Korea’s defense industry stands at a critical crossroads, as its export boom gives way to a new phase in which major overseas buyers are demanding local production and supply chains in their own markets. From K9 self-propelled howitzers and K2 battle tanks to Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and air defense systems, Korean-made weapons have rapidly expanded their presence across Europe and other regions. The export boom has transformed the defense industry from a largely domestic-oriented sector into one of Korea’s emerging global growth engines. But the next stage may prove more challenging. Korean defense firms can no longer rely solely on their traditional strengths of competitive prices, fast delivery and proven manufacturing capabilities. As major customers increasingly demand technology transfers, local production and participation in their own defense industries, Korean companies are pushed to become not just arms exporters, but long-term industrial partners. That shift could determine whether the current K-defense boom develops into a sustainable global business or remains a t

Korea has emerged as a major player in the global defense market, with its domestically developed weapons systems gaining traction for their competitive prices, advanced technology and fast delivery. From artillery and tanks to fighter jets and missile defense systems, Korean defense companies are expanding their global footprint and reshaping the country’s position in the international arms industry. K9 Thunder The K9 Thunder is Korea’s flagship self-propelled howitzer and one of the country’s most successful defense export items. Designed to provide mobile, long-range artillery fire support for ground forces, the 155-millimeter system can rapidly move, fire and relocate, making it well-suited to modern, highly mobile battlefields. The K9 is now used or being introduced by a growing list of countries, including Poland, Australia, Egypt, India, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Turkey. Poland has emerged as its largest export customer under a major deal to reinforce its artillery capabilities in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Redback IFV The Redback is Hanwha Aerospace’s nex

Renault Korea’s flagship crossover, the Filante, looks imposing at first glance, but feels surprisingly agile behind the wheel. Its planted ride, refined cabin and better-than-expected fuel economy give the large crossover a distinctive mix of comfort and driving appeal. The Filante was driven for about 400 kilometers on a round trip between Seoul and Daejeon, covering a mix of urban roads and highways. Across the route, the crossover delivered a stable ride and impressive fuel efficiency, making a strong overall impression. The Filante shares some of its design cues with Renault Korea’s popular Grand Koleos SUV, but carries a more upscale and sportier character. Measuring 4,915 millimeters in length and 1,635 millimeters in height, it has a substantial presence. Yet its low, flowing roofline and floating rear spoiler give the large body a sleeker profile, blending elements of a sedan and an SUV. The difference becomes more apparent once the car gets moving. The Filante’s driving character can be summed up in one word: planted. Its E-Tech hybrid powertrain combines a 1.5-liter turbo

Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday that President Lee Jae Myung's remarks ruling out troop dispatches that could involve the country in a war were not a refusal of U.S. President Donald Trump's request for Seoul to send forces to the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The presidential office clarified the position after the New York Times reported that Lee's comments at a press conference Friday amounted to a rejection of Trump's appeal for Seoul's military cooperation in the Middle East. "Lee did not turn down Trump's request for Korea's cooperation on Middle East-related issues during yesterday's press conference," a presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "The government has been reviewing practical ways to contribute in close communication with the international community, including the United States, in order to protect our citizens and safeguard national interests." Seoul will continue to examine concrete options under its stated principle of not intervening in a war or combat, the official added. On Friday, Lee said during the nationally televised press conference that "

Justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew his nomination on Saturday following allegations concerning his involvement in a COVID-19 treatment and approval of its clinical trials. “After much deliberation, I decided to step down as the nominee for justice minister. I apologize for failing to live up to your expectations,” Kim said during a press conference at the National Assembly. The move comes after a parliamentary committee adopted his confirmation hearing report Thursday amid objections from the main opposition People Power Party over the allegations. Kim, a two-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), served as a judge at the Jeonju District Court and the Suwon District Court before joining the presidential office under the liberal Moon Jae-in administration, where he worked in the office of political affairs. He was elected to the 21st National Assembly in 2020 and later served as DPK's legal affairs committee chief.

