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Lee Kyung-min

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

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K-pop

13 years after debut, BTS stages triumphant return to where it began

BTS will celebrate its 13th debut anniversary as a full group with the return of BTS FESTA — an annual two-week festival where the group rolls out rare music and digital content as a gift to its global fan base — unveiling a packed schedule of events alongside a pair of highly anticipated, sold-out stadium concerts in Busan later this month. The group released the timetable for “2026 BTS FESTA” through its official social media channels Sunday, outlining nearly two weeks of carefully curated archival events leading up to its June 13 debut anniversary. This year’s theme, “13(B)TS,” underscores a symbolic new chapter beyond the group’s first 12 years, framing a narrative of BTS and its global fan base, ARMY, embarking on their next collective era together. The festival begins Wednesday with the release of the group’s annual family photo, a signature anniversary tradition dating back to 2014. A performance video for “Hooligan,” a standout track from the group’s fifth full-length album “ARIRANG,” will follow Thursday. Additional documentary-style content, includ

Jun 1, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
13 years after debut, BTS stages triumphant return to where it began
South Korea

Seoul opens nominations to honor standout foreign residents

For nearly seven decades, Korea’s capital has maintained a quiet tradition of welcoming its most dedicated foreign residents into an exclusive civic circle. On Friday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government officially opened nominations for its 2026 Honorary Citizenship awards, a search aimed at recognizing expatriates who have significantly shaped the city’s economic, cultural and technological landscape. The honorary citizenship program, which dates back to 1958, serves as a high-profile nod of gratitude to foreign nationals who treat Seoul not merely as a temporary corporate or diplomatic posting, but as an adoptive home. Over the last 68 years, the city has bestowed this distinction upon 968 individuals from 100 countries. To qualify for the honor, nominees must have resided in Seoul continuously for at least three years — or accumulated a total of five years of residency. Beyond the paperwork, city hall looks for candidates who have left a distinct mark on local society, ranging from introducing cutting-edge scientific innovations to enriching the city’s traditional arts scene. T

May 29, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul opens nominations to honor standout foreign residents
South Korea

Customs officer recognized for thwarting major narcotics syndicate

An officer stationed at the Gwangju Customs office has been named the national agency’s Officer of the Month for April after orchestrating a massive, multi-agency narcotics bust. The honor went to investigator Lee Gwang-ju. While serving in a district that happens to share his name made for a bit of office coincidence, Lee’s real-life detective work helped catch international drug smugglers. According to agency officials, Lee’s streak began when he flagged a suspicious express cargo shipment using independent intelligence analysis. His hunch paid off, leading investigators to intercept 5 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside the delivery. But he didn't stop there. Working with local law enforcement, Lee tracked the delivery destinations and set up a coordinated sting operation. The trap successfully snared the alleged ringleader on the ground in Korea, netting an additional 18 kilograms of meth. The total haul amounted to 23 kilograms. To put the significance of the seizure into perspective, 23 kilograms of methamphetamine represents roughly 760,000 individual doses, carrying a

May 29, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Customs officer recognized for thwarting major narcotics syndicate
Companies

LG Uplus, Samsung join forces on 6G sensing technology

LG Uplus and Samsung Electronics are joining forces to test technologies that could redefine what mobile networks do in the 6G era, turning communications infrastructure into systems capable of sensing and interpreting the physical world around them. LG Uplus said Friday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Electronics to jointly research integrated sensing and communication technology (ISAC), along with artificial intelligence (AI)-linked 6G applications. The partnership brings together Samsung Research, Samsung Electronics’ advanced research and development division, and LG Uplus’ commercial network operation capabilities to test whether next-generation technologies developed in laboratories can function reliably in real-world telecommunications environments. The companies said the collaboration would focus on base station-based sensing technologies and AI-connected 6G systems, with the longer-term goal of contributing to future 6G standards and new commercial services. ISAC technology allows telecommunications infrastructure, including mobile base stations

May 29, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
LG Uplus, Samsung join forces on 6G sensing technology
Companies

Cadillac bets on sales growth in Korea with new Incheon showroom

Cadillac and GMC are accelerating their push into Korea’s luxury auto market with a new showroom in Incheon, expanding the U.S. brands’ footprint in one of the country’s most competitive imported car districts. GM Korea said Friday that Cadillac & GMC officially opened a new joint showroom in Guwol-dong, Namdong District, Incheon, marking the brands’ 12th dealership location nationwide and the latest step in an aggressive retail network expansion strategy. The showroom follows a series of recent openings in Suwon in October 2025, Seoul’s Songpa District in January and Busan’s Haeundae District in April, as the automaker seeks to strengthen customer access across major urban markets. Located along a 12-lane boulevard in a densely packed imported-car retail zone, the Incheon showroom sits near industrial complexes, government offices and department stores, offering high visibility and easy access for customers in western parts of the Seoul metropolitan area. The 363.6-square-meter showroom features a 28-meter glass facade and can display up to six vehicles. A dedicated display z

