University of Seoul's Extracurricular Festa offers hands-on extracurricular experiences

The Korea Times - Oct 1, 2026

The University of Seoul hosted the 6th Extracurricular Festa at its campus on Sept. 22, offering students opportunities to experience a variety of extracurricular programs. The university said the annual event is its signature extracurricular education festival, where students can experience diverse extracurricular programs firsthand and share their achievements. “We will continue to strengthen our extracurricular programs so that students can take initiative in their learning and gain practical experience,” Won Yong-kul, president of the university, said. “We will do our utmost to establish a student-centered education system.” This year’s event featured promotional and hands-on booths for extracurricular programs, an awards ceremony recognizing achievements in extracurricular activities and a prize drawing for students who visited the booths. Twenty booths were set up to allow students to explore a wide range of areas, including academic majors, career paths, employment and personal development. One of the featured booths promoted Seoul Software Academy University Plus, the un

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Gender equality minister says presidential office asked her to 'steady' ministry

Oct 1, 2026

Gender equality minister says presidential office asked her to 'steady' ministry

Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong said Thursday the presidential office has asked her to "steady" her ministry, apparently signaling her retention after the nominee to replace her withdrew amid political controversy. Won made the remarks after Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor Basic Income Party withdrew her candidacy last month amid controversy over the former nominee's plans to keep her parliamentary seat if she was appointed as minister. When asked by reporters whether she would keep her post, Won responded that Cheong Wa Dae had requested that she "steady the organization" following Yong's withdrawal. "(I) will make efforts with the staff to steadfastly push for the policy tasks reported to the president and the public in July," she said in a briefing marking the first anniversary of the ministry's reorganization. The ministry was newly launched under a revised government reorganization law in October last year after facing possible disbandment under the previous administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The ministry has pushed for new projects under Won, including launching

Poll finds prosecutors trusted more than police

Oct 1, 2026

Poll finds prosecutors trusted more than police

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Oct 1, 2026

Seoul city urges gov't to slash red tape stifling culture and tourism

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Oct 1, 2026

President keeps NK dialogue push amid DMZ mine dispute

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Seoul prepares for driverless future with 500 autonomous buses by 2030

Oct 1, 2026

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In a move that could permanently reshape urban transit in one of Asia’s most densely populated metropolises, Seoul city officials announced an ambitious strategy, Thursday, to integrate 500 fully autonomous buses into regular city transit routes by 2030. The initiative took a major step forward when the Seoul Metropolitan Government signed a landmark agreement with Hyundai Motor Company and the Seoul Bus Transportation Business Association at City Hall. The tripartite partnership aims to bridge the gap between niche technological trials and full-scale public utility, laying the groundwork for driverless Level 4 automation across the city's bus network. Under the agreement, Hyundai will engineer and manufacture specialized 11-meter buses designed specifically for autonomous integration. Unlike standard vehicles retrofitted with aftermarket sensors, these factory-built models will feature electronic steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems, redundant safety controls and cyberattack defenses, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. "Seoul is taking the lead in connecting cutting-e

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Oct 1, 2026

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Oct 1, 2026

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Court dismisses request to remove statue of ex-President Park Chung-hee in Daegu

Oct 1, 2026

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A regional court on Thursday dismissed a request to remove a statue of late former President Park Chung-hee installed outside a train station in the southeastern city of Daegu. The Daegu District Court dismissed the case filed by the Korea National Railway, a state-owned rail infrastructure management company, against the Daegu metropolitan government, some 21 months after the statue was erected on the plaza outside Dongdaegu Station. The railway corporation had argued that the municipal government installed the statue on state-owned property without proper prior consultation. The city government countered that it holds lawful administrative authority over the plaza and that targeting Park's statue while permitting other structures on the site was unfair. The statue was erected under former conservative Mayor Hong Joon-pyo as a tribute to the former conservative leader, who ruled the country for 18 years following a 1961 military coup until his assassination in 1979. Its presence has divided activists and the local community as conservatives praise Park for driving the nation's rapid indu

WINNER's Song Min-ho gets suspended prison term for negligence in mandatory service

Oct 1, 2026

WINNER's Song Min-ho gets suspended prison term for negligence in mandatory service

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Oct 1, 2026

Lee's approval rating remains unchanged at 43%: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating remained unchanged at a record low of 43 percent this week, a poll showed Thursday. In a National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted from Monday to Wednesday, Lee's disapproval rating rose 2 percentage points to 50 percent from the previous poll conducted three weeks earlier. It marked Lee's highest disapproval rating in an NBS poll. When asked about the direction of state affairs, 43 percent said the Lee administration was heading in the right direction, while 50 percent said it was moving in the wrong direction. Support for the ruling Democratic Party fell 4 percentage points to 35 percent, while backing for the main opposition People Power Party stood unchanged from the previous survey at 25 percent. The poll, conducted on 1,000 people aged 18 and older, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

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Oct 1, 2026

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