Samsung Europe Chief Marketing Officer Benjamin Braun delivers a keynote speech at Samsung Electronics’ press conference for the IFA 2024 at Messe Berlin, Germany, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Nam Hyun-woo BERLIN — Samsung Electronics portrayed a future where artificial intelligence (AI) technologies enhance and simplify everyday life during a press conference at the IFA 2004, Thursday. Samsung stressed that AI will improve each individual’s quality of life, transform their lifestyle and expand what they can accomplish. Additionally, the company introduced new appliances and devices that will help people achieve these goals. “At Samsung, we belive that we want to democratize AI,” Samsung Europe Chief Marketing Officer Benjamin Braun told The Korea Times. “Therefore, we are rolling out our newest AI today, called One UI 6.1.1, not only to the people having the current version (of the Galaxy smartphones), but also to last year’s model and before...

Philippine Minister of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo speaks of the burgeoning bilateral relations between Korea and the Philippines during an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul, Aug. 8. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Enrique A. Manalo The Philippines and the Republic of Korea share a time-tested friendship anchored in a common desire for lasting peace and prosperity and a long tradition of productive partnerships. The Philippines answered the call to support the United Nations Command in the Korean War — the first Asian country to do so. Over 7,000 Filipino soldiers served with the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea. Even in the nascence of our formal diplomatic ties, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the name of freedom. We are immensely proud of this legacy. After 75 years, our countries remain staunch partners for peace and...

윤석열 대통령이 4일 오후 경기도 한 권역응급의료센터를 찾아 응급 의료 현장에 대한 설명을 듣고 있다. 대통령실 제공정부와 여당이 ‘여야의정 협의체’를 구성해 의대 정원 확대를 포함한 의료개혁 문제를 논의하자고 제안한 가운데, 의료계에서는 대통령이 먼저 사과부터 해야 한다는 목소리가 나왔다. 7일 의료계에 따르면 경기도의사회는 이날 여야의정 협의체 제안에 대한 입장을 내고 “의료계와 대화에 최소한의 진정성이 있다면 윤석열 대통령이 사과하고, 막말·실언을 일삼은 보건복지부 조규홍 장관, 박민수 차관, 장상윤 사회수석을 즉각 파면해야 한다”고 주장했다. 대통령실은 전날(6일) 여야의정 협의체에 의료계가 참여할 것을 당부했고, 여당은 2026학년도 의대 증원을 포함해 의료개혁 문제를 열린 마음으로 논의할 수 있다는 입장을 내놨다. 경기도의사회는 여야의정 협의체에 대해 “의료사태의 원인인 2025년도 의대 증원 일방 강행 중단의 본질을 왜곡한 꼼수 주장”이라고 짚었다. 이어 “정부·여당이 진정성이 있다면 허울 좋은 2026년도 의대증원에 관한 논의가 아니라 정치적인 목적으로 정부가 강행해 의료의 파탄을 초래한 과학적 근거없는 2025년도 의대증원 강행의 즉각적인 중단이 대화의 선행조건이고 의료계와의 신뢰 회복의 출발점”이라고 밝혔다. 그러면서 “2024년도 의대 교육 파탄으로 의대생 집단...

By Daniel DePetris There was a time when the subject of nuclear weapons was so consequential to international peace that it could bring even the most intense adversaries into the same room. Increasingly, it feels that this time has passed. On July 17, China announced that it was suspending arms control talks with Washington, which will cause only more consternation in the Pentagon as Beijing is projected to increase its nuclear arsenal to more than 1,000 warheads by 2030. U.S.-Russia arms control talks are as far off as they’ve ever been, with Russian officials threatening to deploy more nuclear missiles closer to NATO territory in retaliation for future U.S. deployments of long-range, ground-launched missiles into Germany. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s administration has adopted new nuclear guidance to ensure Washington is better prepared to deal with nuclear adversaries Russia, China and North Korea simultaneously. U.S. attempts to name and shame China...

Representatives of Hanwha Ocean, the Ministry of National Defense, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command Far East pose at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday, during a welcoming ceremony for the USNS Wally Schirra. Courtesy of Hanwha Ocean HD Hyundai absent from bid for maintenance of US ammunition ship By Park Jae-hyuk Hanwha Ocean is facing speculation that it downplayed the low profitability of the U.S. Navy’s recent order to overhaul a dry cargo and ammunition ship, so as to win the title of the first Korean shipbuilder to enter the U.S. naval vessel maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market. The speculation arises as the company’s chief rival, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), opted not to bid for the project, even though it had already signed a Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) with the U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command on...

