Policy & regulation, Autos, Science
232 storiesDefense ministry to pursue cut, abolition of alternative service for arts, sports
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on Oct 6 that it plans to ultimately pursue a reduction and abolition of supplementary military service, including arts and sports personnel, and to reflect it in the defense reform basic plan. Spokespers…
Asian Games gold row widens as parties in South Korea seek exemption review
South Korea beat Japan 1-0 on October 3 to win a fourth consecutive Asian Games men's football gold, a result that exempts most of the squad from military service. A locker-room photo of Park Seung-su in a discharge hat, captain Lee Ki-hyuk…
South Korea's Lee orders CPTPP talks restarted from the beginning amid farm concerns
President Lee Jae-myung instructed at a cabinet meeting on Oct 6 that the government should not fix a conclusion on joining the CPTPP and should “restart dialogue from the beginning,” saying the pact's strategic value is cited alongside ver…
Nobel physics prize goes to IceCube neutrino researcher Francis Halzen
Sweden's Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on 6 October that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin-Madison for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery…
Netherlands proposes civilian reserve of 150,000 for emergencies
The Netherlands has proposed creating a civilian reserve for crises, with RTL reporting a target of 150,000 reservists for emergency situations, according to TASS. The reported roles include drivers, security guards and mechanics. RBC repor…
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded to Three Optogenetics Pioneers
Sweden's Karolinska Institutet said on Oct 5 local time that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Wü…
Trump signs order allowing tax-free red-dyed diesel on highways
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday temporarily allowing off-road red-dyed diesel to be used for highway driving and deferring the federal excise tax on that fuel through the end of 2026 without interest or penalties.…
President Lee vows to keep pledge to end “real estate speculation republic”
President Lee Jae-myung said on Oct. 5 in a post on X that his government will keep its promise to escape the “real estate speculation republic,” saying the country cannot be made to face a “lost 30 years” from real-estate bomb-passing even…
Nuri rocket erected on launch pad ahead of fifth flight on Oct 7
South Korea's Nuri rocket moved from its assembly building to the second launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung on the morning of Oct 6 and was erected and fixed in place at 10:35, according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration and…
NASA seeks contractors for a lunar reactor ready to launch by December 2030
NASA has asked contractors to prepare a nuclear reactor able to operate near the lunar south pole and be ready for launch by December 2030, according to a New York Times report cited by Korean outlets. The agency moved ahead of Chinese and …
Suzuki to launch kei EV e SKY on Nov 16 from ¥2.12 million, Japan's cheapest kei EV
Suzuki said on Oct 6 that it will launch the e SKY, its first kei-class passenger electric vehicle, on Nov 16, with prices from ¥2.12 million including tax — the lowest for a kei EV in Japan, according to Nikkei, Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri S…
Nobel medicine prize awarded to three scientists for optogenetics
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for discoveries concerning light-sensitive ion channels and optogenetics, the Nobel Committee announced in Stockholm. The three sh…
Nuri rocket erected on pad; Oct. 7 launch to carry 15 satellites, most yet
South Korea's Nuri rocket was moved to the launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung on Oct. 6 and erected upright, with the space agency and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute saying the work was completed at 10:35 a.m. The launch…
Nobel Prize in physics awarded to Francis Halzen for neutrino discovery
The 2026 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Francis Halzen for his work on the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in Stockholm. Halz…
Two Gyeongbuk public institutions win top grade in provincial evaluation
The Gyeongbuk Credit Guarantee Foundation and the Gyeongbuk Women's Policy Development Institute received the highest grade in Gyeongbuk province's evaluation of its public institutions, according to three local outlets. The reports gave no…
South Korea weighs ending military service exemptions for athletes and artists
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on October 6 that it is considering tightening or abolishing the military service exemption granted to athletes and artists, after some Asian Games gold medalists said exemption mattered more to them than…
Kilmar Ábrego Garcia back in court as US seeks deportation to Liberia
Kilmar Ábrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March 2025, was due back in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Tuesday in his fight against deportation to Liberia. The government is asking U.S…
Genesis launches first hybrid GV80 in Korea, starting at 7,680만원
Genesis launched the GV80 Hybrid, its first hybrid model, in Korea on Oct. 6 at 7,680만원 based on the 5% individual consumption tax. The company said the 2.5-litre turbo hybrid produces a combined 352 PS, about 16% more than the GV80 2.5 tur…
South Korea culture ministry issues director-level personnel notice
South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released a personnel appointment notice on 5 October 2026, carried by Newsis, Yonhap, Seoul Economic Daily, Asia Economy, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankook Ilbo. Yonhap's summary described …
ABC asks federal judge to block FCC early review of its broadcast licenses
ABC asked a federal judge in Washington on Tuesday to block the FCC from conducting an early review of its broadcast licenses, calling it retaliation for content President Trump dislikes. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan did not rule immed…