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Lee Kyung-min

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

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South Korea

Seoul deploys AI, 'climate sanctuaries' to combat brutal summer weather

As the Korean peninsula braces for a summer season defined by increasingly erratic and extreme weather, Seoul city officials are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and an expanded network of "climate shelters" to protect a vulnerable urban population. The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled a comprehensive five-month safety mandate on Wednesday, a strategic pivot aimed at hardening the capital against the dual threats of extreme heat and flash flooding. The plan, which runs through October, represents a significant escalation in the city’s technological response to the climate crisis. Central to the initiative is the deployment of AI-powered surveillance along Seoul’s major streams, including Jungnang Stream. These intelligent CCTV systems are designed to detect stranded pedestrians in real-time and issue automated warnings during the sudden, torrential downpours that have increasingly plagued the region. Further inland, AI will analyze weather radar data to predict flooding risks on 15 notorious thoroughfares, including the low-lying districts around Gangnam Station that h

May 13, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul deploys AI, 'climate sanctuaries' to combat brutal summer weather
South Korea

Seoul, Ediya Coffee brew new career opportunities for multicultural family members

For many immigrants in Korea, the distance between arriving in a new country and finding a place in its workforce can feel insurmountable. Language barriers and cultural nuances often relegate talented individuals to the sidelines. However, a collaborative initiative between the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Ediya Coffee, one of the nation's largest coffee chains, is proving that the path to integration can be found in the art of the perfect pour. The program, titled "I Am a Barista!", has transitioned from a pilot project into a structural pillar for multicultural families. By pairing government oversight with private-sector expertise, the initiative provides marriage immigrants and their children with rigorous vocational training, moving beyond simple theory to provide a direct pipeline into the service industry. The results of the 2025 cycle underscore the program’s efficacy: Every single one of the 30 participants successfully obtained a Level 3 barista certification. More importantly, the program is delivering on its promise of economic mobility. Several graduates have alread

May 13, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul, Ediya Coffee brew new career opportunities for multicultural family members
Companies

Pro-Specs, Korea Baseball Softball Association ink sponsorship extension through 2029

Pro-Specs is doubling down on its commitment to Korea’s baseball and softball programs, extending its official sponsorship of the national teams through 2029 in a renewed partnership with the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA). The Korean sportswear brand said it signed a four-year contract extension covering the 2026 to 2029 seasons, continuing a relationship that began in 2022 and has focused on outfitting national team athletes for training and competition. The agreement was signed on Monday at LS Yongsan Tower in Seoul’s Yongsan District, with Pro-Specs division head Koo Eun-sung and KBSA President Yang Hae-young among those in attendance, the organizations said. Under the deal, Pro-Specs will continue to supply official uniforms, training apparel and equipment for Korea’s baseball and softball national teams, supporting athletes across international competitions and training camps. Since first partnering with KBSA in 2022, Pro-Specs has positioned itself as a long-term supporter of elite baseball and softball development in Korea, emphasizing performance-focused appare

May 13, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Pro-Specs, Korea Baseball Softball Association ink sponsorship extension through 2029
Films

Korean cinema ascends from Cannes outsider to global standard-bearer

For years, Korean cinema arrived at the Cannes Film Festival as a celebrated outsider, a source of visceral, high-concept energy that reliably jolted the traditional hierarchy. This year, as the 79th edition of the festival begins, that energy has been translated into institutional power. The most visible sign of this new status is the appointment of Park Chan-wook, the director of "Oldboy" and "Decision to Leave," as the first Korean to serve as president of the main competition jury. His role as the festival’s lead arbiter marks a transition for the Korean film industry: It is no longer just a trend to be watched, but a standard-bearer for the medium. To turn this symbolic prestige into structural influence, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) launched an expansive commercial offensive on the Croisette. Operating from a dedicated pavilion in the International Village, the council is moving beyond the promotion of finished films toward a strategy of deep-rooted international integration. At the heart of this effort is the "KO-PICK" initiative, a program designed to embed Korean producers

May 13, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korean cinema ascends from Cannes outsider to global standard-bearer
South Korea

Gov't overhauls weather alerts as 'extreme heat' becomes new normal

For decades, the arrival of summer in Korea was heralded by the rhythmic hum of cicadas and the predictable onset of monsoon season. But as climate change rewrites the country’s seasonal script, the government is bracing for a new reality. The Korea Meteorological Administration announced a sweeping overhaul of its national weather warning system Wednesday, the first major restructuring in nearly two decades. The centerpiece of the plan is the introduction of a top-tier “extreme heat emergency” alert — the result of a decade in which scorching afternoons, sleepless "tropical nights" (a meteorological phenomenon where the temperature remains at or above 25 degrees Celsius, or 77 degrees Fahrenheit, between 6:01 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day) and record-breaking torrential downpours have moved from anomalies to the new seasonal baseline. Under the new protocol, which takes effect June 1, the weather agency will move beyond the two-tiered advisory system established in 2008. "Extreme heat emergency" will be triggered when the daily perceived temperature is forecast to hit 38 de

