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Lee Kyung-min

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

Value context and insight. lkm@koreatimes.co.kr

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South Korea

Yongsan District enlists foreign envoys to inspire next generation

In Yongsan District, a bustling central neighborhood known as the diplomatic heart of Korea's capital, high school classrooms are about to transform into makeshift international summits. Mundane lesson plans will be replaced by global statecraft starting next Tuesday, as the Yongsan District Office launches its 2026 Ambassador Invitation Lecture Series. The unique educational program leverages Yongsan's high concentration of diplomatic missions — home to 48 embassies — to foster global literacy and international awareness among local middle and high school students. This year, the initiative will bring foreign envoys and cultural attaches directly to four selected schools, beginning on June 16 at Shingwang Girls’ High School. The inaugural lecture will feature Fanni Perjes, a cultural officer from the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center Seoul. Subsequent lectures will rotate through Boseong Girls’ High School, Yonggang Middle School and Sunrin Internet High School, with different nations represented at each institution. For the opening session, Perjes will bypass dense dip

Jun 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Yongsan District enlists foreign envoys to inspire next generation
South Korea

Korea looks to AI, data hubs to power next-generation smart cities

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport unveiled Friday the winners of its 2026 smart city initiative, a multiyear project that will funnel millions of dollars into provincial cities to tackle urban decay and demographic challenges using artificial intelligence (AI) and centralized data networks. The central government selected the city of Suwon as its primary hub-type demonstration city, while naming Busan and Seongnam as specialized smart districts. Additionally, South Gyeongsang Province and Taean County were selected to pilot sophisticated data hubs — regional platforms designed to collect, clean and analyze real-time urban data spanning transit, environmental metrics and consumer habits. Under the initiative, the selected regional governments will receive up to 16 billion won ($11.7 million) each in matching state funds over a three-year period. Rather than simply funding physical infrastructure like sensors and cameras, the 2026 program marks a distinct shift toward operational software, utilizing generative AI agents and predictive algorithms to manage daily civic l

Jun 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea looks to AI, data hubs to power next-generation smart cities
Society

Retrospective honors Japanese pastor who captured humanity of Seoul's vanished shantytowns

Long before Korea transformed into an economic juggernaut and a global cultural powerhouse, parts of its capital were defined by sprawling shantytowns where the displaced and impoverished lived on the margins of society. On Saturday, a poignant new exhibition at the Cheonggyecheon Museum will pay tribute to an unlikely guardian of that era: the Rev. Motoyuki Nomura, a Japanese pastor and social activist who dedicated decades of his life to Seoul’s poorest residents. The special retrospective, titled "Nomura Motoyuki: The Star of Cheonggyecheon," opens June 13 to mark the first anniversary of his death at age 94. Drawing from a massive archive of roughly 3,800 photographs, diaries and scrapbooks donated by Nomura himself, the exhibition offers a rare, unflinching look at the final days of Seoul’s forgotten slums before they were erased by urban renewal. Nomura first arrived in Korea in 1968. Driven by a deep sense of atonement for the historical injustices perpetrated during Japan's colonial rule, he returned to the country more than 50 times between 1973 and 1985 to conduct relief

Jun 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Retrospective honors Japanese pastor who captured humanity of Seoul's vanished shantytowns
Companies

Naver, Krafton team up to bring PUBG esports to bigger audiences

Korean internet giant Naver Corp. has entered into a strategic partnership with game developer Krafton to expand the media and content ecosystem surrounding the hit video game franchise PUBG: Battlegrounds, Naver announced Friday. The medium-to-long-term alliance aims to capitalize on the growing intersection of livestreaming, digital communities and competitive gaming. Under a memorandum of understanding signed Friday, the two companies plan to link Krafton's intellectual property for PUBG esports with Chzzk, Naver’s proprietary video streaming platform. The integration will leverage Naver’s stable infrastructure and specialized interactive viewing features, such as its co-watching tool, which allows creators and viewers to stream and discuss live matches together in real time. Naver intends to broadcast major PUBG esports tournaments directly on Chzzk and establish formal league partnerships. By integrating Krafton's globally recognized game brand with Chzzk’s established network of creators, the platform seeks to develop exclusive broadcasts that can broaden its user base and

Jun 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Naver, Krafton team up to bring PUBG esports to bigger audiences
Companies

CJ CheilJedang, Samyang Foods climb in brand-value rankings as global appetite grows

Korea’s leading food manufacturers are solidifying their positions among the country’s most valuable corporate names, reflecting the food sector’s rising prominence amid broader global expansion. CJ CheilJedang and Samyang Foods both secured spots on Interbrand’s 2026 Best Korea Brands list, the companies said Friday. The annual index, compiled by the New York-based brand consultancy, gauges corporate value based on financial performance, market influence and long-term growth prospects. The inclusion of both companies highlights how processed foods have joined electronics and automotive manufacturing as primary drivers of Korea's outbound economic footprint. CJ CheilJedang retained its No. 22 spot for the second consecutive year, marking its highest placement since the ranking’s inception in 2013 and extending its appearance on the list to 14 straight years. Interbrand valued the company's brand at 1.18 trillion won ($776 million), the highest among all fast-moving consumer goods firms in Korea. The conglomerate has aggressively expanded its "Bibigo" portfolio internationally

