2027 budget not being used for Duterte’s impeachment trial – Ejercito

Inquirer.net - Oct 18, 2026

MANILA, Philippines  — Sen. JV Ejercito vowed to keep the 2027 national budget from being used for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment. “There’s no truth to that; nothing like that is happening. That’s all I can say. If anyone should know about that, it should be me,” said Ejercito, who also chairs the Senate finance

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AFP modernization needs sustained funding amid threats — Ejercito

Oct 18, 2026

AFP modernization needs sustained funding amid threats — Ejercito

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) modernization program needs sufficient and sustained funding to strengthen the country’s defense posture amid budget constraints and mounting external threats, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, Sen. JV Ejercito said. “In the Senate, we have been consistent in supporting the AFP modernization, as well as in

Street Fighter: a fighting game movie that fans must see

Oct 18, 2026

Street Fighter: a fighting game movie that fans must see

MANILA, Philippines – For nearly four decades since it started out as a small arcade game and eventually turned into the fighting game franchise powerhouse it is today, Capcom’s Street Fighter series is as universally recognizable as every iconic property and brand known in popular culture.  The series has undergone several evolutionary leaps since it

Gen Z workplace communication sparks friction in Korean offices

Oct 18, 2026

Gen Z workplace communication sparks friction in Korean offices

"This new hire is really strange. Even when calls come in, they do not answer, and when given instructions, they do not respond. They ignore most KakaoTalk messages and only reply to things that benefit them." Senior employees in their 30s who work with new hires in their 20s with impressive credentials frequently voice this grievance. They complain that open communication with junior staff remains difficult despite considerable effort. However, the 20-somethings targeted by this criticism counter that their true intent — exchanging precise information and avoiding getting hurt while communicating — is not getting across. Why young workers avoid office phones Participant 4: Why do people in their 20s avoid phone calls these days? Participant 2: We prefer text messages because they let us reply after preparing our thoughts. That is especially true for work-related matters. Because text leaves a written record, we can check details directly from the message without having to ask again later. Even if a phone call is recorded, it is more inconvenient because we have to go back and listen

Lee pays tribute to firefighter killed in Bucheon factory fire

Oct 18, 2026

Lee pays tribute to firefighter killed in Bucheon factory fire

President Lee Jae Myung paid his respects Saturday to a firefighter who died while responding to a factory fire in Bucheon, west of Seoul, the presidential office said. Lee posthumously awarded firefighter Kim Jin-seok the Okjo Order of Service Merit in recognition of his dedication and sacrifice, and offered condolences to his bereaved family, the office said. After paying his respects, Lee said, "The government must provide firefighters with recognition and support commensurate with their dedication and sacrifice." Lee also stressed the need to strengthen on-site safety measures to ensure that firefighters can perform their duties in safer working conditions. The president instructed Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung, who accompanied him, to provide all necessary support for the treatment and recovery of firefighters injured in the blaze. The government also plans to provide further honors for Kim, including arrangements for his burial at a national cemetery. The fire broke out at a four-story metalworking factory at 8:38 a.m. Friday and was fully extinguished at 11:06 a.m., according to fi

Wearable robots offer mobility to people with disabilities in Seoul

Oct 18, 2026

Wearable robots offer mobility to people with disabilities in Seoul

Advanced rehabilitation involving wearable robotics has traditionally remained out of reach for many due to high costs and limited availability outside major medical centers. Now, a pioneering municipal program in western Seoul is bringing this cutting-edge technology directly into neighborhood streets. The Mapo District office is running a specialized robotic rehabilitation initiative designed to help registered residents with mobility impairments regain independence. By partnering with the Seoul Seobuk Hospital and wearable robotics firm Angel Robotics, the district has established a collaborative support framework bridging public health infrastructure with advanced medical engineering. Driven by leading tech firms, research institutes and startups like Hyundai Motor, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Angel Robotics, Korea has rapidly expanded wearable robot technology beyond specialized medical rehabilitation into everyday industrial, agricultural and community mobility applications. The program utilizes robotic exoskeletons to analyze participants' gaits and

Dark Side of Seoul Podcast digs up city's secrets

Oct 18, 2026

Dark Side of Seoul Podcast digs up city's secrets

Korea has always been conscious of its own image, even as K-content exports and inbound tourism numbers continue to break records. But that global spotlight comes with an unspoken condition: show the shiny face, and sweep the unpolished parts under the rug. From outside, the country is often viewed through rose-tinted glasses, a tidy utopia of cute cafes and picture-perfect K-drama lifestyles. The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast offers something that doesn't fit on a postcard: an unvarnished look at Korean history and culture, aimed at the genuinely curious rather than the credulous, equally comfortable with the country's dark folklore as with its murders, crimes and political purges, distant and not so distant. The show is hosted by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, who have both lived in Korea for more than two decades and together lead The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk. To be clear, this isn't a foreigner-complaint fest where the hosts look down on Korean culture. It respects the culture and its listeners enough to give the fuller picture, with a dark sense of humor that labels certain

Korea should approach Trump with business mindset, Sunny Park says

Oct 18, 2026

Korea should approach Trump with business mindset, Sunny Park says

When Sunny K. Park arrived in the United States in 1974 with just $200 in his pocket, he had little idea that he would one day become a successful Korean American entrepreneur with extensive ties to Washington. Park, now 84 and president of the American Korean Friendship Society, was 32 when he moved to Indiana to study at Indiana University. Having grown up in poverty and survived the 1950-53 Korean War, he recalled seeing America as a “paradise” filled with opportunities. Two years later, however, he left school to support his family and began selling life insurance door to door. His involvement with the Korean immigrant community eventually led him into a different line of work. While helping newly arrived Koreans find jobs, Park noticed growing demand in the commercial cleaning industry. “Korean immigrants came into the U.S., but they had a tough time to get a job, so I helped them and that brought me to a new industry — commercial cleaning,” Park told The Korea Times. “That business became so popular and it doubled in just one year. I gave up the insurance sales and star

