South Korea - The Korea Times

Self-driving hub opens in Hwaseong, bringing autonomous tech into daily life

A stretch of suburban roads southwest of Seoul is being turned into a real-world laboratory for self-driving technology, as the government moves to push autonomous vehicles out of test tracks and into everyday life. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will open an “AI (artificial intelligence) autonomous driving hub” Friday in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where self-driving services will be tested not just for transportation but also for a range of city management tasks. The project is part of a broader government initiative to accelerate future mobility and build so-called “K-AI cities,” integrating AI into urban infrastructure. The testing zone spans 36.13 square kilometers in western Hwaseong with a total road network of 46.5 kilometers. Within the area, autonomous systems will be deployed to support mobility for vulnerable groups, carry out street cleaning, monitor road conditions and even transport emergency patients. The ministry said the hub will serve as a control center built on an intelligent transportation system, designed to address the limitati

Mar 19, 2026By Lee Kyung-min

Self-driving hub opens in Hwaseong, bringing autonomous tech into daily life

Korean cafe’s $1.35 'toilet without ordering' menu sparks online debate

A social media post showing a cafe charging 2,000 won ($1.35) for restroom use without a purchase has sparked heated debate online in South Korea. The image featured a screenshot of a self-order kiosk displaying a menu item reading “restroom use without ordering,” priced at 2,000 won per person, per visit. The post also drew mixed reactions in an online community for small-business owners. One user said the fee was understandable, writing that many people come in just to use the restroom without buying anything and sometimes leave it in a filthy condition. From a cafe owner’s perspective, the commenter said, such behavior can seem brazenly inconsiderate. Others were less sympathetic. Another commenter called the fee excessive and said it came off as “cold-hearted.” One cafe owner also shared the challenges of managing restrooms at a business located in an area popular with tourists. “It is a big burden because people often throw away regular trash or even leave full garbage bags in the restroom,” the owner wrote. The owner said a password system was added to the restroom door

Mar 19, 2026By Hankookilbo

Korean cafe’s $1.35 'toilet without ordering' menu sparks online debate

Korea wins cooperation of 6 UN agencies for global AI hub

Korea has signed a letter of intent with six U.N. agencies outlining their willingness to cooperate for the launch of a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) in the country, the prime minister's office said Wednesday. The document was signed in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday (local time), by officials from the science ministry on the South Korean side and the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Telecommunication Union, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Program and the United Nations Development Program on the U.N. side, the office said in a press release. The signing ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who has been on a two-nation tour of the United States and Switzerland to promote South Korea's bid to host the AI hub. The government has billed the hub as a platform bringing together U.N. bodies, and South Korea's private and public sectors to produce AI-based solutions to global issues. Following meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other agency chie

Mar 18, 2026By Yonhap

Korea wins cooperation of 6 UN agencies for global AI hub

Samsung chairman’s $3,700 Italian vest draws online attention

Samsung Electronics head Lee Jae-yong returning from Europe has caught online attention — this time because of his outfits. Lee returned to Korea on Friday after a visit to Europe, where he is believed to have met with European automakers to discuss Samsung’s automobile electronics industry. Samsung SDI head Choi Ju-seon reportedly accompanied Lee on the trip. But it was Lee’s outfit that quickly caught attention of people online. He was seen wearing a white vest over a suit, an item that some internet users said looked identical to one worn by a man believed to be Lee in a travel YouTube video filmed at a ramen restaurant in Kyoto last September. That earlier video, uploaded by a travel YouTuber, showed a man resembling Lee eating alone at the restaurant. The person’s identity was never officially confirmed. But after photos of Lee’s return from Europe circulated this week, some online commenters pointed to the apparent match in outerwear as reason to believe the man in the Kyoto video was in fact the Samsung chairman. The vest Lee wore is believed to be from Italian luxury br

Mar 16, 2026By Hankookilbo

Samsung chairman’s $3,700 Italian vest draws online attention

5 Koreans flee from Iran amid Middle East conflict

Five Korean nationals have fled Iran amid the widening conflict in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Thursday, as Seoul continues to evacuate its citizens from Tehran and other regions under attack. Four Koreans crossed into Turkmenistan via a land route a day after leaving Tehran, the ministry said. Another Korean national is still at the border area with two family members and they are expected to arrive in Turkmenistan on Saturday. More than 6,000 Koreans have been evacuated from 14 countries in the Middle East since March 3, with the number of those remaining in the region standing at around 14,700, according to ministry data provided Monday. Roughly half of some 4,100 short-term travelers have left the region in the same period. The resumption of limited flights by the United Arab Emirates and Qatar has paved the way for broader evacuation efforts, following diplomatic talks with Seoul. A Qatari flight from Doha carrying 108 people, including 66 Koreans, landed in Incheon, Thursday.

