MANILA, Philippines – Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Thursday reminded his fellow senator-judges to refrain from threatening witnesses with the use of their contempt powers or making insulting remarks against them. In recent days, some senator-judges, including Escudero himself, have expressed displeasure with defense witnesses who softened their testimonies or could

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is stepping up security operations nationwide ahead of an expected influx of travelers during the extended holiday break, which coincides with the country’s hosting of the 49th Asean Summit. PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. instructed all police regional offices to increase police visibility in anticipation

MANILA, Philippines — The prosecution has raised concerns over Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged dollar accounts after her defense team dropped a Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) official from its witness list before the Senate Impeachment Court. Defense team spokesperson Michael Poa said the testimony of BPI senior vice president and lawyer Paul Roderick

Despite the Philippines spending hundreds of billions of pesos annually on social assistance programs, poverty, environmental degradation, watershed decline, biodiversity loss, flooding and climate vulnerability persist. At the same time, decades of reforestation efforts have produced mixed results because success has frequently been measured by the number of hectares planted rather than the number of

Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. Spicy instant noodles may offer a temporary sense of stress relief, but the fiery kick that makes it appealing can also trigger heartburn, abdominal pain and other digestive discomfort, particularly for people with sensitive stomachs. Capsaicin, the compound responsible for the burning sensation in chili peppers, stimulates pain receptors and can prompt the release of endorphins, chemicals involved in the body's response to pain. While this reaction may help explain why some people feel better after eating spicy food, the sensation of relief does not necessarily mean the food is beneficial to their health. The potential health effects have drawn renewed attention following a Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) report examining 12 popular instant noodle products sold in Korea. Why spicy food can upset your stomach Capsaicin activates receptors that detect heat and pain, producing the burning sensation associated with spicy food. The body responds to this stimulation through a series of physiological reactions, including sweating and changes in pain perc

The original manuscripts of “Chorus of Pigeons,” a beloved 1970s family comic by the late cartoonist Lee Sang-moo, have been designated as preliminary cultural heritage, the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency said Thursday. Finalized by the Korea Heritage Service earlier this week, the designation encompasses 601 hand-drawn manuscript pages and scripts for a television adaptation, all housed at the agency. The state category protects artifacts under 50 years old that are too recent for formal cultural heritage registration yet deemed vital to preserve. Serialized in the children’s magazine "Sonyeon Joongang" from April 1978 to June 1979, the story resonated widely with readers for its portrayal of an ordinary family holding onto hope amid poverty and hardship. Even in an era when comics were largely dismissed as lowbrow entertainment, the series earned rare official acclaim. It won an excellence award from a national ethics committee for books and magazines in 1980 and was named a recommended book by the Ministry of Culture and Public Information the following year. In 1988, broadcaster

The 2026 Today’s Tradition Festival opened Thursday at Culture Station Seoul 284, a cultural complex housed in the historic former Seoul Station building in central Seoul, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. Co-hosted with the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, the four-day event runs through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with last admission at 5:30 p.m. Now in its fourth year, the festival aims to integrate Korean heritage into contemporary lifestyles and modern consumer tastes. This year’s theme, “Bokjak Bokjak, Today’s Tradition,” plays on a Korean expression evoking a lively, bustling crowd while hinting at making and sharing “bok,” or good fortune. At the heart of the event is a pop-up market featuring 104 brands — including 39 traditional culture startups — selling home goods, fashion, food, beverages and handicrafts. Highlights include rugs woven with reimagined traditional motifs, color-changing glassware inspired by celadon and white porcelain, and hanbok, Korea’s traditional attire, redesigned for everyday wear. An adjacent exhibition sho

Seoul is preparing for an unusually wide-ranging cinematic journey through Europe, with films from a record 23 countries set to take over Seoul Museum of History for this year's European Film Festival. The 12th edition of the festival, organized by Seoul Museum of History in partnership with EUNIC Korea and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Korea, will run from Nov. 20 to Dec. 6, with 23 films screened free of charge. This year's theme, "Memories of Past, Visions of Future," explores history, identity, migration, generations, gender and human rights through stories from across Europe. The participating countries include Poland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Britain, Germany, France, Hungary, Ireland and 14 others, marking the largest international lineup in the festival's history. Screenings will take place at Yajugae Hall inside the museum on nine Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with evening sessions added to make the program more accessible to workers and students. The festival opens Nov. 20 with "VIKA!," a 2024 Polish documentary directed by Agnieszka Zwiefka about an 84-

