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Korea relaunches hunt for assets accumulated by pro-Japanese collaborators

Sixteen years after winding down, Korea’s Investigative Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators’ Property will restart operations this December to examine and seize assets illegally amassed during Japan's occupation of Korea. The commission’s reactivation follows the scheduled enforcement of the Special Act on Asset Confiscation for Pro-Japanese and Anti-national Collaborators to the State on Dec. 3. The law targets wealth and property accumulated through cooperation with Japanese imperial forces during the 1910–1945 colonial period. Korea's renewed asset search is underscored by a stark, enduring socio-economic divide. Studies show nearly three-quarters of the descendants of independence activists live in low-income households, with many relying on state welfare — giving painful weight to the adage that "three generations are ruined by fighting for independence, while three generations prosper through collaboration." The special legislation was enacted to address a legal void after the first investigative commission was disbanded in 2010, just four years after its establishm

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Cash-only demand reportedly prompted SK chairman to appeal $666 mil. divorce payout ruling

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won’s last-minute decision to appeal his 944 billion won ($666 million) property division ruling reportedly stems from a sharp disagreement over how the massive payout should be settled. Chey offered a hybrid package consisting of both cash and SK stock, but his ex-wife, Art Center Nabi Director Roh Soh-yeong, apparently rejected the offer, demanding the entire payment in cash. Faced with a Friday midnight deadline, Chey’s legal team submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court with just one minute to spare. Chey had initially considered liquidating equity to raise the funds and conclude the nine-year legal dispute. However, selling a massive block of shares in a short period raised concerns about driving down stock prices and undermining the group's governance structure. To bridge the gap, Chey reportedly proposed giving Roh a mix of cash and shares, offering to compensate her if the stock price dropped, while forfeiting any claim to potential gains if the price rose. Roh apparently refused the compromise, insisting on the precise execution of the appellate

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Ex-PM claims narrow victory in DPK primary across Seoul, Gyeonggi

Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok won the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) primary across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province on Sunday. Kim secured a narrow victory with 46.61 percent (148,245 votes), edging out incumbent party leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae at 46.28 percent (147,038 votes) and former party chief Rep. Song Young-gil at 7.05 percent (22,410 votes). Kim’s total cumulative vote share reached 49.91 percent, excluding regional weighting for North and South Gyeongsang provinces and Daegu. Meanwhile, Jung followed at 41.51 percent, with the gap between them at 8.4 percentage points. Kim also secured a victory in the party primary in Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces Saturday, a region viewed as a litmus test for the party's leadership race. Kim captured 57.54 percent of the vote in the party stronghold, outpacing Jung, who received 32.65 percent, and former party chief Rep. Song Young-gil, who took 9.81 percent. Before Sunday's primary, Kim led with a cumulative 235,128 votes, or 52.21 percent, across Chungcheong Province, Busan–Ulsan–South Gyeongsang Province, Jeju, Incheo

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Young Korean workers hit hardest as AI automation slashes jobs

More than half of the jobs lost by young Koreans in July were concentrated in industries heavily exposed to artificial intelligence (AI). This marks a dramatic departure from previous years, when youth employment dips were primarily driven by slowdowns in traditional manufacturing and in-person services. The latest figures from the Ministry of Data and Statistics reveal that the number of employed individuals aged 15 to 29 fell by more than 191,000 compared to the same period last year. Notably, the information and communications sector, which encompasses computer programming, telecommunications and digital media publishing, bore the brunt of this decline, shedding 74,517 positions. This represents the sector's steepest single-month drop since comparable tracking began in 2014. Simultaneously, employment in professional, scientific and technical services — covering fields such as legal advice, accounting, corporate consulting, and taxation — contracted by another 23,640 jobs. Together, these two knowledge-intensive sectors accounted for 51.3 percent of the total youth employment lo

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State-sponsored cyberattacks from N. Korea, China, Russia rise 7.5% in 1st half of 2026