Voice phishing cases detected by major banks double in 2025

Oct 18, 2026

Voice phishing cases detected by major banks double in 2025

The number of voice phishing transactions confirmed as fraud after being flagged by monitoring systems at major commercial banks doubled last year from a year earlier, data showed Sunday. According to the data submitted by the Financial Supervisory Service to Rep. Park Seong-hoon of the People Power Party, the five major banks — KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank — detected 8,760 such transactions through their fraud detection systems (FDS) in 2025 and subsequently confirmed them as actual fraud after taking temporary measures to suspend them. The figure more than doubled from 4,343 cases in 2024. An FDS is a technical system that monitors transactions, user activity and other data in real time to identify and flag suspicious behavior. The banks' FDS flagged 1.11 million suspected voice phishing transactions last year, up 39.9 percent from 796,000 in 2024. Of those, the banks took temporary measures against 157,000 transactions in 2025, up from 125,000 in 2024. Recently, Korean financial institutions are stepping up efforts to strengthen their cyb

Reports of taxi fare overcharge for foreigners top 6,000 in 5 years: lawmaker

Oct 18, 2026

Reports of taxi fare overcharge for foreigners top 6,000 in 5 years: lawmaker

The number of complaints submitted by foreigners on alleged taxi fare overcharges in Seoul over the past five years came to more than 6,000, but corrective measures have been taken on only about 3 percent of them, a lawmaker said Sunday. The number of such reports submitted between 2021 and August this year totaled 6,481, Rep. Mo Gyeong-jong of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said, citing Seoul city government data. Of the total, administrative measures were taken on only 204 cases, or 3.1 percent. Of those, drivers in only 28 cases had their licenses suspended or canceled, while those involved in the remaining 176 cases were given mere warnings. Over 67 percent, or 4,368, of all reported cases were closed internally due to difficulties in verifying an overcharge and voluntary withdrawal of complaints, according to the data. In 2013, the city government revised a policy on taxi fare overcharge complaints, allowing foreigners to apply to receive 500,000 won ($374) in compensation should their report result in an administrative measure. The data showed there has been no case in which t

Number of inmates granted early parole rises on prison overcrowding: lawmaker

Oct 18, 2026

Number of inmates granted early parole rises on prison overcrowding: lawmaker

The number of inmates released on parole before serving 60 percent of their full sentence has increased due to prison overcrowding, a lawmaker said Sunday. A total of 634 inmates who had served less than 60 percent of their full sentence were granted early parole in the January-August period, Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing justice ministry data. The figure is around 3.7-fold bigger than the annual total of 172 in 2025, according to the lawmaker. The number of inmates who were released before fulfilling 60 percent of their sentence remained below 40 between 2022 and 2024 but sharply jumped last year. The increase was attributed to overcrowding at prisons across the country. As of the end of August, correctional facilities were operating at 126.2 percent of their capacity, compared with 122.1 percent in 2025, the data showed, according to Joo. To lower the rate, the justice ministry has been expanding early paroles for elderly and sick inmates who were deemed to have a low risk of reoffense. The ministry has said it plans to increase the number of ear

Kazakh man apprehended in viral Icheon road ambush case

Oct 18, 2026

Kazakh man apprehended in viral Icheon road ambush case

Police have apprehended a Kazakh man suspected of carrying out an ambush-style attack on a car at night in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, in an incident captured on dashcam footage that went viral recently. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency and Icheon Police Station said Saturday that they detained the suspect, 21, on suspicion of aggravated intimidation and property damage. He and a fellow Kazakh national, 25, allegedly pursued and blocked a car carrying a driver in his 30s and a passenger on a road in Majang township on July 29. They allegedly left their own vehicle to threaten the occupants and kick the front of the vehicle. The case drew public attention after the footage was featured on the YouTube channel Han Moon-chul TV last month, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. As the footage spread, politicians such as Rep. Na Kyung-won of the opposition People Power Party questioned the state of public safety and called on police to mobilize all available investigative resources to catch the suspects. Police reopened the probe last month, and forensic specialists recovered som

Jeonbuk National University sociology students win top prizes in presentation competition

Oct 18, 2026

Jeonbuk National University sociology students win top prizes in presentation competition

Students from Jeonbuk National University’s Department of Sociology won top honors in an academic presentation competition for projects examining urban history, youth anxiety and changes in university life from a sociological perspective. The department said Friday that Kim Min-seo and Jang Eun-seong won the grand prize in a presentation competition organized by the Korean Sociological Association for supporters of the 2027 ISA World Congress of Sociology. Organized by the International Sociological Association (ISA), the congress will be held in Gwangju from July 4-10 next year. Two other teams received excellence awards. They were Bae Sol and Seon Hwa-pyeong, and Kim Se-jeong and Kim Yong-man. The grand prize-winning team explored the theme “How We Remember Gwangju,” examining the city’s history and urban spaces through a sociological lens to highlight the significance of hosting the World Congress of Sociology in Gwangju. The team examined a diverse range of historical sites and everyday spaces, including the former South Jeolla Provincial Office and Jeonil Building 245, artist

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