A bowl of steamed rice, an everyday staple in Korea, could become an unexpected draw for international tourists as Seoul looks to turn its traditional food culture into a new form of culinary tourism. The Seoul Metropolitan Government held a K-Rice Pairing Experience on Wednesday at Seoul Herbal Medicine Center, inviting 12 international students from Korea University to explore the flavors, aromas and textures of Korean rice. The event was part of the city's efforts to develop tourism experiences rooted in local culture and everyday life, moving beyond conventional sightseeing destinations. Participants sampled three Korean rice varieties — Samgwang from Chungcheong Province, Sindongjin from North Jeolla Province and Golden Queen No. 3 from Gyeonggi Province — comparing their textures, aromas and levels of stickiness. They also paired the rice with salted pollock roe, roasted seaweed and kimchi before sampling three traditional alcoholic beverages made from rice. The experience began with participants opening rice cookers to appreciate the aroma of freshly cooked rice, alongside intr

Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. As Korea's annual kimchi-making season approaches, one traditional food pairing is drawing renewed attention for its potential health benefits: freshly made kimchi served with steaming slices of boiled pork. Known as "suyuk," the tender boiled pork has long been a staple at the end of "kimjang," the traditional Korean practice of preparing large quantities of kimchi for the winter. In the past, families and neighbors would gather to salt napa cabbage, prepare seasonings and pack kimchi into containers. The labor-intensive process often ended with a shared meal of freshly made kimchi and boiled pork, offering a welcome reward after hours of physical work. But the pairing may offer more than comfort and flavor. Pork provides nutrients involved in energy metabolism, while cabbage and kimchi seasonings contribute fiber and antioxidants. A fading winter tradition Despite its cultural significance, kimjang is becoming less common in Korean households. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, 58.6 percent of households surveyed this year said th

Gimbap, long considered an affordable meal in Korea, has seen the steepest price increase among popular dining options in Seoul this year, with the average price of a roll approaching 4,000 won ($2.80), up more than 5 percent from the end of last year. According to data released Wednesday by the Korea Consumer Agency's price information portal, Champrice, the average price of a roll of gimbap in Seoul reached 3,923 won in September, up 5.4 percent from 3,723 won in December last year. This was the largest increase among eight popular dining options tracked in Seoul: naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables), kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce), samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), kalguksu (hand-cut noodles) and gimbap. At many gimbap chains, even a basic roll already costs more than 4,000 won. Prices vary by location, but a roll typically costs more than 5,000 won at well-known franchises like Gimgane and more than 4,000 won at Kobongmin and Teacher Kim. Bibimbap recorded the second-larg

Korea has crossed a milestone that once seemed distant, welcoming more than 20 million foreign tourists in a single year for the first time as the global popularity of Korean culture fuels demand for travel to the country. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that international arrivals surpassed the 20 million mark on Thursday, just 14 years after Korea first recorded 10 million annual visitors in 2012. The achievement marks a new high for the country's tourism industry, with arrivals expected to continue setting records through the end of the year. The surge has also translated into higher spending and more visitors entering through regional gateways, extending tourism's economic benefits beyond the capital. Foreign tourists spent 15.9 trillion won on tourism-related activities through September, up 47.7 percent from the same period last year, according to the ministry. Arrivals through airports outside the Seoul metropolitan area reached 3.24 million, up 37.4 percent, while arrivals through regional seaports totaled 1.58 million, an increase of 14.5 percent. The ministr

Seoul’s museums, historic sites and cultural venues are drawing more visitors after dark, with attendance more than doubling since the city expanded evening opening hours for many popular spots in September. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that six major cultural attractions recorded approximately 1.198 million visitors from Sept. 15 to Oct. 31, up 110 percent from 569,000 from Aug. 1 to Sept. 14. The increase followed an expansion of evening hours that allows select venues to remain open until 9 p.m. five days a week, giving residents and tourists more opportunities to explore the city after work. More than 85,000 people visited the six venues between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the initial period, according to the city. The participating attractions are Seoul Museum of History, Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Seoul Baekje Museum, Unhyeon Palace, Namsangol Hanok Village and the Story of Sejong and Story of Admiral Yi Sunshin exhibition halls at Gwanghwamun. On Wednesday evening, Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Unhyeon Palace and Sejong Center for the Perform

