Defense chief vows to transform Marines into force capable of modern maneuver warfare

The Korea Times - Oct 16, 2026

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Friday he will seek to transform the Marine Corps into an operations command capable of conducting modern maneuver warfare amid the military's push to restore operational control of the Marines. Kang made the remarks during a visit to the Marine Corps headquarters and the Northwest Islands Defense Command, both located in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the defense ministry. "The Marine Corps is at a historic turning point as it seeks to reinvent itself," Kang said. "We will strengthen the status and capabilities of the Marine Corps and transform it into a force capable of conducting modern maneuver warfare." Under the plan, the military seeks to restore the operational control of two Marine divisions, currently held by the Army, as part of a broader effort to restructure the three-pronged military structure. The move is designed to ensure the independence of the Marine Corps by fully restoring its operational control over its units. The defense chief also stressed the strategic value of the Marine Corps as a national strategic tas

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Ex-lawmaker referred to prosecution over daughter's hiring at university

Ex-lawmaker referred to prosecution over daughter's hiring at university

Former opposition lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and three university officials have been referred to the prosecution for possible indictment over allegations of preferential treatment in the hiring of Yoo's daughter as a professor by Incheon National University (INU), police said Friday. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency said Yoo, INU President Lee In-jae and two INU professors were sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of obstruction of business. Lee and the two professors were also charged with violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. The four are suspected of obstructing the university's recruitment process when Yoo's daughter, Yoo Dam, 32, was hired as a faculty member in its trade department in the second semester of last year. Lee and the two professors are also suspected of receiving improper solicitations concerning the hiring of Yoo's daughter, although investigators found no evidence that they had accepted money or valuables, the police said. The police announcement came after an investigation that began in November last year. They also questioned Yoo's d

1 firefighter in cardiac arrest, 6 others injured in Bucheon factory fire

1 firefighter in cardiac arrest, 6 others injured in Bucheon factory fire

One firefighter went into cardiac arrest and six other people were injured Friday following a fire at a factory in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, officials said. The fire broke out at the four-story metalworking factory at 8:38 a.m., with authorities bringing the main blaze under control about two hours later after deploying 80 firefighters. Two firefighters were seriously injured, including one who was rushed to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest. The fire also left three other firefighters and two factory officials with minor injuries, such as smoke inhalation. Fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the blaze. The factory reportedly stored flammable material. After being briefed on the fire, President Lee Jae Myung called for utmost efforts to extinguish the fire and rescue those in danger, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. The president also called for a thorough response to prevent further damage, citing the presence of inflammable substances inside the factory, while urging special caution to ensure the safety of firefighters battling the fire,

Korean startup targets 'legal AI music' via copyright tracking

Korean startup targets 'legal AI music' via copyright tracking

More than half of the new tracks uploaded to French streaming service Deezer each day are now made by artificial intelligence (AI). The company said such uploads peaked in June at about 90,000 a day, up from roughly 10,000 in January 2025. The record industry's response is shifting from the courtroom to the negotiating table. Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, which sued AI music generators Suno and Udio in 2024 alongside Sony Music, have since settled with Udio. Warner has also settled with Suno. What the industry still lacks is a way to pay the people whose music feeds these systems. Streaming runs on a simple formula, in which a song is played, counted and paid for, but nothing comparable exists for AI-generated songs that draw on existing ones. For now, platforms are simply keeping fully AI-generated tracks out of royalty payments. These are not distant problems for Korea. K-pop reaches much of its global audience through the same streaming services, and at home, AI-assisted tracks have recently climbed the charts on Melon and YouTube, even though major streaming platforms

