ULSAN — A fire broke out at a chemical manufacturing company in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Wednesday, forcing around 7,000 workers near the site to evacuate, officials said. The fire began at 9:41 a.m., prompting fire authorities to mobilize some 200 personnel and three helicopters to fight the blaze, according to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters. All 16 workers at the site have evacuated, with no casualties reported so far. The fire is believed to have erupted from an outdoor storage tank containing 8,000 liters of toluene, a flammable material. The smoke from the blaze prompted refiner S-OIL to partially suspend operations of its Shaheen petrochemical project nearby, with about 7,000 workers evacuating to safe locations. Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the blaze. Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung ordered authorities to mobilize all available resources to put out the fire and check for possible missing victims.

Kim Ji-yong, nominee to lead the newly established Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA), emphasized political neutrality and independence at his parliamentary confirmation hearing Wednesday, vowing to pursue investigations without yielding to external pressure. "I will conduct investigations impartially, upholding political neutrality and independence," Kim said in his opening remarks at the National Assembly hearing. "I will ensure that the SCIA conducts fair investigations based solely on the law and principles, without yielding to external pressure," he said. The SCIA was launched on Oct. 2 as part of a major overhaul of the criminal justice system that removes prosecutors' independent investigative powers. A new criminal justice system set sail, under which investigative agencies, including the SCIA and police, handle investigations, while the Prosecution Service is responsible for indictments. Kim vowed to ensure that SCIA fully fulfills its role in upholding judicial justice and protecting the daily lives of the public. He then promised to accomplish four key tasks to earn publi

INCHEON — Three criminal profilers will help investigate the suspect behind this week's stabbing spree in Incheon that left eight people injured, police said Wednesday. The profilers will help uncover the motive of the attack, which took place Tuesday afternoon at a shopping complex in the city west of Seoul, according to Incheon's Namdong Police Station. The suspect, a 59-year-old man, was detained at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and taken into custody, where he reportedly told investigators some details of the attack. One victim, a woman in her 20s, went into cardiac arrest and received surgery, while the other seven were treated at hospitals. The assailant reportedly wielded knives in both hands and attacked people while moving between floors on an escalator before shoppers threw chairs at him and subdued him. He was found to be carrying a large quantity of drugs at the time, but tested negative in a preliminary drug test conducted by the police. "We plan to apply for an arrest warrant for the suspect after questioning him today," a police official said.

South Korea and the United States are in talks to set the date for their high-level defense dialogue after the U.S. midterms, informed sources said Wednesday, a move that would mark a delay of the annual talks typically held in early November. According to the sources, the allies have reached a mutual "understanding" to push back the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) largely due to the U.S. midterm elections slated for Nov. 3. Washington is due to host this year's SCM. The apparent delay, however, comes amid a perceived gap between Seoul and Washington over the timing of the U.S.' handover of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea, Seoul seeks to retake wartime OPCON from Washington before the Lee Jae Myung administration's five-year term ends in 2030, or even as early as next year. Washington has expressed reservations about rushing the transition out of political considerations. "The U.S. side has raised the need for rescheduling considering the midterm elections and other factors," a source said. Another source said that both sides "are aligned on delaying the schedule," T

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik has met with Greek lawmakers in Athens to discuss ways to step up bilateral cooperation in defense and high-tech industries, his office said Wednesday. Cho made the remarks during a luncheon meeting Tuesday (local time), outlining the Korean government's economic strategy on artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, culture, defense, energy and manufacturing. "We firmly believe that South Korea and Greece can cooperate closely in these areas and achieve mutually beneficial development through deeper cooperation," he said. Cho expressed hope that Korean companies could help strengthen Greece's naval capabilities through closer cooperation in shipbuilding and defense. Ioannis Plakiotakis, first vice speaker of the Greek parliament, said the two countries have maintained strong economic cooperation in shipping and shipbuilding, noting that their bilateral ties have expanded into other areas, including tourism and culture. He also stressed the importance of establishing direct flights between Seoul and Athens to boost tourism. Representatives from Kor

Hyundai Motor Group will invest $15.5 billion in India from 2026 through 2032 to expand production capacity, strengthen research and development and build a broader automotive industry ecosystem in one of its key growth markets. The group announced the seven-year investment plan following a meeting between Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday (local time). The investment will cover manufacturing expansion, R&D infrastructure, local supplier development and emerging mobility businesses, with the aim of strengthening India's role as a major production and export base for the group. To coordinate the investment, Hyundai Motor Group plans to establish a dedicated entity in India. The entity will oversee investments in R&D, future technologies and the broader automotive ecosystem, while identifying local partners and supporting strategic cooperation with Indian suppliers. “India remains one of Hyundai Motor Group’s most important and strategic markets globally. The past 30 years have been defined by our commitment to India. This inve

A parent demands full marks for a written English answer, citing an email from a professor at an American university. In another case, a private academy challenged an English test score, and the dispute later led to a lawsuit over partial credit. These incidents, described in a casebook recently released by the National Secondary School Teachers’ Union, show the challenges facing discussions about introducing written-response and essay questions into Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), potentially aided by artificial intelligence (AI) grading. The casebook accompanied a survey of 2,427 middle and high school teachers conducted from Sept. 7-30. Middle and high school teachers nationwide say persistent grading complaints have pushed them to set questions with fixed answers. They warn that expanding essay-based assessments could worsen disputes and increase their workload. Several teachers described a tension between encouraging diverse, well-reasoned answers and creating grading criteria precise enough to withstand complaints. One English teacher reported that a dispute inv

A Seoul district court on Wednesday sentenced independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo to 2 1/2 years in prison on charges of receiving money in exchange for an election nomination. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence for Kang, formerly a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), also ordering her to forfeit 100 million won ($75,000). Kang was indicted on charges of accepting 100 million won from former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung in January 2022 in exchange for a DPK nomination ahead of the local elections that year. Kang served as a member of the DPK's nomination committee for Seoul city councilors at the time. Kim was selected as a DPK nominee and was elected in the 2022 local elections. The court sentenced Kim to one year in prison and a former aide to Rep. Kang to an eight-month prison term, suspended for two years, for arranging the meeting between Kang and Kim. The court ruled the defendants exchanged illegal political funds, adding their actions undermined election fairness and "severely" damaged the public's trust. Kang left the DPK at the start of th

Korea is bringing together archivists and cultural experts from 16 Asia-Pacific nations in Jakarta, Indonesia for an international workshop focused on preserving historical records and preparing them for global recognition under UNESCO’s documentary heritage program. The 2026 UNESCO Memory of the World International Capacity-Building Workshop, running from Tuesday to Friday, is hosted by Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration and Korean National Commission for UNESCO at the National Archives of Indonesia. Launched in 2009, the annual program provides practical training for countries seeking to identify significant documentary heritage and prepare nominations for UNESCO’s Memory of the World register, with particular attention to nations underrepresented on the international list. Over 17 years, 18 documentary heritage items from participating countries have been added to the register, while 11 others have entered regional registers, organizers said. This year’s workshop is the largest yet, drawing participants from Timor-Leste, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Sri

A special counsel team on Wednesday raided the National Election Commission (NEC) over suspicions of bid rigging involving around 5 billion won ($3.7 million) worth of election supplies. Special counsel Lee Tae-han's team said it sent investigators to the NEC's office and four other locations, including election supplies companies, to search for and seize evidence in connection with the allegations. Lee's team said it has found signs of alleged collusion between the NEC and the companies regarding polling station supplies for the presidential election last year and the local elections in June. The special counsel team launched last month to investigate ballot shortages reported across the country during the June 3 local elections in addition to other allegations of misconduct by the election watchdog.