Mar 12, 2026By Yonhap

5 Koreans flee from Iran amid Middle East conflict

Roundtable Gauging impact of US-Israel war on Iran

As the world attempts to make sense of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, Korean experts are gauging when the conflict will end, as well as grappling with its economic and political ramifications, including the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and soaring energy prices. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that Iran is facing imminent defeat and that the U.S. is willing to escalate its attacks. However, there is no sign that Iran is considering surrender or that the war will come to a swift conclusion. To better understand the issues, a panel of experts was invited to share their opinions at The Korea Times roundtable, "U.S.-Israel war on Iran and its impact on the Korean Peninsula," held Wednesday in Seoul. The Korea Times' chief editorial writer Shim Jae-yun moderated the event, which featured Kim Won-soo, former United Nations under-secretary-general and high representative for disarmament affairs and retired Lt. Gen. Chun In-bum, former commander of the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command, along with Song Kyung-jin, senior fellow at the Asiatic Resear

Mar 12, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

[Roundtable] Gauging impact of US-Israel war on Iran

Lee to hold summit talks with Ghanaian president Wednesday

President Lee Jae Myung will hold summit talks with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in trade, maritime security, the defense industry and other areas, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Mahama arrived in Korea on Tuesday for a five-day working visit, becoming the first African leader to visit the country since Lee took office in June 2025. It marks the first visit by a Ghanaian president since the Korea-Africa Summit held in May 2024. During the summit, the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, maritime security and the protection of nationals overseas, the defense industry, climate change response and other areas, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing. Ghana is regarded as one of Africa's leading democracies and serves as a trade and logistics hub in West Africa, hosting the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area launched in 2021.

Mar 10, 2026By Yonhap

Lee to hold summit talks with Ghanaian president Wednesday

Korean YouTuber referred to prosecutors over false claim of 37 mutilated bodies

A Korean YouTuber accused of spreading false claims that dozens of mutilated bodies were discovered in the country has been referred to prosecutors, police said Wednesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cyber investigation department said it sent a case involving a man in his 30s, identified only by his surname Cho, to prosecutors on Feb. 13 without detention on suspicion of violating the Framework Act on Telecommunications. Police also requested a pre-indictment forfeiture order for $2,421 in alleged criminal proceeds earned from his YouTube channel. Cho runs a YouTube channel targeting a Japanese audience and has about 960,000 subscribers. He is accused of posting a video on Oct. 22, 2025, claiming that 37 bodies consisting only of the lower halves had been discovered in Korea and that there were more than 150 undisclosed investigations. The video also claimed that murder and organ exchange crimes have surged in Korea after the country allowed visa-free entry for Chinese nationals, police said. Last November, Korea’s National Police Agency designated the video as a serious a

Mar 6, 2026By Hankookilbo

Korean YouTuber referred to prosecutors over false claim of 37 mutilated bodies

Why glamorous TV weathercasters are being replaced by meteorological analysts in Korea

Korean broadcaster MBC has replaced its weathercaster format with a meteorological analyst, introducing expert Yoon Tae-gu during Tuesday’s broadcast of its flagship evening program “Newsdesk.” “Starting today, I will deliver the weather on 'Newsdesk' as MBC’s meteorological analyst Yoon Tae-gu,” he said. “I will do my best to explain weather information in a way that is easy to understand and detailed for viewers.” Yoon then delivered his first briefing, explaining a total lunar eclipse coinciding with Jeongwol Daeboreum, a traditional lunar holiday and outlining weather patterns expected the following day. Yoon studied atmospheric science at Monash University in Australia and holds a national weather forecaster certification. He previously served as a meteorological officer in the Korean Air Force. The change comes after MBC announced it would eliminate its freelance weathercaster system and instead hire full-time meteorological and climate specialists, following the death of weathercaster Oh Yoanna last year. Her death sparked controversy after allegations emerged that

Mar 4, 2026By Xportsnews

Why glamorous TV weathercasters are being replaced by meteorological analysts in Korea

Middle East conflict raises alarm on Korea's oil dependence

The U.S.-Israel attack on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes across the Middle East have turned the Strait of Hormuz into a critical flash point, reigniting concerns over Korea’s heavy dependence on energy imports from the region. With the strategic waterway accounting for roughly 27 percent of global seaborne oil trade, fears are mounting that any disruption could jolt energy markets and threaten supply stability. In the aftermath of the attack, the government said Tuesday it will seek to secure oil supplies from outside the Middle East in response to a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasizing that Korea currently holds sufficient oil reserves. While the U.S. military Central Command denies the strait has been closed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been escalating their threats against shipments, saying they “will set those ships ablaze,” raising the specter of a prolonged disruption to one of the world’s most vital oil export routes. Any closure would directly disrupt crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from the Persian Gulf. Korea reli

Mar 3, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

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