Uzbek man in 2009 taxi murder case granted retrial after 16 years

Uzbek man in 2009 taxi murder case granted retrial after 16 years

An Uzbek man who spent more than 16 years behind bars serving a life sentence for robbery-murder and other charges was released Thursday after a court granted him a retrial, citing serious problems with the police investigation that led to his conviction. Bozorov Akmal, 37, walked out of Changwon Prison Thursday evening, after the Changwon District Court suspended the enforcement of his sentence pending a final ruling in the retrial. He tearfully reunited with his father, who was waiting outside the prison. “I have suffered greatly, feeling that I was wrongfully imprisoned. But at the same time, I am truly sorry for the great pain this could cause the victim’s family,” said Akmal. “I will speak truthfully throughout the remaining court proceedings.” The case dates back to March 24, 2009, when a taxi driver in his 50s was found murdered inside a taxi parked in an alley in Myeongseo-dong, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. On July 6 that year, police arrested three people, including Akmal, then 19, in connection with a separate taxi robbery. Police subsequently identified Akma

AI glasses raise cheating fears ahead of CSAT, putting teachers under pressure

AI glasses raise cheating fears ahead of CSAT, putting teachers under pressure

A crackdown on cheating using artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smart glasses is raising concerns over mounting pressure on teachers tasked with detecting the devices, with the college entrance exam just a month away. The Ministry of Education plans to require exam supervisors to inspect all test takers wearing glasses before each session of this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), or Suneung, as part of efforts to prevent AI-assisted cheating. Under the rules, even possessing smart glasses without using them will be considered cheating. Violators will have their exam results invalidated and be barred from taking Suneung the following year. The tougher measures come amid a series of cheating cases involving AI glasses during recent university entrance exams. On Oct. 10, a student was caught wearing smart glasses during an entrance exam at Yonsei University. Although exam supervisors had checked students before the test began, the student reportedly switched glasses afterward, evading detection until later in the test. A similar case was reported at the University of Seoul on

Koreans wash hands for just 14 seconds after using restroom, only half use soap: survey

Koreans wash hands for just 14 seconds after using restroom, only half use soap: survey

Only about half of Korean adults wash their hands with soap after using the restroom, a survey showed, while the average time spent washing hands fell far short of the recommended 30 seconds. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Thursday announced the findings of its survey on infection prevention practices for the first half of 2026, conducted jointly with the National Medical Center. The survey observed the hand-washing behavior of 4,560 adults at 120 public restrooms nationwide from May 28 to June 30. Exit interviews were also conducted with 1,800 of the participants. The survey found that 86 percent of people washed their hands after using the restroom, up 1.9 percentage points from 84.1 percent last year. The proportion who washed their hands with soap rose 1.7 percentage points from a year earlier to 46.7 percent. Another 39.3 percent washed their hands with water only, while the remaining 14 percent did not wash their hands at all after using the restroom. The amount of time people spent washing their hands was also notably short. The average total hand-washing

Gender minister urges scrapping non-punishment clause for domestic violence

Gender minister urges scrapping non-punishment clause for domestic violence

Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong on Friday called for abolishing a legal provision that bars punishing perpetrators of domestic violence if the victims do not wish punishment. Under the current law, authorities cannot punish domestic violence offenders if victims express opposition to punishment. Critics have said the provision has led offenders to pressure victims to settle cases. "Since the policy briefing in December last year, I have consistently called for abolishing the clause on domestic violence as a crime not punishable against the victim's will," Won said in a YouTube interview. She added that President Lee Jae Myung shares her view. Stalking crimes had previously not been punishable against the victim's will but a legal revision abolished the provision in June 2023.

Lee appoints new vice industry minister, deputy chief of financial watchdog

Lee appoints new vice industry minister, deputy chief of financial watchdog

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday appointed a new vice industry minister and a new deputy chief of the Financial Services Commission (FSC). Park Dong-il, a senior official at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, was named vice minister, while Shin Ji-chang, a senior FSC official, was appointed the commission's vice chairman, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. Kang described Park as an industry policy expert with extensive experience in planning and coordinating industrial policies, expressing hope that he would play a role in spearheading the country's push to achieve unrivaled leadership in future strategic industries. The presidential spokesperson portrayed Shin as a career official well versed in the financial and industrial sectors, with expertise in financial programs for low-income people and small merchants, as well as the housing market.

