my timesThe Korea Times

South Korea

PoliticsDefenseGlobal CommunityEnvironment & AnimalsLaw & CrimeHealthSocietyOthersK-universitiesUniversity Rankings
  • Politics

    Korea to invest $585 bil. to build semiconductor complex in southwestern region

    Korea's chipmakers — Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — and the government will invest 800 trillion won ($585 billion) to establish a semiconductor complex in the country's southwestern region, the government announced Monday. The government also unveiled plans to build AI data centers in the region, backed by 550 trillion won in investment from SK Group, GS Group and Naver. The project will initially provide 8.4 gigawatts of capacity, with a long-term goal of expanding it to 18.4 gigawatts by 2035. The announcement came as part of the government's three flagship megaprojects focusing on semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI) and AI data centers, aimed at accelerating the country's AI-driven industrial transformation. The projects are also intended to promote high-tech investment across the country's southwestern, central and southeastern regions as part of a broader push for balanced regional development.

    1 MIN READBy Yi Whan-woo
    Korea to invest $585 bil. to build semiconductor complex in southwestern region
  • Society

    Remains of 7 fallen soldiers from Korean War laid to rest in burial ceremonies

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Remains of 7 fallen soldiers from Korean War laid to rest in burial ceremonies
  • Global Community

    Korea reimagines diplomatic missions as cultural portals via yearlong film festival

    2 MIN READBy Lee Kyung-min
    Korea reimagines diplomatic missions as cultural portals via yearlong film festival
  • Defense

    Korea deploys flight simulator for Surion helicopters to Army units

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea deploys flight simulator for Surion helicopters to Army units
  • South Korea

    Korea moves to protect rare Cretaceous fossils

    2 MIN READBy Lee Kyung-min
    Korea moves to protect rare Cretaceous fossils
Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
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.

Read more

South Korea

In age of AI, Seoul highlights value of human handiwork

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it spotlighted the workshop of Kim In-ho, a printing industry master craftsman designated as a Seoul Master Technician, to underscore the value of skilled manual trades that remain difficult to automate in an era of expanding artificial intelligence (AI). Kim has worked in the printing industry for more than 50 years, beginning his career at a bookbinding company in 1970. He has built expertise in folding carton packaging for pharmaceutical and cosmetics products, and contributed to advances in high-quality packaging technology, including the early adoption of Korean-language hologram printing. He was named a Seoul Master Technician in the printing category last year. "Skill is not built quickly," Kim said. "It accumulates through years of experience on the floor. Mastery is the product of persisting through that process." Kim's son, who was pursuing a doctoral degree in engineering in the United States, returned to Korea in 2011 and entered the printing trade. After roughly a decade on the floor, he now oversees the full production process

May 14, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
In age of AI, Seoul highlights value of human handiwork
South Korea

Seoul exhibition honors Korea’s master artisans

The quiet rhythm of scissors slicing through silk, the sharp bite of chisels into aged wood and the rhythmic tightening of knots will soon resonate within a Seoul exhibition hall. Starting next week, some of Korea’s most accomplished traditional artisans will pull back the curtain on their workshops, offering a rare glimpse into the ancestral techniques that define the nation’s cultural identity. The Korea Heritage Service and the Korea Heritage Agency announced Thursday the launch of “Gongdeulim,” a special joint exhibition running from May 21 to Aug. 21 at the National Intangible Heritage Center in southern Seoul. The showcase is dedicated to the labor and philosophy of masters who have spent decades preserving crafts that are increasingly rare in a digitized world. Bringing together 12 artisans representing 11 state-designated intangible heritage crafts, the exhibition spans a diverse range of disciplines, from the delicate art of embroidery and decorative knotting to the robust traditions of woodcraft and musical instrument making. It also features the specialized fields of

May 14, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul exhibition honors Korea’s master artisans
South Korea

Cheong Wa Dae denies any ongoing review on 'public dividends' using excess tax revenue from chip boom