Korea and the United States pledged to reinforce cooperation to accelerate the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul from Washington during their senior-level defense talks this week, a joint statement said Friday. The allies held the 29th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Korea's southeastern city of Busan from Wednesday to Friday, as President Lee Jae Myung's administration seeks to retake wartime OPCON before the end of its term in 2030. "Both sides evaluated the work to modernize the alliance in the face of an evolving security environment," they said in the statement. "They also assessed progress on the Conditions-based Wartime Operational Control Transition Plan, and pledged to strengthen cooperation to accelerate the transition of wartime OPCON," they added. Seoul and Washington have been working on the conditions-based OPCON transfer since they agreed on it in October 2014. The conditions include Korea's capabilities to lead combined Korea-U.S. forces, its strike and air defense capabilities, and a regional security environment conducive to suc

Korea and the United States pledged to reinforce cooperation to accelerate the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul from Washington during their senior-level defense talks this week, a joint statement said Friday. The allies held the 29th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Korea's southeastern city of Busan from Wednesday to Friday (Korea time), as Korean President Lee Jae Myung's administration seeks to retake wartime OPCON before the end of its term in 2030. "Both sides evaluated the work to modernize the alliance in the face of an evolving security environment," they said in the statement. "They also assessed progress on the Conditions-based Wartime Operational Control Transition Plan, and pledged to strengthen cooperation to accelerate the transition of wartime OPCON," they added. Seoul and Washington have been working on the conditions-based OPCON transfer since they agreed on it in October 2014. The conditions include Korea's capabilities to lead combined Korea-U.S. forces, its strike and air defense capabilities, and a regional security environm

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew his nomination on Saturday following allegations concerning his involvement in a COVID-19 treatment and approval of its clinical trials. “After much deliberation, I decided to step down as the nominee for minister of justice ministry. I apologize for failing to live up to your expectations,” Kim said during a press conference at the National Assembly. Kim, a two-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), served as a judge at the Jeonju District Court and the Suwon District Court before joining the presidential office under the liberal Moon Jae-in administration, where he worked in the office of political affairs. He was elected to the 21st National Assembly in 2020 and later served as DPK's legal affairs committee chief.

The Cyberspace Administration of China has drafted a set of guidelines to ensure healthy and safe internet use by minors, laying out a series of regulations for relevant service providers.

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During their long journey, the Red Army crossed towering snow-covered mountains and trekked across vast, uninhabited grasslands. Besides the Kuomintang enemy, they also had to battle unpredictable weather, swamps and hunger, pushing themselves to the limits of their endurance in some of the harshest environments on Earth.

US lawmakers critical of China had a busy week on Capitol Hill, stepping up their activity ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to President Donald Trump in Washington next week. China-focused members of Congress and commissions held multiple hearings on issues ranging from human rights to trade and supply chains – an apparent effort to put a range of issues on Trump’s agenda for his talks with Xi. A former senior US official said congressional Republicans had given Trump “a...

Asia’s ateliers are cutting a new pattern for fashion

China firmly opposes the so-called voluntary restrictions on China's hybrid vehicle exports to Europe, as it gravely violates World Trade Organization rules and runs counter to market economy rules and fair competition principles, a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said on Friday.

When the presidents of the United States and China meet in Washington, the world will be watching to see whether their two countries can make good on their agreement to work towards “constructive strategic stability”. In the first part of a series, Mark Magnier looks at expectations in the US for the summit. Chinese planners have been frustrated for months at the slow speed of decision-making and limited engagement by a distracted US administration as the days tick down to next week’s...

A Hong Kong patient died after suffering a heart attack when he was fed a regular meal instead of the required soft food and choked at Prince of Wales Hospital. The public hospital in Sha Tin issued a public apology on Friday and said it had appointed an eight-person panel to look into the blunder. A report, along with recommendations for improvement measures, is expected in eight weeks. The 54-year-old male patient was admitted to hospital on Wednesday morning “due to deteriorated mental...

The holistic and preventive philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides insights for global healthcare, said Tong Xiaolin, academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Speaking to CMG, officials and industry insiders across various sectors have responded actively to Xi's remarks, stressing that the instruction has charted the course and provided fundamental guidelines for building a manufacturing powerhouse on the new journey, and pledging to place the development of advanced manufacturing as a key strategic task.

On the Songpan Grassland, the Red Army faced a severe test from extreme temperature variations between day and night and treacherous bogs that could swallow the unwary without warning.

In October 1936, the First Front Red Army (the Central Red Army), the Second Front Red Army and the Fourth Front Red Army joined up at two locations in northwest China – Huining in Gansu and Jiangtaibao in Ningxia.

