Korea JoongAng Daily - Daily News from Korea

The GOT7 singer-songwriter says his first release under 528Hz reflects personal growth, deeper comfort in his craft and a stronger solo R&B identity. Singer-songwriter Jay B wants listeners to recognize his voice as the unmistakable R&B vocalist of boy band GOT7 — while also hearing how far his solo music has come. Jay B's third and latest EP, "TR.EE," comes three years and eight months after his previous solo album and marks his first new release since he joined his new agency, 528Hz. He poured his soul into this album, the 32-year-old said, hoping his music truly resonates with listeners for years to come. "I always think a lot about how to make people recognize, 'This music is from Jay B from GOT7," he said during a listening session of his third EP, "TR.EE," held at SeongsuYul Music in eastern Seoul on Wednesday. "At the same time, I also put a lot of thoughts into letting people notice how Jay B's music is different from GOT7's." The singer debuted as a member of GOT7 with JYP Entertainment in 2014, and has been actively involved in shaping the group's discography. When the band members' contracts with JYP Entertainment came to an end in 2021, they decided to go their separate ways without officially disbanding the group, and Jay B joined 586Hz earlier this year. His latest album, "TR:EE," was inspired by a phrase he read from a book by author Yoo Young-man: "A tree grows because it shakes; […] the roots grow deeper when the tree has been shaken harder." "There is always this feeling of anxiety inside me, but the day I encountered that phrase, I think it felt a bit more intense than usual," Jay B shared. "I found comfort from it — that I was not merely struggling but actually growing." The album features six songs: the lead track "Layback" and B-sides "Hold onto My Back," "Overflow," "One Call Away," "Time" and "We." Jay B is credited for songwriting and lyrics for all six songs in the album. While GOT7's music has been leaning more into dance-heavy and trendy pop sound, Jay B wanted his solo music to stay rooted in his affinity for groovy R&B. "I hope people come back to the songs again and again for a long time, like rereading books they have already read before," he said, adding with a smile, "The plan is to live a long and healthy life, but even after I'm gone, I wish my songs can continue to be sung and have an impact." Jay B said he let go of the pressure to prove himself with this album, noting that he now feels more comfortable with where he stands. "I used to think about being the best," he said. "But now, I'm thinking more about doing my best instead. Being best is great — but now, I'm focusing on doing my best." BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]

With two sold-out stadium concerts in Busan, BTS is raising a question that extends beyond its own tour: Can a Korean city outside the capital region become a regular destination for large-scale K-pop concerts? For most K-pop artists, touring Korea still largely means performing in Seoul and its surrounding areas. The logic is hard to ignore. The capital region, including Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi, is home to more than half of the country's population, as well as the industry's biggest venues, agencies, media outlets and production networks. Outside that sprawling metropolitan area, the equation becomes far more complicated. But BTS is taking its world tour to Busan. And Korea's largest port city is pulsing with anticipation — not only for the two concerts themselves, but for what may come after them. With two sold-out stadium concerts in Busan, the septet is raising a question that extends beyond its own tour: Can a Korean city outside the capital region become a regular destination for large-scale K-pop concerts? "I've been so excited to invite you all to my hometown," Jimin said on Oct. 15, 2022, when BTS held its free "Yet To Come in Busan" concert at Busan Asiad Main Stadium as part of the city's bid to host the World Expo. "We couldn't possibly leave this song out when we are performing in Busan, right?" he added. "Welcome to ma city!" The group then launched into "Ma City," a 2015 track in which the seven members pay tribute to their hometowns — from Suga and V's Daegu and J-Hope's Gwangju to RM and Jin's Gyeonggi, and Jimin and Jungkook's Busan. Some of the members slipped into their regional dialects, a homecoming written into the group's own music. A little less than four years later, BTS is returning to the southeastern port city for another concert, this time as part of its ongoing "Arirang" world tour. BTS opened its "2.0" era after a nearly four-year pause in full-group activities with its fifth full-length album, "Arirang," released on March 20. The group kicked off its world tour with three shows at Goyang Main Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, just west of Seoul, before heading to the United States, where the tour drew 840,000 fans. Now, BTS is coming home again — and doing so at a particularly symbolic moment. The Busan concerts coincide with the group's 13th anniversary of its debut on June 13, which BTS will mark with the 2026 BTS Festa, its annual celebration with fans. The "Arirang" world tour is scheduled to take place in Busan on June 12 and 13 at Asiad Main Stadium. The timing explains why the group had to return