An appellate court on Wednesday reduced former special counsel Park Young-soo's sentence on bribery-related charges by one year to six years in prison. The Seoul High Court also fined Park 200 million won ($150,000) and ordered him to forfeit 200 million won after finding him guilty of accepting the same amount from a private developer for campaign funds in his bid for the head of the Korean Bar Association. The court acknowledged the transactional nature of the exchange, noting the developer had asked Park, who then served as Woori Bank's board chair, for the bank to join talks on a consortium for the Daejang-dong property project in Seongnam, south of Seoul. A lower court had sentenced Park to seven years in prison after convicting him of accepting 300 million won from the developer. The appellate court found him guilty of accepting only 200 million won, citing inconsistencies in the developer's testimony on the rest of the amount. It upheld the lower court's acquittal and dismissal of other charges against Park, including allegations that he belonged to the so-called "5 billion-won clu

American the trigger-happy

Whenever I have any occasion to mingling at a U.S. Air Force (USAF) event or with its airmen, it reminds me of a critical blessing to members of my family — composed of my great grandmother, grandparents, parents and five siblings — 76 years ago, during August of 1950. At the height of the Korean War, when Seoul was suddenly overtaken by North Korean troops, I was gripped by the thunderous U.S. airstrikes against the enemy forces. On Oct. 2, I was invited to the 79th USAF Ball as a member of the Korea-America Association (KAA) at Lotte Hotel World sponsored by the 7th Air Force under Lt. Gen. David G. Shoemaker, as one of approximately 500 military and civilian participants. Likewise, on May 17, 2019, I joined a one-day sightseeing trip to Osan Air Base, invited by then-Commander Kenneth WIlsbach as one of 24 participating members of the KAA. These events let me vividly recollect my boyhood. While under North Korean occupation, my then-35-year-old father was recruited as a member of the invaders’ Cultural Maneuvering Squads. That meant he was drafted to fight against the South Ko

Korean peacekeepers deployed under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan are leveraging advanced agricultural science to help improve food security in one of the country's most vulnerable regions. The initiative, led by Korea’s Rural Development Administration in partnership with the military’s Hanbit Unit, integrates high-yield crop technologies into civil-affairs operations to help local communities work toward long-term agricultural self-sufficiency. Rather than relying solely on short-term food aid, Korean agricultural experts are embedding field-tested farming techniques into military civil assistance, establishing a scalable model for military-led development assistance. South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011 following decades of conflict, continues to suffer from severe food insecurity compounded by seasonal flooding, internal instability and economic shocks. The ongoing crisis in neighboring Sudan has further strained local resources as more than 1.4 million refugees and returnees have poured across the border since 2023, swelling demand for basic staples in alre

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — For American Kylie Genter, a day at the beach is no longer a day off for sunbathing and swimming. Instead, it is a place where she prays for her safety before diving into the waters to gather abalone and shellfish for living. What others see as a holiday destination has become, to her, a workplace and a landscape of possibilities. Since she began diving as a "haenyo" with fellow women divers in January 2024, the work has changed how she sees the sea. Finding her place Genter arrived in Korea as an English teacher in 2012. She moved to Jeju in 2016. While working as a tour guide, she received many questions about haenyeo and that prompted her to enroll in a diving school in 2018. She eventually took up the work after learning that Youngrak village was recruiting younger divers. “When I first started, they didn’t really know my name,” she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. The veterans would call her “Hey” or “American kid.” Within that circle, Genter found her role as an extra pair of strong hands. Struggling at first to understand t

BEIJING — China's government said on Wednesday that its coast guard was "safeguarding order" around a tiny and strategically located Taiwan-controlled atoll at the top end of the South China Sea where Taipei fears Beijing is trying to enforce jurisdiction. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, said last week that Taiwan must "bear the consequences" of its coast guard using a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near the Pratas Islands. Taiwan has reported two incidents since Sunday of Chinese coast guard vessels approaching the Pratas, accusing Beijing of provocative behaviour. Speaking at a regular news briefing, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office said Beijing has "indisputable sovereignty" over the South China Sea islands, including the Pratas and their adjacent waters. "Mainland coast guard vessels conducting law enforcement patrols in the relevant waters are fulfilling their duties in accordance with the law, safeguarding normal navigation and operational order," spokesperson Zhang Han told reporters. The Chinese ships are "effe

