Cusi seeks travel permission for China, Japan

Inquirer.net - Oct 19, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Former Energy chief Alfonso Cusi on Monday asked the Sandiganbayan Third Division for permission to travel to China and Japan starting Oct. 31.  Cusi is facing a graft case over alleged involvement in facilitating the 2019 sale of a 45-percent stake Malampaya gas project which special prosecutors said has led to loss

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First lady Kim says hopes Korean adoptees will grow closer to homeland

Oct 19, 2026

First lady Kim says hopes Korean adoptees will grow closer to homeland

First lady Kim Hea Kyung on Monday expressed hope that Koreans adopted overseas would grow closer to their motherland and keep good memories of it. The first lady made the remarks in her speech at the opening ceremony of a Seoul gathering of the International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA), which brought together Korean adoptees from around the world to connect and build a community. "South Korea may be viewed differently by each of you. To some, it may be a foreign country. To others it may be a homeland long longed for," the first lady said. "It may also be a place you are visiting with many questions in search of your roots and identity." "No matter how you came, I hope that you can grow closer to the homeland and create valuable new connections on this occasion," Kim added, expressing hope that the visiting adoptees would also experience the country's autumn, cuisine and other attractions. "I wish that the vibe, allure and beauty of the motherland will stay in your memories for a long time." IKAA President Tommy Gentzel stressed that relations between Korean adoptees and South Kor

Gangnam expands medical tourism footprint from US to Southeast Asia

Oct 19, 2026

Gangnam expands medical tourism footprint from US to Southeast Asia

Long celebrated as the bustling heart of K-pop and luxury fashion, Gangnam District in southern Seoul is rapidly establishing itself as a global hub for medical tourism. Home to the world’s highest density of cosmetic procedure centers — often dubbed the "Beauty Belt" — the district is leveraging its renowned concentration of plastic surgery and dermatology clinics to expand its reach far beyond domestic borders. Following a successful outreach initiative in the United States, district officials and health care providers recently returned from Jakarta, Indonesia, having secured major business agreements and hundreds of consultations with prospective patients. During the three-day CosmoBeauty Indonesia expo held at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition early this month, Gangnam District operated a joint promotional pavilion alongside six partner medical institutions. The delegation, which included specialists in plastic surgery, dermatology, gynecology and spinal health, conducted 117 consultations with local travel agencies, medical tourism coordinators and visitors. Officials proje

Religious sect leader sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexual assault

Oct 19, 2026

Religious sect leader sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexual assault

A local district court on Monday sentenced the leader of the religious sect Jesus Morning Star (JMS) to a 33-year prison term on charges of sexually assaulting female followers. The Daejeon District Court handed down the punishment for Jeong Myeong-seok, 81, longer than the 27 years requested by the prosecution, in his latest conviction for sexual assault. Jeong had been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting or molesting 16 female members between 2018 and 2022 after making them incapable of resisting by brainwashing them into believing he was the "Messiah." "The ways and means of the crime are very malicious, and as criminal acts took place repeatedly over a long period of time using the structure of religious control and influence, a grave punishment is inevitable," the court said. The court also ordered Jeong to wear an electronic tracking device for 15 years and barred him from working at facilities for children, adolescents and disabled people for 10 years. Jeong is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence after the Supreme Court finalized a ruling in January 2025 for sexually

From robotic gloves to safer batteries, CUHK puts research to work

Oct 19, 2026

From robotic gloves to safer batteries, CUHK puts research to work

HONG KONG — From helping stroke patients perform everyday tasks to developing safer ways to store electricity, researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) are developing technologies for use beyond the laboratory. During a visit to the university on Sept. 1, a reporter tried on a robotic glove that moved the fingers with noticeable force, but without jerking them. For stroke survivors who cannot move their hands, that movement could help them do something as ordinary as holding a spoon or picking up a phone. The device uses air-powered artificial muscles developed by a team led by Raymond Tong, a professor of biomedical engineering at CUHK. Unlike conventional motor-driven rehabilitation equipment, the lightweight system uses a small pump to help patients open and close their hands. “Nowadays, you can see those exoskeletons are very rigid. They are very heavy,” Tong said, inviting the reporter to try the device. Patients can use it both for rehabilitation exercises and everyday tasks, including gripping objects, writing and eating. Tong said the system can also respond

