South Korea - The Korea Times

Novartis to invest $95 mil. in Korea cancer radiotherapy supply chain

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is set to invest about 140 billion won ($95 million) to build a domestic radioligand therapy (RLT) ecosystem in Korea, covering research, production and treatment. Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong and Novartis Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa President Judith Love signed a memorandum of understanding on the plan in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. RLT is a treatment that uses a radioactive substance attached to a molecule designed to target proteins on cancer cells, damaging their DNA to kill them. “Novartis has invested in and cooperated with Korean pharmaceutical companies in areas including technology transfer and clinical research,” the ministry said in a statement. “This investment extends that cooperation into the advanced bio sector and is expected to strengthen research, development and manufacturing capabilities in Korea's radiopharmaceutical industry.” Under the agreement, Novartis will build a domestic RLT manufacturing facility with an advanced cold chain logistics network. The company also aims to expand hospitals

Jul 21, 2026By Park Ung

Novartis to invest $95 mil. in Korea cancer radiotherapy supply chain

About 10% of 2022 crowd crush deaths possibly caused by reasons besides suffocation: committee

About 10 percent of the 159 people killed in the 2022 deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood may have died from causes other than suffocation, a special investigation committee said Tuesday. The analysis, released by the committee investigating the 2022 crowd crush, suggests that more lives could have been saved had more active rescue efforts been made immediately after the accident. The accident dates back to Oct. 29, 2022, when people caught in surging crowds were crushed to death during Halloween festivities in the area. After conducting a medical review of the causes of the deaths, the committee announced Tuesday that 15 of the victims did not appear to have died from suffocation, concluding that their exact causes of death could not be identified. The review results suggested that the 15 victims may have died from intra-abdominal bleeding or other issues caused by pressures on muscles or internal organs. Kim Moon-young, a forensic pathologist who presented the findings, said that while suffocation often causes immediate death, victims who died from other causes could have

Jul 21, 2026By Yonhap

About 10% of 2022 crowd crush deaths possibly caused by reasons besides suffocation: committee

QS names Seoul world's best student city for 2nd year

Seoul has been named the world’s best student city for the second consecutive year, earning the only perfect score in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings. Korea also strengthened its global presence, with five cities making it onto the list, including first-time entrants Daejeon and Gwangju. With a perfect score of 100, Seoul finished ahead of Tokyo at 98 and London at 97.3, according to QS on Tuesday. The top three remained unchanged from last year, cementing Seoul's position as a leading global higher education hub. Released annually by global higher education consultancy QS, the ranking assesses 150 cities on the strength of their universities, graduate employment prospects, affordability, student diversity, quality of life and feedback from students. Cities must have a population of more than 250,000 and be home to at least two institutions listed in the QS World University Rankings 2027 to be included. The United Kingdom had the strongest representation, with 16 cities in the ranking, followed by the United States with 14, mainland China with 10 and Australia with seven. Kore

Jul 21, 2026By Jung Da-hyun

QS names Seoul world's best student city for 2nd year

Meet pro-Palestinian activists in Korea nearing their 700th day of protest

Every day at noon, someone stands outside the Israeli Embassy in Seoul’s Jongno District, holding a placard. “Stop the genocide against Palestinians,” it reads. A different person takes the spot each day. Yesterday, it was an office worker. Today, a college student. Tomorrow, it will be a poet. Over the past two years, the one-person daily protest has drawn participants from across Korean society, including feminists, queer people and people with disabilities. Organized by a coalition of 352 civic groups, the protest denounces Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. It also seeks to show the world that voices opposing war and violence exist in Korea as well. The guilt of not showing up July 15 marked the 684th day of the protest. Standing outside the embassy that day was Kang Eui-young, 29, a postgraduate sociology student at Sogang University. Kang first joined the protest last spring. She has since returned every month or two, taking part on no fewer than 10 occasions. “The little I can do is let people know what is happening in Palestine and remind them that the embassy of the occu

Jul 21, 2026By Hankookilbo

Meet pro-Palestinian activists in Korea nearing their 700th day of protest

Seoul's monthly transit pass users angered by service suspension

Commuters are growing frustrated as Seoul prepares to end its flagship Climate Card service next month before its replacement, Climate Card Plus, is fully integrated with the Modu Card system, raising concerns over a bumpy transition. The disruption stems from Seoul's plan to replace the Climate Card with Climate Card Plus, a successor designed to integrate with the transport ministry's K-Pass, which offers similar public transit discounts. However, delays in coordinating the integration between the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport have postponed the transition, leaving commuters facing uncertainty until the new system is ready. Introduced in 2024, the Climate Card, available in both prepaid and postpaid versions, allows users unlimited rides on Seoul's buses and subway for 62,000 won ($41.82) a month. The pass also offers discounted fares to certain groups, including an 11 percent discount for young adults aged 19 to 39, reducing the monthly cost to 55,000 won, and a higher discount that lowers the fare to 45,000 won for low-income r