SINGAPORE — For 11 days next January, art in Singapore will spill out of its museums and galleries. It will light up the facade of a skyscraper in the financial district, fill the historic Padang green, ride a bus through residential neighborhoods and greet commuters at 10 subway stations. That citywide takeover sits at the heart of Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2027, which will mark its 15th edition from Jan. 21 to 31. With Singapore expected to take on the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a year that also marks the bloc’s 60th anniversary, this edition will put Southeast Asian art and its creative ties across the region front and center. SAW is organized by the National Arts Council (NAC), a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth that champions the arts in Singapore, with support from the Singapore Tourism Board. Launched in 2013 with just over 50 events, the annual season has since grown into the country’s most prominent visual arts event, now spanning more than 100 programs across museums, galleries, independent art

Korea's push to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) of its military is not just an attempt to reclaim military sovereignty, but a necessary response to a fundamental shift in the United States' foreign and security policy, according to Moon Chung-in, a former presidential special adviser. In an interview with The Korea Times on Tuesday, Moon, currently a professor emeritus at Yonsei University, argued that President Lee Jae Myung's pursuit of OPCON transfer comes in line with Washington's growing expectation that Seoul assume primary responsibility for its own defense, rather than the self-reliant defense agenda set by former President Roh Moo-hyun. "The U.S. is changing, but we are still clinging to the old America. The old America is gone," Moon said. He pointed to U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated demands that Korea shoulder a greater share of its defense burden. Under such an arrangement, Korean forces would take the lead in conventional defense against North Korea, while U.S. forces would provide complementary capabilities in areas where Seoul remains relatively weak, i

President Lee Jae Myung called for unity between the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as he held a dinner meeting with DPK leader Kim Min-seok and floor leader Han Byung-do on Wednesday, his office said. During the dinner at Cheong Wa Dae, Kim asked the government for bold and swift measures to overcome polarization and boost consumption, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing. In response, Lee stressed the need for the party and the government to "move as one" in order for the people's lives to improve, and asked that the party and the National Assembly extend their active support to get the government's 2027 budget proposal passed, Kang said. Lee also asked his chief of staff, Lim Kwang-hyun, and senior political affairs secretary, Choi In-ho, to closely communicate with the National Assembly at all times. Lim and Choi were among the dinner participants. Though there had been speculation Lee and the party leaders could discuss controversial issues, such as real estate taxes and a special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments,

Korea will accept its final round of applications this year for foreign worker visas starting Nov. 23, offering 6,699 new permits to help businesses ease persistent labor shortages while introducing incentives for employers who complete human rights and labor law training, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Thursday. The five-day application window, running through Nov. 27, covers nonprofessional employment visas, known as E-9, across five major sectors. Manufacturing accounts for the lion’s share of the quota with 4,510 slots, followed by agriculture and livestock with 954, fisheries with 897, construction with 198 and services with 140. Should employer demand exceed sector caps, officials said they will tap into a flexible reserve pool of 10,000 additional permits. The announcement underscores Korea’s growing reliance on overseas labor to sustain its export-driven factories, farms and fishing fleets amid one of the world’s fastest-aging populations and lowest birthrates. Over the past several years, the government has steadily expanded its Employment Permit System, which

Researchers in Korea have developed an ultrathin optical lens system that keeps digital images bright and legible even in direct sunlight, overcoming one of the main engineering hurdles preventing augmented reality glasses from looking and feeling like ordinary eyewear. The joint team from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Samsung Research built a prototype featuring a 1.5-millimeter-thick waveguide—the transparent channel that guides light from a tiny projector into the wearer’s eye—using engineered nanostructures called metasurfaces. The findings were published Thursday in the journal Nature, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. For years, technology giants from Meta and Apple to Google and Samsung have raced to build lightweight smart glasses capable of overlaying turn-by-turn directions, translations and messages onto the real world. However, engineers have struggled with a stubborn trade-off: widening the viewing zone so a user can glance around without losing the image typically causes light to scatter and leak out of the lens, leaving displ

President Lee Jae Myung's disapproval rating rose to 47 percent this week, surpassing his approval rating, a survey showed Thursday. In a survey of 1,001 adults nationwide conducted Monday through Wednesday, positive assessments of Lee's job performance fell 2 percentage points to 44 percent from two weeks earlier, according to the National Barometer Survey (NBS). Negative assessments rose 3 percentage points to 47 percent. Lee's disapproval rating had remained higher than his approval rating for several weeks before the trend reversed in the previous poll. The survey also showed that 51 percent of respondents said Lee should scale back his use of social media to directly communicate with the public on his policy direction, citing concerns that remarks made "without sufficient deliberation" could cause confusion. Another 42 percent supported his use of social media for communication. Support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea fell 1 percentage point to 35 percent, while that of the main opposition People Power Party remained unchanged at 25 percent. The poll has a margin of error of p

