The Korea Times

HYBE data breach exposes employee medical records, financial details

HYBE, the music agency behind K-pop group BTS, disclosed a cyberattack that exposed personal information of current and former employees and business partners, including resident registration numbers, credit card numbers and medical records. In an apology posted on its website, Oct. 18, the company said an internal security inspection detected unauthorized access through an outside vendor’s document preview software linked to its electronic approval system. Further investigation found similar access to its expense management system. According to the apology, the breaches occurred Sept. 12-13 and Oct. 3-5. Compromised information also included passport numbers, bank account details, addresses and phone numbers. The company did not disclose how many people were affected. “We deeply apologize for the concern caused by the personal information leak,” HYBE said in the notice. The company also said it blocked the attackers’ internet addresses and access routes, reported the incident to the Korea Internet and Security Agency and the Personal Information Protection Commission, and was no

2h agoBy Lee Hae-rin

HYBE data breach exposes employee medical records, financial details

Banking & Finance

Hana sponsors autism awareness race for 7th straight year

Hana Financial Group said Sunday it participated in the 2026 Autism Race the day before to promote public understanding of autism and foster a culture of respect and inclusion. The group has officially sponsored the annual running campaign, organized by the Autism Society of Korea, for seven consecutive years since 2020. About 100 participants, including Hana Financial Group Vice Chairman Lee Eun-hyung, employees and their families, voluntarily joined Saturday’s event, running alongside participants with autism. All registration fees paid by the group’s employees will be donated to the association to support people with autism. The campaign aims to encourage people to view differences not as barriers or grounds for discrimination, but as diversity that enriches society. “It is meaningful to join efforts to broaden understanding and respect for people with autism and build an inclusive society,” Lee said. “We will continue providing sincere attention and support so that people with autism and other members of society can grow together as respected members of our communities.” Han

22h agoBy Lee Hae-rin

Hana sponsors autism awareness race for 7th straight year

Books

Winners of 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards

The Korea Times is pleased to announce the winners of its 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards, one of the longest-running honors dedicated to Korean literary translation. The Grand Prize in fiction, awarded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, went to Breanna Hundley of the United States for her translation of novelist Cho Ye-eun’s “How to Get Your Deposit Back.” The Commendation Award for fiction was given to Jude Vandervort of the U.S. for his translation of Jeong Ji-a’s novel “Bead by Bead.” Two Commendation Awards in poetry went to Noh Hye-yeon for her translation of poems by Lee Su-myeong, including “To Unfold a Bird,” and to Park Se-yeon for her translation of poems by An Hee-yeon, including “There Was a Fire.” No Grand Prize was awarded in poetry this year, as the jury found the poetry submissions less strong overall than those in fiction and judged that two commendations would more fairly recognize the promise shown by translators. The Kevin O’Rourke Prize was awarded to Ku Bon-seung of the U.S. for his translation of Danyao’s “Gir

1d agoBy Lee Hae-rin

Winners of 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards

Arts & Theater

K-ART FOCUS Lee Ye-eun finds meaning and life in ordinary objects

A rice bowl, a pair of scissors and a notebook with vehicle numbers might seem ordinary. In Lee Ye-eun’s photographs, however, they became the faces of a border village between the two Koreas. Her outdoor exhibition, “People of Baegyeon-ri,” presented as part of “DMZ Open Exhibition: Staging,” brings together belongings lent by residents of a village in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Also known as Tongil-chon, or Unification Village, Baegyeon-ri lies just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), within a military-controlled area where civilian access is restricted. Established in 1973 to showcase South Korean agriculture to the North, the village is defined by its unusual geopolitical position. But Lee wanted to look beyond that distinction to the people who live and work there — growing crops, preparing meals and tending flowers. “Tongil-chon sounds like somewhere very special, but Baegyeon-ri sounds like a village you might find anywhere,” she said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “These aren’t extraordinary people. They’re ordinary people working hard to make

Oct 30, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

[K-ART FOCUS] Lee Ye-eun finds meaning and life in ordinary objects

People & Events

Leeum's Hong Ra-hee receives Order of Civil Merit for cultural contributions

Hong Ra-hee, honorary director of the Leeum Museum of Art and mother of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, received the Dongbaek Medal, the third-highest grade of Korea's Order of Civil Merit, for her more than four decades of contributions to culture, health care and social welfare, the Samsung Foundation of Culture said on Monday. The award recognizes contributions to public welfare and national development. The honor follows Hong's receipt of the Korean Red Cross’ gold humanitarian medal in 2024, according to the foundation. Hong, the widow of late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, has long been an influential figure in Korea’s art world. A graduate of Seoul National University with a degree in applied arts, she became director of the Hoam Museum of Art in 1995 and took the helm of Leeum when it opened in 2004. She stepped down in 2017 and returned as honorary director in 2025. The Samsung family’s influence spans generations, from founder Lee Byung-chul’s collection of Korean antiquities to Hong’s role in developing its modern and contemporary holdings. The Samsung Foun

Oct 26, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Leeum's Hong Ra-hee receives Order of Civil Merit for cultural contributions