to Korea at this point in the tour, while Busan in particular carries sentimental weight as the hometown of Jimin and Jungkook. BigHit Music, BTS's agency, has billed the concerts as "a special homecoming." "BTS will return to Busan for the first time in about four years for a special 'homecoming,'" the agency said in a release in May. "The project is especially meaningful as it takes place around June 13, the anniversary of BTS's debut." The Busan stop, however, is unusual enough to draw attention. Major K-pop concerts in Korea remain heavily concentrated in Seoul and the wider capital region, while full-scale domestic tours across multiple Korean cities have become relatively uncommon for idol acts, especially established ones. As K-pop has grown into a global touring industry, many major groups now begin their live tours with Seoul-area shows followed by overseas legs, rather than multiple stops within Korea. "Artists do sometimes hold nationwide tours, but the facilities are not always ideal, and there are not many large-scale venues," said a source from a K-pop agency, who requested anonymity. "Busan Asiad Main Stadium is a good venue, but not every artist can fill a venue of that size. Smaller than that, the facilities there are unlikely to be ideal." Even when venue capacity is not the problem, infrastructure can be. "For us, domestic concerts are important, but because man...

Can Korea call itself a cultural powerhouse when some of its largest public art institutions have gone years without running a single program accessible to disabled visitors? Can the arts sector truly be considered democratic and inclusive when certain people are routinely left out? A few years ago, Chung Young-seok — a wheelchair user who lectures and researches arts management — went to Museum SAN in Wonju with a friend, the very place where another wheelchair user was denied entrance in April this year. They tried to enter the James Turrell hall, which houses one of only a handful of Turrell installations in the world. There was an elevator, but just as he was about to hop in, a staff member came over and told them they couldn't ride it, without explaining why. "I could understand if there were no facilities for the disabled at all," Chung said. "But to be told I couldn't use a facility that was already there — that felt like an entirely different problem. It made me realize this isn't about whether facilities exist. It's about how access is operated and how it's understood." Korean museums face a gap between access and inclusion Korean public art spaces often meet legal accessibility rules on paper, but many disabled visitors still cannot fully use them. A survey of major museums found that few offered sustained barrier-free programs, and many services were limited, temporary or hard to access. One key issue is staffing, not just facilities. Museums need dedicated workers and better understanding of different disabilities so access becomes part of daily operations, not a response to public criticism. This factbox was generated by Labrador AI and proof-read by a journalist. Museum SAN is, by Gangwon's official designation, a barrier-free tourist site — wheelchair rentals included. The episode, which Chung recounted after last month's incident that ignited a brief flurry of public attention, points to a broader conversation on accessibility that Korean arts institutions have not quite caught up to. The question is no longer whether ramps and elevators exist. They mostly do. The question is whether the access they imply actually works. Law is there, but programs, less so Korea has legally mandated accessibility at public buildings since 1998, when the Convenience Promotion Act was enacted, requiring public facilities to install ramps, accessible restrooms, tactile paving and similar fixtures. A barrier-free certification system, introduced in 2008, then layered a voluntary grading system on top of the act, evaluating buildings against more demanding criteria for everything from circulation paths to signage. The Korea Disability Arts & Culture Center (KDAC) also administers a grant program that funds accessibility content and operations at public exhibition and performance spaces, with awards ranging from 50 million ($34,500) to 80 million won per institution for up to three years. This grant program has also expanded in the number of recipients, with six institutions receiving 500 million won in 2024 and 22 institutions receiving a total of 1.6 billion won this year. The issue is that physical and programmatic accessibility move on separate tracks — one supported by the state, the other left to whatever budget an institution can find. To get a sense of how this plays out, the Korea JoongAng Daily asked the country's 20 largest art museums by visitor count to share their accessibility programming over the past five years, as well as their staffing levels. Of the 20 surveyed, 13 museums responded, and among them, only six could point to more than one exhibition over the past five years that was designated barrier-free from the start. The rest reported accessibility measures bolted onto otherwise standard programming — a sign-language caption here, a tactile catalog there, a braille leaflet at the gate. The National Museum of Korea, Busan Museum of Art and Daelim Museum were among those that did not give responses. The poi...

