New Netflix series starring Song Hye-kyo, Gong Yoo to premiere in December

The Korea Times - Oct 22, 2026

"Tantara," a new Netflix original Korean series starring actors Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo, will be released on Dec. 11, the streaming platform said Thursday. Set in the 1960s-80s, the period drama follows Min-ja (Song), who overcomes poverty and ventures into the recording industry, and her childhood friend Dong-gu (Gong), who supports her dream. The show's cast also includes Kim Seol-hyun, Cha Seung-won, Lee Hanee and Na Moon-hee. The upcoming series marks star screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung's return after more than four years. Noh has penned popular works such as "Worlds Within" (2008) and "That Winter, the Wind Blows" (2013) — both starring Song — as well as "Our Blues" (2022).

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Lee Soo-man-produced boy group to release debut album 'Superstar' next month

Lee Soo-man-produced boy group to release debut album 'Superstar' next month

A2O Soul, a rookie boy group produced by former SM Entertainment chief Lee Soo-man, will release its first album, "Superstar," next month, its agency A2O Entertainment said Thursday. The album, set for release at 6 p.m. on Nov. 6, will contain five tracks, including double lead tracks "Superstar" and "Dancing in the Dark." A2O Soul debuted on Oct. 13 with the prerelease single "Superstar," alongside the agency's first girl group, A2O Light. The boy group will follow up with the new album less than a month later, according to the agency. A2O Light has seen early chart success with its debut single "Neon." The song reached No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 songs chart 29 hours after its release. The group also won first place with "Neon" on a weekly television music show Tuesday, one week after its debut.

Presidential office denies investigation chief's Cabinet meeting attendance compromises impartiality

Presidential office denies investigation chief's Cabinet meeting attendance compromises impartiality

The presidential office on Thursday refuted media criticism that the chief of the new investigative body attending Cabinet meetings could compromise impartiality and independence in investigations. The response came amid growing media criticism after Kim Ji-yong, chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA), attended Tuesday's Cabinet meeting for the first time since taking office, despite the long-held practice of investigation chiefs not attending such meetings. In a social media post the previous day, President Lee Jae Myung said chiefs of all government institutions under his command could attend Cabinet meetings, but many media outlets pointed out that such a move could compromise the investigation chief's independence and impartiality in conducting investigations. "The government is strenuously working toward maintaining fairness and political neutrality in investigations and independence in indictments. This principle will remain unwavering going forward," Lee's senior secretary for the press, Seong Ghi-hong, told reporters. The official also made clear that no individua

Soongsil University, Chung-Ang University team develops technology to disrupt lip-sync deepfakes

Soongsil University, Chung-Ang University team develops technology to disrupt lip-sync deepfakes

A joint research team from Soongsil University and Chung-Ang University has developed a technology to disrupt lip synchronization in deepfake videos that use artificial intelligence (AI) to make a person's lip movements match an audio track. Soongsil University said Tuesday that the team, led by professor Choi Dae-sun of its AI Security Center and professor Kwon Jun-seok of Chung-Ang University, developed the technology, dubbed MUTE. According to the team, MUTE is the first technology to disrupt lip synchronization in deepfake videos using audio protection alone. The paper, titled “MUTE: Multi-Level Alignment Uncoupling Against Talking-Head Exploitation for Voice Protection,” was accepted for presentation at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) 2026, one of the world’s leading AI conferences. The study was conducted as part of a research and development project supported by the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA). The research team included doctoral student Kim Dong-hyun, master’s student Kim Seung

Seoul claims top spot in global AI adoption, 3rd overall in 2026 AI Cities Index

Seoul claims top spot in global AI adoption, 3rd overall in 2026 AI Cities Index

Seoul has secured third place overall — and claimed the top spot worldwide in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and implementation — in the newly released 2026 AI Cities Index compiled by Britain’s The Observer, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The benchmark evaluation, built on Tortoise Media’s established Global AI Index, assessed 57 major metropolitan centers across 36 countries using 50 indicators split into three core pillars: investment, innovation and implementation. San Francisco and New York claimed the top two global spots, while Seoul finished third, outranking major international hubs including Beijing, Paris and London, which filled out the fourth through sixth positions. The Observer, founded in 1791 as the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, introduced city-level rankings for the first time this year, capturing a fundamental shift as AI power increasingly concentrates in urban centers. Seoul’s standout performance came in the implementation category, where it ranked first globally ahead of Tokyo (third) and Singapore (fifth). This metric measu

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies offers training for new hires at semiconductor companies

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies offers training for new hires at semiconductor companies