The government is not conducting any review on handing out "public dividends," the presidential office said Thursday, strongly dismissing a news report that such a review is currently under way. The report came two days after Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, suggested using anticipated excess tax revenues from the semiconductor boom driven by artificial intelligence (AI) to hand out such benefits to the public as a way of sharing the "fruits" of business success that he claimed was made possible, at least in part, by the social and public infrastructure. "It is not true that a review (is under way) on how to utilize surplus tax revenue from the semiconductor (industry)," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. The presidential office earlier said Kim's proposal was strictly based on a "personal opinion" and that no internal discussions or review on the issue had taken place.

May 14, 2026By Yonhap
Cheong Wa Dae denies any ongoing review on 'public dividends' using excess tax revenue from chip boom
South Korea

2 Chinese nationals sentenced to prison for filming Korean, US air bases

Two Chinese nationals were sentenced to prison Thursday for illegally filming fighter jets at several South Korean and U.S. military facilities and attempting to intercept traffic control communications. The Suwon District Court sentenced an 18-year-old Chinese high school student to an indeterminate prison term of 1 1/2 to two years and a 20-year-old Chinese man to two years in prison, both for general treason. An indeterminate sentence is applied to minors under the juvenile law. It is the first time in South Korea that a foreigner has been found guilty of general treason under the Criminal Act. The court also ordered the confiscation of their cameras and other items used in the crime. The two were arrested and indicted for taking hundreds of detailed photos of fighter jets taking off and landing at major air bases nationwide during multiple visits to South Korea between the second half of 2024 and March last year, when both were high school students. They were found to have visited four South Korean and U.S. military facilities in Suwon, Osan, Pyeongtaek and Cheongju, as well as three

May 14, 2026By Yonhap
2 Chinese nationals sentenced to prison for filming Korean, US air bases
Defense

Air Force looks beyond KF-21 toward AI-assisted future

SACHEON, South Gyeongsang Province — A KF-21 fighter roared down the runway at Sacheon Air Base on Wednesday morning, before climbing into the sky as maintenance crews watched from below. A few hundred meters away, inside Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) final assembly plant, rows of additional KF-21s sat in various stages of production, surrounded by engineers, robotic systems and wiring equipment. The scene reflected not only Korea’s first domestically developed supersonic fighter program, but also the Air Force’s broader effort to prepare for a future increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned systems. The Air Force and KAI opened parts of the Sacheon base and production facilities to reporters this week during a media tour centered on the KF-21 Boramae program. While the final assembly line had previously been shown during the rollout ceremony for the first production aircraft in March, the Air Force said this was the first time reporters were allowed to see nearly the entire batch of initial production fighters — around 20 aircraft — assembled toge

May 14, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Air Force looks beyond KF-21 toward AI-assisted future
K-universities

Ewha Womans University, French Embassy to co-host forum in celebration of 140th anniversary

Ewha Womans University and the French Embassy in Seoul will co-host a forum next week in commemoration of the 140th anniversary of both the university’s founding and diplomatic relations between Korea and France, the school said Monday. The forum will be held under the theme of “Women, Forces for the Future: 140 Years of Korea-France Dialogue” at the International Education Building's LG Convention Hall on the university campus in northwestern Seoul, May 18. The event will bring together Korean and French women leaders active in various fields such as industry, culture and arts, and science in an effort to highlight the role and potential of women in shaping the future of society. The university said the forum is scheduled to open with welcoming remarks by Ewha President Lee Hyang-sook and French Ambassador to Korea Phillipe Bertoux. Yaël Braun-Pivet, the first woman to serve as president of the French National Assembly, and former French Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin will send video messages to celebrate the event. “This event will be a meaningful occasion that commemorates

May 14, 2026By Park Yoon-bae
Ewha Womans University, French Embassy to co-host forum in celebration of 140th anniversary
Defense