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a two-day state visit to North Korea Monday, coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the Sino-North Korean friendship treaty. The summit is expected to focus on restoring bilateral ties and expanding economic and security cooperation. Ahead of the visit, North Korea has intensified its display of nuclear capabilities. After inspecting nuclear material production facilities, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continued a series of public appearances highlighting the country's nuclear and missile programs. On Sunday, his sister, Kim Yo-jong, declared that North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state was "an irreversible red line." She also rejected reports that Beijing and Washington had reaffirmed their support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during last month's U.S.-China summit, calling them "fabricated" and "groundless." The message appeared aimed not only at the United States but also at China, signaling that denuclearization is no longer open for discussion. The situation differs markedly from Xi's previous visit to Pyongyang in 2019. Even after the collapse of the Hanoi summit between North Korea and the United States, Pyongyang did not entirely reject the framework of denuclearization negotiations. Today, however, the North's position is that the issue should not even be raised. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, North Korea has expanded its strategic room for maneuver through closer ties with Russia. Emboldened by that relationship, Pyongyang is pressing not only Washington but also Beijing to accept the reality of its nuclear arsenal. China, for its part, has strong incentives to keep North Korea within its sphere of influence. Xi's visit could accelerate discussions on economic cooperation, logistics projects and port development. The concern is that the longstanding principle of denuclearization may receive less attention while new security uncertainties emerge in Northeast Asia and the East Sea region. If China focuses primarily on managing relations with Pyongyang while effectively tolerating North Korea's nuclear development, prospects for resolving the nuclear issue will grow even dimmer. A shift from pursuing denuclearization to merely managing or freezing the North's nuclear program could amount to de facto recognition of its nuclear status. The Korean government should closely analyze the outcome of the summit and actively engage diplomatic channels with Beijing. At the same time, it must maintain the Korea-U. S. alliance and trilateral security cooperation among Korea, the United States and Japan. As North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities while cooperation among North Korea, China and Russia deepens, strong alliances and international coordination remain the most realistic foundation for safeguarding Korea's security. Xi's trip to Pyongyang must not become an occasion that legitimizes North Korea's pursuit of permanent nuclear weapons status. '핵 포기 불가' 선언한 북한, 북·중 회담이 더 우려된다 시진핑 중국 국가주석이 오늘부터 이틀간 북한을 국빈 방문한다. 북·중 우호조약 체결 65주년과 맞물린 이번 방북은 북·중 동맹 복원과 경제·안보 협력 확대 방안을 논의하는 자리가 될 것으로 보인다. 시 주석의 방북을 앞두고 북한은 노골적인 핵 능력 과시에 나섰다. 김정은 국무위원장은 핵물질 생산시설 시찰을 시작으로 핵·미사일 능력을 과시하는 행보에 나섰고 어제는 "핵보유국 지위는 절대 불퇴의 한계선"이라고 한 김여정 노동당 부부장의 담화를 공개했다. 지난달 미·중 정상회담에서 한반도 비핵화 목표에 동의했다는 보도는 "완전한 날조이고 허황된 거짓 정보"라고 주장했다. 비핵화는 더 이상 논의의 대상이 아니라고 은근히 시 주석을 압박한 셈이다. 이는 2019년 시 주석 방북 당시와는 분명히 다르다. 당시 북한은 하노이 북·미 정상회담 결렬 이후에도 비핵화 협상의 틀을 완전히 부정하지는 않았다. 하지만 지금은 비핵화는 말조차 꺼내지 말라는 입장이다. 우크라이나 전쟁 이후 러시아와의 협력을 통해 전략적 입지를 넓힌 북한은 미국뿐 아니라 중국에도 핵무장 현실을 인정하라고 압박하고 있다. 북한을 자국 영향권에 묶어두려는 중국은 이번 방북을 계기로 경제 협력과 물류·항만 개발에 속도를 낼 가능성이 있다. 문제는 이 과정에서 한반도 비핵화 원칙이 뒷전으로 밀리고 동해 안보 환경에도 새로운 변수가 생길 수 있다는 점이다. 북한의 핵 개발을 사실상 묵인한 채 관계 관리에만 집중한다면 북핵 문제는 더욱 해결의 실마리를 찾기 어렵다. 중국이 비핵화보다 '핵 동결' 수준의 관리에 무게를 둘 경우 핵보유국 지위를 사실상 인정하는 결과로 이어질 수 있다는 점에서 우려가 크다. 정부는 이번 북·중 정상회담 결과를 면밀히 분석하고 중국과의 외교 채널을 적극 가동해야 한다. 동시에 한·미 동맹과 한·미·일 안보 협력을 흔들림 없이 유지해야 한다. 북한의 핵·미사일 능력이 고도화되고 북·중·러 협력이 강화되는 상황에서 우리...

