Tarmo Peltokoski begins HK Phil tenure with Mahler’s monumental Symphony No 8

South China Morning Post - Nov 7, 2026

Gustav Mahler’s rarely performed Symphony No 8, a work requiring such a large orchestra and choir it is known as “Symphony of a Thousand”, finally received its Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra premiere on Saturday, heralding an ambitious new chapter as the 26-year-old Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski officially took the podium as music director. The 5pm performance at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre involved nearly 600 musicians and singers from six choirs: the Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus; the...

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[COVER STORY] Ruling party leader's credibility put on line as Shincheonji claims backfire

Kim Min-seok, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and former prime minister, is facing a test of his credibility after an internal investigation failed to substantiate his claims of a “secret alliance” involving his leadership rival and the nonmainstream religious sect Shincheonji. On Friday, Kim apologized again during the party’s Supreme Council meeting. It was his third apology over the controversy, following remarks at Tuesday’s closed-door meeting of party lawmakers and on the party’s YouTube channel on Thursday. “I once again offer my apologies to everyone who was hurt as I raised serious concerns and warned about religious interference in politics during the party’s leadership election,” Kim said. He was referring to his allegation in the run-up to the Aug. 17 party leadership election that the anti-President Lee Jae Myung faction within the party and Shincheonji had formed a secret alliance. The claim targeted the camp of his leadership rival, former Chairman Rep. Jung Chung-rae. After raising the allegation and winning the leadership race, Kim

[COVER STORY] Ruling party leader's credibility put on line as Shincheonji claims backfire

JoongAng Ilbo buyers have financial room to fund acquisition: KIS report

In an unconventional lifeline for Korea's traditional press, a diverse corporate coalition spanning tech, retail and entertainment has agreed to rescue JoongAng Ilbo, one of the nation’s most influential conservative daily newspapers. Under a 520 billion won ($388 million) conditional agreement approved Wednesday by the boards of Daou Technology, Saramin, CJ Corp. and Shinsegae, the newly injected capital will flow directly into the newspaper to clear its debts and pull the media outlet out of a creditor-led workout program it entered this summer. According to an assessment by Korea Investors Service (KIS), a Moody’s affiliate, the acquiring companies possess the financial capacity to comfortably fund the transaction. Under the agreed funding structure, Daou Technology will cover 36.5 percent of the total, or about 189.8 billion won, while CJ Corp. will contribute 35.7 percent, or 185.6 billion won. Shinsegae is participating alongside CJ as a financial investor with a 14.1 percent stake (73.3 billion won), and online job portal Saramin will provide 13.7 percent (71.2 billion won).

JoongAng Ilbo buyers have financial room to fund acquisition: KIS report

From Pokemon to T1, global fandoms open new market for Korean resellers

Korean sellers are finding new opportunities in the global collectibles market, as overseas buyers are willing to pay a premium for rare, hard-to-find items, with trading card sales by Korean sellers on eBay more than tripling year-on-year in the third quarter. EBay said Friday that Korean sellers in the Collectible Card Games Category saw the highest sales growth among all Korean sellers on the global e-commerce platform from July to September this year. Trading cards featuring characters, artists or celebrity athletes fueled platform users’ attraction toward the Korean resellers. The most popular trading cards featured characters from the globally popular animated franchise Pokemon and iconic League of Legends esports team T1. The top-selling item in the category was the 2026 KOREA MEGA FESTA Magikarp card, which also ranked ninth in overall sales among Korean sellers on eBay. The Riftbound X 2025 World Champion T1 Signature Edition Card fetched a premium even during prelaunch sales, demonstrating a global fandom around the product itself and the team represented by professional gam

From Pokemon to T1, global fandoms open new market for Korean resellers

Hechyeomoyeo opens 18th mass exhibition at KOTE featuring over 500 artists

The Hechyeomoyeo (HCMY) opened its 18th mass exhibition at KOTE in central Seoul's Insa-dong on Wednesday. The opening party featured music, live drawing, face painting, clowns and flash tattoos, as art lovers from Korea and all around the world crowded into all five floors plus the roof and basement of the aging building that houses KOTE. “My approach is straightforward: If someone tells me they have a creative skill to share, I try to find a place for them in the event,” Neil Wheelock Deforest Smith, the American artist who started HCMY, told The Korea Times. HCMY is an independent art initiative that began in Korea as an effort to make exhibition opportunities more accessible to Korea-based artists. It has grown into an international community, connecting hundreds of creators across continents. Despite its global reach, HCMY maintains a strong connection to its Korean roots. Smith estimates that approximately 65 percent of the participants at HCMY's Korean exhibitions are Korean nationals, while around 20 to 30 percent are foreign residents, and the rest are international artists

Hechyeomoyeo opens 18th mass exhibition at KOTE featuring over 500 artists

Labor minister urges tougher action on industrial accidents

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon on Saturday called on officials to play a more active role in preventing industrial accidents and protecting workers. The minister presided over an emergency teleconference with senior labor officials from across the country. Emphasizing that safety at worksites cannot wait, he said companies should bear heavy responsibility when serious accidents occur. "We must treat with real urgency any business where the same kind of serious accident keeps happening," he said, telling officials to keep such companies under particular scrutiny. He also called for stern action against employers who cut safety spending to protect their profits. "We must make it clear to business owners if they still put cost-cutting ahead of safety even when a worker has died, they will be held heavily responsible," he added. Kim also vowed to work closely with the ministry's regional offices. Under the new Labor Inspector Act, which takes effect Dec. 8, some of the ministry's inspection authorities will be delegated to local governments.