Toss Bank communications manager Kim Dong-yeon, left, and CSR manager Moon Yoo-jin / Courtesy of Toss Bank Manager explains why internet bank sought to obtain B Corp Certification By Jun Ji-hye Kim Dong-yeon, communications manager at Toss Bank, led a project to acquire B Corp Certification, a global recognition awarded to companies that have made a demonstrable contribution toward building a sustainable society. The Korean internet-only bank obtained the certification in May, becoming the first bank in the country and the second in Asia to do so. In an interview with The Korea Times, Kim said B Corp is a certification for companies striving to create a better society, which aligns closely with the direction and values his firm pursues. “Toss Bank was launched in October 2021 with the slogan ‘New Banking, New Bank,’ embodying the vision of becoming a completely new kind of bank,” he said. “Traditionally, banks have...

By Yi Fuxian   MADISON, WISCONSIN – Chinese overcapacity is raising concerns worldwide. It is easy to see why: China accounts for nearly one-third of the world’s manufacturing value-added, and one-fifth of global manufacturing exports. But there is good reason to believe that the decline of China’s manufacturing sector is imminent. To understand what is happening now in China, it is worth recalling Japan’s recent history. After World War II, Japan’s manufacturing sector grew rapidly, thanks largely to access to the massive U.S. market. But the 1985 Plaza Accord (which boosted the yen’s value and weakened Japanese exports), together with an aging population and a shrinking labor force, reversed this trend. From 1985 to 2022, the share of Japanese goods in U.S. imports dropped from 22 percent to 5 percent, and Japan’s share of global manufacturing exports declined from 16 percent to 4 percent. Moreover, Japan’s share of global manufacturing...

윤석열 대통령이 4일 경기도 한 권역응급의료센터를 찾아 응급 의료 현장을 둘러보고 있다. 대통령실 제공윤석열 대통령이 4일 권역응급의료센터를 심야 방문해 현장 의료진을 격려했다. 최근 국정브리핑에서 “비상 진료체계가 원활히 가동되고 있다”고 강조한 가운데, 현장 행보를 통해 ‘의료 공백’ 우려 여론을 다독이기 위한 취지로 풀이된다. 하지만 윤 대통령의 이 같은 행보와는 별개로 응급 의료 위기는 이미 심각하다는 평가가 나온다. 정부가 응급실 지원 대책을 내놨지만 현장에서는 응급실 운영을 이미 중단한 병원이 속출하는 상황이다. 의료개혁을 이끄는 주요 정부 인사들의 ‘실언’이 잇따르고 의정 갈등에 더욱 기름을 부으면서 사태가 더욱 꼬이고 있다는 우려도 제기된다. 1시간20분 응급실 머문 尹…”의료제도 개선 전폭적 지원” 윤석열 대통령이 4일 경기도 의정부시 권역응급의료센터인 가톨릭대 의정부성모병원을 찾아 응급 의료 현장을 둘러보고 있다. 대통령실 제공윤 대통령은 이날 오후 8시50분쯤 의정부 성모병원 권역응급의료센터를 방문해 1시간 20분 가량 머물며 의료진을 격려하고 현장 의견을 청취했다. 윤 대통령의 의료기관 방문은 지난 2월 의료개혁 발표 이후 9번째이며, 응급실은 총선 직전인 지난 4월 초 부산대학교병원 방문 이후 5개월 만이다....

An Ozempic injection pen is photographed in Beverly Hills on Feb.15, 2024. TNS By Michael Hiltzik It’s rare — miraculously rare — that a drug can have such a pronounced effect that its immediate benefits translate into health care savings for years, even decades. To the wonder drugs Harvoni and Sovaldi, which wipe out hepatitis C, we can now add the weight-loss medicine Ozempic and its cousins Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound. These drugs have shown remarkable effectiveness in reducing obesity. That points to long-term reductions in users’ vulnerability to the whole spectrum of obesity-related medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bad knees and sleep apnea. They appear to work on other unhealthful dependencies such as narcotic and alcohol addiction, and possibly even on Alzheimer’s. Yet millions of Americans are unable to access these drugs, thanks to the two big, interrelated flaws in our health care system: unrestrained pricing by drug...

A photo zone, designed to look like an egg carton, uses the metaphor of eggs to represent egg freezing at a pop-up center operated by an infertility clinic in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, Aug. 23. Courtesy of Maria Fertility Hospital Pop-up center run by infertility clinic draws 14,000 visitors in 3 weeks By Jung Da-hyun Dozens of people lined up outside a two-story building in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, on Aug. 23, despite the scorching heat. The building, marked by a pink sign reading “Storage Now,” housed a pop-up center operated by a local infertility clinic to promote egg freezing. Contrary to the common belief that egg freezing is a last resort for women facing severe medical conditions or those in their late 30s and 40s struggling with infertility, most of the visitors were women in their 20s and early 30s, many of whom were either not yet married or newlywed. Kim Ye-ji,...