Balanced Building Biology Confirm Importance of Monitoring Indoor Air Quality

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday reaffirmed his opposition over ending the livestreams of Cabinet meetings, saying he is open to all opinions exchanged during the meetings. Lee's remarks came just days after he wrote on his X account that he disagrees with a need to end the livestreams, calling a recent new report on alleged calls from Cabinet members to end them a "false claim." "It is difficult to understand why they are pressing against disclosing part of the Cabinet meetings by even lying that 'Cabinet members cannot speak up because the meetings are public,'" the president wrote in a message on X. He also shared a YouTube broadcast opposing such calls and introducing cases in which Lee embraces opposing opinions from Cabinet members during the meetings. "I have intentionally increased the number of participants by a significant number to listen to various opinions regarding state affairs," Lee said. "I have always liked debates and especially respected people who propose opposing views," he said, adding he has always emphasized the role of people with opposing views to prevent probl

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae faces growing backlash over derogatory remarks portraying firefighting as a drain on provincial finances, with her subsequent apology drawing further criticism for lacking sincerity after a firefighter died battling a factory blaze in a city in the province. Choo’s repeated attempts to explain her intentions have only backfired as they were seen as lacking sincerity, with the opposition demanding a clearer apology and some members of her own party urging a disciplinary measure against her. The controversy began on Tuesday during a National Assembly audit of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, when Choo mentioned the burden of firefighters’ personnel costs on local finances. “Firefighting seems to be the biggest headache, like a straw sucking up our finances,” she said, seeking to highlight that local governments still have to pay firefighters’ salaries even though they are now national government employees. But her analogy sparked anger for appearing to treat people who risk their lives to protect the public as a budgetary burden. Amid the row,

Residents of Gyeonggi Province can directly propose the bus routes they need for their commutes, giving them a standing invitation to participate in the province’s route planning. Gyeonggi Province said last week it has opened a proposal board where residents can suggest routes for Gyeonggi Pyeonha G Bus, a reserved-seat rush-hour bus service that connects major hubs in the Seoul metropolitan area. The board is designed to factor actual commute demand data into new route selection and is open to proposals at any time. Each resident can propose one route and may edit an existing proposal if their needs change. Proposals are regularly forwarded to the city or county where each route would start, to inform reviews of new routes. Proposed routes are selected only after cities and counties assess feasibility, draw up business plans, survey demand, secure budgets and consult other relevant local governments. The province will look first at areas such as new towns, where commuting is difficult due to a lack of buses, subways or other transit methods. Areas where demand is concentrated at rush

A six-year-old daughter’s letter to her father, a firefighter killed while battling a factory blaze in Bucheon on Friday, has offered a glimpse into the grief of the family he has left behind. “You passed away yesterday, but I miss you so much,” the daughter wrote in a letter, shared on social media Sunday by Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. “And I know you loved me the most.” Beside the text was a drawing of a fire engine. “Dad, I miss you. Let’s make sure we meet again someday. I’ll probably be grown up by then. I love you, Dad. I miss you,” she added. The firefighter, Kim Jin-seok, was nearing the end of a 24-hour shift and due to finish at 9 a.m. Friday when an emergency call came in at 8:38 a.m. Kim immediately boarded a fire engine and was among the first responders to arrive. Kim and three colleagues entered the factory’s third floor, where rapidly spreading flames trapped him and another firefighter. His colleague was later rescued, but Kim was found about five meters farther inside, already in cardiac arrest. He was later pronounced

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made an offering at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, bringing to the fore a decades-old sore point with neighboring Korea and China, both of which suffered heavily from Japanese imperial aggression in the first half of the 20th century. The offering came as the shrine’s three-day autumn festival began. Japanese media reported that Takaichi plans to hold off on visiting the shrine personally, a move interpreted as an effort to avoid further diplomatic friction. The shrine honors about 2.46 million people who died in domestic conflicts associated with the 1868 Meiji Restoration and in the subsequent military campaigns launched by imperial Japan. Nearly 90 percent are linked to the Pacific War, Japan’s 1941-45 conflict with the United States and its allies as part of World War II. The religious site also enshrines several Class A war criminals, including wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was executed in 1948. Korea and China have long protested when Japanese politicians send offerings or visit the shrine, which they see as representing

Sejong University said it is expanding Korean language education and international exchanges through its partnership in operating the first King Sejong Institute in Macao. The university held a signboard unveiling ceremony for the King Sejong Institute Macao at the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) on Oct. 9, Hangeul Day. It is the first King Sejong Institute operated in partnership with Sejong University. In June, Sejong University and MUST were selected to participate in the 2026 program supporting the establishment of new King Sejong Institutes. The King Sejong Institute Foundation designates overseas institutions that offer Korean language and cultural education as King Sejong Institutes and supports their operations by dispatching instructors, providing curricula and teaching materials and organizing cultural programs. King Sejong Institutes operate either independently under local institutions or jointly with Korean institutions and overseas diplomatic missions. The program aims to strengthen the foundation for Korean language education abroad and provide local learne

