Police chief nominee's confirmation hearing set for Nov. 18

The Korea Times - Nov 11, 2026

The National Assembly will hold a confirmation hearing for Kim Jong-chul, nominee for commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), next week, officials said Wednesday. The parliamentary public administration and security committee adopted a plan to hold the hearing next Wednesday during a plenary meeting earlier in the day. The KNPA commissioner general nominee can be appointed by the president even without parliamentary consent following the confirmation hearing. If appointed, Kim would fill a post that has remained vacant for nearly two years since former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in late 2024.

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Fire breaks out again at shantytown in southern Seoul; no injuries reported

A fire broke out early Wednesday at a shantytown in Seoul's southern ward of Gangnam, but firefighters fully extinguished the blaze, officials said, with no injuries reported. The fire began at a home in Guryong Village at 4:28 a.m. before fire authorities put it out at 6:27 a.m. after mobilizing 105 personnel and 32 vehicles. Authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire. The latest fire at the village came about two weeks following the Oct. 27 fire that forced 39 people to flee and left one person with a minor injury. Many of the makeshift homes illegally built in the town are prone to fires as they are built with highly flammable materials.

Fire breaks out again at shantytown in southern Seoul; no injuries reported

Korea adds 139,000 jobs in October, above 100,000 for 4th month

Korea added 139,000 jobs in October from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, with job growth exceeding the 100,000 mark for the fourth consecutive month. The number of employed people came to 29.17 million in October, compared with 29.04 million a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Job growth turned positive in June after declining by 40,000 in May, the first drop in 17 months. The country's jobless rate came to 2 percent last month, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier. The number of unemployed people totaled 602,000 in October, down 56,000 from the same month in 2025. The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 came to 70.4 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier. The figure for those aged 15 to 29, on the other hand, fell 1.7 percentage points to 42.9 percent.

Korea adds 139,000 jobs in October, above 100,000 for 4th month

Justice minister nominee reiterates special counsel role over indictments against Lee

Justice Minister nominee Lee Yong-cheol on Wednesday reiterated that a special counsel probe into allegedly fabricated indictments against President Lee Jae Myung should focus on uncovering the truth, declining to offer a clear stance on whether he would seek to drop the indictments. His remarks come after the National Assembly passed the special counsel bill last week, which the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has criticized as being aimed at ultimately canceling all indictments against the president. "As I said earlier, now is the time to focus on uncovering the truth, while there is no change to my stance that the rest should follow the law and principles," the nominee told reporters outside his office. He earlier emphasized the role of the special counsel probe Monday following his nomination Friday. When asked about whether he would order an investigation based on the special counsel probe results, the nominee declined to comment, noting that the special counsel has yet to even launch. "I will watch the special counsel's fact-finding activities without any presumptions or pr

Justice minister nominee reiterates special counsel role over indictments against Lee

Korea ranks 10th place in global AI, digital competitiveness

Korea came in 10th place among 70 countries in a global digital and artificial intelligence (AI) competitiveness ranking, the science ministry said Wednesday. The country moved up eight spots from the previous year, according to the report published by the International Institute for Management Development, a Swiss-based business school, according to the ministry. Taking the top spot this year was the United States, rising from its fourth spot a year ago. Canada, however, lost its top-spot position to be ranked at fifth place this year. Among countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore was ranked second place, China came in at seventh place, and Japan ranked 19th place. By category, Korea ranked third in the technology infrastructure and efficiency metrics. The country ranked first place in the research and development expenditure per gross domestic product category and ranked eighth in the AI adaptation index, the ministry said. The science ministry added that Korea's rise in overall rankings was a result of the government's policy efforts and the country's strong resilience, and vowe

Korea ranks 10th place in global AI, digital competitiveness

Sangmidang expands food bank support with 2 refrigerated trucks

Sangmidang Holdings said Wednesday that its charitable foundation donated two refrigerated trucks to the Korea Foodbank on Tuesday, expanding a delivery support program launched to help local food banks safely transport donated food. The latest contribution brings the total number of trucks provided since the foundation signed a partnership agreement in October 2022 to 12. The foundation plans to provide eight more by 2030. Sangmidang Holdings Chairman Hur Young-in and Kim Hyun-hoon, president of the Korea National Council on Social Welfare, attended the handover ceremony in Dongjak District in Seoul. The company also donated 4,000 bakery products, which were loaded onto the trucks. The vehicles will serve Busanjin District in Busan and Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province. The company said aging vehicles have hampered deliveries at some food banks, with refrigeration failures and frequent breakdowns creating operational difficulties. Replacing the vehicles also posed a financial burden to the food-sharing organization. The nationwide food bank network distributes donated food and househ