Jeju expands job opportunities to bring overseas Korean youth into local workforce

Oct 19, 2026

Jeju expands job opportunities to bring overseas Korean youth into local workforce

As provincial communities grapple with demographic shifts and labor shortages, island authorities and national agencies are forging a new pathway to revitalization. The Overseas Koreans Agency announced a strategic partnership with Cheju Halla University to attract young ethnic Koreans from abroad, offering specialized education, professional training and long-term employment directly on the resort island. The initiative comes at a critical juncture for Jeju, which has suffered a sharp demographic turnaround after more than a decade of uninterrupted growth. Recent government data reveals a deepening net population loss driven primarily by an exodus of residents in their 20s searching for broader career and educational prospects in metropolitan Seoul. At the same time, regional economic pillars such as tourism, hospitality and health care face compounding labor deficits. The agreement, finalized earlier this month, establishes a collaborative framework designed to channel overseas Korean youth into these key sectors. Under the pact, the university will expand vocational programs tailored

S. Korea to launch solid-fuel space rocket postponed in June by year-end

Oct 19, 2026

S. Korea to launch solid-fuel space rocket postponed in June by year-end

South Korea plans to push for the launch of a solid-fuel space rocket by the end of this year, after it was postponed in June due to safety concerns, the defense ministry said Monday. The Mir space rocket was initially scheduled to lift off on June 30 off the southern coast of Jeju Island, but the launch was canceled due to a set of issues detected in the final stages. "The defense ministry is pushing to resume the launch of the solid-fuel space rocket postponed in the final launch stages on June 30 within this year," a ministry official said. The ministry has completed a thorough inspection of the technical aspects and other conditions, and final preparations are under way to ensure optimal launch conditions, the official said. The ministry, however, has yet to decide on the exact launch date, noting it plans to determine the scheduling in light of weather conditions and progress in preparations. If launched, it would mark the rocket's first test launch in a fully assembled four-stage vehicle, after a series of trials conducted in 2022 and 2023 that each evaluated partial three-stage con

Reconstructed skeleton of extinct Dokdo sea lion goes on display in Seoul

Oct 19, 2026

Reconstructed skeleton of extinct Dokdo sea lion goes on display in Seoul

A full-scale reconstruction of an extinct Dokdo sea lion’s skeleton went on public view at Seoul Station, Monday, offering a rare look at the physical structure of a marine mammal wiped out by overhunting in the 20th century. The assembly relies on 41 authentic bone fragments recovered in 2020, with 3D-printed replicas filling in the missing pieces. The exhibition is located on the second-floor concourse of Seoul Station, where it will run through Oct. 25. Jointly organized by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, the display showcases how modern digital modeling can recreate lost biological specimens for public education. The Dokdo sea lion once inhabited coastal regions across Korea, Japan and Russia, with Ulleung Island and Dokdo serving as its primary habitat and breeding grounds. However, intensive commercial hunting during the early 20th century rapidly depleted its numbers. In 1994, the International Union for Conservation of Nature officially declared the species extinct. To construct the life-sized frame, researchers util

Scientist-turned-CUHK president puts independent thinking at heart of AI education

Oct 19, 2026

Scientist-turned-CUHK president puts independent thinking at heart of AI education

HONG KONG — When asked what surprised him most about artificial intelligence (AI), Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, vice-chancellor and president of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), turned to the four letters that make up human DNA: A, C, T and G. Speaking to The Korea Times at the university’s campus in Hong Kong, the renowned geneticist explained how AI had helped his research team uncover information hidden within those familiar sequences — a finding that surprised even a scientist whose earlier work transformed prenatal testing. “AI is just a tool. It is not our master,” Lo said. For a scientist who now leads one of Asia’s major research universities, that distinction matters as much in the classroom as it does in the laboratory. His team had wondered whether DNA sequences held information that conventional analysis could not readily detect. “We developed a generative AI model,” he said. “Surprisingly, we find there’s a hidden layer of information.” The hidden layer contains epigenetic information that helps explain how cells with the same DNA sequence can function

