Forest in China's Greater Hinggan engulfed in clouds
Oct 14, 2026
In July 2025, Choi Min-kyeong brought an unusual suit against someone few would have tried to lodge a case against: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It was the first time a North Korean defector filed a lawsuit against Kim, seeking damages for the torture and sexual violence she suffered in North Korea. "People around me said filing the lawsuit made no sense," Choi, 55, president of the Imprisonment Victims' Family Association, said in an interview with The Korea Times. "At first, a police officer who took my complaint thought it was ridiculous and dismissed it." However, in August, the Seoul Central District Court sided with Choi in her damages suit against Kim, awarding the full 50 million won ($37,210) she had sought. "I was happy and proud when I heard the ruling. I risked my life filing this lawsuit because I couldn't get my eldest daughter out. The 50 million won is just symbolic, calculated from court fees and legal costs, since even 500 billion won wouldn't satisfy my anger," Choi said, adding that the ruling established a legal basis to arrest Kim if he ever enters South Korea.
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun marks six years at the helm on Wednesday, spearheading the automaker’s transformation into a global top-three auto player by sales and steering it into a key future mobility player focusing on robotics, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence (AI). The next phase of his leadership, however, will hinge on whether the group can turn its physical AI ambitions into profitable businesses. Chung is also tasked with addressing mounting pressure on its core automotive operations and labor relations. Since taking the top post in 2020, Chung has overseen Hyundai Motor and Kia’s rise to the world’s third-largest automotive group by vehicle sales, behind Toyota and Volkswagen. The group maintained that ranking for four consecutive years through 2025. Hyundai Motor and Kia’s combined annual sales also surpassed the symbolic mark of 300 trillion won ($223 billion) for the first time last year. The expansion reflects a strategy that combined electrification with a stronger focus on high-margin vehicles, including SUVs and Genesis luxury m
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday it has clamped down on North Korean remote IT worker schemes that affected more than 70 American companies and generated millions of dollars in revenue allegedly linked to the North Korean regime. The department announced a series of recent coordinated law enforcement actions in Ohio and Texas, including an indictment, two arrests and the seizure of 187 computers used by North Korean IT workers to obtain fraudulent employment at U.S. companies. "North Korea's rogue regime uses its pervasive IT worker schemes to raise revenue for various illicit purposes, including the development of weapons that could ultimately target the United States or its allies," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said in a department release. According to the department, North Korean IT workers used stolen or fabricated identities and virtual private networks to secure remote jobs at American companies. They relied on U.S.-based facilitators who hosted company-issued laptops and transferred earnings to North Korean-controlled acc
WASHINGTON — North Korea is gaining experience in deploying troops and sustaining military operations over long distances through its involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday. U.S. Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks during a dialogue hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, highlighting the military benefits Pyongyang has gained from deploying troops and supplying weapons to support Moscow in the war. "They've learned how to go from North Korea to find themselves in Russia to move men, weapons and equipment there, as well to build supply lines that would allow them to support the Russian war effort," Brunson said when asked about the experiences Pyongyang gained through its participation in the conflict. Brunson stressed that North Korea's military has gained experience in strategic movement, mobilization and logistics, allowing it to develop capabilities that extend beyond tactical lessons learned on the battlefield. The commander warned that North Korea's military is becoming increasingly
WASHINGTON — New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia said Tuesday that $54 billion was tied to an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project as part of a South Korean energy investment package, despite uncertainty over Seoul's participation in the project. Zacharia made the remarks during her first official press briefing at the White House while highlighting the South Korean energy investment package worth up to $200 billion that U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this month. "President Trump also unveiled a South Korea energy investment package of up to $200 billion in the United States. This is an amazing deal. This includes as much as $120 billion to build eight large-scale nuclear power plants," Zacharia said. "In addition to that, there is $54 billion tied to the Alaska LNG pipeline and terminal to service the Pacific Rim and sell fuel to our allies as well as $22.3 billion for a 6-gigawatt natural gas power facility in Texas." Following Trump's announcement, South Korea's industry ministry, however, said the Alaska project had not yet been finalized, stressing