China's Canton Fair to feature more high-tech and green products

The Korea Times University Rankings 2027 focus on universities’ internationalization capabilities rather than their overall institutional strength. Unlike comprehensive rankings such as QS and Times Higher Education (THE), which place greater emphasis on reputation and research, The Korea Times rankings evaluate the diverse resources and achievements of universities from an internationalization perspective. Through the assessment, The Korea Times aims to help international students considering studying in Korea make informed choices and promote healthy competition among universities to strengthen their internationalization capabilities. Differences in evaluation method The Korea Times excluded the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) from its University Rankings, although both rank among Korea’s top universities in global rankings. The exclusion was based on a comprehensive consideration of the number of international students, institutional size and regional balance among Korean universities. In the QS

The Korea Times has revised the evaluation criteria for its University Rankings 2027 to provide a more comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the internationalization of Korean universities. This year’s evaluation expanded its coverage from 54 universities last year to 60, while increasing the total score from 190 points across 18 indicators to 200 points across 19 indicators. Notably, The Korea Times introduced a new indicator measuring the proportion of full-time international faculty. It also changed the calculation method for the academic retention rate of international students, focusing the measure on degree-seeking students, and refined the evaluation period for research performance. The new international faculty indicator, worth 10 points, is designed to strengthen the assessment of internationalization in the education and research environment, marking the biggest change in this year’s rankings. Accordingly, the education category’s score increased from 60 points to 70 points. The category now consists of seven indicators, including the ratio of degree-seeking internationa

Academics and industry observers said revision to The Korea Times University Rankings 2027 represent a meaningful step forward, with updated indicators that offer a more comprehensive measure of university internationalization. This year’s revisions placed greater emphasis on faculty diversity, student success and sustained research collaboration. Shin Jang-sup, a professor of economics at the National University of Singapore, said the overall framework has improved from last year, highlighting the addition of an indicator measuring the proportion of international full-time faculty, as well as changes to the international student retention indicator. “Including the international student retention rate is a very desirable change,” Shin said. “It strengthens the rankings’ focus on evaluating universities from the perspective of international students.” Seo Myeong-seok, managing director of the Korea Advancing Schools Foundation, also emphasized that the revisions have strengthened the overall framework. He pointed to the introduction of the international full-time faculty ratio,

Internationalization is no longer an option for Korean universities but a necessity for their survival, as the nation’s higher education system faces an unprecedented structural transformation. Yet The Korea Times University Rankings 2027 reveal a stark reality: Korean universities still have a long way to go to achieve full-fledged internationalization. Universities have met the basic requirements for internationalization. But investment in faculty recruitment and student support has failed to keep pace with the increasing number of international students, while graduate outcomes remain weak. The Korea Times launched the university rankings last year to assess the level of internationalization among domestic universities. This year’s rankings covered 60 universities using 19 indicators in four categories: education, research, student support and graduate outcomes. Universities were assessed on a 200-point scale, with 70 points allocated to education, 50 points to research, 40 points to student support and 40 points to graduate outcomes. The education category saw the strongest overall

Korea University retained the top spot in The Korea Times University Rankings 2027 for the second consecutive year, as the country’s leading universities largely held their ground while Sejong University emerged as the biggest mover in the top 10. First launched last year, The Korea Times University Rankings aim to look beyond the number of international students to assess how well universities are building the broader ecosystem needed for globalization. This year’s results suggest that while Korean universities have made progress in attracting and managing international students, many still lag in areas such as international faculty, financial support and post-graduation outcomes. The disparity was evident across the four evaluation areas. Universities performed strongest in education, while scores were lower in student support and lowest in graduate outcomes, underscoring the challenge of building an environment that supports international students not only upon arrival but throughout their studies and beyond graduation. Korea University topped the rankings with 149.52 points out o

Seoul-based universities dominate the top 30 of The Korea Times University Rankings 2027. Their dominance is, however, less evident in the student support category, where regional universities are investing more in helping international students find jobs and settle after graduation. Among the 60 universities evaluated nationwide, 18 of the 24 universities in Seoul made the top 30, reaffirming the capital’s long-standing dominance in internationalization. Five of nine schools in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon are included in the list, while four of 13 universities in metropolitan cities outside the capital region made the cut. Only three of the 14 universities in provincial areas made the top 30, showing that they still lag well behind major universities in Seoul and other metropolitan areas. Those figures indicate that internationalization capabilities remain concentrated in the capital region. The education, research and graduate outcomes categories showed a consistent regional pattern, with Seoul scoring highest, followed by Gyeonggi and Incheon, metropolitan cities outside the capita