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Lee orders thorough probe into data breaches at local banks

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday ordered a thorough investigation into a string of recent data breaches at financial institutions, as artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cyberattacks increasingly target them. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Lee was briefed on recent data breaches at financial and public institutions and their responses to the incidents. "The president ordered officials to conduct a thorough investigation and make every effort to devise measures, with a grave awareness of the seriousness of the matter," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The remarks came after a series of data breaches at major financial firms over the past several days. Shinhan Bank on Thursday reported a breach affecting about 25,000 customers, followed by similar incidents reported at KB Kookmin Bank, Hana Bank and BNK Busan Bank on Friday. The leaked information included customers' names and phone numbers, as well as annual income and loan limits. Some customers' resident registration numbers were also exposed. The breaches have since spread beyond major banks to nonbank financial institutions.

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Police officer arrested over AI-generated sexual deepfakes

A police officer has been arrested last month for allegedly generating sexually exploitative deepfakes of people he knew with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and sharing them on Telegram, police said Sunday. According to police, the officer, assigned to Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul, was arrested Sept. 16 on charges including possessing sexual abuse material and sexually explicit deepfakes, as well as creating and distributing such content. Investigators found some 5,600 images and videos in his possession, including about 2,600 deepfakes, 1,600 pieces of child and adolescent sexual abuse material and 1,300 illegally filmed videos. Police also suspect that he personally created and distributed some of the illicit content. The case came to light during an investigation by the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency into a Telegram chat room where sexually explicit deepfakes were allegedly being shared. Police obtained court approval in December last year to conduct an undercover investigation of the chat room. An investigator entered the group under a concealed identity and tracked

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Asian Games 20th Asian Games draw to conclusion with celebration of athletic feats

NAGOYA, Japan—The 20th Asian Games came to a conclusion in the central Japanese city of Nagoya on Sunday with a celebration of athletes, supporters and volunteers of the quadrennial continental competition. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the third Asiad to be held in Japan, dealt with persistent criticism over issues ranging from lack of accommodations for athletes to transportation mishaps. Bearing the name of the prefecture of Aichi and its capital Nagoya, events were held across Aichi and, in some cases, outside the prefecture -- mostly in existing and redeveloped venues in an effort to lower costs. Over the past 16 days, central Japan hosted some 10,000 athletes and officials from 45 nations, as they competed for 469 gold medals in 43 sports and 71 disciplines under the slogan, "Imagine One Asia." South Korea finished third in the medal table with 39 gold, 43 silver and 68 bronze medals. China dominated the event yet again with 169 gold medals and 341 medals overall. The host country Japan earned its all-time Asian Games record 83 gold medals. Sport climber Seo Chae-hyun, who won gol

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Cornell president vows review in wake of alleged student gang rape

NEW YORK — The president of Cornell University voiced support Saturday for an external review of the institution facing widespread outcry over the alleged gang rape of a student in 2024. The incident was detailed in a graphic lawsuit filed last month, drawing harsh backlash against the Ivy League institution and New York prosecutors for not filing any criminal charges against the accused perpetrators. "In conjunction with our board of trustees, I welcome the independent review by an outside law firm into all aspects of Cornell's handling of the 2024 matter," President Michael Kotlikoff said in a video shared on Cornell's website. The plaintiff claimed in the civil suit that she was drugged with ketamine, assaulted and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, a social club for male students. "This has been one of the most difficult weeks in our history, and I know many of you are angry, saddened, and struggling," Kotlikoff continued. "What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come." The criminal investigation into

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ADHD drug prescriptions surge 38% in 2 years

Prescriptions for methylphenidate, an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment widely known as "study drug" among students in Korea, have surged nearly 38 percent over the past two years in the country and are especially high among people aged 19 and under, data showed Sunday. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management, 58.05 million methylphenidate tablets were prescribed in the first half of this year, up 12.1 percent from the same period a year earlier. This marked a 37.8 percent increase from the first half of 2024, when 42.13 million tablets were prescribed. Methylphenidate is a controlled medical substance in Korea and needs a doctor's prescription to be purchased. Alarming is that methylphenidate prescriptions were particularly high among people aged 19 and under, who accounted for about half of the total. In the first half of this year, 28.81 million tablets were prescribed to people in the age group. Males accounted for 20.9 million tablets, far more than the 7.91 million prescribed to females. Pres

