Why Black Friday 2026 Could Be the Year of the ‘Stay-In Upgrade’

President Lee Jae Myung's disapproval rating rose to 47 percent this week, surpassing his approval rating, a survey showed Thursday. In a survey of 1,001 adults nationwide conducted Monday through Wednesday, positive assessments of Lee's job performance fell 2 percentage points to 44 percent from two weeks earlier, according to the National Barometer Survey (NBS). Negative assessments rose 3 percentage points to 47 percent. Lee's disapproval rating had remained higher than his approval rating for several weeks before the trend reversed in the previous poll. The survey also showed that 51 percent of respondents said Lee should scale back his use of social media to directly communicate with the public on his policy direction, citing concerns that remarks made "without sufficient deliberation" could cause confusion. Another 42 percent supported his use of social media for communication. Support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea fell 1 percentage point to 35 percent, while that of the main opposition People Power Party remained unchanged at 25 percent. The poll has a margin of error of p

Korea has much to gain from supporting refugees, including making a safer and more stable international environment, according to the United Nations' refugee agency representative in Afghanistan. During an interview with The Korea Times during his visit to Seoul, Tuesday, Arafat Jamal, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) representative in Afghanistan, said supporting countries such as Afghanistan is not simply an act of charity, but an investment in a more stable world. "Korea is a responsible member of the international community. And helping a country like Afghanistan is for global public good. I think that we can only gain if countries are more open and more willing to build international solidarity and to look beyond themselves," he said. Jamal expressed deep gratitude to the Korean government and people for their continued support, urging them "to continue to build solidarity with the world." Afghanistan's strategic location, bordering seven countries including China, Pakistan and Iran, makes its stability a matter of wider international concern, the U.N. official said. A

A police complaint was filed Thursday accusing ruling party Rep. Choi Min-hee of defamation for referring to journalists as "a pack of hyenas." The complaint against Choi of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency a week after the lawmaker made the comment in a KakaoTalk group chat while referring to an image of photo and video journalists covering a general meeting of DPK lawmakers. She also described the journalists as "doing everything to take videos that sow discord." The complainant, Lee Jong-bae, a former Seoul city councilmember affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party, said Choi's comments revealed her perception of the press and exposed a double standard that chants democracy but scorns journalists that cause discomfort. Choi held a press conference at the National Assembly on Wednesday and apologized for her remarks.

A research institute affiliated with Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) hosted policy dialogues in Singapore and Malaysia last week to strengthen cooperation between Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The university said Wednesday that the HUFS Institute for International Strategy (HIIS) organized the dialogues in collaboration with leading overseas universities and policy research institutions ahead of its official launch. The events brought together diplomatic, security and economic experts from Korea and ASEAN member states as part of the International Eminent Persons’ Track 1.5 Dialogue on Foreign Policy Strategy, an initiative led by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants explored strategic responses to the rapidly changing international order and discussed ways to deepen Korea-ASEAN ties. The Singapore Policy Dialogue was held Nov. 2 at Hotel Waterloo Singapore under the theme “Rethinking Foreign Policy Strategies in a Changing International Order: Perspectives from South Korea and ASEAN.” The event drew faculty members of the S

A joint research team from Kookmin University, Sungkyunkwan University and Hanyang University has developed highly efficient perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) without the need for a separate post-synthetic ligand-exchange process. The findings were published in Advanced Functional Materials, an international journal in the field of materials science, under the title “Direct Integration of Conductive, Emissive Perovskite Nanocrystals into Efficient Light-Emitting Diodes Without Post-Synthetic Ligand Exchange.” The team was led by Kim Young-hoon, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Kookmin University; Lee Bo-ram, a professor in the Department of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University; and Lee Tae-kyung, a professor in the Department of Organic and Nano Engineering at Hanyang University. The three professors served as co-corresponding authors of the collaborative study. Lee Yu-bin, who has completed her master’s coursework at Kookmin University, also participated as a co-first author alongside Kim Ji-geon, a researcher at the university,

The global semiconductor upcycle, coupled with easing pressure from higher oil prices, is expected to lead to stronger consumption next year, a state-run think tank projected Thursday. The outlook came amid assessments that this year's global chip upcycle, driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, has had a limited impact on domestic consumption due to the gradual spillover of its benefits, while higher oil prices have weighed more immediately on the room for spending. "Next year, the negative impact of oil price hikes is expected to gradually weaken, while the positive impact of the chip upcycle spreads, leading to stronger consumption compared with this year," the Korea Development Institute (KDI) said in a report. The KDI said bonuses and dividends paid by major chipmakers could also provide additional momentum for domestic consumption, although geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East may pose some downside risks. Amid the potential challenges, the KDI advised the government to refrain from measures aimed at stimulating short-term spending and instead focus on improving e