May 13, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Gov't overhauls weather alerts as 'extreme heat' becomes new normal
Others

New rules aim to simplify banking for millions of Koreans living abroad

For the millions of Koreans living abroad, the simple act of managing a bank account in Korea has long been tethered to the slow, physical reality of the 20th century. To authorize a transaction through a representative, an overseas citizen had to visit an embassy, secure a physical seal and entrust the document to an international courier — a process fraught with delays and the lingering anxiety of a lost envelope. On Wednesday, that paper-bound era moved toward its conclusion. The Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA), the Financial Services Commission and the Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute announced a landmark agreement to launch the Digital Consular Authentication Financial Power of Attorney Service. The initiative, set to begin in July 2026, replaces the post office with the blockchain. Under the new protocol, once a citizen’s power of attorney is authenticated at an overseas mission, it is transformed into a digital document and transmitted instantly to a recipient bank in Korea. The use of a shared blockchain system allows financial institutions to verify th

May 13, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
New rules aim to simplify banking for millions of Koreans living abroad
Others

Korea seeks new markets for used car exports amid Middle East war

Korea’s booming used car export industry is scrambling to find new buyers as the prolonged war in the Middle East disrupts shipments to one of its largest overseas markets. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, or KOTRA, said Wednesday it will hold a two-day export consultation event in Incheon beginning Thursday to help used car exporters diversify their markets and reduce dependence on the Middle East. The event, co-hosted with the Incheon Port Authority, the Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, will bring together 33 buyers from seven countries, including Georgia, Cambodia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Jordan and Egypt, with 61 Korean companies. The consultations come as the conflict in the Middle East, now stretching beyond two months, disrupts logistics and marketing activities for Korean exporters. The region accounts for about 30 percent of Korea’s used car exports, according to KOTRA. Korea’s used car exports reached a record $8.9 billion (13.3 trillion won) in 2025, up 75.1 percent from a year earlier, f

May 13, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea seeks new markets for used car exports amid Middle East war
South Korea

Seoul cuts red tape to transform city with bold new architecture

Seoul is moving to speed up one of its most ambitious urban design initiatives, betting that faster approvals and wider participation can transform private developments into publicly accessible landmarks across the city. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that it will overhaul its Urban and Architectural Design Innovation Project, a program introduced in 2023 to encourage developers to create architecturally distinctive buildings paired with publicly accessible open spaces. Under the revised system, the city plans to reduce the average project review timeline from more than two years to about 17 months by streamlining administrative procedures and consolidating approval stages. Officials said the changes are intended to help creative proposals move more quickly from concept to construction while preserving key design elements and public access commitments throughout the development process. The program offers incentives such as relaxed height and floor-area-ratio regulations to private developers that incorporate innovative architecture and civic spaces into their projects. So

May 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul cuts red tape to transform city with bold new architecture
Companies

Hyundai Motor executive honored as carmaker bets big on future mobility

Chang Jae-hoon, the vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, was awarded Korea’s highest industrial honor Tuesday for his role in navigating the automaker through a global shift toward electric vehicles and robotics. The Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, presented during the 23rd Automobile Day ceremony, marks the first time in nearly 20 years that a leader in the automotive sector has received the nation's top prize given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation’s economic development through industrial advancement. The award recognizes Chang’s leadership in securing future growth engines, including a massive 125.2 trillion won ($84 billion) investment plan aimed at transforming Korea into a global hub for next-generation mobility. Under Chang’s tenure as CEO and vice chairman, Hyundai Motor Group has accelerated its transition from a traditional manufacturer to a technology leader. His efforts have focused on internalizing core technologies in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics while spearheading a domestic production push that inclu

May 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Hyundai Motor executive honored as carmaker bets big on future mobility
South Korea

Korea's traditional arts and crafts find new life in Bukchon

In the narrow, climbing alleys of Bukchon, where the heavy tiled roofs of traditional hanok houses frame the skyline of modern Seoul, visitors are increasingly being invited to do more than simply observe. They are being asked to create. Jongno District Office said Tuesday that it will expand its roster of traditional craft programs beginning this month, offering 46 distinct workshops at the Bukchon Traditional Craft Experience Center. The move comes as global interest in hands-on heritage tourism surges, with travelers increasingly seeking tactile connections to history rather than the passive experience of a museum tour. The programs, organized in collaboration with 16 local artisan studios, offer a rare bridge between the Joseon-era aesthetics of the neighborhood and modern sensibilities. Among the new additions this year is a workshop dedicated to crafting key rings in the shape of a "gat" — the iconic horsehair hat once worn by aristocratic men in the Joseon Dynasty (1392 to 1897) — as well as classes in traditional weaving and ceramic repair. These join a rotating schedule of

May 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea's traditional arts and crafts find new life in Bukchon
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