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Stray Kids follows BTS in Grammy boycott over Asian pop category

K-pop group Stray Kids is boycotting next year’s Grammys, following BTS in its decision not to submit music for consideration amid mounting controversy over the award show's newly created Asian pop category. The BBC reported on Friday that JYP Entertainment, the boyband's agency, confirmed that the group did not submit any music for consideration for the 69th Grammy Awards. "Stray Kids did not submit for the Grammys," the agency was quoted as saying. The decision came less than a day after the Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammys, announced that it would move forward with its Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Stray Kids has been considered a leading contender for the new award, given the group’s strong presence in the global music market. The group has topped the Billboard 200 nine times, the second-highest tally for any group after The Beatles. All eight members also hold voting membership in the Recording Academy, underscoring their growing presence in the U.S. music industry. The Academy first announced the creation of the Asian pop category in June. It argued the

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Personal data of some 24,000 KEPCO employees leaked

The personal information of some 24,000 employees at the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has been leaked, the company said Sunday, the latest in a series of personal data leaks at corporations. "We became aware that the personal information of employees was exposed on an external web site at around 3:59 p.m. Thursday," KEPCO said in a statement. The leaked information includes their names, job positions and telephone numbers but does not include sensitive information, such as their resident registration numbers, the company added. KEPCO said in the statement it has since notified affected employees and completed deleting the leaked information at around midnight Friday. Customer information, stored in a separate system, was not compromised. The case comes after several major financial firms, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank, recently suffered back-to-back leaks of customer information in hacking attacks. A KEPCO official said the company is verifying the exact cause of the incident and that the data leak appears to be unrelated to artificial intelligence (

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N. Korea's Kim oversees hypersonic missile launch, calls for bolstering war deterrent

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen the launch of an intermediate-range strategic missile and called for continued efforts to bolster the "fatality" of the country's offensive weapons, state media reported Sunday. North Korea conducted a firing drill of the missile toward the East Sea at dawn on Saturday as part of efforts to train missile troops operating the "hypersonic strategic weapon system," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim said it is very important to demonstrate the counterattack means of the North's military in a "constant mobilization posture," according to the report. "We must continue our responsible efforts nonstop to constantly and repeatedly make the enemy recognize the reliability and fatality of our strategic offensive means," the North's leader was quoted as saying by the KCNA. "This is a form of exercising deterrent," he said, noting that such a missile launch is aimed at "more rapidly developing the country's nuclear war deterrent." Photos published by state media showed Kim overseeing the launch with his daughter, Ju-ae, and his wife, R

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What is fueling French school protests?

PARIS, France — Protests by teenagers outside their schools have shaken France in recent days, with students blockading entrances to their institutions and security forces on occasion responding with tear gas. The government has said that while the grievances may be legitimate, violence is not and has accused the hard-left of whipping up the movement. Critics have meanwhile accused some police of heavy-handed force against protesters, who are legally still children. More than 5,000 people have been arrested since Monday, according to the interior ministry, while about 735 educational establishments were affected on Friday, the education minister said. While the weekend may see a lull, a major new day of protest is planned for Tuesday. AFP looks at the origins of the movement. Multiple grievances The protests affect lycees, the schools where French teens have their last years of school aged from 15-18, the equivalent of high school in the United States and sixth form in the United Kingdom. The students' grievances are numerous, but chief among them are teacher absences, conditions in classr

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Endless search for graves of forgotten independence fighters

At a ceremony held at Incheon International Airport's Terminal 1 on Nov. 15, 2022, to repatriate the remains of independence fighters buried overseas, the voice of Hwang So-young, the great-great-granddaughter of independence fighter Lee Han-ho (1895-1960), trembled slightly as she reached the final lines of a letter she had written to him. Until then, she had read it in a calm, steady voice. Moments later, Lee's remains were carried into the ceremony hall by an honor guard from the Ministry of National Defense's ceremonial unit. It was his return home, 107 years after leaving his homeland. Lee moved to China's Jiandao region in 1915 and joined Maenghodan, an anti-Japanese independence group. After participating in a March 1 Independence Movement demonstration in 1919, he fled to Russia and then Shanghai, China, to escape Japanese police. He later moved to Switzerland, where he continued his independence movement activities. He died there in September 1960. On that day, 62 years after Lee's death, as he was finally laid to rest in his homeland, one person watched the scene with more an