May 29, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Cadillac bets on sales growth in Korea with new Incheon showroom
South Korea

Joint Korea-US research team cuts hydrogen production costs in catalyst breakthrough

A joint research team from Seoul National University and Stanford University has developed a next-generation catalyst technology that dramatically improves hydrogen production efficiency while sharply reducing costs, a breakthrough that could accelerate the commercialization of clean hydrogen energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Friday. The study, published in the journal Science, introduces a platinum cluster catalyst engineered with atomic-level precision, allowing researchers to reduce platinum use to one-tenth that of existing commercial catalysts while improving both hydrogen output and durability. The international team was led by Park Jung-won, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University, along with Stanford University professors Thomas F. Jaramillo and Matteo Cargnello. Hydrogen is widely seen as a key clean energy source in the global transition toward carbon neutrality, but the high cost of platinum-based catalysts has remained a major obstacle to large-scale adoption. The researchers said they developed a new synthe

May 29, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Joint Korea-US research team cuts hydrogen production costs in catalyst breakthrough
Others

Hit occult film ‘Exhuma’ to get Naver Webtoon adaptation

The sprawling occult universe of “Exhuma,” the supernatural thriller that captivated more than 10 million moviegoers to become one of Korea’s biggest box office sensations, is expanding into the digital comic realm. Naver Webtoon said Friday that it will launch “Maengjong,” a prequel spinoff of the blockbuster film, on its platform Saturday evening. The debut arrives just as local appetite for horror and supernatural thrillers begins its seasonal spike ahead of the humid summer months. The new series delves into the formative teenage years of Hwa-rim and Bong-gil, a charismatic duo of shamans whose slick, youth-driven subversion of ancient rituals anchored the emotional core of the film. “Maengjong” explores the eerie undercurrents of their lives before the timeline of the movie, tracing the genesis of their partnership. The narrative follows Hwa-rim, a high school student living a quiet, cloistered life after a childhood entanglement with a snake deity named Jin. Her fragile status quo is upended when she meets Bong-gil at school, initiating a chain of supernatural events

May 29, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Hit occult film ‘Exhuma’ to get Naver Webtoon adaptation
Others

Korea to require digital shareholder meetings for 210 top companies

Korea is moving to dismantle one of the most persistent inconveniences of its corporate governance calendar, mandating electronic shareholder meetings for the country’s largest listed companies in a sweeping regulatory overhaul aimed at expanding investor participation. The Ministry of Justice said Thursday that it has proposed amendments to the enforcement decree of the Commercial Act that will require electronic general meetings of shareholders for companies with total assets of at least 2 trillion won ($1.3 billion), covering 210 listed firms as of the end of 2025. Officials said the measure is designed to address long-standing criticism that traditional shareholder meetings, often concentrated on a single annual “peak season,” have effectively excluded retail and overseas investors who cannot travel to physical venues. Under the new rules, affected companies will be required to provide systems allowing shareholders to attend and vote remotely through the internet, effectively enabling participation “anytime, anywhere,” according to the ministry. The ministry said the reform

May 28, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea to require digital shareholder meetings for 210 top companies
South Korea

Seoul turns capital into giant test bed for startups

Seoul is throwing open its parks, bridges, hospitals and public squares to startups, betting that the city itself can become ground for the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and smart infrastructure technologies. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it will recruit 20 companies for the second round of its “Testbed Seoul” program, an initiative that allows startups to test new technologies in real urban environments before entering domestic and overseas markets. Applications are being accepted through July 9. The city said it plans to invest 8.6 billion won ($5.7 million) this year across 43 projects designed to help startups commercialize technologies ranging from AI care systems to smart transportation services for vulnerable commuters. Officials said the program, first launched in 2018, was created to address one of the biggest hurdles facing startups: the lack of opportunities to test technologies in real-world conditions. Under the expanded “Testbed Seoul 2.0” initiative, the city said companies will gain broader access to public infrast

May 28, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul turns capital into giant test bed for startups
Companies

Samsung units to acquire $408 mil. stake in operator of Korea’s largest crypto exchange

Three Samsung affiliates are making a sweeping move into digital assets, betting that stablecoins, blockchain finance and crypto-linked payments could reshape Korea’s financial industry faster than many expected. Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Card said Thursday that they had agreed to acquire a combined 4 percent stake in Dunamu, the operator of Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit. The companies said they will purchase 1.39 million shares from a Kakao affiliate for 612.8 billion won ($408 million). Samsung Securities will acquire a 2 percent stake, while Samsung SDS and Samsung Card will each take 1 percent. The companies said the investment is intended to create new business opportunities tied to digital assets as the sector expands beyond cryptocurrency trading into payments, tokenized securities and blockchain-based financial services. Samsung Securities said it plans to strengthen cooperation with Dunamu in token securities issuance and distribution, as well as virtual asset services. Samsung SDS said it will combine its expertise in artificial intelligence

May 28, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Samsung units to acquire $408 mil. stake in operator of Korea’s largest crypto exchange
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