China launches commercial high-resolution imaging satellites
In the bustling administrative offices of Gangnam District, the sleek area of southern Seoul famous for its glamour and wealth, public service counters are undergoing a futuristic transformation. Where transparent acrylic panels once merely served as physical barriers between residents and city officials, new artificial intelligence-powered displays are now translating spoken words with real-time subtitles across 130 languages. The Gangnam District Office said that it has deployed a state-of-the-art "Real-Time Transparent OLED Communication Window" as part of its drive to eliminate communication hurdles for foreign nationals and hearing-impaired residents. Developed in collaboration with private tech partners through an open innovation initiative, the system merges transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens with advanced speech-to-text and machine translation engines. For Gangnam's international and hearing-impaired residents, the technology eliminates the tedious routine of writing notes back and forth or waiting for on-call interpreters. The interface is relatively seamles
PAJU, Gyeonggi Province — Hyundai Motor is banking on the redesigned Tucson to help turn around its weakening sales momentum, putting one of its global best-selling SUVs at the center of its global sales strategy in the second half of the year. The automaker unveiled the fifth-generation Tucson on Friday, six years after the previous model was introduced, positioning the compact SUV alongside the redesigned Avante and the facelifted Grandeur as key models for its swift sales recovery. The launch comes at a difficult time for the carmaker. Its domestic sales plunged 41.1 percent in August from the previous year to its lowest level in 11 years, largely due to production disruptions caused by a prolonged labor strike. With its relatively affordable, high-volume models expected to provide a more immediate boost to its global sales, the launch of the highly sought-after SUV came at the opportune time for the carmaker. Tucson is particularly important because its role extends beyond the Korean market. It is one of Hyundai's major global volume models, giving the company an opportunity to use
Sungkyunkwan University’s Biomedical Institute for Convergence hosted a special seminar featuring Craig C. Mello, a 2006 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, on Sept. 10. In his lecture, titled “RNAi: A Molecular Spark in an Information Inferno,” Mello recounted the discovery of RNA interference and how basic research evolved into therapies that can save patients’ lives. Addressing students and young researchers in particular, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of embracing challenges without fear of failure. A university official quoted Mello as saying, “Great discoveries do not come from finding predetermined answers, but from a process of constantly asking questions and going through countless failures.” Professor Mello is a world-renowned scientist who discovered RNA interference (RNAi), a “gene-silencing” mechanism that can switch off the activity of specific genes inside cells. Genes serve as blueprints for our bodies, and his discovery that specific genetic instructions could be selective
The number of Vietnamese nationals holding Korea's E-7-1 professional visa has nearly doubled over the past four years, data showed Sunday. As of August, 3,572 Vietnamese nationals held the visa, up 1.84 times from 1,938 in 2022, according to the data submitted to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea by the justice ministry. The E-7-1 visa is granted to foreign nationals working in government-designated professional fields such as information technology and robotics. Indian nationals saw a similar rise, growing 1.46 times to 1,014 during the same period. Chinese nationals holding the visa, by contrast, declined to 1,566 from 2,213 in 2022. American E-7-1 holders also slipped to 1,355 from 1,471. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals dominate a separate visa category, the semi-professional E-7-2, which covers areas such as caregiving. They accounted for 80.6 percent of all 10,759 E-7-2 holders. The lawmaker called the influx of such tech talent "a positive sign," but said the country needs to improve working and living conditions for those workers to generate "bigger synergy."
LG Innotek has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system that recommends components suitable for use in new products, the company said Sunday. Completed recently after two years of development, the system analyzes vast amounts of internal and external component data using AI and allows users to compare specifications and prices at a glance. LG Innotek’s key products include camera modules, semiconductor substrates and automotive components, each of which can contain hundreds of individual parts. By using AI to speed up component selection while considering both price and performance, the company expects to strengthen its competitiveness. When users enter the specifications they need, the system searches through the data of more than 2 million components in its database and suggests parts with similar specifications. By providing information on components previously purchased by LG Innotek and from the external market, the system significantly broadens the search domain. A distinctive feature of the system is its reference price function. The AI analyzes actual purchase r
Samsung Electronics said Sunday it held its eighth annual technology forum in the United States to share its artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and business strategies with global developers. About 80 executives from Samsung Electronics and global information technology companies took part in the 2026 Tech Forum in Silicon Valley, the company said in a press release. Samsung brass, including President Roh Tae-moon, who heads its device experience (DX) division, and Chief Technology Officer Yoon Jang-hyun, presented the company's mid and long-term AI vision and business strategies and exchanged views with participants on recent technology trends. Yoon discussed how the combination of next-generation AI technologies and robotics could drive changes in the future, the company said. "AI is a driving force for delivering intelligent and hyper-personalized experiences across every aspect of consumers' daily lives and for driving innovation," Roh said, adding that Samsung aims to provide customers with the best possible AI experience.
Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won's withdrawal from candidacy is expected to deal another setback to President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), as they are already struggling with declining public support. Kim stepped down Saturday, 20 days after his nomination, following controversy over several allegations — including that he used his influence as a lawmaker in 2021 to help a pharmaceutical company get regulatory approval for a COVID-19 clinical drug trial. He withdrew even after the National Assembly approved his nomination. While Kim’s withdrawal eased the immediate pressure on Lee over the appointment, it reinforced concerns over shortcomings in the administration’s personnel vetting system. Kim’s departure also leaves the justice ministry without leadership at a critical time, with pressing tasks piling up ahead of a major overhaul of the criminal justice system, scheduled to take place in October as part of Lee’s signature prosecution reform drive. For the ruling party, Kim’s departure highlighted its political misjudgment. DPK lawmake
Parental leave benefits paid to foreign workers in Korea doubled over the past year, data showed Sunday. The data, submitted to Rep. Park Soo-min of the People Power Party by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, showed total payments reached 36.45 billion won last year, up from 18.15 billion won the year before. The number of recipients rose more than 50 percent to 2,031 from 1,354. Through July of this year, 1,476 foreign nationals have already received 26.71 billion won in benefits. Foreign nationals made up 1.2 percent of the total recipients as of July, up from 1.1 percent last year and 1 percent two years ago. Ethnic Korean Chinese received the most support, with 1,154 recipients sharing 22.56 billion won, followed by Vietnamese with 895 recipients and 12.87 billion won. Besides the top two groups, 652 Chinese nationals claimed 11.54 billion won in benefits, 366 Americans received 5.78 billion won, 261 Japanese received 4.99 billion won and 177 Canadians claimed 3.08 billion won. Under Korean labor laws, foreign workers holding relevant visas, like E-9 or H-2 visas, can enroll in em
The assignment of expert research personnel to large conglomerates is expected to resume for the first time in 14 years, this time in the artificial intelligence (AI) field, helping prevent research career interruptions and the outflow of workers abroad. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Science and ICT to Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday, the ministry recommended LG Electronics, HD Hyundai Robotics, Samsung Medison and Samsung Electronics to be designated for hosting expert research personnel, with their nine research institutes needing 81 personnel. The expert research personnel program lets science and engineering graduates with master's or doctoral degrees work at research sites for three years instead of serving 18 to 21 months in the regular military, depending on the branch. However, new assignments to large conglomerates were suspended in 2013 to secure research and development personnel for small and medium-sized enterprises, closing off the path to military service at large conglomerate research institutes and drawing criticism f
GEOJE, South Gyeongsang Province — Wearing gloves, reporters ducked beneath a canvas cover and descended a ladder into the Seo Hui, a 3,600-ton submarine under construction at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard. At the bottom was a narrow passage, barely wide enough for two adults. Pipes and equipment remained exposed, while stickers reading “painting inspection completed” showed that work was still underway. Hanwha Ocean opened the interior of the Seo Hui, the second Jangbogo-III Batch-II submarine, to the media for the first time Tuesday. Its launch ceremony is tentatively planned for November, although the timing could change depending on the Navy’s schedule. The contract stipulates that delivery is set for December 2027. Measuring about 89 meters long, the Seo Hui is larger than the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho-class submarines of Batch-I. Its combat management and sonar systems have been upgraded to improve data processing, target detection and land attack capabilities. Its overall localization rate is about 80 percent. In the torpedo room in the bow, horizontal launch tubes were arrange
Repeated shark sightings at a waterfront park in Busan’s North Port have drawn crowds of curious visitors, prompting city authorities to step up safety measures while monitoring the sea creature’s return to open waters. A shark estimated to be at least 3 meters long was first spotted at around 8:57 a.m. on Friday in a waterway at the port’s Waterfront Park, according to city officials. Another shark sighting was reported at around 1:05 p.m. the following day. The creature was believed to be a basking shark, a species found in subtropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, including waters off the Korean Peninsula. Although the species is not known to be aggressive, city officials said it could still pose a danger if provoked or approached too closely. The Korea Coast Guard initially tried to guide the shark out of the narrow waterway. But it suspended the effort after the National Institute of Fisheries Science advised that forcing the animal away could trigger defensive or aggressive behavior. Instead of deterring visitors, the unusual sight quickly turned the park
Tickets for Korea’s high-speed KTX trains will be available for booking up to two months before departure starting next month, extending the current one-month window. Along with the booking window, KTX will introduce a set of operational improvements for foreign travelers next month to make the reservation process more convenient, the government said Sunday. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and KTX operator KORAIL, customers will be able to book seats up to two months in advance starting Oct. 1. The government said the extension is intended to make it easier for travelers to plan trips around the country. For foreign visitors in particular, many book flights to Korea at least two months in advance, but KTX tickets have only been available one month before departure, making it difficult to plan their itinerary within the country. “Travelers will be able to book KTX at the same time as purchasing airline tickets, making it easier to plan domestic trips and use KTX more conveniently,” the ministry said in a press release. “Korean travelers will also be a