Cyberattacks orchestrated by state-sponsored hacking groups from North Korea, China and Russia increased by 7.5 percent in the first half of this year, driven primarily by a sharp surge in early-year activity. According to a threat intelligence report by cybersecurity firm S2W, there were global Advanced Persistent Threat incidents between January and June, up from 147 in the preceding six months. The escalation was overwhelmingly concentrated in the first quarter, reflecting intensified digital offensives from Pyongyang and Moscow. North Korea remained the world’s most active state-backed threat actor, accounting for 99 incidents — a 13.8 percent jump from the previous six-month period. Pyongyang disproportionately targeted South Korea with 19 recorded attacks, followed by eight against the United States. To breach defenses, North Korean actors increasingly weaponized cutting-edge tools, leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI), deepfakes, compromised code repositories and fraudulent job recruitment schemes. These sophisticated tactics focused heavily on infiltrating cry

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Industry minister again heads for Washington amid growing US tariff pressure

Korea's industry minister departed for Washington earlier in the day as Seoul faces mounting tariff pressure from the United States amid a series of unresolved bilateral trade issues, sources said Sunday. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan's visit to the U.S. came at a sensitive time for bilateral trade relations, as Seoul faces growing U.S. pressure to accelerate its investment commitments under a bilateral tariff deal. Earlier, the ministry said the U.S. government is expected to announce the results of its investigation into alleged overproduction under Section 301 of the Trade Act by the end of this month. Last month, Washington also announced a new set of tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, ranging from 10 percent to 12.5 percent, following an investigation into forced labor under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. Under the new scheme, Korea is subject to 12.5 percent tariffs, along with Japan and Switzerland. Separate from the forced labor-related investigation, the U.S. government is also investigating 16 economies, including Korea, over alleged excess industrial capacity

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Samsung, SK hynix could deliver record $212 bil. in shareholder returns: reports

With Samsung Electronics and SK hynix expected to unveil new shareholder return plans as early as this month, analysts estimate that the two chipmakers could together return as much as 300 trillion won ($212 billion) to investors. Record second-quarter earnings — 89.5 trillion won in operating profit at Samsung and 60.5 trillion won at SK hynix — have strengthened their ability to reward shareholders. The prospect of outsized payouts is also raising hopes that the two stocks, which together account for more than half of the benchmark KOSPI’s total market capitalization, could help rekindle the broader Korean market rally. Samsung has pledged to return half of its free cash flow under its 2024-26 shareholder return policy, while SK hynix similarly plans to allocate 50 percent of its free cash flow generated from 2025 through 2027 to shareholders. That could leave Samsung with as much as 200 trillion won and SK hynix with up to 100 trillion won to distribute, according to market estimates. Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities, expects Samsung’s new program to be large eno

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Trump posts photo with NK leader Kim, says they 'get along great'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday posted a photo of him meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in 2019 on social media, repeating his claim that he and Kim "get along great." The posting came as the White House has repeatedly said that Trump remains open to dialogue with Kim "without any preconditions" although it remains uncertain whether Pyongyang will come forward for talks amid deepening economic, diplomatic and military cooperation with Moscow. "Despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture, there are many where we're smiling, Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT!" the president wrote on Truth Social. Trump had three in-person meetings with Kim during his first term: the first meeting in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and then the Panmunjom meeting in June 2019. The third meeting drew international attention as Trump briefly set foot on North Korean soil after crossing the Military Demarcation Line with Kim -- the first time a sitting U.S. president had done so. In June, Trump also posted on Tr

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Vertical-format drama 'Father's Home-Cooked Meals' to hit theaters

Korean director Lee Joon-ik’s new short-form drama "Father’s Home-Cooked Meals" will be released in theaters before its digital release, marking the first time a short-form drama has received a theatrical release, Lezhin Snack announced Thursday. The project marks Lee’s first foray into directing a short-form drama and features a star-studded cast including Jung Jin-young, Lee Jung-eun and Byun Yo-han. Known for short runtimes and a vertical-screen format, short-form dramas have primarily been consumed on smartphones. The theatrical release is expected to offer audiences a different viewing experience. "Father’s Home-Cooked Meals" follows Ha-eung, a father who has spent 40 years expecting home-cooked meals three times a day. When his wife Soon-ae develops a condition that leaves her unable to cook, Ha-eung enters the kitchen for the first time in his life. His clumsy attempts to prepare meals himself turn the familiar routines of family life upside down in a humorous way. Based on the webtoon of the same name by Gorita, the drama has drawn considerable attention as Lee’s first