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a two-day state visit to North Korea Monday, coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the Sino-North Korean friendship treaty. The summit is expected to focus on restoring bilateral ties and expanding economic and security cooperation. Ahead of the visit, North Korea has intensified its display of nuclear capabilities. After inspecting nuclear material production facilities, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continued a series of public appearances highlighting the country's nuclear and missile programs. On Sunday, his sister, Kim Yo-jong, declared that North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state was "an irreversible red line." She also rejected reports that Beijing and Washington had reaffirmed their support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during last month's U.S.-China summit, calling them "fabricated" and "groundless." The message appeared aimed not only at the United States but also at China, signaling that denuclearization is no longer open for discussion. The situation differs markedly from Xi's previous visit to Pyongyang in 2019. Even after the collapse of the Hanoi summit between North Korea and the United States, Pyongyang did not entirely reject the framework of denuclearization negotiations. Today, however, the North's position is that the issue should not even be raised. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, North Korea has expanded its strategic room for maneuver through closer ties with Russia. Emboldened by that relationship, Pyongyang is pressing not only Washington but also Beijing to accept the reality of its nuclear arsenal. China, for its part, has strong incentives to keep North Korea within its sphere of influence. Xi's visit could accelerate discussions on economic cooperation, logistics projects and port development. The concern is that the longstanding principle of denuclearization may receive less attention while new security uncertainties emerge in Northeast Asia and the East Sea region. If China focuses primarily on managing relations with Pyongyang while effectively tolerating North Korea's nuclear development, prospects for resolving the nuclear issue will grow even dimmer. A shift from pursuing denuclearization to merely managing or freezing the North's nuclear program could amount to de facto recognition of its nuclear status. The Korean government should closely analyze the outcome of the summit and actively engage diplomatic channels with Beijing. At the same time, it must maintain the Korea-U. S. alliance and trilateral security cooperation among Korea, the United States and Japan. As North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities while cooperation among North Korea, China and Russia deepens, strong alliances and international coordination remain the most realistic foundation for safeguarding Korea's security. Xi's trip to Pyongyang must not become an occasion that legitimizes North Korea's pursuit of permanent nuclear weapons status. This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

This article is by Park Eun-jee, Lee Jae-lim and read by an artificial voice. Huang's extended visit to Korea underscores the country's evolving status within Nvidia's ecosystem — no longer just a supplier of memory chips, but an increasingly important customer for Nvidia's advanced AI processors. His latest visit, running from Friday through Monday, centered on key demand centers ranging from gaming outlets and internet firm Naver to companies that have adopted a focus on robotics such as Hyundai Motor, Doosan and LG. An unexpected player on the roster was Doosan, an industrial conglomerate spanning machinery and construction, but the company has become not only a supplier of a key material used in AI accelerators but a client for Nvidia platforms for developing and training robots. In a celebratory gesture, Huang threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears home game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul alongside Chairman Park Jeong-won. "Business is booming, and Korea is doing very well. My partners here in Korea are very important to me," Huang told reporters on the sidelines of a Friday dinner with SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG's Koo Kwang-mo and Naver's Lee Hae-jin. His final day itinerary on Monday is expected to include a meeting with Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Euisun Chung, followed by separate stops at the LG Electronics and Naver offices. Although no specific deal had been announced as of press time on Sunday, nearly every stop on Huang's itinerary involved companies viewed as key customers or partners for Nvidia's newest AI platforms. "Jetson Thor is widely expected to power Atlas, the humanoid robot developed by Hyundai Motor Group's affiliate Boston Dynamics," Kim Doo-un, an analyst at Hana Securities said. Jetson Thor is Nvidia's robot-focused AI processor designed to serve as the onboard computing platform for humanoids. "RTX Spark could find applications in high-performance PCs and on-device AI systems. The result is that Korean companies are becoming increasingly intertwined with Nvidia's next wave of growth businesses, from next-generation AI accelerators and physical AI to AI PCs," Kim said, speaking about Nvidia's Arm-based system on chip and computing platform. PC bangs on the rise PC bangs, Korea's signature gaming cafes, emerged as recurring venues as well, serving as the first stop for the CEOs meeting with esports legend