Kwangwoon University expands academic ties with 3 universities in Qingdao

Oct 19, 2026

Kwangwoon University expands academic ties with 3 universities in Qingdao

Kwangwoon University is expanding academic partnerships with three universities in Qingdao in China’s Shandong province. The university said Friday that a delegation led by President Yoon Do-young visited Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao University and Qingdao University of Science and Technology on Oct. 8-9 to review existing joint academic programs and discuss new areas of cooperation. During its visit to Qingdao University of Technology on Oct. 8, the delegation celebrated the 20th anniversary of the two universities’ joint architecture program and discussed ways to develop it further. With the annual enrollment quota rising from 80 to 120 students beginning in the 2026 academic year, the two universities discussed expanding educational facilities and ensuring the program’s smooth operation. The delegation also met with Kwangwoon University faculty members assigned to the program to discuss medium- and long-term development strategies, including improvements to teaching conditions and pathways for students to advance to undergraduate and graduate programs. On Oct. 9, the

Chief of national museum apologizes over wrongful attribution of item on display

Oct 19, 2026

Chief of national museum apologizes over wrongful attribution of item on display

The director of the National Museum of Korea issued a formal apology Monday after a calligraphic work from his private collection was found to have been wrongfully attributed and put on display at the museum. Speaking during an annual parliamentary audit of the museum, You Hong-june bowed his head twice and described the incident as a "grave mistake and oversight." "The deep trust the public has placed in the museum and the value built through the hard work of museum staff have collapsed in an instant due to my grave oversight," You told lawmakers, adding that no academic explanation could serve as an excuse for the public's disappointment. You also apologized to the late Korean independence activist to whom the calligraphy was wrongly attributed and his bereaved family over the verification error. The controversy began in August over a calligraphic work titled "Ilbansigukeun," meaning "even a single bowl of rice is the grace of the nation," which was featured in the museum's ongoing special exhibition, "Our Dining Table." The piece was initially introduced as the work of Korean independe

Seoul-themed goods turn city pride into revenues for small businesses

Oct 19, 2026

Seoul-themed goods turn city pride into revenues for small businesses

Seoul’s landmarks, colors and cultural identity are becoming selling points for small businesses, with city-backed merchandise generating more than 114 million won ($84,000) in sales in the first half of 2026. Seoul Design Foundation said Monday that 90 small businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises selected through its first Seoul Brand Goods Commercialization Contest recorded combined sales of 114.74 million won from February through June. The initiative helps businesses incorporate Seoul’s city branding and landmarks, including the “Seoul, My Soul” identity and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, into products, while offering opportunities to reach customers through retail stores and pop-up shops. Twenty-seven participating businesses, including magnet maker Magumagu and bag brand Ashe, generated 13.76 million won in sales during a three-week pop-up at DDP Design Store, the foundation said. Interest in the program has continued to grow, with 155 businesses submitting 237 product proposals for the second contest, held from Aug. 24 to Sept. 20, according to the foundation. A total

400-meter chicken feast planned on Jamsu Bridge to mark end of vehicle traffic

Oct 19, 2026

400-meter chicken feast planned on Jamsu Bridge to mark end of vehicle traffic

Imagine a yellow dining table stretching 400 meters across the Han River, laden with crispy, golden-fried chicken and packed with 2,000 enthusiastic foodies. That is precisely how Seoul plans to say goodbye to cars on Jamsu Bridge this weekend. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that it will host "Jamsu Bridge Chicken Day" Sunday from 2 pm to 10 pm, bringing down the curtain on this season's popular car-free festival. The mouthwatering event serves as a grand finale for the 50-year-old lower deck of Banpo Bridge before it permanently closes to vehicular traffic on Oct. 26 to begin its transformation into a dedicated pedestrian park. In Seoul, few culinary pairings are as sacred as "chimaek" — crispy Korean fried chicken paired with cold beer — enjoyed alfresco along the riverbanks. The city is taking that beloved picnic tradition to unprecedented heights. The centerpiece of the festival is a massive, bright-yellow "Chicken Table" capable of seating 1,000 diners at once. Two 90-minute feast sessions — scheduled for 4 pm and 6 pm — will accommodate a total of 2,000 luck

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