“Take a few. I can come back again.” “Oh, thank you, sis. Bless you.” At 1 p.m. on Wednesday, middle-aged women gathered outside Hanyangsa, a scarf shop at Namdaemun Market in central Seoul, were sharing scarves with one another. The shop had already closed for the day, but women who had purchased scarves earlier were handing them to those leaving empty-handed. Some visitors had traveled by train from cities such as Daegu and Daejeon. Namdaemun Market has been swept up in the craze for the “Scarf Man.” A merchant identified only as A, who sells scarves at the market, has become an online sensation for his witty banter on social media, drawing huge crowds eager to see him in person. At 1 p.m. that day, the real-time population indicator for the Namdaemun Market area stood at approximately 25,000, classified as severely crowded. When A emerged from his shop after closing, a barrage of smartphone camera flashes greeted him. He made his way through the crowd with help from privately hired security guards. His appeal lies in his down-to-earth personality and gruff, humorous way of

Seoul will spend 19.2 billion won ($14.2 million) through 2031 to restore forests on Mount Nam and build new attractions there, including a 360-degree observatory at the summit, the city government said Thursday. Located in central Seoul, Mount Nam is one of the capital city’s best-known landmarks. The city formally announced an urban regeneration plan for Mount Nam and nearby areas, including the Myeong-dong shopping district and Yejang Park, on Thursday. The plan covers about 3.11 million square meters and has 15 projects in four areas. Eight of them are early-stage projects meant to spur further development with the allotted funding. A key part of the plan is a gondola that will run about 832 meters from Yejang Park, near Myeongdong Station, to the summit. It is designed to carry more than 1,600 passengers an hour, over three times as many as the existing cable car. The city said the gondola will make the summit easier to reach for wheelchair users and others with limited mobility. Its operating profits will go toward restoring the mountain’s ecosystem. Construction of the gondola

The proposed merger of Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul has cleared its final regulatory hurdle, paving the way for the three low-cost carriers (LCCs) to officially operate as a single carrier under the Jin Air brand beginning March 17, the nation’s antitrust authority said Thursday. Under the approvals by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the three carriers will be integrated through Jin Air's absorption of Air Busan and Air Seoul following Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines. The approvals remove the major regulatory obstacles to the restructuring of Hanjin Group's airline business, following the planned launch of the integrated Korean Air as a full-service carrier on Dec. 17. Jin Air will assume the assets, liabilities, employees and legal status of the two other carriers. The combined airline will become Korea's largest LCC by fleet size, with about 58 aircraft in operation by the three carriers combined as of the end of 2025. It will combine the three carriers' routes, aircraft and operating infrastructure, with the a

Grand Korea Leisure, the state-run operator of Seven Luck foreigner-only casinos, has earned an A rating for the third consecutive year in an annual evaluation of corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. The state-run casino operator, which runs the Seven Luck brand for foreign visitors, said Thursday it received an overall A grade in the 2026 ESG assessment announced Wednesday by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability. The company also received A grades in all three individual categories: environmental protection, social responsibility and corporate governance. The annual assessment, conducted by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability since 2011, evaluates listed companies on their sustainability management practices, with 1,022 companies included in this year's review. In the environmental category, Grand Korea Leisure was recognized for strengthening climate-risk management based on recommendations from the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, improving its environmental management framework and red

Samsung Electronics broke ground on a new semiconductor packaging facility at its Onyang campus in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Thursday as part of a 144 trillion-won ($108.4 billion) investment plan by the company and three affiliates to expand advanced manufacturing capacity in the region. The company held a groundbreaking ceremony at the campus, joined by President Lee Jae Myung, Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hyeong-il, South Chungcheong Province Gov. Park Soo-hyun and about 100 executives and employees from Samsung and its partner companies. The new production line, aimed at beginning operations in June 2028, a year ahead of the original schedule, will expand the campus' role beyond conventional semiconductor assembly and testing to include advanced high bandwidth memory (HBM) packaging. "Through today's groundbreaking ceremony, we pledge to take another leap forward," Lee Jae-yong said. "This site, which has traditionally focused on simply assembling and testing conventional semiconductors, will become a leading hub for advanced HBM, the heart of A

Dr. Cha Kwang-yul, head of the CHA Global Research Institutes at CHA Medical Center and CHA Bio Group, outlined an ambitious vision to use stem cells to treat intractable diseases and potentially extend human lifespan, drawing global interest at an international conference in Busan. Cha delivered his keynote address, titled "Longevity and Reproductive Aging Using K-Cells," at the 16th World Congress of the International Society for Immunology of Reproduction, held Nov. 5-8, with about 400 participants attending. The presentation focused on K-Cell, a proposed cell resource intended to support the development of treatments for intractable diseases before expanding into research on aging and longevity. Cha outlined a donor-screening strategy that combines medical and infectious disease histories with age, clinical characteristics, three generations of family medical history and whole-genome sequencing to identify cells suited to specific therapeutic purposes. He also discussed genetic modification and somatic cell nuclear transfer, a technique that involves transferring the nucleus of a sel