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From 'Coffee Prince' to 'My Lovely Sam Soon,' 2000s K-drama fashion is back

After years of playful, edgy Y2K fashion dominating wardrobes, young Korean women are turning toward something decidedly more grown-up. The so-called "grown woman look," a Korean fashion trend centered on sophisticated, understated femininity, is gaining traction among women in their 20s and 30s. Fashion brands are responding with fall and winter collections built around polished silhouettes, richer colors and restrained styling. According to the fashion industry, the trend marks a shift away from the bold, youthful aesthetic associated with the Y2K revival. Instead, consumers are gravitating toward looks that appear effortless yet refined, with a relaxed and restrained mood. Deep colors, subtle femininity and clean silhouettes are among the defining elements. The trend has even revived interest in the wardrobes of female characters from Korean TV shows that aired nearly two decades ago. On social media and in online communities, fashions worn by Han Yoo-joo, played by Chae Jung-an in the 2007 drama "Coffee Prince;" Yoo Hee-jin, played by Jung Ryeo-won in the 2005 series "My Lovely Sam So

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Seoul Botanic Park brings plants into everyday spaces

Living rooms have held a monopoly on indoor plants for far too long. A stubborn fern on a side table, a dusty ficus in the corner or a balcony overcrowded with forgotten pots — that used to be the default script for urban greenery. But a new exhibition at Seoul Botanic Park is tearing up that playbook, arguing that foliage belongs in the messy, intimate spaces where daily life actually happens. Beginning Wednesday and running through Dec. 31, "In Green" takes a fresh, lived-in approach to indoor plant styling. Rather than treating greenery as static decoration, the showcase at the park's Garden Support Center shifts themes every month to mirror how people navigate their homes as the seasons change. "I hope this exhibition serves as an opportunity for visitors to view plants not merely as objects of a specialized hobby, but as companions naturally sharing our everyday spaces — from living rooms and bedrooms to balconies," said On Su-jin, director of the Seoul Botanic Park. October kicks off in the heart of the home, transforming the kitchen into a verdant hub with practical, everyday

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Lottery winner, CEO, intern: Office is back in K-content

Even lottery winners go to work, and so do interns. In the past, the workplace in K-content was often portrayed as a place people wanted to escape. Workplace bullying by bosses, office politics, excessive workloads, competition and the struggle to survive were recurring themes, giving rise to dramas such as “Misaeng,” which continues to be talked about years later. In 2026, however, a new wave of content is heading back to the office. From Tving original series “Even Lottery Winners Go to Work” and the film “The Intern” to Season 3 of Coupang Play’s “Office Workers,” the workplace is the setting for all three. But while earlier office dramas focused on realistically depicting the joys and hardships of working life, recent productions are looking at workplace realities in new ways by combining the familiar office setting with fantasy, generational change and comedy. So why the office again now? It would be too simple to view this as merely the return of the office drama, because these productions are using the workplace in fundamentally different ways. The most notable

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German Korean disco-punk band returns to Seoul

Korean German musician Ja-min Oh has returned to Korea, the land of her parents, several times over her life. But it took an encounter with Rumkicks, a band of spiky-haired girl punks from Seoul, to connect her band, disco-punk duo Minoh, with the music scene here. Oh was stage manager at Pit Rock, a venue in the small western city of Aachen, when Rumkicks stopped by to play a festival on May 24, 2025. She started a conversation with Heynam Sin, who was filling in for Rumkicks on bass at the time, and Sin gave her a personal connection with the local scene. Shortly after, Oh and her bandmate Guido Kloppisch went on holiday to Seoul. "A friend put us in touch with Club Victim — they said yes, and we played as a two-piece on instruments we rented at Nakwon Music Arcade," Oh said. An online video of the impromptu show reached the Tokyo venue Ruby Room. The venue sent an invite, but the two Minoh members were already back in Germany so they couldn't play. "None of this was planned," Oh said. "Now, one year later, it is — and this whole DIY accident somehow ended up funded by the Goethe-I

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Cha Seung-won, Ra Mi-ran to play husband and wife in action comedy