Korea has much to gain from supporting refugees, including making a safer and more stable international environment, according to the United Nations' refugee agency representative in Afghanistan. During an interview with The Korea Times during his visit to Seoul, Tuesday, Arafat Jamal, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) representative in Afghanistan, said supporting countries such as Afghanistan is not simply an act of charity, but an investment in a more stable world. "Korea is a responsible member of the international community. And helping a country like Afghanistan is for global public good. I think that we can only gain if countries are more open and more willing to build international solidarity and to look beyond themselves," he said. Jamal expressed deep gratitude to the Korean government and people for their continued support, urging them "to continue to build solidarity with the world." Afghanistan's strategic location, bordering seven countries including China, Pakistan and Iran, makes its stability a matter of wider international concern, the U.N. official said. A

A police complaint was filed Thursday accusing ruling party Rep. Choi Min-hee of defamation for referring to journalists as "a pack of hyenas." The complaint against Choi of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency a week after the lawmaker made the comment in a KakaoTalk group chat while referring to an image of photo and video journalists covering a general meeting of DPK lawmakers. She also described the journalists as "doing everything to take videos that sow discord." The complainant, Lee Jong-bae, a former Seoul city councilmember affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party, said Choi's comments revealed her perception of the press and exposed a double standard that chants democracy but scorns journalists that cause discomfort. Choi held a press conference at the National Assembly on Wednesday and apologized for her remarks.

A research institute affiliated with Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) hosted policy dialogues in Singapore and Malaysia last week to strengthen cooperation between Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The university said Wednesday that the HUFS Institute for International Strategy (HIIS) organized the dialogues in collaboration with leading overseas universities and policy research institutions ahead of its official launch. The events brought together diplomatic, security and economic experts from Korea and ASEAN member states as part of the International Eminent Persons’ Track 1.5 Dialogue on Foreign Policy Strategy, an initiative led by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants explored strategic responses to the rapidly changing international order and discussed ways to deepen Korea-ASEAN ties. The Singapore Policy Dialogue was held Nov. 2 at Hotel Waterloo Singapore under the theme “Rethinking Foreign Policy Strategies in a Changing International Order: Perspectives from South Korea and ASEAN.” The event drew faculty members of the S

A joint research team from Kookmin University, Sungkyunkwan University and Hanyang University has developed highly efficient perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) without the need for a separate post-synthetic ligand-exchange process. The findings were published in Advanced Functional Materials, an international journal in the field of materials science, under the title “Direct Integration of Conductive, Emissive Perovskite Nanocrystals into Efficient Light-Emitting Diodes Without Post-Synthetic Ligand Exchange.” The team was led by Kim Young-hoon, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Kookmin University; Lee Bo-ram, a professor in the Department of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University; and Lee Tae-kyung, a professor in the Department of Organic and Nano Engineering at Hanyang University. The three professors served as co-corresponding authors of the collaborative study. Lee Yu-bin, who has completed her master’s coursework at Kookmin University, also participated as a co-first author alongside Kim Ji-geon, a researcher at the university,

“Take a few. I can come back again.” “Oh, thank you, sis. Bless you.” At 1 p.m. on Wednesday, middle-aged women gathered outside Hanyangsa, a scarf shop at Namdaemun Market in central Seoul, were sharing scarves with one another. The shop had already closed for the day, but women who had purchased scarves earlier were handing them to those leaving empty-handed. Some visitors had traveled by train from cities such as Daegu and Daejeon. Namdaemun Market has been swept up in the craze for the “Scarf Man.” A merchant identified only as A, who sells scarves at the market, has become an online sensation for his witty banter on social media, drawing huge crowds eager to see him in person. At 1 p.m. that day, the real-time population indicator for the Namdaemun Market area stood at approximately 25,000, classified as severely crowded. When A emerged from his shop after closing, a barrage of smartphone camera flashes greeted him. He made his way through the crowd with help from privately hired security guards. His appeal lies in his down-to-earth personality and gruff, humorous way of

