South Korea - The Korea Times

Jeonbuk National University positions physical AI at core of global leadership bid

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province — Inside a manufacturing test lab at Jeonbuk National University, robots move with synchronized precision across a factory floor designed to mimic a real industrial site. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) shuttle components between workstations, weaving through production lines without human guidance. Nearby, robotic arms pick up, assemble and inspect parts in a continuous sequence, while cameras and sensors track every movement in real time. The machines communicate with one another, make decisions based on real-time data and adjust on the fly. It is not a commercial factory — not yet. It is an 846-square-meter manufacturing technology test lab designed to replicate real industrial conditions and determine whether physical artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are ready for deployment on actual production floors. The facility sits at the center of Jeonbuk National University's push into physical AI, a field gaining momentum nationally as President Lee Jae Myung works to position Korea as a global leader in the field. Through its test lab and industry-

Jun 23, 2026By Jung Da-hyun

Jeonbuk National University positions physical AI at core of global leadership bid

Ex-lawmaker Ihn Yohan named chief of Korean Red Cross

Ihn Yo-han, a former lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party, has been named chief of the Korean Red Cross, the organization said Monday. Ihn was chosen through a vote by the organization's central committee and will take office for a three-year term upon approval from President Lee Jae Myung, honorary president of the Korean Red Cross. "Ihn served in the medical field for a long time and was considered the right person to lead the Red Cross' projects based on his activities in the public health sector, and experiences with fighting tuberculosis in North Korea and supplying medical equipment there," the organization said. Ihn, also known as John Linton, hails from an American family that has dedicated its services to developing medicine and education in South Korea. His great-grandfather and grandfather were both missionaries, while his father was a U.S. Navy officer who participated in the Incheon Landing Operation during the 1950-53 Korean War. Born in Jeonju, some 200 kilometers south of Seoul, in 1959, Ihn graduated from Yonsei University College of Medicine and worked as a

Jun 22, 2026By Yonhap

Ex-lawmaker Ihn Yohan named chief of Korean Red Cross

Searching for K-Sappho: LGBTQ+ people in Korean history

“I tell you / Someone will remember us / even in another time.” This three-line fragment of a poem is attributed to Sappho of Lesbos, a poet well-known for her wistful yet romantic musings on love. She is also the etymological origin of the term “sapphic,” and the more widely known “lesbian.” Sappho is a rare case of a historical figure that is widely agreed to have been part of the LGBTQ+ community. Historical figures, unless their sexualities are explicitly voiced, are often viewed through a lens of heteronormativity. Even considering shifting societal attitudes toward sexual orientation and gender expression, history yields proof that people have always been more complex than the comfortable binaries many believe in. Though not widely known or referenced, Korean history too features its own half-forgotten Sapphos, often mentioned only in passing but with enough consistent presence that they cannot be entirely overwritten — and when better than now to remember them? Warrior-poets of Silla Surviving records of Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) showcase a different set of norms

Jun 22, 2026By Kim Young-moo

Searching for K-Sappho: LGBTQ+ people in Korean history

Seoul moves to raise subway free-ride age to 70, include bus access

Public transportation passengers aged 65 and older can ride the subway for free, but that age may soon be raised to 70. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will move forward with a public hearing on a proposed plan to raise the age threshold, while expanding transportation support for older residents. City officials said they received an official request from the Korean Seoul Senior Citizens Association earlier in the day to jointly host a public forum on senior transportation welfare policies. The city plans to accept the proposal and organize a hearing that allows broader citizen participation. Details on the schedule and venue will be announced on the city’s website. The plan comes as the city pushes to adjust the current free ride system, which grants unlimited free access to all residents aged 65 and older under the Welfare of Older Persons Act. Making the change was a key pledge by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in his recent reelection campaign earlier this month. The move follows a June 19 meeting between Oh and the association’s leadership, where both sides discussed ad

Jun 22, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Seoul moves to raise subway free-ride age to 70, include bus access

InterviewActivist calls for school police as alternative to ‘Teach You a Lesson’ agents

An education activist is calling for the introduction of a U.S.-style school police system in Korea, arguing that a recent proposal to create a real-life version of a fictional teacher protection squad from the Netflix series "Teach You a Lesson" is legally infeasible and that only police officers with investigative powers can realistically safeguard teachers and students. Lee Keon-joo, representative of the Citizens' Coalition for the Future of School Education, a Seoul-based nonegovernmental organization, said the proposal by Gyeonggi education superintendent-elect Ahn Min-seok — inspired by the Korean Educational Rights Protection Bureau, a fictional squad in the drama that deploys discipline agents, sometimes through vigilante violence, to rescue classrooms from unruly students and difficult parents — fails to address the legal realities teachers face daily. “What’s depicted in the drama is a kind of fantasy, because in reality teachers would face serious legal consequences for human rights violations or child abuse if they did the same,” Lee said during a recent intervie

Jun 22, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Activist calls for school police as alternative to ‘Teach You a Lesson’ agents