A special counsel team on Wednesday raided the home of a former National Election Commission (NEC) chief over allegations he took improper overseas trips during his time in office. Investigators from special counsel Lee Tae-han's team searched Roh Tae-ak's home and seized a cell phone and other evidence as part of their probe into various alleged irregularities at the election watchdog. Roh has been accused of taking his wife on three overseas business trips using the NEC's money during his time in office from May 2022 until June this year, when he resigned over widespread ballot shortages in the June 3 local elections. Lee's team said it launched the raid after detecting falsehoods in official reports written by an NEC official on the outcome of the trips. Twelve personnel were mobilized in the search, including two prosecutors and seven investigators. The search warrant listed charges of embezzlement, the falsification of official documents and their use. A prosecution-police task force had earlier secured evidence and testimony that an NEC employee had been assigned to assist Roh's wif

South Korean companies' profitability and debts improved last year, driven by strong performance in the semiconductor, transportation and other industries, although their sales growth slowed, central bank data showed Wednesday. Corporate sales growth slowed to 2.4 percent last year from the previous year's 3.7 percent, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The data is based on a review of some 983,000 non-financial firms subject to external audits. By sector, manufacturing businesses saw their sales grow by 2.4 percent in 2025, slowing from a 4.6 percent gain the previous year. Sales in the non-manufacturing sector advanced 2.3 percent last year, also slowing from a 2.9 percent advance the previous year. The ratio of local firms' combined operating profits to sales stood at 5.2 percent last year, improving from the previous year's 4.6 percent and the highest number since 2021. The firms' average debt-to-equity ratio stood at 116.2 percent last year, down from 119.9 percent the previous year and the lowest since 2019, the latest findings showed. The data also showed that the pr

Cosmax Group is moving beyond cosmetics into medical and biotechnology research through an expanded partnership with a Harvard-affiliated hospital network, targeting potential treatments and health products for aging, weight management and metabolic health. The Korean cosmetics manufacturer said Tuesday it signed an agreement Oct. 13 in Boston with Mass General Brigham (MGB) to launch the second phase of their joint microbiome research, known as the VIVA project. The partnership builds on research conducted from 2024 to 2026 that identified how a substance derived from certain microorganisms eased symptoms in an atopic dermatitis model and improved skin barrier function, according to Cosmax. The findings were published in Allergy, an international journal covering allergy and clinical immunology, and Cosmax has filed a Korean patent application related to the microbial technology. Under the second phase, running from 2026 through 2029, the companies plan to broaden their work beyond cosmetic ingredients to functional ingredients for health supplements and potential drug candidates. The re

The proportion of non-regular workers among South Korea's wage earners reached a record high of 38.5 percent in August, the data ministry said Wednesday, with their wage gap with regular workers also reaching a new record. The total number of non-regular workers came to 8.67 million as of August, up from 8.56 million a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. South Korea conducts an annual survey on employment types among the country's economically active population based on figures from every August. The percentage of non-regular salaried employees in the country's workforce was up from 38.2 percent tallied in 2025, the report showed. An official from the ministry said both the number and proportion of non-regular workers reached their highest levels since South Korea began compiling related data under the current method in 2003. Male workers accounted for 3.7 million of the non-regular workers, while the number of female workers came to 4.96 million. By sector, 21.5 percent of non-regular workers were employed in the health and social welfare sector, followed by th

