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  • Politics

    Soon-to-be prime minister Han carries high expectation for AI transformation

    Han Seong-sook, Korea’s soon-to-be prime minister, arrives at the post with high expectations that she will leverage her technological expertise to help accelerate the country's artificial intelligence (AI) transformation. The parliamentary confirmation hearing committee approved a report Tuesday clearing Han as qualified for the post, with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leading the approval after she was nominated on June 7. The DPK was expected to bring Han's confirmation motion to a vote at a plenary session later in the day. The process leading to Han’s likely appointment comes as President Lee Jae Myung pushes to position Korea among the world's top three AI powers alongside the United States and China. The blueprint has become increasingly concrete since Lee outlined the vision last year, with initiatives such as the government's allocation of a record 9.9 trillion won for AI this year and public-private plans to build four new semiconductor plants in southwestern Korea to meet surging AI demand. “Under the circumstances, it is only natural that expectations will

    2 MIN READBy Yi Whan-woo
    Soon-to-be prime minister Han carries high expectation for AI transformation
  • Law & Crime

    Outgoing North Chungcheong governor raided over bribery allegations

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Outgoing North Chungcheong governor raided over bribery allegations
  • Education

    Kookmin University student wins 2nd place at IBM Bob Hackathon

    2 MIN READBy Park Yoon-bae
    Kookmin University student wins 2nd place at IBM Bob Hackathon
  • Defense

    Ukrainian outlet's critique exposes gaps in Korea's counter-drone strategy

    3 MIN READBy Bahk Eun-ji
    Ukrainian outlet's critique exposes gaps in Korea's counter-drone strategy
  • Society

    The Korea Times launches K-universities, global platform for Korean higher education

    1 MIN READBy Jung Da-hyun
    The Korea Times launches K-universities, global platform for Korean higher education
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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

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Global Community

Multicultural entrepreneurs need support as they help build communities

Beginning Bread Bakery Cafe in northeastern Seoul's Gongneung-dong neighborhood, is not your average cafe. Run by a multicultural family, it is helping expand the neighborhood's multicultural character — not through offering rare foreign delicacies on menu or decorating the shop with knickknacks from distant countries, but by being actively present in the local community. "We operate with the mindset of being a neighborhood anchor rather than just a business," said Ronald Munkoah, a Cameroonian resident of the area whose Korean wife, Baek Su-min, owns the business. "Each day, we bake fresh bread and pastries for local residents, students and office workers, and we provide part of our production to the city council’s food bank so that homeless people and low‑income neighbors can eat with dignity," Munkoah said. "This means that even on difficult days, the oven at Beginning Bread Bakery Cafe is on not only for sales but also for social responsibility, because we see ourselves as part of the local safety net, not just the local market." He added that the bakery employs local residents

May 7, 2026By Jon Dunbar
Multicultural entrepreneurs need support as they help build communities
South Korea

‘Authentication nation’ tests visitors to Korea ahead of summer travel

SEATTLE — As the summer vacation season approaches, many travelers heading to Korea are doing the usual pretrip scramble: setting up medical appointments, registering children for summer programs and booking beauty appointments. And then, almost immediately, they hit the same wall: phone verification. Before even boarding her flight, a Seattle-based Korean mom of two tried to book a dermatology appointment and sign her kids up for a local summer camp. Each time, the process stopped cold. Enter a Korean phone number. Verify. Confirm. Without it, nothing moves. “The most annoying word when dealing with anything online in Korea is ‘authentication,’” said Minjung Park, who visits Korea once every two years. “Why are there so many steps of verification and authentication? Drives me crazy.” The experience points to a broader limitation in Korea’s digital system. Much of it is built around mobile-based identity checks tied to local carriers, making logins fast and secure for residents. For visitors and overseas Koreans without a domestic number, access can be far less straightfo

May 7, 2026By Jane Han
‘Authentication nation’ tests visitors to Korea ahead of summer travel
Defense

US Marines demonstrate aviation ground support capabilities during KMEP exercise with Korea