Jul 21, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Seoul's monthly transit pass users angered by service suspension

Paichai High School's suspension over 'Tank Day' chant reduced to 1 month

A Seoul high school baseball team that was banned from national tournaments for six months over chants mocking the 1980 Gwangju Uprising has had its suspension reduced to one month, clearing it to compete in an upcoming national tournament. The Korea Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Monday it had reduced the ban on Paichai High School's baseball team after its subcommittee on sports fairness reviewed the disciplinary action stemming from the players’ chants disparaging the pro-democracy movement during a national tournament game. The committee acknowledged that the chants constituted grounds for discipline — ruling that inappropriate chanting from the dugout amounted to interference with the game — but cited the players' subsequent visit to Gwangju to seek forgiveness and Gwangju Jeil High School's own appeal for leniency, as grounds for the reduction. Monday’s ruling by the KSOC, the country’s top sports governing body, takes effect immediately, clearing Paichai High School to compete in the upcoming Bonghwangdaegi National High School Baseball Tournament. The tourname

Jul 20, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Paichai High School's suspension over 'Tank Day' chant reduced to 1 month

Foreign worker doxed by interpreter after fleeing armed threats, civic groups say

Dozens of civic groups joined together to file a complaint Monday with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea seeking an investigation into alleged retaliation against a seasonal worker who fled his workplace after being threatened by a Korean coworker. The case highlights broader problems in Korea's seasonal worker program, which was introduced to ease chronic farm and fishing labor shortages by bringing in foreign workers. The complaint centers on a Filipino worker who came to Korea in April to work at a fishing business in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. He fled the workplace last month after a Korean coworker repeatedly cursed at him and threatened him with a weapon. After he left, an interpreter who helped manage seasonal workers' entry and employment warned his family by text message that he could face deportation, a reentry ban and a fine if caught. The interpreter also cited his departure to pressure other seasonal workers and their sponsors into notarizing family guarantee contracts requiring a payment of 50 million won ($33,500) if they left their workplace without

Jul 20, 2026By Park Ung

Foreign worker doxed by interpreter after fleeing armed threats, civic groups say

Coupang logistics center fire exposes warehouse safety risks

As firefighters continued the third day of their battle to contain a massive blaze at Coupang’s logistics center in Incheon, the incident exposes deeper structural weaknesses of warehouses that can turn a single spark into a prolonged, hard-to-control inferno. The fire broke out early Saturday morning on the sixth floor of the eight-story facility — one of the company’s largest distribution centers — located in Seohae District. All on-site workers evacuated safely and no fatalities were reported. At 8 p.m. Monday, fire authorities said the main blaze was brought under control, roughly 61 hours after it started. Crews were still working to extinguish remaining hotspots. The prolonged battle drew comparisons to previous warehouse disasters, including a 2021 fire that burned for nearly six days at Coupang’s Deokpyeong center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and a 2022 fire at a cold storage facility in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, which took more than 19 hours to extinguish and claimed the lives of three firefighters. According to fire safety experts, logistics centers — due to

Jul 20, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Coupang logistics center fire exposes warehouse safety risks

Economic pressures fuel 'mom-obsessed' trend among Korean youth

There was a time when being called a "mama's boy" or "mama's girl" in Korea was an insult. Now, millions of young Koreans are voluntarily claiming a similar label and wearing it as a badge of honor. The term “eommisae,” referring to someone who is obsessed with their mom, went viral across social media as more young people say they would rather spend time with their mothers than with friends or partners. On platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, young Koreans share photos and videos of themselves shopping, traveling and dining with their mothers, proudly adopting the label. Many describe their mothers as their best friends, saying they spend more time talking to them than anyone else and express that they would rather enjoy a meal or a day out with their moms than socialize with peers. Unlike mama's boy and mama's girl, which implied excessive dependence, eommisae is largely self-described — a term people claim with pride rather than one imposed as criticism. The trend extends to K-pop as well, with idols openly showcasing close relationships with their parents. ILLIT member Wonh

Jul 19, 2026By Jung Da-hyun

Economic pressures fuel 'mom-obsessed' trend among Korean youth

Heavy rain to return this week as scorching heat persists

A stationary monsoon front is expected to bring rain to much of Korea throughout this week, while sweltering heat will persist with daytime highs climbing to 36 degrees Celsius. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) on Sunday, monsoon rain is forecast to fall across most of the country, with the exception of Jeju Island, beginning Monday and continuing through the week. The heaviest rain is expected Monday, with up to 100 millimeters forecast for the Chungcheong region and up to 80 millimeters for southern Gyeonggi Province. Seoul, Incheon, northern Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province are expected to see 20 to 60 millimeters of rain, while Gwangju, South and North Jeolla provinces, Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province are forecast to see 5 to 40 millimeters. Starting Wednesday, rain will be more concentrated over the Chungcheong region and the southern parts of the country before spreading again across most of the nation on Thursday and Friday. The KMA said the stationary front is expected to intensify particularly on Thurs