OpenAI agent made unauthorized attempts to access federal agencies' websites

Sungkyunkwan University researchers have developed a biochip technology that enables real-time monitoring of Parkinson’s disease treatment responses. The university said Tuesday that the “organoid-on-a-chip” technology combines stem cell-derived “mini-brains” with a nanoplasmonic sensor that maximizes light-matter interactions, enabling real-time monitoring of treatment responses. The findings were published in ACS Nano, a leading international journal in nanoscience. The study was conducted by two research teams at the university, each led by Kim In-ki and Park Jong-chan, professors in the Department of Biophysics. The teams included Ph.D. candidates Cho Han-jun and Kim Young-jun and master’s candidate Yoon Na-hyun, who were both first authors of the paper. “This study is significant in that it opens a path to continuously monitoring drug responses in living human tissue over time using an ultra-precision optical sensor,” professor Kim said. “We will further develop the technology into a key platform for patient-specific drug development and disease treatment,” he adde

Locally grown long-grain rice is gaining attention after U.S. restaurant chain Chipotle selected it for use at its first location in Asia. The long-grain variety used in Chipotle’s burritos and burrito bowls in its restaurant in Seoul is less sticky and has longer, more slender grains than the short-grain rice commonly consumed in Korea. The variety remains unfamiliar to many Korean consumers. However, efforts to cultivate and commercialize the rice have been underway in Haenam, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, since 2021. The new rice is called IPS and is an indica variety developed by Chin Joong-hyoun, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biological Sciences and Industry at Sejong University. The university said the development of IPS was aimed at addressing the challenges posed by climate change and increasingly unstable agricultural production conditions. Key concerns included flooding associated with climate change and fertilizer shortages stemming from disruptions to global supply chains. To address these challenges, Chin developed IPS, which can withstand flood c

The number of undercover investigations conducted by the police has more than tripled this year from a year earlier, data showed Sunday, as Korea continues to grapple with digital sex crimes, often involving deepfake technology. The National Office of Investigation under the Korean National Police Agency said it carried out 598 undercover investigations from January to August this year, compared with 179 cases during the same period last year. The police first introduced such undercover investigations in 2021 following the "Nth room" case, in which underage girls were coerced into obscene acts in front of cameras and the footage was shared in paid online chatrooms. Since adopting the measure, the police have conducted 1,503 undercover investigations through the end of August, apprehended 2,873 suspects and formally arrested 164 of them. In the first eight months of this year, police apprehended 338 suspects through undercover investigations for engaging in conversations with children and adolescents for the purpose of sexual exploitation, six of whom were formally arrested. Police said th

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix both saw their parental leave rates decline in the first half of this year, marking the first time the two companies have recorded simultaneous declines, as expectations for hefty performance-based bonuses grow amid a semiconductor boom. The decline comes as both companies are expected to post record-high profits this year, with employees potentially eligible for bonuses worth hundreds of millions of won as the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven demand for memory chips fuels a semiconductor supercycle. According to the companies’ half-year reports, Samsung Electronics’ parental leave rate among employees with children born during the year stood at 35.5 percent in the first half, down from 36.2 percent a year earlier. The rate fell for both men and women. The rate for men taking parental leave rate dropped to 11.2 percent from 12.4 percent in the same period the year before, while the rate for women fell to 88.2 percent from 94.3 percent. At SK hynix, the parental leave rate among employees with children of elementary school age or younger fell to 3.2

Hanwha Aerospace has apologized for hiring guidelines that restricted experienced-hire applicants based on age and educational background, pledging to discipline those responsible and overhaul its recruitment process to prevent similar incidents. CEO Lee Boo-hwan issued an apology on the company website on Sunday, saying it was unacceptable to restrict applicants’ opportunities based on personal attributes. “There should never have been guidelines that could limit applicants’ opportunities based on personal factors such as education and age, which are unrelated to job performance,” Lee said. The labor ministry launched an inspection on Sept. 16 over allegations that Hanwha Aerospace had prepared and distributed guidelines specifying age ranges and universities for experienced-hire positions to human resources executives and hiring managers. Lee said the guidelines “directly violated” the company’s principles of open hiring and equal opportunity, adding that he took the matter very seriously. “This was a clear failure on our part, as incorrect guidelines were distributed to

Korea’s planned power infrastructure investment in the United States could generate a second wave of orders for Korean battery and power equipment makers, as surging electricity consumption from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers drives demand for energy storage systems (ESS) and grid equipment. Last week, the Korean government announced its first U.S. strategic investment project, part of a $350 billion investment package. The project worth $22.3 billion is centered on building a natural gas-fired power plant in Encinal, Texas, to meet rising electricity demand from semiconductor plants and AI data centers. The project is also expected to create additional demand for equipment needed to store, distribute and stabilize power, enabling relevant system makers to attract more orders from the world’s largest economy. ESS is one of the largest pillar under the project. Korean battery makers — LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On — identify ESS as their major revenue areas while the electric vehicle industry is stuck in a chasm. ESS can store electricity when demand is low

South Korea's military has conducted a joint on-site investigation with the U.N. Command (UNC) into the cause of a suspected mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) last week, with further probes planned, officials said Sunday. A survey team comprising some 40 personnel reached the vicinity of the suspected explosion site inside the DMZ but failed to reach the actual site of the incident, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a text message sent to reporters. The joint probe comes just six days after the explosion occurred south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas, leaving two officers seriously injured. The survey team — comprising South Korean troops, the UNC's Military Armistice Commission and relevant investigative agencies — inspected the area using mine detectors and conducted route-clearance operations in the DMZ from around 9 a.m. until sundown, according to the JCS. However, the team decided to resume the operation at a later date, citing the high risk posed by the possibility of unidentified land mines in the area and the extreme fatigu

Korea's Marine Corps chief left for the Philippines on Sunday to discuss ways to expand bilateral military and defense industry cooperation, officials said. During the trip, which runs through Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Ju Il-suk will meet with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Bayani V. Curaming, deputy commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, according to the Marine Corps. The agenda for talks will include ways to strengthen coordination between the two forces and expand defense industry cooperation. Ju will also visit a Korean War memorial and pay his respects to Philippine soldiers who died fighting alongside South Korean troops in the 1950-53 Korean War.

President Lee Jae Myung returned home Sunday from his two-nation trip that took him to the United States and Mexico. From Monday to Wednesday, Lee visited New York to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly, where he also held bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The president then made a three-day state visit to Mexico, becoming the first Korean president to make a state visit to the country in 16 years. Lee and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a summit on Thursday, in which the leaders agreed on an action plan to expand their countries' bilateral cooperation in advanced industries, including AI, digital technology, aerospace and defense. Also on the sidelines of the summit, Korea and Mexico signed a total of 17 memorandums of understanding and documents, including those on economic cooperation, defense, aerospace and AI.

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Hong Kong police are searching for a man who used a key to steal about HK$10,000 (US$1,275) from four claw machines’ deposit boxes at a store on Sunday. The force said that the store owner, a 46-year-old man surnamed Cheung, had filed a police report at around 11.10am after witnessing the theft via surveillance cameras in the shop at 159 Tai Kok Tsui Road. Cheung said he saw a man in his thirties use a key to open deposit boxes in four claw machines and make off with the money. Police are...

Two giant pandas have arrived in Atlanta to take up residency at the southern US city’s zoo. The pandas, male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang, left Chengdu in China’s southwest on Sunday, within days of Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapping up his three-day state visit to the United States. During the visit, Xi said the pandas would arrive “in a few days”. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, whose names mean peace and double blessings, arrived at Atlanta International Airport on a chartered flight, state...