Books

Publishers seek safeguards over suspected AI book-buying spree

Korean publishers are calling for stronger copyright protections and compensation as bulk book purchase requests suspected of being linked to artificial intelligence (AI) training raise concerns over intellectual property theft. Publishing groups are investigating suspicious orders and seeking a coordinated response. However, authors and publishers face a fundamental obstacle: they often cannot know for sure whether their books are being used to train AI systems. Kyobo Book Centre, a bookstore chain in Korea, said on Wednesday that 10 overseas companies, including businesses in the United States and Britain, had approached it since early this year, each seeking only one copy of roughly 100,000 titles. “Many introduced themselves as book wholesalers,” a Kyobo official was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency Tuesday. The official added that some denied an AI training purpose but identified data-related companies as the final recipients. The bookseller declined the request because it could not rule out the use of AI training. Yes24, another bookstore, also reportedly received an inqui

Oct 22, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Publishers seek safeguards over suspected AI book-buying spree

Korean Heritage

American 'haenyeo' finds her place in Jeju's diving community

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — For American Kylie Genter, a day at the beach is no longer a day off for sunbathing and swimming. Instead, it is a place where she prays for her safety before diving into the waters to gather abalone and shellfish for living. What others see as a holiday destination has become, to her, a workplace and a landscape of possibilities. Since she began diving as a "haenyo" with fellow women divers in January 2024, the work has changed how she sees the sea. Finding her place Genter arrived in Korea as an English teacher in 2012. She moved to Jeju in 2016. While working as a tour guide, she received many questions about haenyeo and that prompted her to enroll in a diving school in 2018. She eventually took up the work after learning that Youngrak village was recruiting younger divers. “When I first started, they didn’t really know my name,” she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. The veterans would call her “Hey” or “American kid.” Within that circle, Genter found her role as an extra pair of strong hands. Struggling at first to understand t

Oct 21, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

American 'haenyeo' finds her place in Jeju's diving community

Arts & Theater

In Seoul's Seongbuk-dong, art finds a home in historic spaces

In Seongbuk-dong, a quiet neighborhood tucked beyond Seoul’s centuries-old city wall, traditional houses and secluded gardens have long drawn generations of modern and contemporary Korean artists, poets and architects seeking space to live, work and reflect. Painters Kim Whan-ki, known for his abstract works, and Lee Jung-seop, best known for his paintings of white oxen, were among them. So it is fitting, then, that Seongbuk Art Week is taking shape here. Opening Tuesday, the inaugural art week will turn the neighborhood and surrounding district into an interconnected museum, featuring more than 40 exhibitions and projects. Organized by Seongbuk District, the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation and the Seongbuk Museum of Art, the event will also explore how attachments to places can endure across generations. Home shared across generations At Seongbuk Museum of Art, a special exhibition brings together abstract ink painter Suh Se-ok and his son and installation artist Do Ho Suh, through their shared connection to the family’s Seongbuk-dong hanok, or traditional Korean house. For the elder Suh

Oct 20, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

In Seoul's Seongbuk-dong, art finds a home in historic spaces

Arts & Theater

Jeju's haenyeo bring lifetime of diving stories to comedy stage

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — “Dragon King!” chanted three haenyeo standing shoulder to shoulder on stage, with long ceremonial sleeves dangling from their arms. Their mission: to advise a child in the audience who did not want to study. Taking turns, they pieced together an impromptu answer as laughter filled the community center in Youngrak-ri, part of Jeju's southern city of Seogwipo on Oct. 14. Presented by Jeju Comedy Club with support from the Jeju Foundation for Arts and Culture, “Utseum Geolgung: Land Folk vs. Sea Folk” turned five haenyeo from the village into comedians for the night. From an 88-year-old veteran to younger divers, the haenyeo took the stage as performers before an audience of around 100 people, including neighbors and overseas visitors. Behind the stage hung an enlarged photograph of the village’s "bulteok," the rocky seaside gathering place where haenyeo, Jeju’s women divers, traditionally warmed themselves and rested after work. Hard lives, enduring humor The idea for the comedy show came from haenyeo Choi Jung-yoon, a former standup comedian and one of

Oct 19, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Jeju's haenyeo bring lifetime of diving stories to comedy stage

Arts & Theater

DMZ art show reframes Korea's divided landscape

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province — Nine chairs stand in a loose circle, but none offers a proper place to sit. Some lack legs or backrests, while others have lost their seats. For artist Ahn Kyu-chul, these broken objects capture the contradictions of life and shared conditions of loss on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). He dismantled eight intact chairs and created the last chair from the discarded pieces, leaving all nine unable to fulfill their purpose, holding on even though they are seemingly on the edge of collapse. “I thought the absurd, irrational situation of breaking perfectly good chairs to make a ninth broken one resembled the DMZ,” Ahn said during a press walk-through, Monday. “It also conveys that people on both sides of the DMZ live in a state of incompleteness.” “Nine Chairs” offers a starting point for “DMZ Open Exhibition: Staging,” which opened Monday at Camp Greaves and Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Jointly hosted by Gyeonggi Province and the city of Paju, the exhibition presents 26 works by 14 Korean and international artist

Oct 14, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

HYBE data breach exposes employee medical records, financial details

Hana sponsors autism awareness race for 7th straight year

Winners of 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards

K-ART FOCUS Lee Ye-eun finds meaning and life in ordinary objects

Leeum's Hong Ra-hee receives Order of Civil Merit for cultural contributions

Publishers seek safeguards over suspected AI book-buying spree

American 'haenyeo' finds her place in Jeju's diving community

In Seoul's Seongbuk-dong, art finds a home in historic spaces

Jeju's haenyeo bring lifetime of diving stories to comedy stage

DMZ art show reframes Korea's divided landscape

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