The Korea Times

Inside Korea's plan for AI-aided prisons

Korean prisons of the future will be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) that can quickly identify warning signs of violence, self-harm and escape, as the Ministry of Justice moves to build a data-driven correctional management system. Lee Hong-yeon, chief of the Korea Correctional Service, described the project as a shift from a reactive model — responding after an incident occurs — to a preventive one backed by data analysis, which he believes will help the institution achieve its broader goals of preventing incidents, reducing reoffending and protecting prison staff. “AI correctional administration is not simply about introducing new technology,” Lee said in a recent written interview with The Korea Times. “It is a transition toward preventive and scientific methods that identify risks in advance and provide individualized correctional treatment and rehabilitation support suited to each inmate’s characteristics and needs.” Under the plan, AI tools would help staff spot changes in an inmate’s behavior, assess key risk factors and identify necessary interventions

Aug 27, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Inside Korea's plan for AI-aided prisons

Global Community

Korea considers opening National Skills Competition to foreigners

INCHEON — Labor authorities said they will consider opening the country’s top vocational skills competition to foreign nationals, as demand grows for highly skilled overseas workers in manufacturing and other industries. Lee Byoung-hoon, president of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea), a government agency overseeing the National Skills Competition, said Tuesday that the agency would consult relevant ministries on expanding eligibility for the annual state-run event. “Because this would require a review and amendment of relevant laws and regulations, we will discuss the matter with the ministries of labor and justice when the opportunity arises,” he said. Currently, foreigners are eligible to compete in regional skills competitions but are barred from participating in the national event under the Act on Encouragement of Skilled Crafts, which limits eligibility to Korean citizens. Mun Hyun-tae, a senior official in charge of global affairs at HRD Korea, said allowing foreign nationals to enter the national competition could help revitalize skills contests

Aug 25, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Korea considers opening National Skills Competition to foreigners

Entertainment

Seoul opens 40-year-sealed subway passage as K-culture venue

Commuters passed above it for decades without knowing what lay beneath. Now, a 335-meter underground passage in the heart of Seoul has taken on a new identity. Closed to the public for more than four decades, the tunnel connecting Euljiro 1-ga and City Hall stations on Seoul Metro Line 2 officially reopened Monday as K-Culture Station, launching with “COSMOS,” an immersive exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of K-pop group BIGBANG. Inside the darkened space, large digital screens display colorful digital portraits of the members, while bright yellow crowns — a symbol long associated with BIGBANG — glow across the black floor. The exhibition reimagines the group's two-decade history through light, video and sound across 11 experience zones featuring media art, projection mapping, holograms and interactive displays. “For more than 40 years, a 335-meter underground space lay closed beneath City Hall Station, one of the city’s busiest transit hubs,” Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, after passing through digital screens, music and mirrored installations at the K-Culture Station

Aug 24, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Seoul opens 40-year-sealed subway passage as K-culture venue

People & Events

Tributes pour in for Korean doctor known as 'Schweitzer of Cambodia'

Tributes are pouring in for Kim Woo-jung, a Christian doctor who spent nearly two decades providing medical care to low-income Cambodians and training local health professionals. Kim, the founder and director of Hebron Medical Center in Phnom Penh, died Aug. 14 after battling prostate cancer, according to an announcement by the center. He was 73. Known by many as the “Schweitzer of Cambodia,” Kim left behind a stable career in Korea to serve people who could not afford basic treatment in the Southeast Asian nation, where he founded the center in 2007. Over nearly two decades, he cared for patients while working to strengthen Cambodia’s medical capacity by training local doctors and nurses. Since the center announced his death, many Cambodians have expressed condolences on its social media page and memorial website. “Thank you for your love to Cambodia, your legacy remains with us,” one mourner wrote. “He saved my life 11 [years] ago,” said another. The encounter that set him on that path came during a short-term medical volunteer trip to Cambodia. Kim met a young girl in a ru

Aug 24, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Tributes pour in for Korean doctor known as 'Schweitzer of Cambodia'

Education

COVER STORY Stanford to close Korea research center after 5 years

Stanford University will close its research center in Korea after five years, citing financial and operational difficulties. The U.S. government's planned cuts to research funding for universities are believed to be one of the major reasons, according to officials of relevant public organizations here. The Stanford Center at the Incheon Global Campus (IGC) will conclude all research activities this year and begin winding down operations, Julie Greicius, associate dean for communications and alumni affairs at Stanford Engineering, said in a recent email to The Korea Times. “After opening in June 2021 during the height of the COVID pandemic, the program faced financial and operational difficulties,” Greicius said. Despite the decision, she noted Stanford will remain dedicated to addressing research topics such as urban sustainability and clean-energy challenges in urban environments and expected its broader relationship with Korea to continue through other collaborations. The center opened in June 2021 in Songdo, at the IGC where four foreign universities and three research centers hav