Labor minister urges tougher action on industrial accidents

Park Han-byul says changing shampoo helped her hair loss — but does it really work?

Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. Actress Park Han-byul, 42, recently shared her concerns about thinning hair, saying that changing her shampoo made a noticeable difference after other remedies failed to deliver results. But can switching shampoos really prevent or reduce hair loss? In a video posted to her YouTube channel on Wednesday, Park said she had noticed her hair becoming thinner as she got older. "I used to have incredibly thick hair. I really had so much of it, but as I've gotten older, I've felt like I've been losing quite a bit," she said. "I tried eating black beans, which are supposed to be good for hair loss, and using hair masks, but I didn't see much improvement." Park said she believes consistent daily care is the key to managing hair and scalp health. "I'm someone who truly believes that taking care of yourself consistently every day is the answer," she said. "So I thought, why not try changing the shampoo I use every day? I switched shampoos, and for me, that worked better than anything else." Can shampoo really help with hair loss? Whether shampoo can effecti

Park Han-byul says changing shampoo helped her hair loss — but does it really work?

Leak exposes personal info of 39,000 Mirae Asset Securities customers, employees

The personal information of some 39,000 customers and employees has been leaked from Mirae Asset Securities Co., the securities firm said Saturday. Mirae Asset Securities, the country's leading brokerage house, said the account numbers of some 3,800 customers and the personal information of over 35,000 current and former employees, as well as contractors, were leaked. The Korean brokerage said unauthorized external access occurred Wednesday and Thursday, targeting its mobile web phone authentication login service and internal system, respectively. The leaked non-customer, corporate data included names, employee ID numbers, email addresses, mobile phone numbers and passwords. Mirae Asset said it immediately blocked the affected access routes after detecting suspicious activity from external IP addresses and activated its emergency response system. The company also said it reported the incident to the Financial Services Commission, the Financial Supervisory Service and the Personal Information Protection Commission. The data breach came days after its sister companies, including Mirae Asset

Leak exposes personal info of 39,000 Mirae Asset Securities customers, employees

Court issues arrest warrant for woman accused of stabbing doctor at hospital

A Seoul court on Saturday issued a warrant to formally arrest a woman for allegedly stabbing and injuring a doctor at Severance Hospital in western Seoul. The Seoul Western District Court issued the warrant for the woman in her 50s on charges of attempted murder, citing the risk of flight. The woman was apprehended Wednesday after allegedly stabbing a psychiatry professor with a knife at Severance Hospital. The doctor sustained injuries to his face and hand. Arriving in court for an arrest warrant hearing, the suspect rambled that Severance Hospital's psychiatry department did not provide her with internal medicine treatment in 2018 and caused her diabetes, when asked by reporters about the motive of her attack. According to sources, the woman was not a patient waiting for psychiatry treatment at the hospital. The doctor sustained a wound measuring around 5 centimeters and was taken to an emergency room for treatment. The injury was not life-threatening.

Court issues arrest warrant for woman accused of stabbing doctor at hospital

Nvidia CEO's daughter cancels planned visit to Korea: sources

A planned visit to Korea by Madison Huang, a senior director at Nvidia Corp. and the daughter of CEO Jensen Huang, has been abruptly canceled, sources said Saturday. The younger Huang had planned to visit Korea on Sunday to attend the "Nvidia AI Day Seoul 2026" event, set for Monday and Tuesday at the COEX exhibition center in southern Seoul, and meet with Korean government officials. But her scheduled trip was abruptly called off due to family issues, the sources said, without disclosing details. Some industry observers speculate the cancellation may have been influenced by foreign news reports alleging that U.S. intelligence officials believe a woman who had a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was a spy working for China. Despite Huang's absence, the Nvidia-hosted event is expected to be held as scheduled, according to the sources.

Nvidia CEO's daughter cancels planned visit to Korea: sources

POSCO union votes down tentative wage deal

Unionized workers at Korean steelmaker POSCO on Saturday voted down a tentative wage agreement reached with management that includes a 2.6 percent increase in base pay, union officials said. The vote showed 51.69 percent of the unionized workers opposed the wage agreement, while 48.31 percent approved it, according to the union. The tentative wage deal includes a 2.6 percent hike in base pay, a one-off payment of 6 million won ($4,500) and improved benefits. The union had initially demanded a 7.1 percent increase in base pay, a performance bonus equivalent to 600 percent of base pay, 50 company shares per worker and a holiday bonus equivalent to 200 percent of base pay. "We will probably need to open renegotiations as there were many opposing votes," a union official said. The union and management reached a tentative wage agreement on Oct. 30 after holding about 30 rounds of talks since June. Unionized POSCO workers staged two rounds of partial strikes in September to demand higher wages and bonuses.

POSCO union votes down tentative wage deal

Canadian plan to clear Hongkonger migration backlog welcomed but questions remain

A Canadian goal of clearing a backlog of more than 30,000 applications from Hongkongers awaiting permanent residency is “encouraging” but questions remain about whether it can be achieved by 2027, advocates and immigration experts have said. Experts and Canadian parliamentarians said on Saturday that Ottawa’s new one-off measure to add more quota spaces to clear the Hong Kong immigration pathways backlog would help address the uncertainty facing tens of thousands from the city still waiting for...

Canadian plan to clear Hongkonger migration backlog welcomed but questions remain

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