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  • Politics

    Soon-to-be PM 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. Han is now just one step away from officially taking office, with her appointment to be finalized once the National Assembly approves the confirmation motion at a plenary session. 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 ($6.3 billion) for AI this year and public-private plans to build four new semiconductor plants in southwestern Korea to m

    2 MIN READBy Yi Whan-woo
    Soon-to-be PM Han carries high expectation for AI transformation
  • Defense

    Defense minister backs push for unified military academy as fundamental reform for future

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Defense minister backs push for unified military academy as fundamental reform for future
  • 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
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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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Others

'Goodbye to dieting': Moon Geun-young and Kim Shin-young challenge Korea’s beauty standards

"I've been on a diet for 18 years. Now I am done." Having debuted at age 13, Moon Geun-young has spent a substantial part of her life on a diet. She's hardly the only one in an entertainment industry where, especially for female celebrities, being on a diet is considered a requirement. The standards of physical perfection in Korean society are incredibly high, and celebrities are constantly scrutinized by the unforgiving gazes of the media and public. But now, some are successfully challenging the orthodoxy of beauty and making a clear statement to the world: They will no longer sacrifice themselves to fit standards imposed by others. Moon Geun-young is one of those people. Making an appearance on tvN’s "You Quiz on the Block," she appeared visibly healthier than in recent years. In 2017 she was diagnosed with acute compartment syndrome, a painful disease where much pressure builds up and disrupts the flow of blood to muscles and nerves. The period she spent coping with the rare disease, according to Moon, completely changed her perspective on how she should live — including letting

Apr 28, 2026By Hankookilbo
'Goodbye to dieting': Moon Geun-young and Kim Shin-young challenge Korea’s beauty standards
Law & Crime

Constitutional Court to hear GC Biopharma's case in 1st complaint against court ruling

The Constitutional Court said Tuesday it will hear biopharmaceutical company GC Biopharma Corp.'s constitutional complaint against a court ruling over a fine levied by the anti-trust regulator. It marks the first court ruling to be reviewed by the court since the recent enactment of a judicial reform law that allows constitutional complaints to be filed against finalized rulings. Since the law took effect last month, the court has received 525 complaints, rejecting 265 of the 266 cases that underwent preliminary review. The biopharmaceutical company is disputing a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Fair Trade Commission's fine for rigging vaccine purchase bids between April 2017 and January 2019. The company had filed an administrative suit against the regulator's decision, but the Supreme Court ultimately rejected it in February without formal deliberation. The company filed the constitutional complaint against the ruling last month, arguing the Supreme Court denied its right to a trial.

Apr 28, 2026By Yonhap
Constitutional Court to hear GC Biopharma's case in 1st complaint against court ruling
South Korea

Korea unveils sweeping plan to cut plastic use, curb oil dependence

Korea is moving to break its reliance on oil-based plastics, unveiling an ambitious plan Tuesday to slash waste and build a circular economy that officials say will reshape how materials are produced and reused. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said it presented the “Plastic-Free Circular Economy Transition Plan” at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, setting a target to cut the use of newly produced plastic materials by more than 30 percent from projected levels by 2030. The plan calls for reducing unnecessary plastic at the source while replacing unavoidable waste with recycled materials, the ministry said. Under current projections, plastic waste from households and businesses is expected to reach about 10 million tons by 2030, up from 7.8 million tons in 2024. The government aims to reduce that total by 1 million tons through source reduction and replace 2 million tons with recycled materials. Key measures include encouraging a shift to alternative materials such as paper, promoting lighter packaging designs and restricting excessive packaging in delivery services. Products

Apr 28, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea unveils sweeping plan to cut plastic use, curb oil dependence
Law & Crime

Appeals court increases sentence for ex-first lady to 4 years for corruption

An appeals court on Tuesday increased the sentence for former first lady Kim Keon Hee from 20 months to four years in prison on corruption charges. The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence during a hearing that was televised live, after finding her partially guilty of involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme and guilty of accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church. It acquitted her, however, of receiving free opinion poll results from a self-proclaimed power broker, upholding the lower court's ruling. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team had sought a 15-year prison term for the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol after indicting her on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, the Political Funds Act and a law on the acceptance of bribes for mediation. The team accused her of manipulating the stock price of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in Korea, to make 810 million won ($549,000) in illegal profits from 2010-12, receiving free opinion poll results from the power broker ahead of her husband's 2022 presidential election, and accepting two Chanel bags and a Graff

Apr 28, 2026By Yonhap
Appeals court increases sentence for ex-first lady to 4 years for corruption
Society

Korean government to pay ‘fair allowance’ to short-term workers

The government will introduce a new allowance and raise pay for short-term public sector workers as part of a sweeping plan to stamp out unfair employment practices affecting irregular workers whose contract is less than one year across state-funded organizations. At a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, the Ministry of Employment and Labor reported that the plan, drawn up jointly with related ministries, is aimed at rooting out practices such as repeatedly renewing 11-month contracts to avoid paying severance and sidestep giving permanent jobs to short-term workers. The new measure is expected to be adopted next year. According to a government survey of 2,100 state-related bodies, there are roughly 146,000 fixed-term workers in the public sector, with about half — some 73,000 — on contracts of less than one year. The average monthly wage for these workers is 2.89 million won ($1,960), but those on contracts that last less than one year earn slightly less at 2.8 million won a month. Based on those findings, the labor ministry has decided to work toward banning contracts shorter than 12 months