Faker on Friday and later hosting a separate gathering with Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu and NC CEO Kim Taek-jin Sunday. There, Huang pitched the upcoming RTX Spark chip that will be integrated directly into into laptops to deliver far more powerful on-device AI capabilities. Developed through partnership with Krafton, an upcoming "co-playable character" powered by Nvidia ACE technology and optimized for the new RTX Spark laptops was demoed by Huang. The voice-activated AI acts as an interactive, real-time squad mate that can chat and strategize directly inside PUBG: Battlegrounds. NC is also pushing its boundaries into physical AI through its subsidiary NC AI. The gaming company is developing AI systems capable of controlling robots and factory operations, while also working on models that enable robots to understand and interact with physical environments autonomously. Memory still counts As memory capacity remains vital to powering Nvidia's architecture, Huang pressed Korean suppliers to ramp up production of high bandwidth memory chips (HBM). When he sat down for the star-studded dinner at a samgyeopsal (pork belly) restaurant in Mapo District, western Seoul, he noted that Nvidia's new products — such as Vera Rubin, Vera and RTX Spark — will require more memory, including high bandwidth memory and low-power double data rate, or LPDDR, memory. Huang also acknowledged that three memory makers — Samsung, SK hynix and Micron — passed Nvidia's quality test for their HBM4, which will be fitted into the Vera Rubin platform. The Nvidia chief had another round o...

This article is by Kim Min-young and read by an artificial voice. PAJU, Gyeonggi — The heat hit first, then the dust. Cranes swung overhead against a hazy sky as concrete pump trucks idled below, and inside the half-built shell of Building 1, the air was thick with the grit of a site that is only about 20 percent finished. Workers in hard hats threaded between bare concrete columns that climb five stories, past pipe racks already roughly 70 percent installed, while reporters in borrowed safety vests picked their way along a marked corridor. This raw, unfinished floor, a first-floor machine room still open to the elements, is where LG U+, the country's telco provider, on Friday chose to make its pitch. The Paju AI Data Center, rising upon a 22,000-pyeong (72,727 square-meters) lot in Wollong-myeon, Gyeonggi, is the centerpiece of a strategy the carrier unveiled on-site to win 5 trillion won ($3.3 billion) in cumulative AI data center orders by 2030 and remake itself into what it calls an "AI Factory Operator." With a confirmed 200-megawatt power supply, it will be the only hyperscale-class facility of its size in the greater Seoul area, capable of powering the entire capital region's generative AI services at once. The clearest sign of demand was delivered even before the cement had dried. Building 1, due for completion next June, is already sold out. The 50-megawatt structure, carrying about 30 megawatts of actual IT load, has been fully contracted to what the company would only describe as a large customer. LG U+ expects more than 1 trillion won in annual orders through 2030 and projects average annual revenue growth of 15 to 20 percent for the business. Standing on the concrete floor of the unfinished building, executives sketched out a site that will eventually hold five buildings across roughly 152,000 square meters (1.64 million square feet), more than 20 football pitches of floor space. "The competitiveness of an AI data center now depends not on the scale of the facility but on how stably you can operate the entire infrastructure," said Ahn Hyurng-gyoon, vice president of LG U+'s Enterprise AI Business Group, his keynote address competing with the ambient clatter of the site. Ahn pointed to a surge in demand as the industry shifts from training AI models to running them, noting that monthly token-processing volumes have climbed roughly 67-fold over the past year. Ahn organized the company's case around power, cooling, construction speed and operational stability. The power comes from a 345-kilovolt substation across the road, visible past the rebar and scaffolding, with a 154-kilovolt line as backup. Both run underground at a depth of about nine meters, which the company said eliminates the electromagnetic field concerns that often draw complaints near data centers. Officials said the supply was locked in after a formal power-impact assessment last August, and that opposition has been muted because the site sits inside a former LG Display industrial complex. Cooling is where the building's bones have been shaped most deliberately. Paju is being built as Korea's first hyperscale center to run both air and liquid cooling in a hybrid structure, with floor loads, waterproofing and piping engineered for liquid from the design stage. Pointing to the columns flanking the machine room, field-team official Kim Jong-jin explained that every pipe is laid so a tenant can switch to liquid the moment its servers demand it. The primary method, direct-to-chip cooling developed with LG Electronics, attaches a cold plate to the chip and circulates coolant to pull heat away at the source, improving energy efficiency by about 24 percent over air cooling in the company's tests. All three computing floors of Building 1, floors three through five, are designed for it. The company has spent the past year validating liquid cooling in a proof-of-concept room at its Pyeongchon center, including both direct-to-chip and immersion methods, an...

