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Coupang Executives Sold Millions in Stock After Massive Data Breach Occurred but Before It Was Disclosed

Coupang Executives Sold Millions in Stock After Massive Data Breach Occurred but Before It Was Disclosed

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Two senior Coupang executives sold tens of millions of won worth of company stock shortly after a massive data breach occurred — but before the company acknowledged the incident — raising concerns about potential insider trading. According to a Dec. 2 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), [...]

Calls Grow for Mandatory CCTV in Kindergartens After Abuse Allegations, but Education Officials Urge Caution

Calls Grow for Mandatory CCTV in Kindergartens After Abuse Allegations, but Education Officials Urge Caution

CHUNCHEON, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Public pressure for mandatory closed-circuit cameras in kindergarten classrooms is mounting in South Korea following a suspected child-abuse case in Chuncheon, but education authorities signaled caution on imposing sweeping surveillance requirements. Shin Gyeong-ho, superintendent of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education, said Wednesday that the installation of CCTV [...]

Public Backlash Grows Ahead of Talks on Possible Ban of Dawn Delivery Services

Public Backlash Grows Ahead of Talks on Possible Ban of Dawn Delivery Services

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — A public petition opposing a potential ban on South Korea’s popular dawn delivery services surpassed 25,000 signatures on Thursday, one day before a government-labor-industry dialogue committee is set to meet for a third round of discussions on the issue. The petition, filed by a self-described working mother, argues that overnight [...]

With 260,000 New GPUs, South Korea Tries to Redraw the Global AI Map

With 260,000 New GPUs, South Korea Tries to Redraw the Global AI Map

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has taken another step toward remaking itself as a global center of artificial intelligence. On Thursday, the government convened the first meeting of a new working group made up of officials and senior executives from Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, SK Telecom and Naver Cloud. The mission: figure [...]

Study Identifies Music and Korean Cultural Identity as Key Drivers of ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ Global Popularity

Study Identifies Music and Korean Cultural Identity as Key Drivers of ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ Global Popularity

SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — A new analysis of online reactions to Netflix’s animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters has identified music and Korean cultural identity as the two central forces behind the film’s worldwide success. The study, released Wednesday by the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (KOBACO), was conducted by media researcher Baek Hyun-mi of Korea [...]

South Korea’s Surprise Baby Bump Signals a Pause in Its Demographic Decline

South Korea’s Surprise Baby Bump Signals a Pause in Its Demographic Decline

SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s birth figures ticked upward again in September, marking the fifteenth straight month of increase—a rare run of positive news for a country long synonymous with demographic freefall. According to government data released Wednesday, 22,369 babies were born in September, an 8.6-percent rise from a year earlier and the [...]

Korea’s Seniors Work into Their 70s as Pension System Falls Short

Korea’s Seniors Work into Their 70s as Pension System Falls Short

SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea now has the highest employment rate among seniors in the OECD, a trend driven less by choice than by economic hardship as the country enters an era of rapid population aging. A report released Wednesday by Oh Yoo-jin, a researcher at the National Pension Research Institute, shows that [...]

Korea Moves to Replace Civil Service ‘Duty of Obedience’ With Protections Against Unlawful Orders

Korea Moves to Replace Civil Service ‘Duty of Obedience’ With Protections Against Unlawful Orders

SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is preparing to abolish a decades-old legal requirement obligating civil servants to obey orders from their superiors, a cornerstone of the country’s bureaucratic culture since 1949. The move marks one of the most significant shifts in public-sector governance in more than half a century. The Ministry of Personnel [...]

President Lee’s Global South Tour Signals a New Phase in South Korea’s Search for Strategic Relevance

President Lee’s Global South Tour Signals a New Phase in South Korea’s Search for Strategic Relevance

ANKARA & SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) —  President Lee Jae Myung’s recent four-nation trip — anchored by his appearance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg and followed by stops in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Turkey — was less a ceremonial swing through diplomatic capitals than a quiet attempt to reposition South Korea within [...]

Seoul’s Gwangjang Market Engulfed in Dispute as Shop Owners Plan Lawsuit Over Price-Gouging Fallout

Seoul’s Gwangjang Market Engulfed in Dispute as Shop Owners Plan Lawsuit Over Price-Gouging Fallout

SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — A long-running controversy over price-gouging at Seoul’s iconic Gwangjang Market has escalated into a legal battle, as brick-and-mortar shop owners move to sue street vendors for damages, arguing that repeated scandals have driven customers away and caused significant financial harm. According to interviews conducted by Yonhap News Agency, the Gwangjang [...]