Hwang Ki-yeon, chairman and CEO of the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank), met with Makhtar Diop, managing director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), to discuss ways to strengthen strategic financial cooperation between the two institutions, the bank said Sunday. The meeting took place Friday on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand. The two institutions agreed to expand their existing cooperation on infrastructure and energy projects in developing countries into new strategic areas, including critical mineral supply chains and innovative and high-tech industries. Korea Eximbank plans to leverage the World Bank Group's multilateral cooperation platforms and financing instruments to help stabilize global supply chains and strengthen cooperation across the critical minerals value chain. The bank also intends to expand joint financing for innovative and high-tech sectors, including emerging green industries, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure. "By working closely with global financial institutions, including the

The planned rollout of 5G standalone (SA) services is renewing calls for telecom operators and the ICT ministry to deliver more reliable connections amid concerns that the transition could repeat the shortcomings of the initial 5G rollout unless consumers see tangible improvements in service quality. The Ministry of Science and ICT made the 5G SA adoption a policy priority late last year, requiring telecoms to transition to the technology as a condition for mobile spectrum reallocation. SK Telecom and LG Uplus are targeting commercial launch of 5G SA services by the end of this year, joining KT, which introduced SA support for the iPhone 17 series in March. Unlike earlier 5G networks that rely on a fourth-generation (4G) LTE core, 5G SA uses a dedicated 5G core to reduce latency and support applications such as autonomous driving and physical artificial intelligence (AI). The rollout comes amid lingering concerns over service reliability, with consumers having faced higher bills but limited improvements over LTE during the initial 5G transition. If operators seek to charge more for SA-b

Hyundai Motor’s bet on India is being overshadowed by Tesla’s technological leap toward flying cars, exposing the Korean carmaker’s self-driving doldrums. Hyundai Motor Group recently pledged $15.5 billion (20.7 trillion won) in investment in India through 2032, seeking to strengthen its position in one of the world’s fastest-growing major automotive markets. The commitment spans manufacturing expansion, research and development, supplier development and next-generation technologies. However, the scale of the investment does not guarantee that India will become a reliable growth engine capable of offsetting mounting challenges in its cash-cow markets, such as the United States, Korea and Europe. Hyundai Motor and Kia sold a combined roughly 850,000 vehicles in India last year, with sales growth of just 0.2 percent. That performance lagged significantly behind local rivals Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, whose sales rose 18.4 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, during the same period. The gap reflects a competitive landscape in which established domestic players have streng

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s latest criticism of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix over their memory chip pricing defies market realities, as any chipmaker that undercuts prevailing prices risks selling out immediately and leaving other customers without supplies, a prominent U.S. chip analyst said. Jim Handy, founder and general director of semiconductor research firm Objective Analysis, challenged Musk's recent description of the Korean chipmakers' prices as “extortionate,” compared with those of their U.S. rival Micron. The chip expert underscored that memory prices are determined by market forces rather than individual suppliers. “Memory makers do not set their parts’ pricing — the market determines the pricing,” Handy said in a written interview with The Korea Times, Sunday. “In that light, it is hard to understand Musk’s comment.” Musk is looking to manufacture chips in-house through his Terafab project, with soaring memory prices an increasingly pressing concern for his ambitions. He posted on X on Tuesday (local time), “Micron has been reasonable regarding future m

The number of complaints submitted by foreigners on alleged taxi fare overcharges in Seoul over the past five years came to more than 6,000, but corrective measures have been taken on only about 3 percent of them, a lawmaker said Sunday. The number of such reports submitted between 2021 and August this year totaled 6,481, Rep. Mo Gyeong-jong of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said, citing Seoul city government data. Of the total, administrative measures were taken on only 204 cases, or 3.1 percent. Of those, drivers in only 28 cases had their licenses suspended or canceled, while those involved in the remaining 176 cases were given mere warnings. Over 67 percent, or 4,368, of all reported cases were closed internally due to difficulties in verifying an overcharge and voluntary withdrawal of complaints, according to the data. In 2013, the city government revised a policy on taxi fare overcharge complaints, allowing foreigners to apply to receive 500,000 won ($374) in compensation should their report result in an administrative measure. The data showed there has been no case in which t

The Fair Trade Commission’s (FTC) increasingly aggressive crackdown on major conglomerates is generating a costly cycle with little tangible return, as the watchdog has been forced to refund billions of won in fines overturned by courts. The watchdog has returned nearly 290 billion won ($216.7 million) to companies since 2022 after administrative court rulings overturned its sanctions. The figures raise questions about whether the regulator’s tougher enforcement produces lasting results or simply creates more legal and financial burdens for both businesses and taxpayers. The latest figures offer little reassurance. For the first nine months combined this year, the FTC returned 23 billion won in fines and associated payments, with 99.7 percent of the amount attributable to sanctions overturned in whole or in part through administrative litigation, according to data submitted to Rep. Choi Eun-seok of the main opposition People Power Party. But the regulator is moving in the opposite direction. Since President Lee Jae Myung took office last year, the government has pushed to strengthen