Author: Jae young

September 4, 2025SEOUL – South Korea may see the onset of a La Nina event this fall, raising the likelihood of heavier rainfall and warmer temperatures, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.The World Meteorological Organization, cited by the KMA, puts the chance of La Nina forming between September and November at 55 percent, rising to 60 percent from October to December. The probabilities of neutral conditions stand at 45 percent and 40 percent, respectively.La Nina refers to a large-scale climate pattern in which sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern parts of the Pacific Ocean fall at least 0.5…

September 3, 2025MANILA – Tourist arrivals from South Korea—the country’s top source of foreign arrivals dropped not only in the Philippines but also in other Asean countries, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Tuesday.Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco clarified this during the House committee on appropriations hearing when asked by Galing sa Puso (GP) party-list Rep. Jan Rurik Padiernos if indeed tourist arrivals in the country fell by 19 percent in the first five months of this year.“Is it really more dangerous now in the Philippines compared to our neighboring countries like Thailand or Malaysia, and how are we addressing…

The Wednesday Demonstration has been held near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul every week since 1992 to demand justice for comfort women survivors. One of them, 97-year-old Lee Young-soo (in blue), joined supporters on Aug 13, 2025, despite the rain. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES

September 3, 2025SEOUL – Once again, Korea is precariously navigating a narrow strait between Scylla and Charybdis, the two gigantic, menacing creatures from Greek myth. According to the myth, Scylla is a many-headed monster, while Charybdis is a massive whirlpool. If the ship sails near Scylla, it will devour the ship’s sailors and passengers. If it goes near Charybdis, it will engulf the ship and capsize it.The mythology of Scylla and Charybdis symbolizes a leader’s difficult decision in times of crisis. In Homer’s “Odyssey,” Odysseus wisely steered the ship in the direction of Scylla and saved the ship at the…

September 3, 2025SEOUL – Israel’s air defense system, represented by the much-heralded Iron Dome, intercepted the vast majority of missiles fired from Iran during an exchange of fire in June.Despite waves of ballistic missiles and drones that partly penetrated Israel’s multilayered defenses, the assault resulted in relatively few casualties, according to Israeli officials.The episode has sharpened debate in South Korea, which remains technically at war with North Korea, about whether its own air defense system could withstand a barrage of missiles from the North, whose nuclear weapons program has advanced rapidly in recent years.Would the South’s air defense system be…

September 3, 2025SEOUL – South Korea is muscling into the global competition for large language models, with both conglomerates and startups rolling out artificial intelligence systems tailored to Korean language and culture, as they take aim at OpenAI and Google’s dominance.From LG’s Exaone and Naver’s HyperClova X to Upstage’s Solar Pro, SK Telecom’s A.X series, Kakao’s Kanana and NC AI’s Varco, Korean developers are jockeying for a spot in the government’s “sovereign AI” drive.Five consortia led by LG AI Research, SKT, Naver, NC AI and Upstage have been tapped to participate in the initiative that seeks to deliver a sovereign…

September 2, 2025SEOUL – The Defense Ministry on Monday announced seven new nominees, replacing all active four-star generals in the first top-level military reshuffle under the Lee Jae Myung administration.The overhaul reflects President Lee’s push to reform military leadership. In July, he appointed Rep. Ahn Gyu-back of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea as defense minister — the first civilian to hold the post in 64 years.The list includes new chiefs for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as the deputy commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command — all positions held by…

September 2, 2025SEOUL – Former President Yoon Suk Yeol resisted investigators’ arrest warrant execution by lying on the floor of his cell in only his underwear, a group of ruling party lawmakers said after conducting an on-site review of surveillance footage at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday.The inspection by ruling party members of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee was conducted to examine circumstances surrounding the attempted execution of the arrest warrant for former President Yoon in early August and to verify whether any coercive or illegal actions occurred during the warrant execution, as alleged…

September 1, 2025SEOUL – The Trump administration has rescinded permits that allowed Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to import US-made chipmaking equipment into their Chinese factories, raising concerns of production disruptions.According to industry sources and reports Sunday, the US Commerce Department removed the two Korean chipmakers from its “validated end-user” list, which had exempted them from time-consuming, case-by-case licensing reviews.The move marks a sharp shift in Washington’s export control regime. Since October 2022, the US has imposed sweeping restrictions to curb China’s semiconductor capabilities. Samsung and SK hynix had secured temporary relief through the VEU program, but their removal underscores…

September 1, 2025PHNOM PENH – The number of students withdrawing from the nation’s top three universities surged to nearly 2,500 last year, hitting the highest level since records began, data showed Sunday, as many apparently sought to switch to medical schools.According to an analysis by Jongro Academy, 2,481 students left Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University in 2024. That marked the largest figure since the government began releasing the data in 2007.The tally was up 355, or 16.7 percent, from the 2,126 students who left in 2023. Withdrawals include students who officially dropped out and those who remain…