A family that gathers at a hospital to visit a sick relative becomes caught up in a terrorist attack. Three generations of the family — from grandfather to father to son — are former Marines. Director Won Shin-yun is telling the story of this unusual family in his new film, “Family Force.” Won, who has showcased action in films including “The Battle: Roar to Victory” and “The Suspect,” is combining family relationships with comedy this time. Set at a large hospital in Seoul, the film follows three generations of a Marine family as they confront a multinational terrorist attack. Filming began in September. At the center of the family are Cha Seung-won and Ra Mi-ran, who play a married couple. Cha plays Cheol-du, a former Marine master sergeant whose family motto is, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” He visits the hospital where his father is admitted and ends up confronting the terrorists alongside his wife and son. Ra plays Ye-bun, Cheol-du’s wife and the emotional anchor of the three-generation Marine family. The couple’s everyday interactions and chemistry as

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Over 30% of arrest warrant requests rejected by prosecutors this year: data

The proportion of arrest warrants filed by police that were rejected by prosecutors surpassed 30 percent for the first time this year, data showed Sunday. According to the Public Prosecution Service, police filed for a total of 26,961 requests for arrest warrants between January and August this year. Of them, 9,186, or 34.1 percent, were rejected by prosecutors. It marked the first time the rejection rate for arrest warrant requests exceeded 30 percent. The rejection rate has trended upward since reaching 22.8 percent in 2021, rising to 26.8 percent in 2025. Police investigators have complained that prosecutors have become reluctant to seek warrants requested by them amid a major overhaul of the prosecution, under which prosecutors were stripped of their investigative powers. Last Friday, Korea abolished the prosecution office for the first time after 78 years and launched two new agencies separating investigative and indictment powers amid long-standing criticism that the prosecution had wielded excessive authority. The data also showed that prosecutors' rejection rate for police requests

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Han Soo-jin's Vivaldi perspective rooted in seaside souvenirs of Isle of Man

The Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, holds special musical memories for violinist Han Soo-jin, 40. Born in Busan, Han moved to Britain with her parents at age 2 and spent the first three and a half years of her childhood on the island. Surrounded by meadows and the sea, it was also where she first heard Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons." That memory has now found its way into her recently released second album, "The Four Seasons," her first album featuring a concerto with an orchestra. She recorded it with the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) last September at London's Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded their music. During a press conference on Wednesday at Sounds S in Yongsan District, Seoul, Han said, "Some people might wonder why I chose Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons,' which has been performed so often and has so many acclaimed recordings." "But I believe that even when performers remain faithful to the same score, the music that emerges after passing through each performer's prism inevitably sounds different," she said. F

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Editor's Pick

Cornell and Burning Sun: What's behind the comparisons?

Cornell and Burning Sun: What's behind the comparisons?

SEATTLE — The sexual assault allegations involving seven current and former Cornell University students are drawing comparisons to Korea’s Burning Sun scandal, with parallels focusing on private group chats, male group dynamics and questions of institutional accountability. The Cornell case centers on allegations that a female student was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024. A civil lawsuit filed last month names seven current and former students, including Winston Lee, whose ties to Korea have drawn particular attention in Korean and Korean American online communities. Burning Sun erupted in 2019 as one of Korea’s most notorious scandals in recent years, growing from allegations surrounding a Seoul nightclub into a sprawling case involving prostitution, sexual violence, illegally filmed and disseminated sexual videos, gambling and allegations of police corruption. Min Joo Lee, an assistant professor of Asian studies at Occidental College whose research includes gender and sexuality in South Korea, told The Korea Times that

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Life in Korea

[MORNING CALM TALES] The irresistible appeal of Korea's 'pojangmacha' food tents

MORNING CALM TALES The irresistible appeal of Korea's 'pojangmacha' food tents

Had I not gotten lost in Jamsil one cold December night, I might never have discovered the soul of Seoul. It was the early 1990s, and I decided to be adventurous and find a different way back to my apartment. Somewhere in the maze of Jamsil 2-danji, I got twisted around and ended up on a street I had never taken before. Getting lost there was surprisingly easy. At night, the apartment buildings all looked alike, row after row of concrete towers rising into the darkness. I knew the subway station was somewhere behind me and my apartment somewhere ahead. Beyond that, I was guessing. The December air had a bite to it. I shoved my hands deeper into my coat pockets and kept walking. Then I saw the orange glow. On the side of the street stood a rectangular tent, glowing in the darkness. Light filtered through thick orange plastic, turning it into a giant lantern. Shadows moved behind the vinyl. Every so often, someone lifted a flap, releasing a burst of steam and noise into the cold before ducking inside. I stopped. What was this place? There was no sign or name that I could see, yet people kep