A U.S. Marine unit based in Japan has demonstrated aviation ground support and logistics capabilities during a readiness evaluation session, aimed at strengthening interoperability with Korean Marines, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Wednesday. The Marine Wing Support Squadron 174, affiliated with the III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Japan, conducted the combat readiness assessment with Korean troops from March 14 to April 19 during the annual Korean Marine Exercise Program (KMEP) exercise, according to the command. During the training, the U.S. Marine forces worked alongside Korean Marines to establish mobile sites to quickly refuel and rearm aircraft in "austere environments." The U.S. Marines also conducted intensive firefighting drills at Kunsan Air Base in the southwestern city of Gunsan to practice coordinated responses to simulated mishaps. The allies were also involved in a comprehensive mass casualty exercise designed to test the troops' ability to provide immediate medical triage and evacuation under simulated combat conditions, according to the release.

May 6, 2026By Yonhap
US Marines demonstrate aviation ground support capabilities during KMEP exercise with Korea
Defense

Korea to conduct 1st joint firepower exercise under Lee gov't in May

Korea will conduct an integrated military firepower exercise open to the public later this month, showcasing its advanced maneuvering of key defense assets, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The joint exercise will take place in three sessions at a military firing range in Pocheon, about 50 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on May 18, 21 and 26, respectively, the ministry said in a release. It will mark the first joint exercise involving the armed forces since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government in June last year. The previous exercise, held in 2023, was the largest in scale to date. The exercise will involve live-fire drills and maneuver training by joint forces. The Air Force will stage aerial demonstrations by its Black Eagles aerobatic team. It will also feature an equipment exhibition to showcase the latest weapons systems and provide visitors with hands-on experience with key defense assets, the ministry said. The ministry has opened up an online registration for the public to observe the exercise. Slots are available for up to 1,200 people, or 400 on each day.

May 6, 2026By Yonhap
Korea to conduct 1st joint firepower exercise under Lee gov't in May
Law & Crime

Special counsel raids prosecution, justice ministry over alleged cover-up of ex-first lady's gift case

The second comprehensive special counsel team raided the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) and the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday over an alleged mishandling of the prosecution investigation into former first lady Kim Keon Hee's acceptance of a luxury handbag from a Korean American pastor. Prosecutors and investigators from special counsel Kwon Chang-young's team began a search of the SPO and the ministry's prosecution service division in the morning, according to legal sources. Kwon's team has been investigating allegations that the prosecution leadership forced prosecutors to acquit Kim in 2024 of charges related to her acceptance of a Dior bag from pastor Choi Jae-young. Voice of Seoul, an internet news outlet, filed a complaint against Kim and her husband and former President Yoon Suk Yeol on suspicions of bribery in December 2023, one month after releasing a hidden camera video showing Choi handing over the luxury handbag gift to Kim in 2022. But the prosecution dropped charges against Kim in October 2024, saying the bag received from Choi appeared unrelated to Yoon's duties and se

May 6, 2026By Yonhap
Special counsel raids prosecution, justice ministry over alleged cover-up of ex-first lady's gift case
South Korea

Iranian Embassy denies attacking Korean ship, rebutting Trump's claim

Iran formally denied any involvement in the explosion on a Korean cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the ship was attacked by Iran because it attempted to navigate the strait without U.S. protection. The denial came as the shipping company, its union and the Korean government remained cautious about the cause of the incident. "The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the incident involving damage to a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz," the Iranian Embassy in Seoul said in a statement Wednesday. The statement followed Trump's remarks Tuesday at a White House event: “Their ship was shot at. They were not in the cavalcade of ships they had. They decided to go it alone and their ship got hell knocked out of it yesterday, but they (Iran) didn't shoot the ships that were guarded by us.” Trump used the incident to renew calls for Korea to join U.S.-led maritime initiatives including the Maritime Freedom Con

May 6, 2026By Park Ji-won
Iranian Embassy denies attacking Korean ship, rebutting Trump's claim
Politics

