In the bustling administrative offices of Gangnam District, the sleek area of southern Seoul famous for its glamour and wealth, public service counters are undergoing a futuristic transformation. Where transparent acrylic panels once merely served as physical barriers between residents and city officials, new artificial intelligence-powered displays are now translating spoken words with real-time subtitles across 130 languages. The Gangnam District Office said that it has deployed a state-of-the-art "Real-Time Transparent OLED Communication Window" as part of its drive to eliminate communication hurdles for foreign nationals and hearing-impaired residents. Developed in collaboration with private tech partners through an open innovation initiative, the system merges transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens with advanced speech-to-text and machine translation engines. For Gangnam's international and hearing-impaired residents, the technology eliminates the tedious routine of writing notes back and forth or waiting for on-call interpreters. The interface is relatively seamles

Understated beauty is in. Following the rise of “quiet luxury” and “old money” style in the 2020s, “elegant minimalism” is emerging as a key fashion trend for the fall-winter season this year. According to the fashion industry, elegant minimalism is dominating the market, with brands emphasizing their identity through high-quality materials, precise tailoring and subdued colors rather than flashy embellishments or prominent logos. When minimalism was at its peak in the 1990s, black and white were the norm. This season, however, industry insiders expect neutral colors such as beige, brown and gray to take center stage. Silhouettes, too, are shifting. While slimness was the priority in the past, today’s designs are moving toward softer, more three-dimensional silhouettes. The emphasis is on fluidity that gently follows the contours of the body. The texture of fabrics is also expected to stand out this season. “The density and feel of a fabric are the foundation of elegant minimalism,” an official from the Samsung Fashion Research Institute said. “Lightweight materials

Sungkyunkwan University’s Biomedical Institute for Convergence hosted a special seminar featuring Craig C. Mello, a 2006 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, on Sept. 10. In his lecture, titled “RNAi: A Molecular Spark in an Information Inferno,” Mello recounted the discovery of RNA interference and how basic research evolved into therapies that can save patients’ lives. Addressing students and young researchers in particular, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of embracing challenges without fear of failure. A university official quoted Mello as saying, “Great discoveries do not come from finding predetermined answers, but from a process of constantly asking questions and going through countless failures.” Professor Mello is a world-renowned scientist who discovered RNA interference (RNAi), a “gene-silencing” mechanism that can switch off the activity of specific genes inside cells. Genes serve as blueprints for our bodies, and his discovery that specific genetic instructions could be selective

The number of Vietnamese nationals holding Korea's E-7-1 professional visa has nearly doubled over the past four years, data showed Sunday. As of August, 3,572 Vietnamese nationals held the visa, up 1.84 times from 1,938 in 2022, according to the data submitted to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea by the justice ministry. The E-7-1 visa is granted to foreign nationals working in government-designated professional fields such as information technology and robotics. Indian nationals saw a similar rise, growing 1.46 times to 1,014 during the same period. Chinese nationals holding the visa, by contrast, declined to 1,566 from 2,213 in 2022. American E-7-1 holders also slipped to 1,355 from 1,471. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals dominate a separate visa category, the semi-professional E-7-2, which covers areas such as caregiving. They accounted for 80.6 percent of all 10,759 E-7-2 holders. The lawmaker called the influx of such tech talent "a positive sign," but said the country needs to improve working and living conditions for those workers to generate "bigger synergy."

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won's withdrawal from candidacy is expected to deal another setback to President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), as they are already struggling with declining public support. Kim stepped down Saturday, 20 days after his nomination, following controversy over several allegations — including that he used his influence as a lawmaker in 2021 to help a pharmaceutical company get regulatory approval for a COVID-19 clinical drug trial. He withdrew even after the National Assembly approved his nomination. While Kim’s withdrawal eased the immediate pressure on Lee over the appointment, it reinforced concerns over shortcomings in the administration’s personnel vetting system. Kim’s departure also leaves the justice ministry without leadership at a critical time, with pressing tasks piling up ahead of a major overhaul of the criminal justice system, scheduled to take place in October as part of Lee’s signature prosecution reform drive. For the ruling party, Kim’s departure highlighted its political misjudgment. DPK lawmake

Parental leave benefits paid to foreign workers in Korea doubled over the past year, data showed Sunday. The data, submitted to Rep. Park Soo-min of the People Power Party by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, showed total payments reached 36.45 billion won last year, up from 18.15 billion won the year before. The number of recipients rose more than 50 percent to 2,031 from 1,354. Through July of this year, 1,476 foreign nationals have already received 26.71 billion won in benefits. Foreign nationals made up 1.2 percent of the total recipients as of July, up from 1.1 percent last year and 1 percent two years ago. Ethnic Korean Chinese received the most support, with 1,154 recipients sharing 22.56 billion won, followed by Vietnamese with 895 recipients and 12.87 billion won. Besides the top two groups, 652 Chinese nationals claimed 11.54 billion won in benefits, 366 Americans received 5.78 billion won, 261 Japanese received 4.99 billion won and 177 Canadians claimed 3.08 billion won. Under Korean labor laws, foreign workers holding relevant visas, like E-9 or H-2 visas, can enroll in em