Apr 28, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korean government to pay ‘fair allowance’ to short-term workers
2026 local elections

Korea's top AI official quits for Assembly by-election, raising doubts over DPK candidate strategy

Ha Jung-woo, senior presidential secretary for AI (artificial intelligence) policy and future planning, confirmed his resignation Tuesday in what is widely seen as a prelude to a parliamentary by-election bid on June 3. The move drew criticism over the vacancy it will create at the top of the government's AI strategy and raised questions about whether the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) needed to recruit sitting presidential aides as candidates. The bid is regarded as suitable given Ha’s public-friendly profile, especially considering that the by-elections, scheduled to be held concurrently with the quadrennial local elections, have expanded to more than a dozen constituencies and include contested regions. However, some say the decision was inconsiderate, as Ha was appointed less than 10 months ago and the DPK has a broader pool of talent to draw from. Criticism is also emerging from within the ruling party, with one official saying, “Ha’s decision to run in a by-election is out of the blue, at a time when the government should be laying the groundwork to become a top-thre

Apr 28, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korea's top AI official quits for Assembly by-election, raising doubts over DPK candidate strategy
South Korea

GKL showcases traditional ceramics at casino venue to promote regional arts

Korea is turning to an unconventional stage for cultural diplomacy, placing award-winning traditional ceramics inside a casino in Seoul in an effort to attract foreign tourists and promote regional arts. Grand Korea Leisure, which operates the Seven Luck foreigner-only casinos, said Tuesday it opened a special exhibition featuring master ceramists from Yeoju at its Coex branch in Gangnam District. The exhibition runs through June 30. The company said the display is part of a broader initiative to link tourism with regional culture and support local festivals, including the upcoming Yeoju Ceramic Festival scheduled to begin May 1. Two artists are featured in the exhibition: master ceramist Park Gwang-cheon and Yeoju city master potter Lee Hyeong-woo. Each has contributed five works, which are displayed on the third floor of the casino’s dedicated exhibition space. Grand Korea Leisure CEO Yoon Doo-hyun said the venue attracts more than 360,000 foreign visitors annually, making it a strategic platform for cultural outreach. Yoon said the exhibition is intended to introduce visitors to Kore

Apr 28, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
GKL showcases traditional ceramics at casino venue to promote regional arts
South Korea

Korea exports anti-corruption model to Ethiopia in new training push

Korea is taking its anti-corruption playbook abroad this week, hosting Ethiopian officials for an intensive training program aimed at exporting what it calls a proven governance model. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said Tuesday it began a five-day training program for nine officials from the Ethiopian Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. The program, which runs through Friday, is conducted in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency. The initiative follows a memorandum of understanding signed in June 2024 between the two countries to strengthen cooperation on anti-corruption policies. Ethiopian officials requested the program to learn from Korea’s legal and institutional frameworks, the commission said. The curriculum focuses on key laws, including the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act for public officials, as well as Korea’s structured anti-corruption education system. Sessions also cover training programs designed for future generations, the commission said. The agency said Korea has drawn

Apr 28, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea exports anti-corruption model to Ethiopia in new training push
South Korea

Korea, Australia to discuss AI education, Korean language programs at joint committee

The Ministry of Education is dispatching a delegation to the seventh Korea-Australia Joint Education Committee meeting in Canberra Wednesday to discuss cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) education, international student exchange, research collaboration, and Korean language programs. The bilateral committee, established under a memorandum of understanding on education cooperation signed in 2008, convenes at the director-general level every two years, rotating between the two countries. At this session, the two sides will share updates on their respective education policies and discuss cooperation in future-oriented fields. A central focus will be strategies to expand AI education in schools and strengthen teacher expertise, including opportunities for Korean and Australian educators to share AI and digital teaching practices and develop online exchange programs. Discussions on higher education will cover student exchange, dual and joint degree programs and joint curriculum development. The ministry said it plans to improve the quality of international cooperation frameworks betw

Apr 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea, Australia to discuss AI education, Korean language programs at joint committee
South Korea

Korea rolls out tourism drive to woo holiday travelers from Japan, China

Korea is racing to turn a looming holiday travel surge into a nationwide tourism boost, rolling out discounts, events and targeted campaigns to draw visitors from Japan and China, despite rising airfares. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that it is launching a series of initiatives with the Korea Tourism Organization timed with Japan’s Golden Week, which began Tuesday and runs through May 6, and China’s Labor Day holiday, which begins Thursday and runs through May 5. Officials expect between 180,000 and 200,000 visitors from the two countries during the period, including 80,000 to 90,000 from Japan and 100,000 to 110,000 from China, the ministry said. The campaign aims to spread tourism beyond Seoul by highlighting regional destinations and offering incentives tailored to different traveler groups. For Japanese tourists, particularly families, the government is working with airlines including Jin Air and Air Busan to offer airfare discounts of 1,000 to 2,000 yen per person and additional baggage allowances of up to 5 kilograms. Discount vouchers for duty-free

Apr 28, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea rolls out tourism drive to woo holiday travelers from Japan, China
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