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2 Life at American gold mines in northern Korea: Pulling teeth

“It is the night of the Fourth [of July] and I am working the same as usual,” complained Rush McCargar, a 25-year-old American employed by the Oriental Consolidated Mining Company (OCMC) in northern Korea in 1900. “The engineers, machinists, carpenters, miners, and office force had the day off, but we who are unfortunate enough to be mill men have to work just the same.” But it wasn’t work that irritated him the most; it was a toothache that kept him awake throughout the night. The tooth had been bothering him since December, and though he tried all the home remedies available to him at the mine, none had brought relief. He had even contemplated pulling it out himself, but the nearest forceps were more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) away. There was nothing he could do but try to “grin and bear it.” Fortunately for McCargar, at the end of July, an American dentist from Nagasaki paid a temporary visit to the mines and offered his services to the miners, for a price. It was readily accepted, and when he left he was much richer for the experience. In a letter to his family, McC

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Teen girl arrested after pouring boiling water on her mother

A teenage girl has been arrested after allegedly pouring boiling water over her mother, who tried to stop her from running away from home. The Namyangju Nambu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said Aug. 15 that it had arrested the girl, identified only as A, and was questioning her on suspicion of aggravated injury to a parent. According to police, A allegedly poured boiling water from an electric kettle over her mother, identified as B, at their home in Namyangju at around 12:50 a.m. that day. The incident reportedly occurred after the two argued and A said she wanted to leave home. When B tried to stop her and take away her cellphone, A allegedly poured boiling water on her. Police arrived after a neighbor reported the incident and arrested A at the scene. Although A is a minor, she is not considered a juvenile below the age of criminal responsibility, according to police. Under Korean law, children aged 10 to under 14 are classified as “juvenile offenders” who cannot face criminal punishment but may be subject to protective measures. B suffered second-degree burns and was taken to

1 MIN READ
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Director Hong Sang-soo, actor Kim Min-hee win awards at Locarno film fest

Director Hong Sang-soo and actor Kim Min-hee have clinched awards at this year's Locarno Film Festival for their latest film, "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes." Hong received the award for best direction at the 79th edition of the film festival in Switzerland on Saturday, while Kim, the director's long-time partner, won best performance along with Italian actress Monica Bellucci for her role in Italian drama "Kettice." "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes," Hong's 35th feature, follows Sang-hee (Kim Min-hee), who heads to the southern Korean island of Jeju to find her divorcee mom whom she last saw 10 years ago. It marked the fifth time Hong was invited to the Locarno film fest to screen his work. He won the best director award for "Our Sunhi" (2013) and the top Golden Leopard prize for "Right Now, Wrong Then" (2015). Kim previously clinched the best performance award at the festival for her role in Hong's "By the Stream" (2024).

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N. Korea silent on Lee's proposal for dialogue to officially end Korean War

North Korea remained silent Sunday on South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's proposal to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War. Lee proposed dialogue to formally end the Korean War and establish a peace regime during a Liberation Day address Saturday that marked the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The two Koreas technically remain at war since the three-year conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. North Korean state media, such as the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun, however, did not carry any reports on Lee's address as of Sunday morning. They instead focused reporting on commemorative events across the country on the occasion of the anniversary, such as people visiting statutes of the country's late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il to pledge their loyalty. Lee's dialogue overture came despite the North remaining unresponsive to Seoul's repeated reconciliatory gestures since Lee took office in June last year. The Lee administration has pledged to consistently pursue dialogue with North Korea in pursuit of

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Outside TSMC, ordinary Taiwanese remain detached from its bonuses, Taiwan's 10% growth

From 3.71 percent to 10.16 percent. When the Institute of Economics at Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s foremost national research institution, released its projection for the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2026 last month, it represented a staggering 6.45-percentage-point increase from its previous projection made in late December. Such a rate of growth is rarely seen in advanced economies and may even seem downright unrealistic. If Taiwan does exceed a 10 percent growth rate, it will be the first time the country has seen a double-digit growth in 16 years, since 2010. The nation’s GDP already jumped 14.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, fueled by a global investment boom in artificial intelligence (AI), while demand for advanced chips and servers is projected to persist into the second half of the year. The glossy growth outlook did not stand alone, as other economic research institutes issued similarly optimistic projections. On July 22, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) forecast Taiwan’s economic growth at 10.35 percent for th

