Gender equality minister says presidential office asked her to 'steady' ministry

The Korea Times - Oct 1, 2026

Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong said Thursday the presidential office has asked her to "steady" her ministry, apparently signaling her retention after the nominee to replace her withdrew amid political controversy. Won made the remarks after Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor Basic Income Party withdrew her candidacy last month amid controversy over the former nominee's plans to keep her parliamentary seat if she was appointed as minister. When asked by reporters whether she would keep her post, Won responded that Cheong Wa Dae had requested that she "steady the organization" following Yong's withdrawal. "(I) will make efforts with the staff to steadfastly push for the policy tasks reported to the president and the public in July," she said in a briefing marking the first anniversary of the ministry's reorganization. The ministry was newly launched under a revised government reorganization law in October last year after facing possible disbandment under the previous administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The ministry has pushed for new projects under Won, including launching

Read full article

MORE NEWS

WATCH: Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Oct. 1, 2026

Oct 1, 2026

WATCH: Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Oct. 1, 2026

LIVE UPDATES: Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Oct. 1, 2026 MANILA, Philippines – The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte shifts to a full-day schedule Thursday as the Senate impeachment court moves to speed up proceedings before taking a break for the 2027 national budget deliberations. The court will hear the case from 10

Senate shifts impeachment trial to full-day sked ahead of budget break

Oct 1, 2026

Senate shifts impeachment trial to full-day sked ahead of budget break

MANILA, Philippines – The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will become a whole day event starting Thursday as the Senate impeachment court expedites the proceedings and gives itself time to for legislative functions. The schedule adjustment comes as the trial of the vice president coincides with the Congress’ deliberations and debates for the

UNHCR official to discuss global forced displacement for RAS Korea lecture

Oct 1, 2026

UNHCR official to discuss global forced displacement for RAS Korea lecture

Stefan Maier hopes to see millions of refugees in long-term displacement move beyond dependence on humanitarian assistance over the next nine years, under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) "50 by 35" vision. "By 2035, we want to halve the number of refugees who have been displaced for prolonged periods and remain unable to meet their basic needs without humanitarian assistance," Maier, deputy representative for the UNHCR in Korea, told The Korea Times in a recent written interview. "We live in an intensely interconnected world," the Austrian national said. "Forced displacement may begin locally, but its consequences rarely remain local. Conflicts and persecution can uproot millions of people and have repercussions far beyond the countries and regions in which they originate." He cited the arrival of around 550 Yemenis on Jeju in 2018. "I relate to that episode quite personally because I worked in Yemen from 2015 to 2017, at the height of a devastating war and humanitarian crisis," he said. "It illustrates how a conflict that may initially seem geographically dist

Sungshin Women's University pushes flexible education to meet changing social needs

Oct 1, 2026

Sungshin Women's University pushes flexible education to meet changing social needs

Sungshin Women's University is rethinking how it responds to the demands of the era of artificial intelligence (AI) — not by endlessly adding new departments, but by tearing down the walls between existing ones. President Yi Seong-keun said universities face constant pressure to keep pace with rapidly changing social and industrial needs, but warned that the reflexive response of creating new departments for every emerging field can simply replace old academic boundaries with new ones. “Society is constantly asking universities to respond to changing needs, but we cannot do that with rigid ways of thinking,” Yi told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “Just as students must adapt to a changing world, universities must evolve with them.” That approach is already reshaping Sungshin’s academic structure. The university has expanded into AI and other advanced fields through its AI Convergence Department and College of IT Convergence, while a new Department of AI Convergence and Semiconductor Engineering will begin admitting students in 2027. Enrollment in advanced fields unde

Trump announces Alaska LNG project as part of Korea's investment plans

Oct 1, 2026

Trump announces Alaska LNG project as part of Korea's investment plans

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled South Korea's U.S. investment projects under last year's bilateral trade agreement: the construction of a gas-fired power plant in Texas, eight large-scale nuclear power plants and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska. The announcement followed protracted negotiations over major energy infrastructure projects under the agreement that committed South Korea to investing US$350 billion in the United States -- $150 billion for the shipbuilding sector and the remainder for strategic investments -- in return for lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods. Trump's explanation of the first investment package under the agreement suggested apparent differences with Seoul's position that the two countries have largely agreed on the Texas and nuclear projects, while Korea's participation in the Alaska project has yet to be finalized. Trump highlighted the investment projects as he has underscored his economic achievements ahead of the November midterm elections amid public concerns over the monthslong war with Iran that has resulted in high energ

Beyond sponsorship, companies provide technology to sports

Oct 1, 2026

Beyond sponsorship, companies provide technology to sports

Behind Korea’s medal-winning athletes are companies that have been in the sports realm for decades, turning sponsorship into technology, training and long-term support. The approach reflects a major shift in how conglomerates are shaping their support for athletics: Sponsorship is increasingly being used to build a long-term relationship with a sport, rather than simply gaining exposure around major competitions. At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Korean fencing once again showed the value of that commitment. The national team won 10 medals across men’s and women’s sabre, epee and foil, including four golds. SK Telecom has been backing Korean fencing for 24 years, but its role has evolved far beyond financial support. As the Korean Fencing Federation’s lead sponsor since 2003, the telecom operator has invested 36 billion won ($26.5 million) in the sport, supporting training equipment, overseas competitions and international events. This year, it added artificial intelligence (AI) to that partnership. The Fencing AI Nexus system, developed by the company, uses computer vision an