Jun 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
CJ CheilJedang, Samyang Foods climb in brand-value rankings as global appetite grows
South Korea

Japan extradites comic piracy site operator to Korea for 1st time under bilateral treaty

In a milestone for international copyright enforcement, Korean authorities on Thursday extradited a 37-year-old man from Japan accused of running a massive online piracy network that illicitly distributed famous Japanese comics and funneled profits into illegal gambling advertisements. The suspect, identified only as "A," was taken into custody at Gimpo International Airport following an extradition process overseen by Korea’s Ministry of Justice and Japanese authorities. The handover marks the first time Japan has extradited one of its own naturalized citizens to Korea since the two nations signed a bilateral extradition treaty in 2002. The suspect, a former Korean national, left for Japan in 2017 and obtained Japanese citizenship in 2022. Prosecutors alleged that from 2015 to 2022, the suspect operated a rogue digital sharing site, illegally uploading more than 1,400 prominent copyrighted Japanese comic book titles, including global sensations like "Slam Dunk," "One Piece" and "Detective Conan." To monetize the traffic, the platform prominently displayed advertisements for illicit

Jun 12, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Japan extradites comic piracy site operator to Korea for 1st time under bilateral treaty
South Korea

Women account for 14% of senior-level gov't positions in Korea: data

Korea’s traditionally rigid, male-dominated bureaucracy is undergoing a quiet shift. Long criticized for structural glass ceilings and punishing corporate habits, the administrative branch is seeing a historic influx of women in upper-middle management, alongside an unprecedented surge of fathers taking paternity leave. According to statistics released Thursday by the Ministry of Personnel Management, the number of female civil servants at the Grade 3 level, or director division chiefs, has surpassed 200 for the first time. Women now occupy 205 out of 913 Grade 3 positions, up more than 56 percent from four years ago. This expanding pipeline is beginning to reshape the executive ranks, a senior tier known as "director-general level and above" that encompasses bureau chiefs, assistant ministers and vice ministers who direct national agency agendas. Women now make up 14.3 percent of this senior leadership, numbering 210 officials and reach the government’s 2027 representation target ahead of schedule. Equally striking is a cultural revolution unfolding at home. For the first time since

Jun 11, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Women account for 14% of senior-level gov't positions in Korea: data
Travel & Food

Netflix hit inspires Korea tourism push aimed at turning viewers into visitors

Korea is betting that the power of a Netflix hit can do more than entertain audiences — it can also fill airplane seats. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Thursday they are launching "Korea Camp," a global tourism campaign created in collaboration with Netflix variety show "Jae-seok's B&B Rules," as officials seek to convert the growing popularity of Korean entertainment into overseas travel demand. The campaign builds on the success of Korean content worldwide and marks an expansion of KTO's marketing strategy from scripted dramas to variety programming. "Jae-seok's B&B Rules," featuring television host Yoo Jae-suk with cast members Lee Kwang-soo, Byeon Woo-seok and Ji Ye-eun, follows a series of unpredictable encounters with guests at a campsite. The show climbed to No. 1 on Netflix's domestic viewing rankings shortly after its release on May 26, drawing attention from viewers in Korea and abroad. Tourism officials said the new campaign follows last year's promotions inspired by Netflix series "Squid Game" and "All of Us Are Dead

Jun 11, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Netflix hit inspires Korea tourism push aimed at turning viewers into visitors
Health

Korea joins global clinical trial networks to sharpen pandemic response

Korea is expanding its role in global infectious disease research, joining international clinical trial networks led by U.S. and Singaporean institutions in a move aimed at strengthening preparedness for future pandemics and other public health threats. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases, under the Korea National Institute of Health affiliated with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said Thursday that it has established frameworks to support Korean medical institutions participating in multinational infectious disease clinical trials through partnerships with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National University of Singapore. The initiative is designed to give Korean hospitals a greater role in international studies targeting emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, while building long-term clinical research capacity. The institute said it first joined the NIH-supported STRIVE network in 2023 and later established cooperation with the National University of Singapore's Asia Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Net

Jun 11, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea joins global clinical trial networks to sharpen pandemic response
Companies

BlackRock boosts stake in KT&G as global interest rises in Korean tobacco giant

Global capital is flooding into KT&G as a potent mix of robust overseas earnings and aggressive shareholder-return policies turns the Korean tobacco giant into a prime target for foreign investors. Leading the charge is BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, which recently deepened its bet on the company amid a broader surge in international demand. KT&G said Tuesday that BlackRock Fund Advisors had raised its stake in the company to 6.15 percent from 5.01 percent for investment purposes. According to a regulatory filing, BlackRock held a 5.01 percent stake in KT&G at the end of January and acquired an additional 467,350 shares over roughly four months, lifting its ownership by 1.14 percentage points. The disclosure came a day after Capital Group, another major U.S. asset manager, increased its holding in KT&G to 7.21 percent. With the rising interest of global investment firms, foreign ownership of KT&G reached 51.24 percent as of Tuesday, the company said. The purchases reflect growing confidence in KT&G's earnings trajectory, particularly in overseas markets, as well as expect

Jun 11, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
BlackRock boosts stake in KT&G as global interest rises in Korean tobacco giant
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