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Lifestyle

Yunchan Lim to give Mozart 270th anniversary recital in Daegu

Pianist Yunchan Lim, who drew worldwide attention after becoming the youngest-ever winner of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will visit Daegu for a recital. Suseong Artpia said Friday that it will host “The Pianist Series — Yunchan Lim Piano Recital” at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at its Grand Theater. The recital, held to mark the 270th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, will give Korean audiences an early opportunity to hear Lim ahead of his planned complete cycle of Mozart’s piano sonatas at Carnegie Hall in New York and Wigmore Hall in London. Lim will perform Mozart’s piano sonatas and fantasies. His program includes Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, K. 279, Piano Sonata No. 6 in D major, K. 284, Fantasy in D minor, K. 397, Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332, and Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310, which he will present with his own deeply considered interpretations. Lim won the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022 at age 18, becoming the youngest winner in the competition’s history and gaining international recognition. He also receiv

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Yunchan Lim to give Mozart 270th anniversary recital in Daegu

K-Culture

'Possible Love' asks if love can survive without understanding

How much understanding does love require? Must two people fully understand each other, look in the same direction and inhabit similar worlds for their relationship to endure? Or can remaining beside someone, even with parts of them that may never make sense, also be called love? Those questions linger long after watching director Lee Chang-dong's new film "Possible Love." The film begins with an encounter between two married couples from sharply different worlds. Ho-seok, played by Sul Kyung-gu, is a laid-off worker living with his wife Mi-ok, played by Jeon Do-yeon. Ye-ji, played by Cho Yeo-jeong, is a documentary filmmaker who wants to capture their lives on camera, while Zo In-sung plays her husband Sang-woo. As the couples grow closer, their desires and emotional voids gradually come to the surface. The film opens with an ominous commandment that reverberates throughout the film: "You shall not covet your neighbor's possessions." Modern life constantly invites people to look at what others have: a better home, more money, greater stability or perhaps a more desirable spouse. Few are e

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'Possible Love' asks if love can survive without understanding

Celebrities

Jim Carrey reportedly weds girlfriend believed to be of Korean descent

Hollywood star Jim Carrey has reportedly tied the knot for a third time, marrying his partner Min Ah, who is 32 years his junior, in a private ceremony in Los Angeles. Multiple U.S. entertainment outlets, including TMZ and People, reported Wednesday that Carrey recently held a small, private wedding ceremony in Los Angeles. Min Ah has been described as being of Korean descent, although her Korean heritage has not been officially confirmed. The couple reportedly began dating in 2022 but kept their relationship largely out of the public eye. They made their first official public appearance together in February at the César Awards in Paris, France. Carrey received an honorary award at the ceremony and publicly acknowledged Min Ah during his acceptance speech, describing her as his "sublime companion" and saying that he loved her. The marriage marks another chapter in the personal life of the 64-year-old actor, one of Hollywood's most recognizable comedy stars. Born in 1962, Carrey married Melissa Womer, an actress and former waitress, in 1987. The couple had a daughter, Jane Carrey, before d

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Jim Carrey reportedly weds girlfriend believed to be of Korean descent

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Opinion

Top 10 Stories

  1. Asian Games 20th Asian Games draw to conclusion with celebration of athletic feats

  2. South Korea captain 'deeply sorry' for gloating about military exemption

  3. 'Disappointing' as South Korean flag mishap sees Games end on sour note

  4. Personal data of some 24,000 KEPCO employees leaked

  5. Lee orders thorough probe into data breaches at local banks

  6. Cornell president vows review in wake of alleged student gang rape

  7. Police officer arrested over AI-generated sexual deepfakes

  8. ADHD drug prescriptions surge 38% in 2 years

  9. N. Korea's Kim oversees hypersonic missile launch, calls for bolstering war deterrent

  10. Endless search for graves of forgotten independence fighters

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