CJ Olive Young, Korea’s largest health and beauty retail chain, said Wednesday it is launching “Green Room,” a live shopping show that combines a music talk show with live commerce, in which products are sold in real time during a livestream. The show is the retailer’s first K-pop program on Olive Young Live, its live commerce platform. Built around the idea of an artist’s waiting room before a performance, the show has a host invite artists who have recently released new music to introduce their albums and share stories from behind the scenes. Viewers can chat with the artists in real time and buy albums that come with extras sold only through Olive Young. The show will stream at the same time on Olive Young Live, the retailer’s YouTube channel, and O.Y LIVE on its Japanese-language global online mall, with real-time translation for viewers in Japan. The first episode airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday. A member of the boy band BTOB will host, and four members of girl group NMIXX will appear as guests. NMIXX released its sixth EP, “Strange Muse,” on Monday. The episode will inclu

Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions company Genon is expanding its manufacturing automation business in Indonesia after passing production validation for Nike footwear inspections and securing follow-on projects covering additional quality checks and robotic automation. The company said Wednesday that its AI vision inspection system detected defects in Nike outsoles with accuracy rates of 99.7 percent and 99.2 percent across two footwear styles, clearing final validation for Nike footwear production. Genon began developing the system last year, using high-resolution industrial cameras and specialized lighting to capture product surfaces, which AI analyzes to identify defects and classify products according to quality standards. The validation was designed to assess performance in real production conditions, rather than merely test technical capabilities, Genon said. The company is preparing to develop production-ready models this year, with plans to deploy the technology on manufacturing lines beginning in 2027 and gradually expand its use across products and facilities. Building on th

Hankook Tire is extending its electric vehicle (EV) partnership with Volkswagen, supplying specialized tires for two upcoming compact EVs as the German automaker seeks to broaden its electric lineup. Hankook Tire & Technology, part of Hankook & Company Group, said the iON evo summer performance tires and iON i*cept winter tires will be fitted as original equipment on Volkswagen’s ID. Polo and ID. Cross. Both vehicles are built on Volkswagen Group’s next-generation MEB+ electric vehicle platform and are designed to bring electric mobility to a broader market. The ID. Polo is the production version of the ID. 2all concept and an electric counterpart to Volkswagen’s established Polo nameplate, while the ID. Cross is a compact sport utility vehicle aimed at urban drivers. Hankook Tire will supply 18-inch iON evo summer tires and 17-inch iON i*cept winter tires for the ID. Polo, while the ID. Cross will use 17-inch and 19-inch iON evo tires. The products incorporate the company’s iON Innovative Technology, which is designed to balance low road noise, extended tread life, grip and reduc

OSLO — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks in Oslo with top U.S. envoys on Tuesday in a bid to get strained relations with Washington "on a more constructive path," Norway said. "Ukraine is working for peace. I thank our partners for their support!" Zelenskyy said in a social media post after his arrival in the Norwegian capital. Zelenskyy handed U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff an award in the Norwegian government's official residence, before posing with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, according to footage accompanying the Ukrainian leader's post. Witkoff's fellow U.S. envoy Jared Kushner — U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law — was also taking part in the negotiations but was doing so remotely because of illness, according to the NTB agency. Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured since Trump partially lifted sanctions to strike a diesel-supply deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin and slammed Zelenskyy as a warmonger for Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. Zelenskyy has accused the United States of delibera

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday criticized the Lee Jae Myung government's decision to withdraw additional diplomatic personnel from Ukraine, describing the move as an "emotional response." The foreign ministry announced the decision on Tuesday, following the recall of its ambassador to Ukraine, amid an ongoing dispute over Kyiv's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea. PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig said the withdrawal decision was difficult to understand unless the government was steering its foreign policy away from the United States and other partner nations, and toward an alignment with North Korea, China and Russia. "The government argues that the withdrawal of its diplomatic personnel is due to the threat of air strikes, but no one is going to take that at face value," Jeong said in a Facebook post. "With the war in Ukraine dragging on for more than four years, why was the (withdrawal) decision made shortly after a dispute erupted over the transfer of North Korean POWs?" he asked. Jeong then urged t

