Foreign researchers joined classified projects without required security reviews

Only two of 33,256 research and development projects managed by the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs were classified as security tasks, and both involved foreign researchers who had not undergone required security checks, according to data obtained by a lawmaker. Rep. Choi Soo-jin of the opposition People Power Party obtained the data from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and TIPA. Security tasks are state-funded R&D projects subject to additional safeguards because di

2026-10-13 14:00:27:00

Korean men, foreign women give 10-minute 'rotation dating' a try in Seoul

Dating apps left Nicole feeling less like a potential partner than a possible English tutor. “What I learned from using dating apps is that people will meet me because it’s cheaper to buy lunch than take an English class,” said Nicole, 37. “Being flirted with is a bonus for them.” On Sunday, Nicole joined 10 other foreign women and 11 Korean men at a Seoul event organized by SoloLink. Participants met in pairs, switching partners every 10 minutes in a format known as “rotation sogaeting.” The fo

2026-10-12 15:13:00:00

Woman arrested on suspicion of killing father who scolded her for investment losses

A woman in her 40s was arrested on suspicion of killing her father while he slept, after he repeatedly criticized her for losing money he had lent her to invest. The Cheonan Dongnam Police Station in South Chungcheong Province said Sunday that the woman had admitted to fatally striking her father, who was in his 60s, with a blunt object at an apartment in Cheonan on Sept. 13. According to police, the woman lost several hundred million won her father had given her several years earlier in stocks

2026-10-12 14:41:55:00

Most single Korean women ambivalent on marriage, children: study

Most unmarried Korean women are neither strongly for or against getting married and having children, a study has found, with them holding a mix of traditional and nontraditional views. Kim Da-eun of Seoul National University analyzed data from 1,496 unmarried women who took part in the ninth phase of the 2022 Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families. The respondents’ average age was 30.07. The study classified respondents into three groups based on their answers to 14 questions about mar

2026-10-11 12:19:16:00

Invasive cockroach found breeding near Busan port

A fast-breeding cockroach species native to the Middle East and Central Asia has found its place in Busan, raising concerns over its potential spread across Korea. Researchers from Pusan National University and Gyeongsang National University confirmed the presence of the Turkestan cockroach (Periplaneta lateralis), commonly known as the "Red Runner," near Gamman Port in Busan, according to reports Saturday. During five field surveys conducted between November 2025 and June 2026, researchers coll

2026-10-11 11:55:20:00

North Korean defector school seeks a place to belong in Seoul

Students, graduates and supporters of Yeomyung School gathered outside the Seoul Metropolitan Council on Wednesday to appeal for a lasting home for a school that helps young people from North Korean defector families adjust to life in South Korea. One placard read, “Young people from North Korean defector families are Seoul citizens, too.” The school’s 105 students currently attend classes at a former elementary school in Gangseo-gu, where permission to use the building expires in February. A pl

2026-10-07 15:28:25:00

Seoul bids to host Interpol hub for regional crime cooperation

South Korea is seeking to host an Interpol regional office in Seoul to coordinate efforts against drug trafficking and other transnational crimes across the Asia-Pacific region, the Korean National Police Agency said Wednesday. The agency aims to launch an Interpol drug response task force in 2027 and open the regional office in 2029, when Seoul is scheduled to host the organization’s General Assembly. Establishing the office would require approval from Interpol’s Executive Committee and General

2026-10-07 13:40:54:00

Korea to strengthen food safety ties, support exports to Latin America

South Korea will host 32 food safety officials from eight Latin American countries for a training program to strengthen import safeguards and help Korean food companies expand into the region, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday. The program, now in its fourth year, will run from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2, with Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru participating. “Building trust between countries through food safety cooperation is an important foun

2026-10-07 11:16:35:00

Korea plans round-the-clock AI eldercare from 2028

Facing a projected shortage of nearly 1 million care workers in the coming decades, South Korea plans to use robots and artificial intelligence monitoring systems to help fill gaps in care for its aging population, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday. Pilot programs will begin next year in more than 400 households in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and Mokpo and Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, alongside trials of AI welfare consultations in 10 regions. "AI is not meant to replace people

2026-10-06 14:50:56:00

Court says Jang Yoon-gi should never go free. Can it bar parole?

A Korean court called for a convicted killer to spend the rest of his life behind bars — but lacks the legal authority to exclude the possibility of parole. The Gwangju District Court on Wednesday sentenced Jang Yoon-gi, 23, to life imprisonment for killing a 16-year-old student after attempting to sexually assault her. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, which the victim’s family had also demanded. In explaining its decision, the court noted that Korea has not carried out an execution sin

2026-10-02 18:05:22:00