If Korea hopes to build a more inclusive financial system, empowering individuals to control and utilize their own data must become a central policy priority. Kang Kyeong-hoon The author is a professor of Business Administration at Dongguk University. Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief policy secretary, recently drew attention with a social media post highlighting problems in Korea's credit evaluation system. His remarks touched on a longstanding issue in finance: Traditional credit scoring often disadvantages low- and middle-credit borrowers and younger consumers. Most credit assessment systems rely heavily on past financial records. Critics argue that this approach structurally excludes many borrowers and weakens the market for mid-interest-rate loans, creating what some describe as a "donut economy" in which the middle tier is underserved. Alternative credit scoring has emerged as a promising solution. Governments can expand policy guarantees or policy-based lending, but such measures inevitably increase fiscal burdens. Alternative credit assessment, which focuses on current economic activity and cash flow rather than past delinquencies, can help restore financial mobility while minimizing public spending. The idea also aligns with the current administration's push to promote AI. Data is often described as the oil of the AI era. Yet data differs from oil in an important respect. Oil is depleted when consumed, while data can be used repeatedly by multiple parties at the same time. Its value often grows when combined with other datasets. This characteristic was highlighted in the 2020 paper "Nonrivalry and the Economics of Data" by Stanford University professors Charles Jones and Christopher Tonetti. The paper compares two ownership models. When companies own data, they tend to restrict access to protect competitive advantages and economic rents. The result is fragmentation, reduced data utilization and lower social welfare. When consumers own their data, however, they can share it with multiple institutions, including banks and fintech firms. Individuals benefit from broader financial opportunities while contributing to economic growth. At the same time, they can weigh privacy concerns against the benefits of sharing information and make their own decisions. Efforts to establish data sovereignty around the world reflect these findings. The principle is straightforward: Individuals should have meaningful control over their personal data. Examples already exist. In the United States, cash flow underwriting evaluates borrowers using real-time sales records and bank account activity rather than relying solely on credit scores or collateral. This allows small-business owners, young borrowers and financially vulnerable groups to demonstrate their creditworthiness through actual economic behavior. Britain introduced open banking even earlier. Under the system, banks must, with customer consent, provide financial data to authorized third parties such as fintech companies. Information that was once locked inside banks can be used to obtain better products and services. Open banking is a practical example of data sovereignty in action. Korea has moved quickly to adopt similar systems. The country launched open banking in 2019, introduced financial MyData services in 2022 and is now expanding MyData across industries. The government-led standardized application programming interface framework has produced high levels of security, stability and data quality. In theory, Korea has already built a strong foundation for alternative credit evaluation and inclusive finance. Yet despite this infrastructure, alternative credit scoring and cash flow underwriting remain underdeveloped. The reason is that Korea's open banking and MyData systems still focus largely on payment convenience and information retrieval rather than genuine data sovereignty. Open banking has improved user experience through services such as simple transfers and in...