Han reelected floor leader of ruling party

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) reelected Rep. Han Byung-do as its floor leader Wednesday, marking the first time a DPK whip was elected to a second consecutive term. The three-term lawmaker ran uncontested in an election held four months after he won his first term to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of his predecessor. During a general meeting of DPK lawmakers, Han won a majority of the vote, which combined the ballots of lawmakers and dues-paying party members by a ratio of 8:2. "The coming year is the golden time," he said during his acceptance speech. "From winning the local elections to overcoming the Middle East crisis and restoring people's livelihoods, there is a mountain of work to do." Han will be charged with leading the party's parliamentary activities until next May, including negotiations with the main opposition People Power Party over the formation of committees for the latter half of the current Assembly's term. Other pressing issues include navigating differences over a DPK-proposed bill for a special counsel investigation into allegedly fabricated in

May 6, 2026By Yonhap
Han reelected floor leader of ruling party
Society

International schools highlight gaps in Korea’s school violence law

Despite years of tightening school violence laws, international schools in Korea remain outside the purview of most legislation on the issue thanks to their unique status. Hundreds of cases have been reported at international schools over the past five years, but the institutions have largely been left to handle incidents under their own rules, without holding the committees that would normally convene in cases of school violence at other kinds of institutions. Schools say they address cases that arise under their own internal guidelines, but recurring incidents are fueling calls to bring them under the Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures Against Violence in Schools. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Education to the office of Rep. Kim Yong-tae of the main opposition People Power Party, Wednesday, a total of 264 school violence cases were reported at seven accredited international schools between 2020 — when school violence countermeasure committees were introduced — and last year. By school, North London Collegiate School Jeju recorded the highest number of inc

May 6, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
International schools highlight gaps in Korea’s school violence law
South Korea

Gov't scraps elder care tax for short-term migrant workers

Financial hurdles were lowered for foreign laborers working in the country's agricultural and fisheries sectors, Wednesday, as the government decided to exempt short-term seasonal workers from a mandatory elder care insurance tax they were unlikely to ever use. The Cabinet approved an amendment to the Long-Term Care Insurance Act, allowing holders of the E-8 seasonal worker visa to opt out of the insurance program upon request. The decision addresses a long-standing grievance among rural employers and migrant workers who argued that the mandatory payments were an unnecessary economic burden. Under the previous law, all workers enrolled in the national health system were automatically charged for long-term care insurance, which provides domestic and physical assistance to those over 65 or suffering from geriatric diseases. However, government data highlighted a stark disconnect: the E-8 visa is restricted to workers aged 19 to 55 who remain in the country for a maximum of eight months. As of December 2025, while 914 seasonal workers had paid nearly 400 million won ($274,911) in premiums

May 6, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Gov't scraps elder care tax for short-term migrant workers
Society

AI era forces Korea’s labor, capital to negotiate new ‘survival pact’

As artificial intelligence (AI) spreads from coding assistants to factory robots and hiring tools, experts say Korea’s familiar labor disputes over wages and bonuses are giving way to a more existential question: How labor and capital will share the costs and gains of this once-in-a-generation technological shift. The answer, according to experts interviewed by The Korea Times, is that Korea is not ready. AI has not triggered mass layoffs, but it is quietly sealing off entry-level opportunities, deepening inequality and exposing gaps in the country's legal and training systems. Without a credible safety net and a convincing transition plan, experts warn, blunt protectionism — already visible across many sectors — becomes the rational response to automation for most workers. “AI has become a survival question for both labor and capital,” said Ahn Jong-ki, a professor at the Korea University Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, noting the nation’s world-leading robot density and recent trials of physical AI on production lines. Korea already ranks among the most aut

May 6, 2026By Jung Min-ho
AI era forces Korea’s labor, capital to negotiate new ‘survival pact’
  • Lawyers, counselors grapple with what AI can and cannot replace
  • Declining income, no consent: AI eats into Korea's creative, language workforce
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