Authorities face technological, legal hurdles in combatting deepfake porn

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) – Korean authorities are struggling to combat the rapid spread of deepfake pornography as detection and control technologies lag behind the artificial intelligence (AI) tools used to create such content, experts say. The government has recently pledged a tougher crackdown and heavier sentencing in response to the proliferation of sexually explicit deepfake images targeting women and girls. However, law enforcement is ill-equipped to handle the surge

August 29, 2024

Large sinkhole injures elderly couple in Seoul

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - A large sinkhole suddenly opened up on a busy four-lane road in Yonhui-dong, western Seoul on Thursday. The sinkhole suddenly appeared around 11:20 a.m., swallowing a Tivoli vehicle. The unexpected collapse caused a car to plunge into the hole, which measured 6 meters wide and 4 meters long, leading to serious injuries for the driver and a passenger. The female passenger in her late 70s was found in cardiac arrest but was revived through immediate CPR eff

August 29, 2024

NCT's Taeil leaves group amid sexual crime allegations

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - Taeil, a member of K-pop boy band NCT has left the group, after being accused of a sexual crime, his agency SM Entertainment said on Wednesday. Specific details of the alleged offense remain undisclosed, but the 30-year-old is reportedly under investigation by police in southern Seoul. "Given the seriousness of the matter, we have determined that it is no longer possible for him to be with us," the agency wrote in a post on X. Making his deb

August 29, 2024

Nurses' nationwide strike averted at eleventh hour

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - Just hours before their planned nationwide strike, nurses and other medical workers called it off after reaching an agreement through last-minute negotiations on Thursday. Their major walkout was averted as some 59 out of 62 medical institutions under Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) accepted a proposal over wages and working conditions. The decision just came after a bill, which legalizes the medical practice of Physician Assis

August 29, 2024

OPINION: Away from battlefield, diplomatic wrangling hots up with Modi visit to Kyiv

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - Ukraine's three-week incursion has been countered recently by an intensifying Russian drone campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure. Russian troops have also made steady gains in the battle for the strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, in the background, the diplomatic wrangling in the more than 30-month-long war has also increased. But there's no sign of a breakthrough or an indication that we migh

August 29, 2024

PHOTOS: Forum explores Korea-China economic cooperation

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - The 4th Korea-China Digital Economy Partnership Summit was held Wednesday at the building of China Construction Bank in central Seoul. The summit, co-hosted by Aju Daily and China Construction Bank, explored ways to strengthen economic and business cooperation between the two countries and their future partnerships.

August 28, 2024

OPINION: Lessons of the Afghanistan Disaster?

KENOSHA, August 28 (AJP) - The terrible disaster of the collapse of the Afghanistan government and sweeping Taliban victory three years ago was a reversal for the United States and the international community and a serious leadership failure by the Biden administration. However, the collapse does not have to be a strategic defeat for the U.S. Let me explain why. The current anniversary of the debacle is an appropriate time to do so. The failure of the administration to adequate

August 28, 2024

Number of students at high risk of suicide rises for second straight year: survey

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - The number of Korean students at high risk of suicide has increased for two consecutive years, according to data from the Ministry of Education submitted to the National Assembly Research Service (NARS) on Wednesday. The survey, conducted annually, shows a worrying trend among elementary, middle, and high school students. South Korea's youth suicide rate stood at 25.2 per 100,000 people in 2022, more than double the OECD average of 10.7 per 100,000. Go

August 28, 2024

Street in New York to be renamed in honor of Otto Warmbier

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - A stretch of road in front of the North Korean mission to the United Nations in New York is expected to be renamed in honor of Otto Warmbier, an American college student. Warmbier, a student of the University of Virginia, was imprisoned and tortured in North Korea in 2016 on an unclear charge of subversion. He died shortly after being released in a vegetative state in 2017. The Manhattan Community Board 6, a New York city community board, said on Tuesday

August 28, 2024

NewJeans producer claims she was forced to step down

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Min Hee-jin, a producer behind the K-pop sensation NewJeans, claimed on Wednesday that she was forced out of her position as CEO of ADOR without her consent. Min's abrupt removal was decided during a board meeting the previous day, where she was replaced by Kim Joo-young, ADOR's internal director, who is also in charge of human resources at HYBE. ADOR, an affiliate of HYBE, has seen rapid success under Min's leadership. In a statement, law

August 28, 2024