The Kospi is now approaching 9,000. Yet only a minority seem truly content. Whether they have made money or not, many retail investors remain anxious. Park Su-ryon The author is the deputy editor of Content Division Three and the head of corporate research at the JoongAng Ilbo. News of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's visit to Korea sent the stock market swinging wildly over the past week. Shares of companies scheduled to meet Huang surged, with some reaching daily price limits or record highs, only to fall a day or two later as investors rushed to take profits. The most striking example came when rumors spread that Huang would throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game wearing a Doosan uniform. Shares of listed Doosan Group companies jumped across the board on the speculation. Ironically, some of those stocks fell on Thursday, when the pitching appearance was officially announced. Even shares of LG Electronics and Naver, which had shown little reaction to the AI boom, climbed sharply on reports that Huang would attend a dinner gathering with company executives. Retail investors embraced a simple narrative: A meeting with Jensen Huang meant a company would benefit from AI. Day traders seeking quick profits amplified the volatility. What dominated the market was less faith in artificial intelligence than the pursuit of money. Some may argue that such enthusiasm is inevitable in a country that is home to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, two of the world's leading AI-related chipmakers. Others may note that similar speculative behavior exists in U.S. markets. Yet for many retail investors, especially those investing with borrowed money, the reality is far less appealing. What appears to some as a market full of opportunities can be a dangerous environment for individuals exposed to heavy losses. The government has also contributed to the fever. At the end of last month, Korea introduced its first exchange-traded funds (ETF) designed to deliver twice the daily return of a single stock, namely Samsung Electronics or SK hynix. The move was intended in part to prevent funds from flowing into similar products listed in Hong Kong. The result has been even greater concentration in semiconductor-related investments. These leveraged ETFs change hands frequently and have added to market volatility. It is fair to ask whether this truly creates better opportunities for ordinary investors. The enthusiasm of Korean retail investors cannot be explained by semiconductor optimism alone. Since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration, policymakers have pursued measures aimed at drawing money out of real estate and into equities. Two revisions to the Commercial Act and tighter real estate lending regulations have played a role. In addition, the National Pension Service decided to postpone portfolio rebalancing and increase its domestic investment allocation, reinforcing expectations of continued support for the market. The government also appears unwilling to reconsider taxation on stock trading gains. While labor income remains taxed, investment gains continue to enjoy favorable treatment. For an administration that presents itself as progressive, the contrast is difficult to ignore. Against this backdrop, the Kospi is now approaching 9,000. Yet only a minority seem truly content. Whether they have made money or not, many retail investors remain anxious. Warning signs are accumulating: Samsung Electronics and SK hynix account for roughly half of total market capitalization, margin trading has reached a record 38 trillion won ($26.2 billion) and short-selling balances have climbed to 22 trillion won. Recently, President Lee expressed displeasure with a news article citing a securities firm's report that argued the Kospi would stand at only 4,100 without semiconductor stocks. On his X account, Lee remarked that the figure should instead be viewed positively because the market would still be at 4,100 even without semiconductors. Yet...

A notable exchange during a Cabinet meeting last month highlighted a growing debate over the government's proposed "AI for Everyone" initiative. The project is part of President Lee Jae Myung's campaign pledge to build an "AI basic society," aimed at guaranteeing a minimum level of access to AI for all citizens. When Lee asked about the program's progress, Deputy Prime Minister and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon replied that preparations were underway, with a target launch in November or December. Bae explained that the service would be provided free of charge through 2028, after which private companies would lead its operation. Lee offered a different perspective. If users are required to pay after becoming accustomed to free access, many may stop using the program, he said. While acknowledging that not everyone needs the same level of service, Lee suggested guaranteeing a minimum level of AI access for all citizens while charging for upgraded features. He also reminded Bae, a former business executive, that efficiency and fairness must be balanced. The exchange revealed two distinct approaches. Bae's comments reflected an industrial policy view in which the government creates initial demand before allowing the private sector to lead. Lee emphasized access to AI as a basic social right. As the technology becomes increasingly important in daily life, concerns about access are understandable. But the government's plans may be moving too quickly. At a press briefing last month, Bae announced a goal of providing every citizen with an AI agent. Unlike chatbots, which simply answer questions, AI agents are designed to perform tasks on behalf of users. The government also plans to offer specialized services for older adults and socially vulnerable groups. The challenge is that expanding free access does not automatically create a sustainable service model. During the internet era, user data became the foundation of targeted advertising, and this allowed technology companies to generate substantial revenue. Generative AI operates differently. User interactions may help improve services, but they do not automatically create enough revenue to offset the significant costs of computation. AI agents are even more expensive because they must understand requests, gather information and repeatedly carry out multiple tasks. Questions of quality and accountability also deserve careful consideration. For AI for Everyone to become a nationwide program, it must first provide quality responses that users who are familiar with commercial AI services find acceptable. But the program's performance and operational stability have not been publicly verified. Promising advanced agent functions before these basics are proven may be premature. The risks increase if AI agents become linked to public services. Incorrect information or inaccurate guidance could cause administrative problems. The more strongly the government promotes the program as a free national service, the more likely citizens are to regard it as a public service. If errors occur, responsibility will inevitably fall on the government. Another unresolved issue is who determines the scope of free services. Private AI providers normally decide where to draw the line between free and paid features. Under the government's model, however, public funds would support free access for all citizens. If participating companies limit usage because of rising costs, public dissatisfaction is likely to be directed at the government. On the other hand, if the government demands broader functionality to satisfy users, it risks interfering with private-sector pricing and service design. A better approach would be to foster competition among multiple AI providers while limiting government intervention afterward. Extending de facto free-service requirements beyond 2028 could distort the market and weaken innovation. The program could become dependent on government subsidies rather than competitio...

