South Korean seniors are choosing airports to stay cool

As South Korea battles a record-breaking heat wave, Incheon International Airport is emerging as an informal cooling refuge for people with nowhere more convenient to escape the heat. Media reports over the past week have highlighted seniors spending hours inside the terminals playing games, sharing packed lunches and resting on benches. The appeal of the airports appears to be practical: the terminals offer air conditioning, seating, free wi-fi, charging facilities and restrooms, while South K

2026-08-07 17:07:47:00

3 student activists arrested over alleged trespassing at US air base

Three student activists were arrested Thursday after a court approved arrest warrants over their alleged trespassing at K-55 Osan Air Base, a US air base in Pyeongtaek, earlier this week. Eight members of the Korean Progressive University Student Union attempted to enter the base through its main gate on Tuesday. Six entered the installation, while two were stopped at the entrance, according to police. US Forces Korea personnel detained the activists at the scene before handing them over to the

2026-08-06 22:15:00:00

KBO suspends games through weekend amid record heat

South Korea's professional baseball league has extended its suspension of games through the weekend after adopting new measures aimed at protecting players and fans from the country's record-breaking heat wave. Following an emergency meeting Thursday involving the Korea Baseball Organization, general managers from all 10 clubs and representatives of the Korea Professional Baseball Players Association, the league announced that all remaining games this week have been canceled. The regular season

2026-08-06 21:46:34:00

North Korean defections to South fall 35% in first half amid tighter border controls

A total of 63 North Korean defectors arrived in South Korea for resettlement in the first half of 2026, down 34.4 percent from a year earlier, as Pyongyang's tightened border controls continued to make escapes increasingly difficult, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. The figure included 59 women and four men, bringing the cumulative number of North Korean defectors living in South Korea to 34,600. During the same period last year, 96 defectors arrived in the South. According to a ministry

2026-08-06 21:33:46:00

S. Korea’s Danuri captures rare images of SpaceX rocket crashing into moon

South Korea’s first lunar orbiter, Danuri, captured rare before-and-after images of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage striking the moon this week, giving scientists one of their clearest opportunities yet to study how a human-made object alters the lunar surface. The Korea Aerospace Administration said Thursday that the rocket’s upper stage impacted the moon’s far side near Einstein Crater at 3:34 p.m. Wednesday (Korea time). Unlike most previous lunar impacts, which have typically been studied onl

2026-08-06 21:11:40:00

Famed budae jjigae franchise files for court rehabilitation

Nolboo, the South Korean restaurant franchise best known for its signature budaejjigae — a fusion stew that emerged in the aftermath of the Korean War, combining Korean ingredients such as kimchi and tofu with American staples like sausage and baked beans — has filed for court-led corporate rehabilitation after years of financial difficulties. According to restaurant industry and legal sources on Thursday, the Seoul Bankruptcy Court issued a comprehensive preservation order for Nolboo on Tuesday

2026-08-06 20:35:06:00

Looking for Kim: US veteran's son searches for lost 'brother'

The son of a US Marine combat photographer who documented the Korean War is searching for a Korean boy who lived and worked alongside his father and became one of his closest companions during the conflict. According to South Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Robert P. Mosier, the son of the late photographer Robert H. Mosier, sought help from the Korean Embassy with his search after rediscovering the close bond between his father and the Korean boy through a 1953 National Geogr

2026-08-05 19:49:36:00

AI-assisted music now eligible for copyright registration in South Korea

The Korea Music Copyright Association announced Monday that creators may now register songs developed with artificial intelligence if they played a substantial and leading role in writing lyrics, composing or arranging the work. Songs generated entirely by AI through simple text prompts remain ineligible. The move reverses KOMCA's previous policy, which had previously withheld registration of AI-assisted works, citing concerns over copyright disputes and the lack of clear standards. "The purpose

2026-08-05 17:07:48:00

Foreign tourist surge puts pressure on Incheon Airport during summer peak

South Korea’s summer tourism boom is straining operations at Incheon Airport, where a sharp increase in foreign arrivals has led to lengthy immigration queues and prompted authorities to expand staffing and congestion management measures. According to the Ministry of Justice, 11.05 million foreign nationals entered South Korea during the first six months of the year, up 20.6 percent from the same period last year. The increase is expected to accelerate during July and August, when inbound travel

2026-08-04 13:58:04:00

First-ever severe heat warning issued for Seoul

The relentless heat, which shattered South Korea’s all-time temperature record on Sunday, showed no signs of easing Monday as it spread to western and central parts of the country. As of 4 p.m. Monday, severe heat wave warnings — the highest alert level, calling for an immediate halt to outdoor work — were issued for parts of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, joining areas in the southern regions that were already under the alert. The warnings will take effect from 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to the K

2026-08-03 15:34:01:00