Seoul will spend 19.2 billion won ($14.2 million) through 2031 to restore forests on Mount Nam and build new attractions there, including a 360-degree observatory at the summit, the city government said Thursday. Located in central Seoul, Mount Nam is one of the capital city’s best-known landmarks. The city formally announced an urban regeneration plan for Mount Nam and nearby areas, including the Myeong-dong shopping district and Yejang Park, on Thursday. The plan covers about 3.11 million square meters and has 15 projects in four areas. Eight of them are early-stage projects meant to spur further development with the allotted funding. A key part of the plan is a gondola that will run about 832 meters from Yejang Park, near Myeongdong Station, to the summit. It is designed to carry more than 1,600 passengers an hour, over three times as many as the existing cable car. The city said the gondola will make the summit easier to reach for wheelchair users and others with limited mobility. Its operating profits will go toward restoring the mountain’s ecosystem. Construction of the gondola

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that Korea's capital market remains undervalued, calling for measures to boost its global competitiveness and attract long-term investments. The president made the remarks at a meeting with his key aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, as Korea's stock market has experienced significant volatility in recent months. After reaching an all-time closing high of 9,114.55 points in late June, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 5,342.73 points on Thursday, leaving many investors on edge. The president said the country's capital market has been significantly affected by recent external uncertainties. Given the country's economic fundamentals and corporate competitiveness, Korea's capital market "is an attractive investment destination that still remains undervalued," Lee told the meeting. He said government efforts should be focused on creating an environment in which the capital market receives its fair valuation, allowing its sound development to translate into increased household wealth and improved livelihoods for the public. The

Investigators raided the National Election Commission (NEC) on Thursday over suspicions the election watchdog falsified an official document to exaggerate the security of its computer servers, a special counsel team said. Twenty-five personnel, including two prosecutors, were sent to the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, and two contractors to execute a search and seizure warrant on related charges, according to the team led by independent counsel Lee Tae-han. The allegation dates back to 2023, when a joint security check involving the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) found the NEC had exaggerated the results of its own security inspection amid concerns over the vulnerability of its computer servers to cyberattacks. The NEC had reported a perfect score of 100 the previous year, but a reassessment by the NIS and KISA produced a score of only 31.5. The search was the latest in a series of raids launched by the special counsel team in recent weeks as it seeks to get to the bottom of various suspicions surrounding the NEC, m

The defense ministry said Thursday that a proposed revision to its original plan to merge the Army, Air Force and Navy academies into a unified institution is part of a process to increase public acceptance of the plan and its "completeness." The ministry recently briefed the National Assembly on the revised plan that calls for creating a joint military academy in the central city of Daejeon while retaining the academies of the Navy and Air Force in the southern county of Jinhae and the central city of Cheongju, respectively, and relocating the Army academy to the central Chungcheong region. It initially sought to consolidate the three academies into a unified school to strengthen inter-service cooperation and improve the efficiency of cadet education — a plan that drew opposition from academy alumni, opposition lawmakers, and residents of Jinhae and Cheongju. "(The revision) is part of a process to increase public acceptance of the policy and its completeness," Chung Binna, the ministry's spokesperson, said during a press briefing. "We will explain the revised plan once it is finalize

South Korea's key anti-piracy unit will come under an on-scene commander's tactical control during a multinational security mission under a motion to expand its operational scope, but such authority will be exercised in a "very restricted" manner, Seoul officials said Thursday. The defense ministry submitted to the National Assembly this week a revised motion to expand the operational scope of the Cheonghae Unit from the current zone in waters off the Somali coast to south of Oman in the Arabian Sea, about 650 kilometers away from the Strait of Hormuz. The motion stipulates that the unit will be placed under the "tactical control" of an on-scene commander when it engages in multinational maritime security missions, led by the U.S.-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) or the European Union. Tactical control refers to limited authority exercised for the application of military force or tactical use of combat support assets within the assigned mission or task. "(A local commander's tactical control) is a very restricted authority that can be exercised temporarily in specific regions," ministr

A foreign correspondents' club based in Seoul on Thursday expressed deep concern over Russia's detention of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage, stressing that legitimate journalistic activities must be respected. Last month, Russia's Federal Security Service said it had detained a Japanese journalist working for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper in the far eastern Sakhalin region on suspicion of espionage. "Gathering information in the public interest is fundamental to journalism. Legitimate newsgathering and reporting activities must be respected, and any action that threatens a journalist's personal safety on such grounds cannot be justified," the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC) board said in a statement posted on its website. It also called on Russian authorities to "ensure the physical safety and legal rights of the detained journalist and clearly state the reasons for the detention." The journalist was later transferred to Moscow, where a court ordered him held in pretrial detention, according to foreign media reports.