehicle damage waivers. For the first time, the province will explicitly define available waiver types, deductibles, coverage limits and "lost-use" fees — details often buried in fi

May 27, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Jeju moves to cap car rental discounts, end price wars
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