Sangmidang expands food bank support with 2 refrigerated trucks

AMCHAM raises $127,000 for student scholarships

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) raised a record 175 million won ($127,000) for university scholarships at its annual charity event on Tuesday, bringing together business leaders to support students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. The total marked a 17 percent increase from the 150 million won raised a year earlier. Organized by AMCHAM’s Partners for the Future Foundation, the event featured 44 CEOs and senior executives from member companies volunteering as servers, personally serving dinner to approximately 440 guests. The number of executive volunteers increased from 41 last year. Now in its 19th year, CEO Servers’ Night is one of AMCHAM’s signature charity events, bringing business leaders out of their boardrooms to serve guests and raise funds for university students in financial need. “CEO Servers’ Night brings business leaders together in a different capacity, united by a common purpose: helping students pursue their education,” AMCHAM Chairman James Kim said. “I want to thank every CEO and executive who took the time to serve, as well as

AMCHAM raises $127,000 for student scholarships

LX Hausys wins 2027 Home Reno Award with E-stone

LX Hausys has won a 2027 Home Reno Award with VIATERA Solea, its E-stone surface material, the interior materials company said Wednesday. The Home Reno Awards, organized by U.S. lifestyle magazine Good Housekeeping, recognize home renovation products and services for their design, functionality and other qualities through expert evaluations and testing. E-stone is LX Hausys' engineered stone brand, made primarily from natural quartz. It is known for its durability and natural stone-like appearance, and is used for kitchen countertops and bathroom vanity tops. VIATERA Solea features wide and subtle gold-toned veining against a white background, giving the engineered stone surface a natural stone-like appearance. It is designed to have patterns align seamlessly when multiple slabs are installed side by side, creating the appearance of a single continuous surface across large areas. It also offers high resistance to scratches and stains from everyday use, making it durable and easy to maintain, the company said. LX Hausys has won the award for the second consecutive year, following last year

LX Hausys wins 2027 Home Reno Award with E-stone

Theborn Korea enlists Italy's UNOX for K-food rollout

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Theborn Korea enlists Italy's UNOX for K-food rollout

Hanwha Qcells wins top marks in US solar panel reliability tests

Hanwha Qcells has earned top ratings across two major international solar module evaluations, strengthening its position in the U.S. market as manufacturers face growing pressure to demonstrate product quality and domestic production credentials. The solar division of Hanwha Solutions said Wednesday that its modules received Top Performer recognition in all eight categories of the 2026 PV Module Reliability Scorecard published by U.S.-based Kiwa PVEL, one of the industry’s leading independent testing organizations The evaluation, released Tuesday (local time), subjected solar modules to eight rigorous tests designed to simulate harsh operating conditions, including high temperatures, humidity, sudden temperature changes, mechanical stress and hail impacts. The assessment also included modules manufactured at Hanwha Qcells’ Cartersville, Georgia, facility, which was completed in July. The results are particularly significant for the U.S. market, where locally manufactured products can qualify for additional tax incentives under the domestic content bonus credit provisions of the inves

Hanwha Qcells wins top marks in US solar panel reliability tests

Korea warns of rare vision-loss risk linked to GLP-1 drugs

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a safety alert Wednesday to medical professionals and patients over a potential risk of a rare eye condition associated with GLP-1 obesity drugs, including popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Mounjaro. The move follows safety measures by overseas regulators concerning nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a condition caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve that can lead to sudden, potentially permanent vision loss. In June last year, the European Medicines Agency classified it as a very rare side effect of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, estimating it may affect up to 1 in 10,000 users. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked drugmakers Monday to add a possible increased risk of NAION to the warnings and precautions on GLP-1 drug labels. The letter advises medical professionals to stop treatment and have patients examined immediately if NAION is suspected in those taking GLP-1 drugs, which aid weight loss by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar. Patients with related symptom

Korea warns of rare vision-loss risk linked to GLP-1 drugs

Lee vows to reflect farmers' voices in decision on CPTPP membership

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday vowed to accommodate farmers' opinions in deciding whether to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The president made the remarks in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on the 31st Day of Farmers, reiterating his pledge to take farmers' interests into account when deciding to join the Indo-Pacific trade bloc. "On important issues, including farmland reform ... and the CPTPP, the government will work toward faithfully reflecting voices from the (agricultural) field so as to be helpful to farmers," Lee wrote in the post. The president has previously said that Korea's entry into the CPTPP would be "unavoidable," but has pledged to focus on finding complementary measures to implement when seeking CPTPP membership. While CPTPP membership is expected to help boost Korea's overall exports, the agricultural and fisheries sectors are likely to take a hit from market opening due to imports of cheaper products. Lee has ordered the government not to apply for CPTPP membership this year, expressing the need for sufficie

Lee vows to reflect farmers' voices in decision on CPTPP membership

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