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Lee Kyung-min

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K-pop

SHINee announces new mini album ‘Atmos’ featuring moody, nostalgic tracks

SHINee is returning just in time for the start of summer, leaning into romance, memory and emotional aftershocks with a new album suffused with rain-drenched imagery and sleek pop production. The veteran K-pop group said Tuesday that its sixth mini album, “Atmos,” will be released June 1 at 6 p.m. across major music streaming platforms. The six-track album includes the title song “Atmos,” along with B-side tracks that explore different shades of love, longing and fleeting connection. Among the new songs is “HOURS,” a funk-pop track layered with disco influences, groovy bass lines and half-time rhythms that give the song a polished but nostalgic feel. The lyrics center on a desire to gather not only shared memories and romance from the past, but also the moments yet to come with a loved one. Another track, “Still Raining,” blends pluck synth with laid-back rhythmic instrumentals to create what the agency described as a dreamy R&B pop atmosphere. The song captures the emotional jolt of feelings that arrive unexpectedly “like a sudden shower,” while reflecting on memories

May 26, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
SHINee announces new mini album ‘Atmos’ featuring moody, nostalgic tracks
Others

Korea showcases AI water treatment tech to global development banks

Inside a water treatment plant south of Seoul, Korea is making its pitch to become the world’s next hub for artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation. Officials from many international organizations visited the Korea Water Resources Corp.’s AI-powered treatment facility in Hwaseong on Thursday, where Korean officials demonstrated how AI is already managing critical public infrastructure. The visit followed Wednesday’s “Global AI Hub Vision Declaration” ceremony, where the government unveiled plans to position Korea at the center of international AI cooperation aimed at addressing climate change, public health and development challenges. More than 20 senior officials attended the site visit, including vice president-level executives from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), along with representatives from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and United Nations agencies. At the facility, the Korea Water Resources Corp. demonstrated AI systems that a

May 26, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea showcases AI water treatment tech to global development banks
South Korea

Korea rolls out lodging discounts to revive shrinking regional economies

Korea will hand out 300,000 lodging discount coupons this summer in a sweeping push to steer travelers beyond the capital region and into rural communities struggling with population decline. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that it will launch the “2026 Summer Lodging Sale Festa” from Thursday, June 11, through Friday, July 31, offering discounted accommodations in 85 regions outside the capital that have been designated as depopulation risk areas. The program is designed to stimulate domestic tourism during the summer season while injecting new spending into local economies facing demographic decline. Under the program, travelers booking one-night stays can receive discounts of 20,000 won ($13) or 30,000 won depending on the price of the lodging package. New discounts introduced this year offer up to 70,000 won off accommodations for consecutive stays of two nights or more. Officials said the expanded discounts are intended to ease travel costs while encouraging higher spending at local businesses. Eligible accommodations include hotels, resorts, condos and pe

May 26, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea rolls out lodging discounts to revive shrinking regional economies
South Korea

AI reshapes conservation efforts for Korea’s ecological backbone

Korea is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to protect its most critical ecological asset from the accelerating threats of the climate crisis. The National Institute of Forest Science (NIFOS), an agency under the Korea Forest Service, announced a major technological initiative to systematically assess and safeguard the Baekdudaegan. This vast mountain system spans the length of the Korean Peninsula and serves as the region's core ecological spine and a critical sanctuary for biodiversity. The initiative leverages decades of comprehensive datasets accumulated by the state, including the National Forest Inventory and the Baekdudaegan Resource Status Change Survey. After aggregating this massive volume of data, researchers applied advanced statistical techniques alongside nine distinct machine-learning models. The result is a highly sophisticated, predictive mapping system detailing the distribution of 989 distinct biological species across the mountain range. This allows conservationists to analyze and categorize biodiversity health levels across the entire Baekdudaegan territory at

May 26, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
AI reshapes conservation efforts for Korea’s ecological backbone
South Korea

Hidden cold zones emerge as last refuge for Korea’s disappearing plants

Deep inside rocky mountain slopes across Korea, pockets of cold air are quietly keeping some of the country’s rarest plants alive, as rising temperatures squeeze fragile ecosystems and redraw the boundaries of survival. The Korea National Arboretum said Friday that so-called “punghyeolji,” a kind of microclimate with cooler air than the surrounding environment, are becoming increasingly important as natural refuges for rare, endemic plant species threatened by climate change. The announcement was released in conjunction with the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed Thursday. These microclimates form naturally along rocky slopes where cold underground air escapes during the summer, creating sites significantly cooler than surrounding lowland areas. Researchers say those isolated environments now serve as critical sanctuaries for cold-adapted and northern plant species that would otherwise struggle to survive in warmer regions. A recent study by the arboretum identified 1,203 unique plant species across 25 major sites nationwide. The survey documented 82 rare plant spec

May 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Hidden cold zones emerge as last refuge for Korea’s disappearing plants
South Korea