The finance ministers of South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed the importance of economic and financial cooperation between the two countries, according to Seoul's finance ministry. Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il held a video conference with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the first time since Lee took office last month, according to the ministry. Bessent congratulated Lee on his appointment and stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation in economic and financial affairs. Lee thanked Bessent for his congratulations and expressed hope for close communication and cooperation, the ministry said. The two ministers also discussed shared economic policy priorities and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation. The Treasury also issued a release on the finance chiefs' virtual exchange. "Secretary Bessent congratulated Deputy Prime Minister Lee on his new role and underscored the importance of the U.S.–Republic of Korea economic and financial relationship," the release said, adding, "The two officials discussed shared economic priorities and opportunities to strengthen
WASHINGTON — Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) and the U.S. Army have officially designated the American version of Hanwha's K9 self-propelled howitzer as the XM1776 Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC), the company has announced. According to HDUSA, a U.S. subsidiary of South Korean defense giant Hanwha Aerospace Co., the company held a naming ceremony for the XM1776 at the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) 2026 Annual Meeting and Exposition on Tuesday in Washington. In August, HDUSA was selected to provide prototypes based on a wheeled variant of the best-selling K9 Thunder self-propelled artillery system for the MTC program, which aims to develop a highly mobile 155-millimeter artillery system to replace the Army's aging M777 towed howitzers. HDUSA also announced that the U.S. Army has ordered a total of nine prototype XM1776 systems, with an option for nine additional units. The XM1776 is a wheeled artillery system designed to support the U.S. Army's modernization efforts, including improvements in mobility and long-range precision fires capabilities. "The XM1776 Mobile Tactical Cannon represe
When Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Yoo Mi-young was assigned to Udo Island, it was not the well-known tourist destination off Jeju but a much smaller island off Ganghwa in Incheon, near the inter-Korean maritime border. The scenery immediately caught her eye, but so did the significance of serving at one of Korea’s front-line military outposts. It is during nighttime guard duty, with the coastline quiet around her, that Yoo feels the weight of that responsibility. “When I look out over the coast in the stillness of the night, I feel a strong sense of responsibility for guarding the country’s front line,” Yoo said in an interview with The Korea Times. Yoo serves as deputy platoon leader of the Marine Corps’ Udo Guard Unit, part of the Yeonpyeong Unit, where her duties include coastal security operations, training and equipment inspections. Commissioned in July 2023, Yoo said she joined the Marines to challenge herself and serve her country. She was drawn to the demanding training and the chance to push her limits alongside fellow Marines, despite her family’s initial concerns about h
North Korea on Wednesday stressed the need to keep developing its nuclear arsenal for self-defense, in an editorial timed for the 100th anniversary of the founding of an organization considered the root of the Workers' Party of Korea. The front-page editorial in the Rodong Sinmun, the most widely read daily in the country, praised the spirit of "independence and anti-imperialism" at the center of the Down-with-Imperialism Union, formed by North Korean founder Kim Il-sung on Oct. 17, 1926. It called for "the strongest self-defensive capabilities" as the path to "complete and absolute sovereignty," and for bolstering the country's nuclear arsenal. "We accomplished the historic work of building our national nuclear forces in a short time and beyond all precedent," the editorial said. "By enshrining the policy of strengthening them in the constitution, we have ensured no one can bargain over our absolute strength any longer and secured a legal guarantee for its continued advancement," it said. North Korea stipulated the policy of strengthening its nuclear force in the constitution in Septembe
Students from the Department of Smart City Architectural Engineering at Chungnam National University donated all proceeds from the sale of locally themed merchandise at a regional festival to the university’s development fund. The university said five students met with university President Kim Jeong-kyoum on Tuesday and donated 728,000 won ($544) to the fund. The students — Shim Byeol, Park Ji-bin, Oh Yun-seo, Lee Yeon and Jang Seo-hee — were accompanied by their faculty advisers Kim Gyu-young and Lim Seung-cheol. As part of the Living Lab Capstone course, the students designed and sold merchandise at a regional festival as members of a team called “Oncheon Osungi.” Their products combined the appeal of Yuseong Hot Springs with Daejeon’s identity as a science city. The students ran an interactive booth at the 2026 Midsummer Night’s Yuseong Music Festa, held Aug. 7-9. They showcased keycaps inspired by Yuseong Hot Springs and the local specialty Pongdang Bread, as well as merchandise featuring the university mascot, Chacha. The university said the students designed and produce
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