BTS becomes 1st group to top 10 bil. Spotify streams in single year

BTS becomes 1st group to top 10 bil. Spotify streams in single year

K-pop superband BTS has become the first group in the world to accumulate 10 billion streams on Spotify in a single year, the group's label said Friday. While solo acts such as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Bad Bunny have achieved the milestone, it marks the first time for a group to top 10 billion streams on Spotify, according to BigHit Music. BTS saw Spotify streams for its songs more than double from 4.5 billion last year, driven by its fifth studio album, "ARIRANG," released in March. The album alone has racked up more than 5 billion streams since its release, becoming the most-streamed album on Spotify among albums released this year. "ARIRANG" has attracted major attention for being the first full-group project from the global K-pop sensation in nearly four years, released after all its members completed their mandatory military service and reunited. It surpassed 110 million streams on its release day on March 20. It also became the first album from a group to top the Billboard 200, the main U.S. albums chart, for three consecutive weeks since Mumford & Sons' "Babel" in 2012.

18 Kwangwoon University professors included in World's Top 2% Scientists list

18 Kwangwoon University professors included in World's Top 2% Scientists list

Eighteen professors at Kwangwoon University have been named among the World’s Top 2% Scientists, highlighting the research excellence and international academic influence of the university’s faculty. The World’s Top 2% Scientists list for 2026 was recently released by Stanford University and Elsevier, a global provider of academic information. It evaluates researchers’ scientific impact using data from Elsevier’s Scopus database. The list comprises two categories: Career-long citation impact, which measures a researcher’s cumulative impact throughout their career, and single-year scientific impact, which reflects citation impact in 2025. The 2026 edition uses citation data through the end of last year. Ten Kwangwoon University professors were named in the career-long category. They include Kim Young-hun (chemical engineering), Kim Tae-kyun (mathematics), Park Myun-joo (electronics convergence engineering), Park Jae-yeong (electronic engineering), Park Chul-hwan (chemical engineering), Lee Sang-shin (electronic engineering) and Jang Min (environmental engineering). Fourteen pro

Suspect in Incheon knife attack attends arrest warrant hearing

Suspect in Incheon knife attack attends arrest warrant hearing

A man accused of injuring eight people in a knife attack at a commercial complex in Incheon earlier this week attended an arrest warrant hearing on Friday. The hearing began at 2 p.m. at the Incheon District Court after prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for the suspect on charges of attempted murder and carrying weapons in public spaces. The 59-year-old man is suspected of attempting to kill 10 people with knives attached to both of his hands at the shopping complex in Incheon, just west of Seoul, on Tuesday. The attack left eight people injured, including one who remains unconscious after suffering cardiac arrest. The two others escaped unharmed. The suspect reportedly has 10 prior convictions, two of them attempted murder. "I am sorry," the suspect said while walking toward the court for his hearing, noting he has made a serious mistake. According to police, the man has cited his frustration over his medical treatment at a local hospital as the motive for the attack. He had staged a one-man protest in front of the hospital for 2 1/2 months since August. During those protests, the

President urges constitutional revision at Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising anniversary

President urges constitutional revision at Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising anniversary

President Lee Jae Myung stressed the need for constitutional revision, Friday, on the 47th anniversary of the pro-democracy uprising in Busan and Masan — the latter now part of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province — renewing his push for amendments despite political disputes over presidential powers and reelection rules. Speaking at Busan City Hall during a ceremony commemorating the uprising, Lee urged lawmakers to begin discussions a day after again dismissing claims on X that his push for constitutional revision was intended to allow him to seek another term. “The Busan-Masan uprising did more than bring an end to a dictatorship,” he said, tracing its legacy through subsequent pro-democracy movements, including the May 1980 Gwangju uprising, the June Democratic Uprising of 1987 and protests against then-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3, 2024, declaration of martial law. “Haven’t both ruling and opposition parties repeatedly spoken with one voice about including the spirit of Gwangju uprising and the Busan-Masan uprising in the constitutional preamble?” Lee said. “Now

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