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) held a two-day training program Oct. 19-20 to help newly hired employees at local semiconductor materials, parts and equipment companies develop practical skills. The university said Wednesday that its G-Anchor Project Group organized the program in cooperation with Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province. The G-Anchor Project is a provincial initiative designed to support universities in promoting regional innovation. Twenty-five newly hired employees from six semiconductor-related companies in Yongin — including Rorze Systems, BMI Tech, GnG InTech, SurplusGlobal, Justem and Appletree — participated in the training. They worked in a range of fields, including manufacturing, design, sales, research and development, and quality control. The training program aimed to deepen participants’ understanding of the semiconductor industry and develop the practical skills and workplace adaptability needed to perform their jobs effectively. Lim Ju-won, a professor in HUFS’ Division of Semiconductor and Electronics Engineering, oversaw the program. Faculty me

Incheon stabbing suspect tests negative for psychopathy

Incheon stabbing suspect tests negative for psychopathy

INCHEON — The suspect behind last week's stabbing spree in Incheon has tested negative for psychopathy, police and legal sources said Thursday. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a psychopathy test on the 59-year-old suspect, Choi Choong-rak, but his score fell below the 25 out of 40 points needed to classify him as a psychopath. Choi is accused of attempting to kill 10 people at a commercial complex in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Oct. 13, by wielding knives in both hands. The rampage left eight people injured, including one who remains unconscious after suffering cardiac arrest. The two others escaped without harm. During police questioning, Choi said he carried out the attack out of anger over medical treatment he received at a local hospital. He also told police that he did not target specific people but chose those who looked weaker than him. Choi has 10 prior convictions, including two for attempted murder. Police said they are analyzing evidence and conducting further investigations to determine his motive and whether the attack was premeditated.

S. Korea urges NK to stop border escalation acts amid Pyongyang's loudspeaker threat

S. Korea urges NK to stop border escalation acts amid Pyongyang's loudspeaker threat

The unification ministry on Thursday called on North Korea to immediately stop acts that could increase the risk of clashes with South Korea along the border after the North warned of resuming loudspeaker broadcasts against Seoul. The ministry issued the statement after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts targeting South Korea within days, and warned of a "horrible and distressing situation" amid tensions over Pyongyang's ongoing border fortification work. "Actions that violate the Armistice Agreement, and heighten tensions and the risk of clashes along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) must be stopped immediately," the ministry said, referring to the agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. It also warned against repeating past mistakes, noting that the two Koreas had operated loudspeakers targeting each other until June 2025, causing "unbearable suffering" for people on both sides of the border. "The fundamental solution to preventing tensions and the risk of clashes between the two Koreas is

[COVER STORY] Kids on stage: How young is too young to debut in K-pop?

[COVER STORY] Kids on stage: How young is too young to debut in K-pop?

A2O LITE, a K-pop act that debuted last week, gained attention not only because its debut single "Neon" topped Melon's Top 100 chart about 29 hours after its release, but also due to the fact that three of the nine members — Ayune, Oa and Aijing — are 13 years old. The group, launched by former SM Entertainment chief producer Lee Soo-man through A2O Entertainment, held its debut showcase on Oct. 12 and released its first single the following day. All nine members are minors. The lineup, which notably consisted of members born in 2013, has revived a question K-pop has long left unresolved — whether Korea's protections for child performers, built largely around weekly hour caps and contract clauses, are adequate for children who reach the stage before finishing middle school. Early debuts are nothing new, least of all for Lee. Solo singer BoA debuted under him at the age of 13 in 2000, while SHINee's Taemin and f(x)'s Krystal were 14 when they debuted in 2008 and 2009, respectively. NCT DREAM debuted in 2016 with its youngest members at 14. Culture critic Jung Duk-hyun said Lee's app

Why Chinese pundits say France’s riots could reshape European politics

Why Chinese pundits say France’s riots could reshape European politics

The social unrest roiling France is being closely watched for a possible spillover effect beyond the country’s borders that could reshape European politics, Chinese analysts said. The crisis is a major stress test for French politicians as they navigate deep-seated economic and societal tensions in the run-up to the country’s presidential election in April next year, according to the analysts. A critical question was whether the riots would subside quickly or escalate into prolonged instability,...

APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting closes with practical outcomes

APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting closes with practical outcomes

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers' Meeting closed in Hong Kong SAR on Wednesday, with a series of practical outcomes delivered, according to China's Ministry of Finance.

China holds gathering to mark 90th anniversary of Long March victory

China holds gathering to mark 90th anniversary of Long March victory

China held a gathering in Beijing on Thursday to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March.

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