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

Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will give businesses greater certainty to make long-term investment decisions amid a volatile external environment, the city’s finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the plan’s targets and timelines would allow companies to see the city’s direction over the next five years and better align their plans with the government’s. “The significance of planning lies not only in the document itself, but also in looking at today from the...

It might be useful to sort AI answers into an ‘answer typography’ of four broad types: factual, interpretive, constructive, and strategic

BANGA, South Cotabato — The 16-year-old student who allegedly went on a shooting rampage at Banga National High School on Friday had planned the attack as early as August and had warned some classmates hours before carrying it out, according to Mayor Albert Palencia. Palencia said Saturday that police investigators had briefed him on the

MANILA, Philippines — “We were just used to focusing on the academic performance of the children.” With this candid observation, Education Secretary Sonny Angara has proposed the creation of an interagency task force to assess gaps in school security and address mental health concerns among students, following the latest shooting at a public high school

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has temporarily suspended its electronic support system (LESS) after a data breach, as the agency works to determine what information may have been compromised. In a statement Saturday, the LTFRB said the breach affected the data environment of LESS, its digital platform and internal

MANILA, Philippines — The unauthorized encroachment of land and lakeshore areas on the Taguig side of Laguna de Bay span 170 hectares including areas still underwater, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Saturday, citing updated data from the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA). In a statement, he said the 170 hectares are covered by at least

MANILA, Philippines — A lawyer for the prosecution said on Friday his statements during media interviews were not meant to influence the Senate Impeachment Court toward convicting Vice President Sara Duterte, adding it would be good to hear the entire clip of his remarks to provide context. Counsel Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said the Senate Impeachment

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is investigating whether cargo aboard MV June Aster was misdeclared and may have contributed to the fire that killed 77 people off Coron, Palawan. PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said investigators would compare the vessel’s cargo with the manifest submitted by its captain as they look into

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Saturday said it was set to release another round of financial assistance for affected drivers amid oil price hikes through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. This comes as the proposed fare adjustment for public utility

Apple recently unveiled the iPhone Duo, a brand-new product that bridges the look and feel of an iPhone and an iPad.

From legacy brands to emerging talents, designers brought joy back to dressing with sartorial twists on the New York Fashion Week catwalks.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management has released a P27.4-billion budget to the Department of Health to strengthen health care services for indigent and financially incapacitated patients under the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program. Of the total budget, P19.145 billion will be allocated to DOH Centers for

LOS ANGELES — I was visiting my father’s grave on his death anniversary at a cemetery for dead soldiers in this city last Sept. 13 when I learned that my old boss and mentor Eugenia Duran Apostol, founder of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), had died in the Philippines at age 100. Suddenly, I realized

Constitutional provisions must never be fragmented and parsed into isolated words and phrases, each assigned a standalone meaning detached from the whole

MANIL, Philippines — Along CP Garcia Avenue at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City, a 1.4-hectare property is reserved for a museum meant to keep alive the stories of Filipinos who suffered human rights violations under the regime of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Eight years after plans were formalized, however,

SAN MARCELINO, Zambales — For the first time in what seemed like a very long while, the sky above this remote community was finally bright. On Sept. 13, there was no steady curtain of rain, no dark clouds threatening another downpour and no river swollen by another night of heavy rains. Under the morning sun,

Sept. 21, 2022 The National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed a historical marker at Basay, Negros Oriental, to commemorate “Ang Pagdaong ng USS Crevalle.” On May 11, 1944, the USS Crevalle, a submarine of the US Navy that reached various parts of the Philippines and confronted Japanese naval forces, arrived on the shores of

The quintet of Bien Zoleta, Princess Catindig, Hilary Paas, Shyryn Salazar, and Christy Sañosa make history as the Philippines secures its first-ever podium finish in Asian Games soft tennis

It is a shared dream, a shared sense of purpose, and a shared mission to build the Kingdom of Heaven that is just and equitable.

What begins as an adventure into one of the Philippines’ largest cave systems becomes a firsthand journey through fear, discovery, and wildlife — and a reminder that Samar’s underground landscapes are worth exploring and protecting

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said on Sunday that he would remain in Kajang Prison as he and his legal team study the conditions attached to his “conditional pardon”, including the payment of a 50 million ringgit (US$12.3 million) fine before he can be transferred to house arrest. In a statement issued on his behalf by Messrs Shafee & Co, Najib said his transfer to house arrest depended on the conditions of the pardon being fulfilled. “Until the fine is paid to the court, our...