8 MIN READ
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RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Geuni Sikdang offers a taste of North Korea in Cheonan

CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province — In Cheonan, behind what can only be considered the most unassuming storefront in the country, lies a local favorite. This is Geuni Sikdang and it specializes in North Korean cuisine. Most will be familiar with Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold noodles), but this restaurant offers something a bit rarer: "eobok jaengban" (boiled meat platter). Eobok jaengban started in Pyongyang Market and was often shared when doing business deals to impress potential clients. It consists of beef brisket, beef broth, leafy vegetables and dumplings. When ours arrived, the beef cuts were splayed out beautifully around the outer edge of the pan and the fire underneath was immediately lit, both in the stovetop and in our appetites. We dug into the dumplings first and they were extremely subtle. A very mild kimchi was mixed in with tofu and bean sprouts. There was a surprising, yet welcome, parmesan flavor to the whole affair. The restaurant makes the broth every day and uses hanwoo 1++ Korean beef for this dish. Brisket and other “off-cuts” can be tough to use properly a

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SIWFF champions beauty of human imperfection in film

A flickering screen once was a sign of technological limitation. This year, the Seoul International Women's Film Festival (SIWFF) is using it as a sign of authenticity. Rounding out the summer and wrapping up the month of August, the 28th SIWFF will run from Aug. 20-26. Screenings and industry panels will take place across seven days at Megabox Sinchon and the Korean Film Archive's Cinematheque KOFA, under the festival's longtime slogan, "See the World Through Women's Eyes!" This year's theme, "Reimagining F," is a continuation from last year, where the "F" has stood for female, film, fellowship and festival. This year’s edition adds a new focus: the flicker. The trailer for the festival sets up the idea. An old CRT television flickers, a praxinoscope spins through a childlike animation and then artificial intelligence (AI) prompts appear typed out on an old typewriter. The imagery plays off the imperfection of older analog tools to contrast against the ideas of smooth, generated work that increasingly defines art made with AI. It's a nod to the literal flicker of early film projection

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Editor's Pick

NK aims to deepen ties with China, Russia by criticizing nuclear projects of S. Korea, Japan: experts

NK aims to deepen ties with China, Russia by criticizing nuclear projects of S. Korea, Japan: experts

North Korea’s recent criticisms against South Korea’s nuclear submarine plans and Japan’s consideration of non-nuclear policy revisions, coupled with its latest missile tests, are likely aimed at boosting ties with China and Russia and bolstering its nuclear narrative, experts said. They believe Pyongyang's recent actions were timed with the expected visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Seoul, as early as next week. In a commentary released by Pyongyang's state-run news outlet Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday, Jang Kum-chol, first vice minister of North Korea's foreign ministry, criticized Seoul’s nuclear-powered submarine development plan with the United States, saying, "South Korea’s push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines will inevitably trigger a nuclear domino effect across the Asia-Pacific region." The criticism came three months after Seoul unveiled in May the Jang Bogo N Program, an initiative to develop around three 8,000-ton nuclear-powered submarines. A piece published by the KCNA on Wednesday attributed to international affairs commentator R

3 MIN READ

Life in Korea

Julia Mellor's mission to globalize soju

Julia Mellor's mission to globalize soju

Many people think of soju, Korea's iconic distilled alcoholic beverage, as a cheap, low-quality liquor that comes in a green bottle and causes a killer hangover. But Julia Mellor, founder of The Sool Company, has made it her mission to evangelize the traditional rice-based version of the drink. Recently, she set up a booth at the International Dutch Distillers Festival, where she gave two soju masterclasses for 110 guests introducing 3 craft sojus paired with Korean snacks. "It was a totally Dutch festival, so the audience was very green and probably 90 percent of attendees had never heard of soju, so it was a really great opportunity," Mellor said of the event. "The encouraging thing is that once people taste these premium Korean spirits without preconceived ideas, the quality speaks for itself. To have the opportunity to present Korean soju to such a new audience with no background knowledge was an exciting milestone and gave us a confidence boost that we are headed in the right direction." Mellor, an Australian, spent 17 years living in Korea, where she discovered her love for Korea'

