Korea Times

Rumors surrounding actor Yoo Ah-in's return to the entertainment industry have reignited public debate, with earlier speculation about his casting in the upcoming film "Vampire" drawing renewed attention. On Tuesday, a representative from United Artists Agency (UAA) told Xports News that the agency's contract with Yoo had ended. Yoo had been with the agency since 2014, and news of his departure gained further attention amid speculation that he could sign with Galaxy Corporation. Galaxy Corporati

Josh Safdie, the director of the sports comedy movie “Marty Supreme,” expressed deep admiration for actor Timothee Chalamet, highlighting the unique combination of traits that made him perfect for the lead role. Speaking at an online press conference, Thursday, the filmmaker praised the actor for bringing a rare balance of power and innocence to the character. “One of the things that drew me to Timmy was his intensity, but his intensity was softened by a certain sort of eternal youth and a boyis

“Gravity.” When a science teacher at a high school in Gyeonggi Province was beginning to explain the concept, a few students giggled. Only after class ended did the teacher discover why. In some far-right online communities, the Korean word for gravity, "jungryeok," has been appropriated as coded slang mocking the 2009 death of liberal former President Roh Moo-hyun, who died as a result of a fall from a cliff. The expression has since spread beyond those communities, with some students using it

Last month's deadly explosion at a Hanwha Aerospace facility in Daejeon appears to have occurred while cleaning a washing machine that may have contained explosive waste residue, police officials said Thursday. The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency unveiled its initial assessment in a press briefing, citing a statement from a worker who was cleaning a tank within the washing machine at the time of the explosion on June 1 that left five workers killed and two others injured in the city located s

The Korean Cultural Center in Austria said it will present a three-day Korean culture festival at the Danube Island Festival, one of Europe's largest free open-air music festivals, from Friday through Sunday. This year's edition of Inspire Me Korea, now in its fifth year, is built around a stage called "Next K-Pop," produced with CJ Cultural Foundation, featuring Korean indie, hip-hop and electronic acts alongside mainstream K-pop. The center said the lineup reflects a broader range of Korean po

As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha revealed Russia's proposal of exchanging thousands of Ukrainian civilians in Moscow's custody for the North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) held in Ukraine, Seoul is being pushed to offer increased support to ensure that the POWs will be transferred to South Korea. On Monday, Sybiha met with officials from a South Korean think tank, revealing that Kyiv has been asked to trade captured North Korean POWs for Ukrainian citizens held in Russia. He visited S

BYD Korea is expected to pivot its strategic focus toward plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to offset its exclusion from the government’s electric vehicle (EV) subsidy program. The Chinese EV maker recently rose to the fourth spot in the nation’s imported car sales, behind Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but the momentum has hit an unexpected snag, as its all-electric models became ineligible for subsidies starting Wednesday. However, the carmaker is widely forecast to counter the disadvant

BTS member V asked fans to stop visiting the hotels where the group is staying during its "ARIRANG" world tour, saying the crowding compromises his privacy and disrupts his performances. V made the request Wednesday on Weverse, an online fan platform, thanking fans for welcoming him but urging them to avoid private lodgings. He said having the freedom to walk around, dine at local restaurants and enjoy the tour is precious to him. The singer also shared a screenshot of his sleep tracker showing

President Lee Jae Myung instructed the government Thursday to prepare thorough measures to prevent possible damage from heavy rains. Lee gave the order during a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae ahead of the start of the annual monsoon season this month. "Rainy season in July is unusual and could lead to extreme heavy rains like a monster," he said. "Thorough readiness is needed. What is really important on top of the efforts of the central government is the role of the local govern

Seoul shares plunged Thursday, with the benchmark KOSPI falling below the 8,000 mark for the first time in about 15 trading sessions, as chip heavyweights tumbled on growing concerns over weakening demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. According to the Korea Exchange, KOSPI closed at 7,648.09, down 7.89 percent from the previous session. The index opened at 7,933.10, marking the first time in about 15 trading sessions that it had fallen below 8,000 during intraday trading. At a

Korea’s economy is maintaining its growth momentum despite conflict in the Middle East, supported by a recovery in consumption and strong semiconductor exports, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said Thursday. But it also warned that the country’s medium- to long-term growth trajectory is likely to weaken due to persistently low fertility rates and a rapidly aging population. In its latest OECD Economic Surveys: Korea 2026 report, the Paris-based organization said

Birthright citizenship

POSCO Group on Thursday said that it will expand its core businesses into lithium production and renewable energy as it seeks to reposition itself as a leading supplier of Korea's key industrial resources. Chairman Chang In-hwa hosted “CEO Investor Day," where he shared the group's new “triple core” business portfolio. It frames steel as an industrial resource; lithium, anode, cathode and rare earth minerals as strategic resources; and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy as energy r

Leading technology companies and institutions showcased their latest quantum technology developments at Quantum Korea 2026, which opened on Thursday, as the government seeks to position Korea as a global leader in quantum technology through various policy initiatives. Hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT since 2023, Quantum Korea will run through Saturday. This year’s edition focuses on how quantum technologies are being implemented and used in actual settings. A total of 56 companies and r

The Marine Corps said Thursday it staged regular live-fire drills on islands near the tensely guarded inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea. The exercise, involving K9 propelled howitzers and Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems, took place on the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border. The drills, which are defensive in nature, are part of routine exercises held in waters south of the NLL, the Marine Corps said in a rele

Two headlines in June should shape Korea’s artificial intelligence (AI) debate. The first was a victory lap. SK hynix overtook Samsung Electronics by common-share market capitalization for a day, powered by high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI systems. Samsung has a fair caveat: If preferred shares are included, it remains larger. But the market signal was clear. AI has turned memory from a cyclical commodity into critical infrastructure. The second headline was less comfortable. Korean

Korea's growing dependence on semiconductor exports may make the country more vulnerable to external shocks and cyclical volatility, despite serving as a major "growth driver," the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Thursday. The Paris-based organization made the assessment in a report titled "OECD Economic Surveys: Korea 2026," which came around a month after it raised Korea's economic growth outlook for this year to 2.6 percent from 1.7 percent three months earli

K-pop girl group aespa will release its first Japanese EP, "Kiss N Tell," on July 24, the group's agency SM Entertainment said Thursday. The six-track album will include the title track of the same name, along with five other original Japanese songs. Ahead of the release, the quartet is set to hold a three-day meet-and-greet session for its Japanese fans from July 18 to 20 at Tokyo's Keio Arena. Aespa's second full-length album, "Lemonade," released on May 29, has sold more than 1 million copies

Korea's finance minister on Thursday hosted the inaugural meeting of a steering committee tasked with reviewing the viability of potential projects in the United States under Seoul's $350 billion investment pledge. Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol hosted the steering committee meeting with the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corp. (KUIC), which will be responsible for decision-making and fund management, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Korea has been making preparations to implem

The K-Medical Tourism Roundtable 2026 convened Thursday, bringing together government officials and industry leaders to discuss shifting Korea's medical tourism strategy toward a more sustainable and competitive ecosystem. Co-hosted by the Korea Medical Tourism Promotion Association (KMTPA) and the Tourism Sciences Society of Korea, the forum topics ranged from Seoul's medical strengths to the structural challenges threatening the industry's long-term growth. “Korea's medical credibility and com