What a Beijing cafe dispute reveals about China’s struggling bookshops

South China Morning Post - Nov 15, 2026

China’s bricks-and-mortar bookstores are increasingly counting on coffee, merchandise and cultural events rather than books to stay afloat – a survival strategy whose tensions were laid bare after a major chain asked a book buyer to vacate its cafe seating unless she bought a drink. The dispute at a Beijing branch of Sisyphe Bookstore, one of the country’s largest chains, went viral earlier this month, sparking an online debate over the struggles bookshops face in the digital age. The customer,...

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How a picture book helped a troubled student find her way

At an interview for a Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education position as a behavioral intervention specialist teacher earlier this year, Jang Se-ra, a veteran elementary school teacher of 23 years, held a well-worn book in her hands. The book, titled "Try It Like Ji-woo!," had helped bring about a remarkable transformation in just two to three months in a 13-year-old student, identified by the pseudonym Ji-woo. Jang had created the picture book herself, making Ji-woo, whom she had taught the previous year in an inclusive classroom at Haneul Elementary School in Seoul's Mapo District, its main character. The experience gave her a firsthand appreciation of the power of behavioral intervention to change both students and schools. Whenever Ji-woo, then a sixth-grader, traveled between her inclusive classroom and the special education classroom, everyone at the school could tell she was on the move. Ji-woo, who has autism spectrum disorder, repeatedly shouted, sat down on the hallway floor and cried. When Jang became her homeroom teacher, Ji-woo displayed similar behavior. She threw objects,

How a picture book helped a troubled student find her way

Medical school prep at age 4? Korean math tutor calls it 'child abuse'

Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. A prominent Korean math instructor has sparked debate after calling for criminal punishment of those responsible for intensive academic programs targeting children as young as 3 or 4 years old, describing the country's increasingly competitive early education culture as a form of child abuse. Jung Seung-je, one of South Korea's best-known private education instructors, made the comments during a recent appearance on the popular YouTube channel ChimChakMan. The video, titled "Which Subject Is Most Important: Korean, English or Math?" featured Jung alongside Korean language instructor Yoo Dae-jong and English instructor Kim Ji-young, who also appear on the education reality program "Teachers 3: Retake War." During the discussion, Jung criticized the growing trend of enrolling preschool children in advanced academic programs designed to prepare them for eventual admission to medical school, one of the most competitive educational pathways in South Korea. "Especially in math, children are entering medical school preparation classes at the age of 3

Medical school prep at age 4? Korean math tutor calls it 'child abuse'

Audi Korea accelerates recovery on solid sales of redesigned A6

Audi Korea surpassed 10,000 units in cumulative sales early this month, driven by solid sales of its redesigned A6 flagship sedan and expanded vehicle lineups with diverse powertrains, the carmaker said. The sales figure was achieved a month earlier than last year, marking the second consecutive year that the German automaker has hit the 10,000-unit sales milestone in Korea. Audi Korea is on track for a rapid sales rebound here after it revamped its overall strategy with a focus on product portfolio expansion. The carmaker introduced 16 new models last year, including flagship all-electric models — the Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron — as well as the A5 sports sedan and Q5 SUV with internal combustion engines. The A6 sedan is particularly the key sales driver for Audi Korea, with the model's sales reaching 2,241 between January and September here, according to the carmaker. The strategy is designed to give Korean customers a broader range of choices amid rapidly diversifying preferences for powertrains, body styles and driving needs. The lineup has been further strengthened this year with the

Audi Korea accelerates recovery on solid sales of redesigned A6

Kia's domestic electrified vehicle sales top 300,000 units in 2026

Kia said Sunday its domestic sales of electrified vehicles surpassed 300,000 units this year as of Monday, making it the first automaker to reach the milestone in Korea in a single year. Kia, an automaking affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, said its sales of electrified vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid models, came to 300,048 units, up 41.9 percent from a year earlier. Annual sales of electrified vehicles first topped 100,000 units in 2021, reaching 109,741, before exceeding 200,000 in 2024 at 222,085. Of this year's tally, EVs accounted for 120,360 units, more than doubling from a year earlier and marking the first time an automaker has sold more than 100,000 EVs in Korea in a single year. Sales of hybrid models over the period rose 16.9 percent to 179,688 units. Kia added that its overall domestic sales this year came to 502,286 units, with electrified models accounting for 59.7 percent of the total. Among EVs, the EV3 led sales with 30,455 units, followed by the EV5 with 28,971 and the PV5 with 24,266. Among hybrid models, the Sorento hybrid posted sales of 70,176 un

Kia's domestic electrified vehicle sales top 300,000 units in 2026

SK chairman calls for AI expansion beyond chips into models, services

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won urged leaders of group subsidiaries to redefine themselves as artificial intelligence (AI) companies and expand beyond chips, infrastructure and energy into AI models and services, building a growth cycle that connects the conglomerate’s businesses. According to SK Group, Sunday, Chey outlined the strategy at CEO seminar held Thursday to Saturday in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. During the seminar, Chey highlighted the importance of an "AI flywheel" to position SK as a key player in a “token economy,” where AI computing and services are traded as resources. “We must break out of existing business frameworks and redefine ourselves as AI companies,” Chey said, urging every affiliate to find new roles beyond its traditional business and connect them to AI services and the token economy. Under the strategy, AI semiconductor capabilities would support AI factory expansion, supporting the growing demand for electricity, energy and AI services. Competitive energy supplies and wider service adoption would spur investment in AI factories and advanced chips.