5 MIN READ

Lifestyle

'Busy vacations' can leave your body exhausted

A car cannot remain in good condition if it races at full speed without a break, suddenly shuts off and then accelerates again without warming up. The human body is much the same. If people spend the entire workweek under pressure, finally relax on the first day of vacation and then plunge straight back into their routine upon returning to work, their bodies can easily suffer. A 46-year-old civil servant surnamed Park experienced just that. Before his summer vacation, he cut back on sleep for several nights to finish a backlog of work. But when he finally arrived at his vacation destination, he developed a headache and flu-like aches. He ended up spending his entire first day at his accommodations. Although several days of rest might have been expected to help, he said that after returning to work his body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge and he struggled to concentrate. He had become sick during a vacation meant for rest and returned feeling even more fatigued rather than recharged. The phenomenon cannot simply be dismissed as psychological. Researchers at Tilburg University in the N

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'Busy vacations' can leave your body exhausted

K-Culture

Korean rom-coms put their faith in cliches — but will they work forever?

A protagonist with memory loss. A dicey office love triangle. A chance encounter with a first love and a secret surrounding someone’s birth. Cliche-riddled, old-fashioned romantic comedies are back. After a series of productions loaded with elaborate worldbuilding and heavy atmospheres, broadcasters seem to have decided that trend has run its course and that viewers now need something lighthearted — an unhealthy yet familiar and addictive treat. 'You can't beat the classics' “Our Sticky Love,” which premiered on Netlfix on Aug. 7, might be the most quintessential romantic comedy of the season. The drama revolves around a young man and woman: Go Eun-sae, played by Ha Young, an elite prosecutor who wakes up in a hospital after losing her memory and fingerprints; and Jang Tae-ha, played by Jung Hae-in, a boxing coach who claims to be her boyfriend. Together, they begin a new life in a rural Korean village. Eun-sae’s antagonistic attitude toward Tae-ha, rooted in her deeply suspicious personality, steadily gives way to a phase of denying her attraction to the male lead before the

3 MIN READ
Korean rom-coms put their faith in cliches — but will they work forever?

Celebrities

'KPop Demon Hunters' singer EJAE shows off wedding ring after '9 years together'

Singer EJAE, who gained global attention through the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," has shared an update ahead of her wedding. On Friday, EJAE posted several photos on social media, writing, "So grateful to have someone I can call home." "9 years together and many more years to go," she wrote. The photos drew attention as EJAE showed off a wedding ring from a luxury jewelry brand. In one photo, she places her hand, wearing the ring, over that of her fiancé, while another shows the couple embracing, capturing their excitement ahead of the wedding. EJAE announced her engagement in January after sharing photos of a proposal from Korean American producer Sam Kim. The couple is reportedly set to marry in November. EJAE gained widespread recognition for writing, composing and performing "Golden," a song from the soundtrack of Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters." "Golden" won best song written for visual media at the 68th Grammy Awards and best original song at the 98th Academy Awards. This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a gener

1 MIN READ
'KPop Demon Hunters' singer EJAE shows off wedding ring after '9 years together'

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Opinion

Top 10 Stories

  1. Korea relaunches hunt for assets accumulated by pro-Japanese collaborators

  2. US pulls last aircraft carrier in Asia as Trump focuses on Iran and Western Hemisphere

  3. Cash-only demand reportedly prompted SK chairman to appeal $666 mil. divorce payout ruling

  4. Young Korean workers hit hardest as AI automation slashes jobs

  5. Trump posts photo with NK leader Kim, says they 'get along great'

  6. 2 Life at American gold mines in northern Korea: Pulling teeth

  7. Teen girl arrested after pouring boiling water on her mother

  8. Samsung, SK hynix could deliver record $212 bil. in shareholder returns: reports

  9. State-sponsored cyberattacks from N. Korea, China, Russia rise 7.5% in 1st half of 2026

  10. Ex-PM claims narrow victory in DPK primary across Seoul, Gyeonggi

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