Samsung, SK hynix-linked semiconductor majors more competitive than SNU admissions

University departments guaranteeing jobs at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix required more competitive admissions scores than Seoul National University's (SNU) natural sciences track this year — a notable milestone given that SNU, widely regarded as Korea's most prestigious university, has long set the benchmark for top admissions scores — reflecting surging student demand for chipmaker careers amid record bonus packages at the two companies. According to an analysis released Sunday by Jongno Academy, a private university admissions prep institution, five semiconductor departments partnered with the two semiconductor giants averaged 96.2 in admission scores based on Korea's College Scholastic Ability Test, also known as Suneung, outpacing SNU's natural science track by 0.4 points. The university-corporate partnership model, introduced in 2003, pairs companies with universities to shape curricula around industry needs. Companies support tuition costs, and most students are guaranteed jobs upon completing their degrees. SK hynix has contracts with Hanyang University, Korea University

Jun 21, 2026By Park Ung

Samsung, SK hynix-linked semiconductor majors more competitive than SNU admissions

Gov't approves sanctions against 166 child support defaulters

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Sunday it has approved 184 sanctions against 166 people who failed to meet their child support obligations, including travel bans and driver's license suspensions. The sanctions, approved by the 51st child support enforcement review committee earlier this month, included 120 travel bans, 41 driver's license suspensions and 23 cases of public disclosure of personal information, according to the ministry. The average amount of unpaid child support stood at about 45 million won ($29,354), while the largest outstanding amount totaled approximately 192 million won. Under the Child Support Act, sanctions may be imposed on individuals who fail to comply with a court order requiring a lump-sum child support payment for more than 30 days, those who miss child support payments at least three times despite a court enforcement order, or those whose unpaid child support exceeds 30 million won. The number of sanctions has risen steadily, from 639 cases in 2023 to 947 in 2024 and 1,389 last year. In the first half of this year alone, 720 sanctions were ap

Jun 21, 2026By Yonhap

Gov't approves sanctions against 166 child support defaulters

Mixed-race daughter Korea tried to send away is now helping adoptees return home

“578 Ganeung 3-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. 3-tong, 2-ban,” she said in Korean. Meeky Woo Flippen, now 60, still has that address etched into her memory after more than 50 years. “My mother taught me the address when I was 5. ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she told me. ‘So if someone kidnaps you, make sure you come back here.’” As she recalled, there had indeed been attempts to take her away. Whenever she returned home from school, a “lady” from Holt International waited for her around the corner. “You can’t live here,” the woman told her. “In America, you can eat all the chocolate you want.” She then seized Meeky by the hand and tried to drag her away. Meeky wrenched herself free and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. When she reached her doorstep, her mother rushed outside and roared. “I told you I’m not sending my children away. Get lost!” Meeky smiled as she recalled those memories of her childhood and her mother. She said the hurt of being jeered at as a “dirty Yankee girl” at school would fade whenever she took shelter behind her mothe

Jun 21, 2026By Hankookilbo

Mixed-race daughter Korea tried to send away is now helping adoptees return home

Korea's child protection paradox: Safeguarding children, sidelining teachers

A South Jeolla Province elementary school teacher with two decades of experience spent four months clearing her name last summer after a parent alleged child abuse. The claim arose after the teacher tried to reconcile two fighting students, after which one child falsely told parents that the teacher scolded them unfairly. Even after police cleared her of all charges, the teacher faced continuous malicious complaints from the family, who claimed she would disadvantage the child upon returning from leave. She eventually transferred to another school. "Isn't this like putting a gun in the parents' hands?" an official from a fictional Educational Rights Protection Bureau said in episode five of Netflix' "Teach You a Lesson." Reality closely tracks the show, highlighting an institutional imbalance where parents weaponize unvetted claims while teachers face severe professional trauma. Despite authorities strengthening rights protection systems following the 2023 suicide of a teacher at Seoi Elementary School, educators say indiscriminate child abuse allegations remain rampant. Over 90 percent

Jun 20, 2026By Hankookilbo

Korea's child protection paradox: Safeguarding children, sidelining teachers

Is hair loss a survival issue? Party leader hits insurance coverage proposal

Minor conservative Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok criticized the government’s plan to include hair-loss medication in the national health insurance coverage, arguing that limited resources should instead be prioritized for patients with severe and rare diseases. In a post on Facebook on Tuesday, Lee pushed back against the government’s description of access to hair-loss medication as “a matter of survival,” stating that the drugs are neither difficult to obtain nor as costly as the government has suggested. “The Lee Jae Myung administration has described access to hair-loss medication as a matter of survival, but with patents on finasteride-based treatments having expired, a flood of generic versions has brought the monthly cost down to between 10,000 won ($6.60) and 30,000 won,” the conservative party leader wrote. He went on to argue that expanding coverage to include hair-loss medication would undermine the basic principles governing the national health insurance system. “The foremost purpose of the national health insurance system is to uphold the social promise that