Busan is emerging as a next-generation coastal destination in Asia as international interest in the Korean city grows, according to a recent foreign media report. The development of the Busan Lotte Tower and the Busan Opera House near the city's North Port is expected to further boost its appeal as a tourist destination. CNN highlighted the city's transformation in a travel article published Thursday titled "How the world's largest port city is becoming Asia's next coastal destination." "Busan, Korea's second-largest city, has been making big changes to establish itself as a destination in its own right, rather than simply a place to visit alongside other travel destinations," CNN said. The report stressed that Busan is not simply a "miniature version" of Seoul. "If Seoul is New York, Busan is Los Angeles," CNN said, describing the city as "younger, cooler and less stressful." CNN also pointed to Busan's transformation from a "world's largest port city" into a "design-driven city." A prime example is the Busan Lotte Tower, which is being built on the site of the former Busan City Hall, abo

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s acquittal Friday gives him an opportunity to turn his legal victory into greater influence within the conservative opposition, easing a threat to his tenure that had overshadowed his fifth term and constrained his presidential prospects. The Seoul High Court reversed a July ruling that fined Oh 10 million won ($7,500) and ordered him to forfeit 21 million won — a sentence that would have cost him his mayoral post had it become final. The appeals court ruling does not end the case. Special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team said it would appeal to the Supreme Court. But the reversal of a verdict that could have removed Oh from office gives him more room to advance his agenda in the capital and strengthen his standing within the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). The lower court’s conviction had raised questions about whether Oh could complete his four-year term, creating uncertainty around long-term projects. The acquittal reduces that burden and gives his administration greater political stability to pursue its priorities. Oh entered his fifth term with a

The Army's Ground Operations Command (GOC) has conducted an annual counterfire field training exercise (FTX) to enhance its readiness for wartime operations, the armed service said Friday. The drills were conducted from Monday through Friday, involving some 4,100 troops affiliated with the Combined Ground Component Command (CGCC), according to the Army. The GOC also serves as the ground component command of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), which was transitioned into a standing unit earlier this year. During the drills, which were held in tandem with the annual Hoguk exercise, troops trained under a simulated all-out war scenario on the Korean Peninsula. The CGCC task force, comprising intelligence and artillery units, attempted to occupy positions and detect and strike targets using their combined assets. A range of joint surveillance and strike assets, including the allies' unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), counter-battery radars, the Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile (KTSSM) and K9 self-propelled howitzer, were mobilized for the drills. The troops also practiced res

Gemini, the generative artificial intelligence (AI) by Google, has become the center of Korean politics in recent days, as President Lee Jae Myung and opposition politicians used the tool to defend their logic in the debate over investigative body chiefs’ attendance at Cabinet meetings. The debate turned a dispute over investigative independence into a political contest over AI-generated responses, with high-profile opposition lawmakers citing Gemini on issues ranging from Cabinet attendance to whether Lee’s suspended criminal trials should resume. The AI use battle began when Lee posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday under the heading, “I asked Gemini,” posting the AI assistant's answers to reject criticism of his decision to have the heads of the newly launched Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the Prosecution Service attend Cabinet meetings. His posting came after SCIA’s inaugural chief Kim Ji-yong took part in Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, presided over by Lee. The opposition bloc criticized Kim's attendance, saying it would undermine the investigative bo

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday urged prompt and bold reform of outdated regulations that hamper the growth of new technologies or advanced industries, calling it an essential task in the country's drive for global industrial leadership. The president made the call at the second plenary meeting of the regulation rationalization committee, aimed at easing regulations to help nurture advanced industries and ensure balanced development, both of which are key initiatives of the Lee administration. "Rationalizing regulations is an essential task in establishing an irreplaceable Republic of Korea," Lee said, reiterating his administration's push to establish global leadership in advanced industries. The president said new regulations would still be needed and should even be strengthened to protect people's lives and safety, as well as social fairness and transparency, but any outdated regulations hampering growth should be promptly reformed. "Outdated, inconvenient regulations that block new technologies and the development of new industries should be reformed promptly and boldly," he said. T

Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said Friday his ministry will make efforts to devise measures to address problems caused by smart glasses, vowing to speed up related guidelines already under preparation. Bae made the remarks during a parliamentary audit held at the National Assembly when a lawmaker asked whether the ministry is planning to deal with concerns over covert filming and privacy violations caused by such devices. "We will swiftly come up with response measures from a pan-ministerial level," Bae said, noting that President Lee Jae Myung pointed out the issue during a recent Cabinet meeting. "We are preparing a guideline but will speed up its progress." Smart glasses are wearable computer frames that integrate digital technology into eyewear, allowing people to film objects with a camera installed on the glasses, or show visual information on the lenses. The technology was brought to the mainstream mostly by Ray-Ban from Meta Platforms Inc. The device has recently face scrutiny in Korea, as a few people have been caught using them to cheat in academic and technical exams or ille

A middle school student bitten by a cobra while trying to trade it illegally has been caught by police, raising concerns about illegal ownership of wild animals. According to the police, a 14-year-old boy in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, was bitten on the back of his hand by a cobra Tuesday, prompting an emergency call to 119. He showed signs of paralysis and was airlifted to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, where he received anti-venom treatment. The bite reportedly occurred when he took the cobra out of its cage to sell it to another person. The snake was a forest cobra, which he had obtained through an online community. The species is a designated wild animal under the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, and trading or keeping it is prohibited in principle. Police plan to investigate how the cobra was traded before deciding whether to formally book him. This is the latest case of someone in Korea being caught illegally keeping dangerous wild animals. In July, a crocodile caught in a stream in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, was identified as a Si

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Friday welcomed an appeals court's decision to acquit Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in a high-stakes political funds case linked to opinion polls ahead of the 2021 mayoral by-election. Oh, who had been fined 10 million won ($7,500) by a lower court for violating the Political Funds Act and was at risk of losing his mayoral post, was acquitted on appeal. He is affiliated with the PPP. "It is a great relief and at the same time only the right thing that the city administration, entrusted to Mayor Oh Se-hoon by ten million residents of Seoul, can continue without disruption," PPP chief spokesperson Park Choong-kwon said in a commentary. "The ruling shows that the truth always prevails in the end, even if it takes time," he said. Oh had been indicted on charges of having a political supporter make payments totaling 33 million won for opinion polls he allegedly received on 10 occasions from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2021 election. Under the Political Funds Act, elected officials are stripped of their seats if they receive

Police will step up crowd safety measures in major nightlife districts across Seoul for Halloween festivities next week, officials said Friday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) said it will operate a special safety management period from Friday to Nov. 1. During this period, 4,594 police personnel — including 30 riot police units, 120 regional patrol teams, 120 special task force members, 99 detectives and 765 traffic police — will be deployed to Itaewon, Hongdae, Seongsu, Myeongdong and Ikseon-dong, where large crowds are expected to gather. The heightened safety measures come as Seoul prepares for its fourth Halloween since the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, a tragic incident that claimed 159 lives in a narrow alleyway in the popular nightlife neighborhood. From Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, police will closely manage traffic control in collaboration with local district governments, restricting vehicle access in phases based on crowd density. In major crowd gathering areas like Itaewon and Hongdae, police will also carry out preventive patrols to ease public anxiety caused by a recent s

The culture minister said Friday his ministry will conduct a thorough audit of the former National Museum of Korea chief who resigned over the museum's controversial display of a misattributed calligraphic work from his private collection. You Hong-june stepped down earlier this week after the museum wrongly displayed the calligraphy in an exhibition as the work of a Korean independence activist. The piece was later identified as the work of a prominent pro-Japanese collaborator during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea and turned out to be from You's own private collection. "I think the incident has damaged the reputation and public trust the museum has built over the years," Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young told a lawmaker during a parliamentary audit of the ministry. "The ministry will seek to restore public confidence through a rigorous investigation." The audit will not be limited to the alleged abuse of authority by the former director but will also look into "every procedure involved in the management and authentication of the exhibit at issue," Chae added.