Korea, US unveil 3 investments in energy projects

Oct 1, 2026

Korea, US unveil 3 investments in energy projects

Seoul and Washington unveiled plans for three investment projects in the United States — a $22.3 billion Texas gas-fired power plant for data centers, a framework to build eight large nuclear reactors and a review of an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. The projects are part of a $200 billion investment commitment under a Korea-U.S. agreement signed in November 2025, with the two governments seeking to expand cooperation in energy and other strategic industries while creating new openings for Korean suppliers in the U.S. market. "The colossal package of investments we are announcing today is a major step toward securing our critical energy supply chain, ensuring American energy dominance, and making our partnership with South Korea and the entire Pacific region stronger than ever before," U.S. President Donald Trump said during a press conference in Washington, Wednesday (local time). The Texas power plant project, dubbed Project Star, calls for a 6,472-megawatt combined-cycle gas power plant in Encinal to supply electricity directly to artificial intelligence (AI) data cent

Seoul, Washington pick Texas power plant as 1st project under strategic investment

Oct 1, 2026

Seoul, Washington pick Texas power plant as 1st project under strategic investment

South Korea and the United States have formally selected a gas-fired power plant project in Texas as the first project under Seoul's US$350 billion investment commitment to the U.S., the industry ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources announced the three projects, including the Texas plant, after the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding in November last year, under which South Korea pledged to invest in the U.S. in return for lower U.S. tariffs on Korean imports. The formal announcement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (U.S. time) announced South Korea's investment plans at the White House. The investment will comprise $150 billion for shipbuilding cooperation and $200 billion for projects in various strategic sectors. "As taxpayers' money will be injected into the initiative, we have placed top priority on the commercial viability of the projects and the national interest to ensure that not a penny goes to waste," Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan told reporters during a briefing. "We held consultations with the U.S. side while c

Unification minister says response to DMZ blast should not derail peace efforts

Oct 1, 2026

Unification minister says response to DMZ blast should not derail peace efforts

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has said South Korea's response to the recent North Korean land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) should not undermine efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula. In a Facebook post from Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday (local time), Chung said the government should conduct a "thorough investigation" and "truth finding" into the Sept. 21 DMZ blast caused by mines planted by the North and respond accordingly. He said, however, those responses should not "be used as an excuse to belittle or distort our efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula." "We should reflect on why this tragic event repeats and seek more fundamental answers," he added. "In Northern Island, which has turned past tragedy into today's hope, I reaffirm my resolve to end the long-running war on the Korean Peninsula and build a lasting peace regime," he wrote. The minister cut short his trip to Europe after a military investigation found North Korea responsible for last week's land mine explosion inside the DMZ that injured three South Korean soldiers. He had be

2 US lawmakers welcome Trump's efforts to restart dialogue with N. Korea's Kim

Oct 1, 2026

2 US lawmakers welcome Trump's efforts to restart dialogue with N. Korea's Kim

WASHINGTON—Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers have welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's recent efforts to restart talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying dialogue and diplomacy are the "most effective" tools for protecting U.S. national security interests. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) issued a joint statement on Tuesday, underlining their belief that diplomacy with Pyongyang would help address nuclear proliferation concerns and achieve "durable" peace on the Korean Peninsula. Trump has recently expressed his intention to meet Kim later this year, with the White House reiterating that Trump remains open to talks with the North Korean leader "without any preconditions." "We sincerely hope that President Trump will direct the State Department to take steps to lay a foundation for successful, meaningful discussions with North Korea," they said. Those steps could include revisiting the ban on U.S. citizen travel to North Korea; pursuing a formal treaty, legally ending the 1950-53 Korean War; and starting negotiations with North Korea to establish liaison offices

AMCHAM, KCCI urge Korean firms to seize US opportunities

Oct 1, 2026

AMCHAM, KCCI urge Korean firms to seize US opportunities

Korean companies are advised to expand their operations in the United States, as bilateral economic ties increasingly extend beyond trade to investment, technology and supply-chain resilience, the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) said Wednesday. The U.S. business lobby and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) discussed opportunities and challenges of Korean firms when they expand investment and operations in America during the eighth annual Doing Business in the U.S. Seminar. The seminar was held as part of a special program marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. AMCHAM Chairman James Kim said the economic relationship between the two countries is increasingly driven by the aforementioned sectors, rather than trade alone. “The next chapter of the U.S.-Korea economic partnership will be defined not simply by how much we trade, but by how much we build, invest, innovate and grow together,” Kim said. KCCI Executive Vice Chairman Kim Jeong-il emphasized the need for Korean companies to understand local regulations and business conditions, while buil

Lee vows to seek measures to reduce military tensions with N. Korea

Oct 1, 2026

Lee vows to seek measures to reduce military tensions with N. Korea

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday pledged to persistently seek practical ways to reduce military tensions with North Korea, even as the two Koreas are at odds over the recent blast of North Korean mines along the border. The president made the remarks on North Korea at a ceremony marking the 78th Armed Forces Day at the military headquarters in Gyeryongdae, South Chungcheong Province, following last week's explosions of two North Korean mines in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that left three South Korean soldiers wounded. "My administration will consistently pursue practical measures to reduce military tensions between the two Koreas," Lee said. "The knots in inter-Korean relations are extremely complex, but we will steadily, patiently strive to untie them, one by one," the president said. He said peace and prosperity must be forged with "our own hands," and that "the surest form of security is one that renders conflict unnecessary, in other words, one that creates peace." "For the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula, the two Koreas must find a way to win together and build trust," the

RECOMMENDED

In Real World

In Real World provides up-to-date news and industry-leading content across a variety of platforms to readers around the world.

ABOUT US
NEWSLETTER

Copyright © 2015 - 2026 In Real World. All Rights Reserved.