Artwork celebrating over 70 years of Korea-US alliance unveiled at Pentagon

A work of art commemorating more than 70 years of the Korea-U.S. alliance has been unveiled at the Pentagon, as Seoul and Washington work to advance their partnership to better adapt to the shifting contours of security in Asia and beyond. An event unveiling the art piece of Korean artist Seol Kyung-chul took place Wednesday after the two countries held regular high-level defense talks, called the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), at the Defense Department building near Washington. Installed at the Korean War Memorial section of the Pentagon, the piece consists of 300,000 pixelated images symbolizing the alliance forged in blood during the 1950-53 Korean War. Set against a military green background, its center depicts harmony between the allies through a Korean traditional "taegeuk" pattern. Senior Korean and U.S. officials welcomed the installation of the piece after they held the two-day KIDD session. "The legacy of the Korean War has had an unmistakable impact on our relationship to this day," U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh

May 14, 2026By Yonhap
Artwork celebrating over 70 years of Korea-US alliance unveiled at Pentagon
Law & Crime

Police release identity of murder suspect in fatal stabbing of student

Police on Thursday released mug shots and personal information of a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a high school student in the southwestern city of Gwangju last week. The Gwangju Provincial Police posted the photos of 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi on its website, who stands accused of murdering the 17-year-old female victim and wounding another 17-year-old male student just past midnight on May 5. They also transferred the case to the prosecution, following his arrest on charges of murder and attempted murder. Jang offered a brief apology as police escorted him to be handed over to the prosecution. "I am sorry," he said, while remaining silent to reporters' questions, including on his motives. The police have added a preparation for a murder charge against the suspect, after determining that he had prepared to murder another woman, a former work colleague, before venting out his anger on the two victims. The woman, a Vietnamese national in her 20s, had reported him to the police for stalking on May 3. Jang is suspected to have searched for the woman, who had already left the area after filing

May 14, 2026By Yonhap
Police release identity of murder suspect in fatal stabbing of student
Defense

S. Korea, US agree to deepen cooperation on 'shared security goals' at defense talks

South Korea and the United States have agreed to deepen cooperation to achieve "shared security goals," the defense ministry said Thursday, amid the allies' apparent different views over the timeline of Seoul retaking wartime command from Washington. Both sides reached the understanding following the two-day Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Washington on Wednesday (U.S. time), according to the ministry. The meeting came as the allies appear to show different perspectives over when South Korea will retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S., a key defense goal under the Lee Jae Myung administration. At the meeting, the allies assessed the overall defense cooperation and exchanged views on ways to enhance a combined defense posture, according to a joint statement released by the Pentagon. Assessing the KIDD as laying a foundation for "practical cooperation" to solidify the decadeslong alliance, both sides "looked forward to further deepening cooperation to achieve shared security goals on the Korean Peninsula and across the Indo-Pacific region," it noted. The t

May 14, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korea, US agree to deepen cooperation on 'shared security goals' at defense talks
Politics

Candidate registration opens for June 3 local elections

Candidate registration opened Thursday for the upcoming local elections and parliamentary by-elections, widely seen as a key test of public sentiment toward President Lee Jae Myung's first year in office. According to the National Election Commission (NEC), prospective candidates can register between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Official campaigning will begin next Thursday and last 13 days until the eve of the June 3 elections, with only limited forms of electioneering permitted before the official campaign period begins. Up for grabs in the local elections are mayor and governor seats in 16 metropolitan cities and provinces, along with superintendents of education and chiefs of smaller administrative units. Among the most closely followed races are the mayoral contests in Seoul and the traditional conservative strongholds of Daegu and Busan. In Seoul, incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) will face candidate Chong Won-o of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), while in Busan, Park Heong-joon, the incumbent mayor of Busan seeking a

May 14, 2026By Yonhap
Candidate registration opens for June 3 local elections
previous page
8283848586
next page

Most Read in South Korea