SK chairman calls for AI expansion beyond chips into models, services

HD Hyundai launches autonomous vessel developed with Anduril

South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai said Sunday it has launched an autonomous surface vessel (ASV) jointly developed with U.S. defense firm Anduril Industries as it seeks to expand into the U.S. market for unmanned naval vessels. HD Hyundai and Anduril held a launching ceremony at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' shipyard in Ulsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Thursday. The 600-ton ASV is equipped with VAone, an autonomous navigation solution developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and Anduril's Lattice platform, enabling it to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and maritime intelligence-gathering missions without a crew. HD Hyundai plans to conduct sea trials off Ulsan before further testing in the U.S. early next year to gather operational data as it seeks to enter the U.S. Navy's unmanned vessel market. The U.S. Navy is pursuing a hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned vessels to strengthen its maritime capabilities. In September, it announced plans to procure 30 medium-sized ASVs. The latest launch follows a demonstration by HD Hyundai and Anduril of a 368

HD Hyundai launches autonomous vessel developed with Anduril

LG Electronics' Tennessee plant tops 10 mil. units in cumulative production

LG Electronics’ Tennessee plant surpassed 10 million units in cumulative production, playing a pivotal role in helping the company secure the top spot in the U.S. laundry appliance market. The company said Sunday it held a ceremony to congratulate the production of the 10 millionth unit at the plant participated by local officials and LG Electronics executives. LG Electronics built its Tennessee plant on a 1.25 million-square-meter site in Clarksville, Tennessee in 2018. Since then, the company has invested approximately $500 million in expanding facilities and improving manufacturing processes. The plant began producing washing machines in November 2018, followed by dryers in 2022 and wash towers in 2023. Its annual production capacity now stands at 2.25 million units, more than four times its 2019 level, comprising 1.55 million washing machines and 700,000 dryers. The expansion has established the plant as LG Electronics’ key local manufacturing and supply hub. LG Electronics’ washing machines and dryers accounted for 17.2 percent and 17.4 percent of the U.S. market, respectively

LG Electronics' Tennessee plant tops 10 mil. units in cumulative production

Actor Ko Kyung-pyo's drunk driving prompts broadcasters to edit him out

Actor Ko Kyung-pyo’s drunk driving has prompted broadcasters to cut his appearances from their shows, the latest case of Korea’s long-standing practice of minimizing screen time for entertainers involved in wrongdoing. Ko was caught driving under the influence after his car hit a garbage truck in western Seoul’s Mapo District at around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, police said. Officers found him in the driver’s seat with a blood alcohol level high enough for license revocation. The production team of MBC’s variety show “Hang Out With Yoo” said on Saturday morning that it would edit out as much of Ko’s presence as possible to avoid making viewers uncomfortable. Ko had appeared as a guest in an episode set to air that afternoon. The producers of tvN’s variety show “Sixth Sense: B-Side,” on which Ko is a regular cast member, also said they would keep his scenes to a minimum in Sunday’s episode and next week’s finale for the same reason. The team behind “Amazing Saturday,” another tvN variety show, which recently filmed an episode with Ko as a guest, plans to edit down h

Actor Ko Kyung-pyo's drunk driving prompts broadcasters to edit him out

Top tax accountant exam scorer admits to cheating using AI

The top scorer in Korea’s recent tax accountant qualification examination admitted Sunday that he used generative artificial intelligence (AI) and a camera to cheat, reversing his earlier denials after his unusually high marks drew public scrutiny. “I cheated on the tax accountant examination,” Han Won-seok said on the YouTube channel run by his lawyer Lee Don-ho. “I sincerely apologize for the harm my wrongdoing has caused so many people.” Han’s results attracted attention because he answered 159 of the 160 questions correctly in the first-stage tax accountant examination in April, scoring 397.5 out of 400. Three months later, he scored 663 out of 800 in the second-stage written examination and was named the overall top scorer. His exceptionally high scores had fueled online speculation about possible cheating. Experts, including licensed tax accountants and tax lawyers, argued that the near-perfect score in the first test was “close to impossible,” suggesting that he might have used AI smart glasses. It turned out Han’s cheating method was not AI glasses. He said he i

Top tax accountant exam scorer admits to cheating using AI

Hong Kong must expand trade, not wait for ‘luck’ as AI exports could slow: commerce chief

Hong Kong must proactively expand trade networks and not “wait for luck to come our way”, as the recent growth in artificial intelligence exports may gradually slow down, the city’s commerce minister has said. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah said on Sunday that Hong Kong’s September export growth rate – the highest monthly figure in more than 40 years – was driven by an increase in re-export volume equivalent to 1.4 times the city’s gross domestic...

Hong Kong must expand trade, not wait for ‘luck’ as AI exports could slow: commerce chief

Hong Kong concert organiser told ‘weeks in advance’ about changed programme: Yuja Wang

The internationally acclaimed pianist Yuja Wang has denied making a last-minute change to a recent performance in Hong Kong that resulted in audience refunds, saying the concert organiser was told weeks in advance about the revised programme. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Beijing-born American pianist and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra accused the local organiser, Premiere Performances of Hong Kong, of withholding the announcement of a change that had been “communicated weeks in advance by...

Hong Kong concert organiser told ‘weeks in advance’ about changed programme: Yuja Wang

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