The assignment of expert research personnel to large conglomerates is expected to resume for the first time in 14 years, this time in the artificial intelligence (AI) field, helping prevent research career interruptions and the outflow of workers abroad. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Science and ICT to Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday, the ministry recommended LG Electronics, HD Hyundai Robotics, Samsung Medison and Samsung Electronics to be designated for hosting expert research personnel, with their nine research institutes needing 81 personnel. The expert research personnel program lets science and engineering graduates with master's or doctoral degrees work at research sites for three years instead of serving 18 to 21 months in the regular military, depending on the branch. However, new assignments to large conglomerates were suspended in 2013 to secure research and development personnel for small and medium-sized enterprises, closing off the path to military service at large conglomerate research institutes and drawing criticism f

GEOJE, South Gyeongsang Province — Wearing gloves, reporters ducked beneath a canvas cover and descended a ladder into the Seo Hui, a 3,600-ton submarine under construction at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard. At the bottom was a narrow passage, barely wide enough for two adults. Pipes and equipment remained exposed, while stickers reading “painting inspection completed” showed that work was still underway. Hanwha Ocean opened the interior of the Seo Hui, the second Jangbogo-III Batch-II submarine, to the media for the first time Tuesday. Its launch ceremony is tentatively planned for November, although the timing could change depending on the Navy’s schedule. The contract stipulates that delivery is set for December 2027. Measuring about 89 meters long, the Seo Hui is larger than the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho-class submarines of Batch-I. Its combat management and sonar systems have been upgraded to improve data processing, target detection and land attack capabilities. Its overall localization rate is about 80 percent. In the torpedo room in the bow, horizontal launch tubes were arrange

Repeated shark sightings at a waterfront park in Busan’s North Port have drawn crowds of curious visitors, prompting city authorities to step up safety measures while monitoring the sea creature’s return to open waters. A shark estimated to be at least 3 meters long was first spotted at around 8:57 a.m. on Friday in a waterway at the port’s Waterfront Park, according to city officials. Another shark sighting was reported at around 1:05 p.m. the following day. The creature was believed to be a basking shark, a species found in subtropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, including waters off the Korean Peninsula. Although the species is not known to be aggressive, city officials said it could still pose a danger if provoked or approached too closely. The Korea Coast Guard initially tried to guide the shark out of the narrow waterway. But it suspended the effort after the National Institute of Fisheries Science advised that forcing the animal away could trigger defensive or aggressive behavior. Instead of deterring visitors, the unusual sight quickly turned the park

A giant golden royal seal swayed down a red carpet to pounding music, along with two women — one dressed in a Western-style uniform from the Great Korean Empire period, the other in a green Joseon era official’s robe and sunglasses. “Where did the state seal go?” they called out as thousands of spectators cheered at the National Museum of Korea’s open plaza in Seoul on Saturday afternoon. The seal, handcrafted from a barbecue restaurant exhaust hood and a large box spray-painted gold, represented "Jegojibo," the royal seal used for imperial decrees. Looted and taken to Japan in 1911 during the colonial occupation, the seal returned home decades after Korea’s liberation. Their entrance set the tone for the final round of “Dress Like a Museum Exhibit,” the National Museum of Korea’s increasingly popular artifact cosplay contest. What began in 2024 as a small program has grown into a nationwide heritage fan event, drawing 275 teams and 643 participants this year — more than three times last year’s 83 entries. More than 2,000 people registered in advance to attend. The s

A new study finds that prenatal exposure to rare earth elements can raise the risk of low birthweight, with some substances increasing the danger by more than three times. Researchers tracked 4,891 pregnant women who gave birth at Wuhan Maternal and Child Health Hospital between 2012 and 2014. They measured the concentration of 13 rare earth elements including cerium, ytterbium, and lanthanum in urine samples collected from the mothers. After adjusting for confounding factors such as maternal...

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Sunday welcomed the Office of the Ombudsman"s probe into an alleged “ghost internet” scheme involving government IT systems, saying it is ready to provide the necessary records and data for the investigation.

A young Filipino man became the center of an unusual story after a video showed him being lifted into the air by a large drone at a port in Sablayan, Mindoro in March.