Views of U.S. President Donald Trump are becoming increasingly intertwined with perceptions of the United States as a country. A survey of people in 36 countries outside the U.S. found a much stronger tendency than in the past for those who trust Trump to also view the U.S. favorably. The survey also found that those who distrust the U.S. president tend to hold negative views of the country. Korea has also seen a growing link between the two assessments. The trend was displayed in a survey of citizens in 36 countries, according to Pew Research Center. The center said it had conducted similar surveys during former President Joe Biden’s administration and Trump’s first term, but the association between views of the president and perceptions of the U.S. was weaker at the time. Pew Research Center highlighted the strong correlation between evaluations of Trump in his second term and views of the U.S. The median correlation between favorability toward the U.S. and confidence in its president stood at just 0.31 during Trump’s first term in 2017 and 0.34 under Biden in 2023-2024. The fig

The Global Diplomats Forum (GDF) brought together diplomatic representatives from eight countries and Korean businesses at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday to explore ways to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expand overseas. The conference was co-hosted by GDF and the Korea Strong Small Business Association (KSSBA). Diplomatic representatives from Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, Uzbekistan and the Philippines presented their countries’ market conditions, investment opportunities and key industries. The participating ambassadors included Chafik Rachadi of Morocco, Jamal Abdullah Al Suwaidi of the UAE, Emilia Gatto of Italy, Fernando Pimentel of Brazil, Georg Schmidt of Germany, Dato’ Mohd Zamruni Khalid of Malaysia, Alisher Abdusalomov of Uzbekistan and Bernadette Therese Fernandez of the Philippines. About 30 diplomatic representatives attended. The conference aimed to address challenges facing Korean SMEs seeking to enter foreign markets, including limited access to market information, local business partners and distributio

Korea’s regional street food celebrations are moving onto the international stage as tourism authorities lean into global cravings for authentic Korean cuisine. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Wednesday that it is joining forces with local governments in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province to transform regional culinary gatherings into high-profile international travel attractions. The joint initiative targets tourists arriving via regional gateways such as Daegu International Airport and Gimhae International Airport in Busan, offering direct access to the country’s southeastern region. Focusing initially on Taiwan — a key source market with a strong affinity for Korean food culture — the tourism agency’s Taipei office partnered with local travel agencies in September to launch specialized itinerary packages. The effort has already drawn 145 Taiwanese visitors who will tour the Daegu Tteokbokki Festival and the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival on Oct. 23 and 24. These events showcase "bunsik," or quick, affordable Korean comfort food, spanning spicy simmered rice cakes (tteok

POSCO International, the trading and energy arm of steelmaker POSCO Group, has secured the highest rating under the country’s Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program — a top-tier certification set to streamline customs clearance and bolster its global supply chain network. The company said Wednesday it received the AAA certification at a ceremony held at Incheon Customs, following years of improvements to its import and export management systems. The AEO program, established under World Customs Organization standards, evaluates companies on regulatory compliance, internal controls, financial soundness and security management, assigning ratings of A, AA or AAA. POSCO International first earned an A rating in 2013 before advancing to AA in 2022, continuing to refine its trade processes and internal oversight before achieving the top tier this year. The company handles about 40,000 import and export customs declarations annually, making faster clearance procedures a potential source of greater logistics efficiency and lower operating costs. Under the AAA rating, the proportion of ship

Amid growing concerns over demonstrations in Paris turning violent, soaring rents are being cited as one of the issues pushing Europe’s youth into the streets. In Madrid, for example, the average rent is equivalent to 98.7 percent of a young worker's monthly salary. Soaring rent has emerged as a severe social problem for young people across major European cities including Berlin, Paris and London. As protests spread from city to city, it is striking to know how young people in Europe — once the engine of the global economy — are suffering. What about Korea? Are young people here fine? Though many Koreans are discouraged by a plummeting stock market, Korea seems to be in a better position than European countries in terms of major macroeconomic indicators. Driven by a booming semiconductor sector, exports between January and September of this year have already surpassed total exports for the whole last year. Nominal gross domestic product grew 9.2 percent in the second quarter from the previous quarter, marking the steepest rise in 47 years. Yet, only a handful of young people work f