This article is by Jin Eun-soo and read by an artificial voice. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the advisory body for natural heritage under World Heritage Committee, concluded that tidal flats in Yeosu, Goheung, Muan and Seosan collectively nominated as "Korea Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase Ⅱ" meet the criteria for inscription for preserving biodiversity by serving as critical habitats for endangered species, according to Korea Heritage Service (KHS), in charge of Korea's Unesco world heritage sites nominations. If the second phase gets approved, the expanded serial World Heritage property will comprise six components, including the existing four getbol sites of Seocheon, Gochang, Shinan and Boseong-Suncheon, which were approved in 2021 at the 44th World Heritage Committee. The IUCN additionally recommended analysis of additional getbol regions in Korea with potential of outstanding universal value and continue engaging local community for support. Unesco World Heritage designations are oftentimes opposed by the local community because they often bring stricter environmental regulation and development restriction. The KHS said it will work closely with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, local governments and communities to the fortify preservation and management of Korea's getbol as a world natural heritage. The agency also said it would faithfully implement the IUCN's recommendations to secure final approval for "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase II."

This article is by Woo Ji-won and read by an artificial voice. Pop Mart's popular character Hirono has found a permanent home among the mung bean pancake stalls and vintage textile shops in Seoul's Gwangjang Market. The global toy brand unveiled the standalone Hirono Gwangjang Market store during a media event on Thursday, ahead of its grand opening on Friday. Lang, the artist behind Hirono, and boy band ZeroBaseOne member Sung Han-bin attended the press event. The shop marks the fourth permanent Hirono-themed location in the world, following those in Shanghai, Bangkok and London. "We definitely feel very excited and grateful," said Lang in a written interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily ahead of the media event. "During the Seongsu pop-up took place in May, we received a lot of warmth from Korean fans. That gave us great confidence to bring Hirono back in a more permanent way." The Hirono pop-up store in Seongsu drew massive crowds. "We focused on blending [the store] into the existing street and market vibe," Lang said, adding that Hirono's "quiet emotional power" complements Gwangjang Market's character. "[The shop] does not need to be loud or stand in the center. [...] We did not want the store to feel like a brand being placed on top of the market. We wanted it to sit naturally within the market, next to local shops and everyday scenes." The design of the space follows a "Passing Station" concept, Pop Mart said, symbolizing Hirono's journey through other cities before arriving in Seoul and embodying Hirono's brand philosophy of "quietly existing along the [everyday] paths that people pass by to offer comfort without clamoring for attention." Unlike conventional Pop Mart stores, which primarily focus on figurines, the Hirono Gwangjang Market edition expands the character's lifestyle lineup. "Because Hirono is rooted in emotion and companionship, it feels natural for the IP [intellectual property] to move beyond figurines and become part of daily life," Lang said, adding, "We hope Hirono can accompany fans in a more immersive way — through what they wear, what they use and the spaces they spend time in." Lang attributed the milestone to Hirono's unique emphasis on emotion. "[Hirono] reflects many deep and unspoken feelings that people may find hard to express. "For us, creating a standalone themed store brings Hirono's emotion and journey into real life." During the media event, Sung browsed the merchandise. "I personally love the Hirono IP [intellectual property], and it was hard to take my eyes off the space because there are so many hip apparel lines and home decor products that are perfect for daily use, in addition to the figures," Sung was quoted as saying. "I hope that fans will also fully enjoy Hirono's unique sensibilities, along with the delicious food that Gwangjang Market has to offer." The brand plans to significantly expand the store's list of products. Located at 88 Changgyeonggung-ro in Jongno District, central Seoul, the store opens from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.