Compounding the crisis of morale and finance are questions about the next leader of the 80-year-old organization

The recent opening of a new road bridge between North Korea and Russia may look like a modest infrastructure project. In reality, the 1km stretch across the Tumen River carries implications far beyond the movement of vehicles between two border towns. For China, it is a reminder that its influence over North Korea is no longer as secure as it once appeared and that Russia may be increasingly capable of challenging Beijing’s interests on its northeastern periphery. The bridge, inaugurated on...

The recent opening of a new road bridge between North Korea and Russia may look like a modest infrastructure project. In reality, the 1km stretch across the Tumen River carries implications far beyond the movement of vehicles between two border towns. For China, it is a reminder that its influence over North Korea is no longer as secure as it once appeared and that Russia may be increasingly capable of challenging Beijing’s interests on its northeastern periphery. The bridge, inaugurated on...

Filipina wushu standout Agatha Wong delivers her Asian Games swan song, finishing 10th in the women's taijiquan and taijijian event

Hong Kong firms will benefit from expanded non-discriminatory treatment and investment guarantees in 10 Asean states after a protocol amending an investment agreement with the bloc was signed on Sunday. The protocol was signed in Manila – where Asean economic ministers are meeting – ahead of dedicated trade consultations between Hong Kong and the bloc. Undersecretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bernard Chan Pak-li signed the protocol for Hong Kong, alongside Philippine Trade Secretary...

US President Donald Trump has unveiled a new “AI Force” just days ahead of a state visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in a potential escalation of the high-stakes technology race between the rival powers. Experts said the proposed AI Force – whose exact structure remains unclear – could give Beijing a clear counterpart for AI safety talks, but warned it risked becoming an instrument of further technological containment and export controls targeting China. In a social media post on Saturday,...

HAGONOY, Bulacan — More than 300 residents marched through the streets of this municipality early Sunday to mark the first anniversary of Tindig Hagonoy, renewing their call for justice over alleged corruption in flood control projects and for concrete solutions to the town’s chronic flooding problem. The protesters also called for accountability over the alleged

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Sunday said it is planning to bolster its efforts to ensure school safety, following recent cases of fatal school shootings in different parts of the country.  According to the PNP, it is eyeing certain safety practices, including those implemented in neighboring countries, as it welcomed the

Hong Kong customs has seized about 13kg of suspected ketamine, worth an estimated HK$4.7 million (US$599,067), at the city’s airport and arrested a passenger arriving from Germany for alleged drug trafficking. According to the Customs and Excise Department, officers found the suspected ketamine in the checked luggage of a 22-year-old Japanese man who arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt on Sunday. “During customs clearance, customs officers found about 13kg of suspected ketamine inside his...

North Korea fired two missiles off its eastern coast on Sunday, its second set of tests in roughly a week and days after Pyongyang accused the US of driving tensions on the Korean peninsula through a series of military drills. Nearly three ‌hours after launching a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) towards the East Sea, or Sea of Japan, on Sunday afternoon, North Korea ‌fired a similar missile, according to South Korea’s defence ministry. If the subsequent launch is confirmed to be a ballistic...

NAGA CITY, Camarines Sur — An estimated 1.2 million devotees joined the fluvial procession for Our Lady of Peñafrancia on Saturday, according to the Incident Management Team, as the religious event ended peacefully despite a schedule adjustment prompted by the low water level of the Naga River. The procession was held in the evening for

China can learn from US immigration strategies to attract foreign talent and stay competitive in the intensifying global tech race, a Chinese public policy analyst has said. Li Mingbo, deputy dean of the Guangzhou Institute of the Greater Bay Area (GIG), said China must be more efficient in promoting its new K visas for young science and technology specialists from overseas, noting that the country lacked an immigration system tailored for hi-tech talent. “Although the US has tightened its visa...

COTABATO CITY  — Six armed men linked to the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were killed Saturday in a law enforcement operation in Barangay Balong in the Special Geographic Area  (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The Philippine National Police, backed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, launched an

In the first instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Lisa Cam and Ashlyn Chak explore how a new generation of health-conscious youth is discovering century-old leung cha and helping neighbourhood tea shop owners safeguard a dying trade. Long before modern chain pharmacies and over-the-counter painkillers were readily available in Hong Kong, there were leung cha: intensely bitter herbal “cooling teas” brewed in massive brass cauldrons in traditional...

Hong Kong’s education authorities have urged a local secondary school to review its arrangements for events after a post alleging the school banned Cantonese in graduation videos sparked outrage online. In a response to the South China Morning Post on Sunday, the government said the school had activated its crisis management team to follow up on the issue and sent an email to all teachers and students to clarify the matter. “The Education Bureau has urged the school to review the relevant event...

Carly Rae Jepsen dropped "Day and Night," a the double album is composed of two discs "Day" and "Night" with 12 songs each.

The government is exploring nuclear power options to guard against global energy shocks. One proposal is to switch on a plant in Bataan that has been mothballed for 40 years.