Aug 23, 2026By Jung Min-ho

[COVER STORY] Stanford to close Korea research center after 5 years

Environment & Animals

EXPLAINER Why Yongsan Park is Seoul's newest housing battleground

The government is considering using Yongsan Park, a proposed green space planned for a former U.S. military garrison, as a site for new housing construction as it searches for ways to expand supply and contain surging home prices in Seoul — a political issue that is increasingly dragging down President Lee Jae Myung’s approval ratings. The idea has pitted the central government against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who says the site should be preserved as the city’s last major green space. But the government says the 3-square-kilometer site in central Seoul — roughly the size of Yeouido — could be used to expand the housing supply for younger people struggling to afford a home in the capital. The government appears determined to press ahead with discussing redevelopment of the area. At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee pushed back directly against Oh’s call for focusing more on redeveloping aging buildings, arguing that doing so could fuel speculative demand and trigger another sharp rise in home prices. Speaking before the National Assembly’s Land Infrastructure and Transport C

Aug 20, 2026By Jung Min-ho and Park Ung

[EXPLAINER] Why Yongsan Park is Seoul's newest housing battleground

People & Events

Seoul's matchmaking program returns as 1st couple prepares to wed

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will bring back its popular matchmatching program in September with expanded activities built around the city’s landmarks, as its first couple who met through one of its past events prepares to marry this winter. First launched in November 2024 with an event at Sebitseom on the Han River, the program — known as “Seoulting” — was introduced as part of the city’s response to Korea’s ultra-low birthrate, offering busy professionals a safe, city-guaranteed opportunity to meet future partners. So far, the program has been held five times, including events themed around the Han River and art. City officials say it has drawn great interest from residents, with 13,854 applications submitted for 500 available places in total. At one event, 3,568 people applied for 100 spots, resulting in a competition rate of more than 36 to one. The program has also produced 126 matched pairs. In a post-event survey, a whopping 92 percent of participants said they wanted the program to be held regularly, indicating strong satisfaction among attendees, according to

Aug 19, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Seoul's matchmaking program returns as 1st couple prepares to wed

Foreign Affairs

COVER STORY Ahn's calligraphy 'Independence' remains in limbo despite repatriation effort

A provincial government’s bid to bring home “Independence,” a calligraphic work by Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun, remains stalled as officials struggle to reach a deal with its Japanese holder. The Gyeonggi Provincial Government said Friday that its yearlong effort to secure the work’s return has yet to yield a result, adding that it will continue talks through the end of the year as Korea marks the 81st anniversary of its liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Ahn, a revered Korean independence activist, wrote the calligraphy at Lushun Prison shortly before his execution in 1910 for assassinating Ito Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister and resident-general in Korea, at Harbin Station the previous year. He then gave a Japanese guard the work, which is regarded as one of his most symbolically significant pieces. According to provincial officials, it is now held in custody by Ryukoku University in Kyoto after being entrusted by descendants of the guard. Provincial officials had initially expected negotiations to proceed smoothly. In 2025, as Korea marked the 80th

Aug 15, 2026By Jung Min-ho

[COVER STORY] Ahn's calligraphy 'Independence' remains in limbo despite repatriation effort

Society

'Yellow envelope law' could derail chip cluster project: law experts

Backed by pro-labor activists, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea passed what is known as the “yellow envelope law” last year, substantially expanding the definition of labor disputes. Just five months after the law took effect, however, party leaders and the Lee Jae Myung administration face the possibility that the policy they championed could complicate — and potentially derail — their own flagship industrial project: the semiconductor megaproject in the Jeolla region. Speaking to lawmakers at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said he was reviewing whether to establish enforcement rules to resolve ambiguities in the law, which amended the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. His remarks came a day after the president told him to spell out the boundaries of legally permissible labor disputes through detailed regulations rather than relying solely on administrative interpretations of the law. The controversy stems from the law’s broadened definition of a labor dispute, as Lee pushes ahead with the chip cluster project. Previously,

Aug 14, 2026By Jung Min-ho

'Yellow envelope law' could derail chip cluster project: law experts

Foreign Affairs

PHOTO Bill Gates arrives in Korea

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates arrives at Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center, Thursday, marking his first visit to Korea in a year to discuss energy cooperation with Korea's policymakers. He is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Friday. Yonhap

Aug 13, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

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