Young Koreans take on global misinformation found online

Nearly 170 young people from around the world are joining a new digital campaign led by the Korean government and the Volunteer Agency Network of Korea (VANK) to challenge misinformation about Korea circulating across global media and online platforms. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday it held a launch ceremony for the second group of Global Korea Ambassadors at 10 a.m. on the metaverse platform ZEP. The initiative, organized jointly with VANK, a civic organization known for its online public diplomacy campaigns, selected 169 Korean and international youths to participate in efforts aimed at promoting accurate information about Korean history and culture. Participants, all aged 16 or older, will spend about a month identifying and correcting misleading or inaccurate depictions of Korea found in foreign media outlets, digital platforms and online content, according to the ministry. The volunteers will also submit policy suggestions and promotional ideas intended to improve how Korea is introduced overseas. The program follows the first Global Korea Ambassadors campaig

May 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Young Koreans take on global misinformation found online
South Korea

Seoul links neighborhoods through sweeping local arts push

Seoul is trying to redraw its cultural map from the ground up, stitching together neighborhoods once separated by administrative borders into a citywide network of shared stages, stories and audiences. The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture on Friday launched “Arts for Attractive Seoul,” a yearlong initiative that will bring seven collaborative cultural projects to the capital’s five "living zones" as defined in the 2030 Seoul Plan. The program brings together cultural institutions from Seoul’s central, northeastern, southeastern, southwestern and northwestern districts, with the aim of transforming local assets into interconnected artistic experiences for residents as part of their daily lives. The foundation said the initiative is designed to dissolve administrative boundaries between districts and reframe Seoul’s dispersed cultural resources as part of a unified urban narrative. The selected projects span all 25 districts and will run through the end of the year, featuring performances, exhibitions, workshops and neighborhood-based festivals in streets, parks, riverside a

May 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul links neighborhoods through sweeping local arts push
South Korea

Constellations and upcycling: Seoul launches overnight eco-camping program

The Seoul metropolitan government is inviting families to swap indoor lighting for starlight next month, launching an overnight camping program designed to blend astronomical observation with environmental education. City officials said Friday that the eighth edition of the “Noh-eul Starlight Camping” event will take place from June 6 to 7 at Noh-eul Park, a sprawling green space within the capital's World Cup Park complex known for its sweeping sunset views. The two-day initiative will select 40 families to participate in an outdoor itinerary that prioritizes sustainability and hands-on recreation. The program, which debuted in 2017, is framed this year around the theme “Splashing Water, Shining Summer Nights.” Municipal organizers have expanded family-oriented programming to focus heavily on ecological stewardship. Scheduled activities include upcycling workshops where participants will repurpose plastic bottle caps, eco-bag painting sessions and a project transforming discarded containers into makeshift lanterns. The centerpiece of the weekend will happen late on the evening

May 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Constellations and upcycling: Seoul launches overnight eco-camping program
South Korea

Teens, octogenarians to share runway at Cheonggye Stream fashion show

A runway stretching across the waters of Cheonggye Stream will become an unlikely stage as teenage and senior citizen models walk side by side in a public fashion show designed to turn one of Seoul’s busiest urban landmarks into a living cultural space. Seoul Facilities Corp. said Friday it will host the “Cheonggye Live Fashion Show” at 7 p.m. Wednesday on a floating stage beneath Ogan Bridge near Dongdaemun Fashion Town. The event, themed “Spring Swing,” will feature more than 100 citizen models ranging in age from 18 to 81, transforming the streamside venue into an intergenerational showcase of music, fashion and performance art. Students and graduates from the model department at Seoul Culture Arts University will participate in the show, with professor Lee Eun-mi overseeing artistic direction, the corporation said. Among the featured participants are 81-year-old Jang Jeong-rye and 18-year-old Choi Tae-sul, who will appear together on the runway in what organizers described as a performance meant to blur generational boundaries. The show will reinterpret jazz, musical theater

May 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Teens, octogenarians to share runway at Cheonggye Stream fashion show
Companies

POSCO International bets big on US rare earth supply chain

POSCO International is making an aggressive push into America’s strategic minerals race, announcing plans to build the first integrated rare earth and permanent magnet production complex in the United States as Washington scrambles to reduce dependence on China-dominated supply chains. The Korean trading and energy company said Friday it signed an agreement Wednesday in Washington with ReElement Technologies Corp. to establish a joint venture for rare earth separation and refining production in the United States. The project calls for a combined investment of $200 million to build a rare earth separation facility capable of producing 6,000 tons annually, with plans to later expand into permanent magnet manufacturing. POSCO International said it would lead management of the joint venture as the largest shareholder, while ReElement would provide core refining technologies. The signing ceremony was attended by POSCO International CEO Lee Kye-in, ReElement CEO Mark Jensen, senior officials from the U.S. departments of State, Commerce and Energy, and representatives from the Korean Embassy

May 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
POSCO International bets big on US rare earth supply chain
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