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사회Soaring rents push young Koreans farther from schools, workplaces
Jeonse (lump-sum payment) home listings have been on the decline since real estate measures were implemented by the government last year, causing monthly rents to rise and causing young people to choose lengthier commutes. Rental notices for studio apartments are posted on a community bulletin board near Chung-Ang University in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 12. YONHAP A 24-year-old surnamed Shin, who lives in Nowon District, northern Seoul, spent about four hours commuting round trip by subway last semester to their university in Gwanak District, southern Seoul. Shin had previously lived in shared housing near the school and was considering moving into a studio apartment, but decided against it because the monthly rent was too expensive. She ended up moving back into her parents’ house. A 22-year-old Cho, who lives in Anyang, Gyeonggi, also chose to commute by public transportation to a university in Gwanak. The distance between the two covers roughly 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles), depending on the exact location. “I didn’t want to ask my parents for money, so I’ve been earning money at a part-time job and tutoring, but I felt it would be difficult to cover housing costs on top of everything else,” Cho said. Housing costs for young people in university districts have continued to rise after the government implemented new real estate measures last year. Since then, the number of jeonse homes has declined, and monthly rents have surged. Under Korea’s jeonse system, tenants typically pay a high lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent. Beginning June 28 last year, the government implemented the measures — focused on the greater Seoul area — to tighten household debt management, reducing loan limits, lowering guarantee ratios for jeonse loans and cutting mortgage limits, including loans used by landlords to return jeonse deposits to departing tenants. Experts also expect the decline in jeonse listings and the rise in monthly rents to intensify following the Aug. 3 tax reform plan. A real estate agency near Chung-Ang University in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 12 YONHAP Young people trade convenience for cheaper housing As rents around universities soar, a growing number of people living on their own are giving up on living close to school or work and moving back to their family homes farther away or relocating to areas with more affordable rent. Even studio apartments and officetels — buildings that combine commercial and residential spaces — rather than conventional apartments, have become too expensive for many students and young workers in central areas where universities and workplaces are concentrated. A 25-year-old surnamed Kim, who has worked for a company in Mapo District, western Seoul, for three years, recently relocated from housing near work to Goyang, Gyeonggi. “Paying close to 1 million won [$705] in rent every month was too much of a burden,” Kim said. “I moved to save on housing costs, even though it meant sacrificing convenience in my commute.” Many young people are also being forced to accept a decline in their quality of life as they cut other expenses or take on additional part-time jobs to cope with soaring rents. Kim Seong-min, a 25-year-old university student who found a place near his school in early August, nearly doubled his budget for both rent and the security deposit compared to the studio apartment he lived in three years ago. Even then, he could not find a home that met the conditions he had wanted. He eventually settled for a place farther from both the subway station and his university. He put down 10 million won — half the money he had saved through a military savings account — as a security deposit. “Once I pay 5 million won in university tuition, I don’t know how many months I’ll be able to live on the money I have left,” Kim Seong-min said. “I’m planning to find a part-time job as soon as possible.” Rental notices for studio apartments are posted at a real estate agency near Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 12. YONHAP The switch from jeonse to monthly rent As jeonse listings decrease, people are shifting to find housing with monthly rent instead. Real estate agents in university districts say they have also seen jeonse listings decline and monthly rents rise since the real estate measures were implemented on June 27, 2025. “For about a year now, jeonse listings have barely come onto the market, whether they're apartments, multifamily homes or officetels,” said a real estate agent who operates an office near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak District. “Out of every 100 contracts, there might be just one jeonse deal, if that.” “Since jeonse listings have declined due to factors including tighter lending restrictions, demand has shifted toward monthly rentals, driving up prices,” said Seo Chan-won, a real estate agent at Daom, a real estate agency near Seoul National University Station. “Monthly rents have risen by an average of about 60,000 to 80,000 won over the past year,” said another real estate agency representative in Gwanak. “Some landlords are now raising rents every quarter. Monthly rent for a newly built studio apartment of about 16.5 square meters [178 square feet] has risen to more than 1 million won.” Demand for monthly rentals has risen further as office workers who have been priced out of apartments turn to officetels and multifamily homes, putting them in competition for rental homes in university districts. Sinchon in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, and the area around Seoul National University Station are prime examples, as both have large supplies of studio apartments while offering relatively easy access to major business districts such as central Seoul’s Gwanghwamun and southern Seoul’s Gangnam District . “With jeonse loans becoming harder to obtain and listings declining, newlywed couples who have given up on apartments are coming to Sinchon to look for multifamily homes or officetels as their first homes,” said the head of a real estate agency in Seodaemun District. Demand has also increased for shared houses, which generally require smaller deposits and lower monthly rents than studio apartments. “Most of our tenants are workers, including civil servants at government agencies, and all of them have signed long-term contracts of at least a year,” said a share house operator in Gwanak District. “Many young people come here because they want to live close to their workplaces.” Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, right, listens to a real estate agent explaining the neighborhood’s studio apartment area near universities in Sinchon, Seodaemun District, western Seoul, on July 4. NEWS1 Rents climb as jeonse transactions tumble The rise in prices as demand shifts from jeonse to monthly rentals is reflected in data. The average monthly rent for a studio apartment near major universities in Seoul stood at 625,000 won last month, up 7.7 percent from a year earlier, according to statistics compiled by real estate platform Dabang based on listings registered on its service. Monthly rents around Seoul National University rose an average of 26 percent from a year earlier, the largest increase among the university districts surveyed. Monthly maintenance fees rose an average of 10.9 percent to 84,000 won. For a home with a 10 million won deposit, that translates to roughly 710,000 won in monthly housing expenses. At the same time, the number of jeonse transactions in major university districts across Seoul has fallen sharply. There were 2,258 new jeonse transactions for officetels between August 2024 and August 2025 across five districts with major university areas — southern Seoul’s Gwanak and Dongjak, western Seoul’s Mapo, eastern Seoul’s Dongdaemun and central Seoul’s Seongbuk districts — according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s real estate transaction disclosure system. The figure, however, fell about 20 percent to 1,809 between August 2025 and August this year. In Seongbuk District, officetel jeonse transactions fell nearly 40 percent over the same period, from 167 to 101. A prolonged housing squeeze expected The real estate industry attributes the decline in jeonse listings and rise in monthly rents partly to tighter access to jeonse loans following the June 27, 2025, measures. Real estate agents say the measures have pushed both tenants and landlords toward monthly rental contracts. “Tenants are turning to monthly rentals because jeonse deposit loans have either become unavailable or their borrowing limits have been reduced, while landlords are converting jeonse homes into monthly rentals to secure cash because loans for returning jeonse deposits have been restricted,” a real estate industry source in Gwanak District said. Experts expect the pressure on young people's housing costs to persist for some time following the Aug. 3 tax reform plan, which increased the tax burden on owners of multiple homes. “As owners of multiple homes sell properties they don’t live in and had previously rented out under jeonse or monthly rental contracts, the supply of rental homes is shrinking and prices for the remaining homes are rising rapidly,” said Ma Kang-rae, a professor of urban planning and real estate at Chung-Ang University. “This situation is likely to continue for the next two to three years.” A rental notice for a studio apartment is posted near Chung-Ang University in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 12. YONHAP The situation has also prompted calls for the public sector to increase housing supply. “The government needs to rapidly expand public rental housing to restore the housing ladder for young people, low-income households and other groups vulnerable to housing insecurity,” Prof. Ma said.
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경제Open fire: Korean missile makers can now use U.S. test ranges, but should they?
Newly approved U.S. Army access could speed Korean missile makers' entry into the United States, but costs, export hurdles and data-security concerns remain. A Patriot surface-to-air missile is launched at a simulated target during a live-fire missile interception exercise over the Yellow Sea on Nov. 6, 2024. YONHAP Korean missile manufacturers are cautiously approaching whether to participate in the U.S. Army's newly opened test range opportunities, citing cost and potential logistical complications. The U.S. Army has opened five missile test ranges to private and allied companies, opening up Korean defense firms a way past a certification bottleneck that has long slowed their entry into the U.S. market. The measure comes as reports arise of munitions quickly depleting due to the Iran war, making Korea's participation in the test range a part of the effort to replenish weapons through allied nations. Announced Friday by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll at Camp Grayling in Michigan, the change covers four domestic ranges and one in Morocco, open to companies firing interceptor missiles they developed with their own money. An online reservation portal went live the same day, with access pledged within 30 days of a request. Driscoll said he hopes allied companies will use the ranges too. What changed? The bottleneck the change addresses is real. Companies have waited up to a year and a half for a testing slot, mostly at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. “It can take 12 to 18 months for a company that wants to go test the thing that can make a soldier's life better,” Driscoll said. “That is not sufficient.” Domestic sites now open are Camp Grayling, Camp Shelby in Mississippi, Dugway Proving Ground in Utah and West Cibola, an unused portion of Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, said Maj. Gen. Patrick Gaydon of Army Test and Evaluation Command. The international site is a multidomain training area in Morocco, where a startup called Covenant Industries has already fired its Anthem missile. For Korea, the appeal is physical. The country lacks suitable sites for testing ground firepower systems and missiles, and the constraints are severe enough that Korean firms already travel abroad to test, said Choi Gi-il, a professor of military studies at Sangji University. Korean 155-millimeter extended-range ammunition had to be tested in Israel because no domestic range could take it, he said, at a cost in the tens of billions of won. “K-defense gets a great deal of spotlight in the global market, but the test and evaluation process involves many difficulties and limitations,” Choi said. “By opening these test ranges to allies, the United States has given us an option we did not have.” The reservation website for the test range, operated by the U.S. Army SCREEN CAPTURE Not sold? That option has a price, which is where the enthusiasm thins. Korean reporting pointed to LIG D&A , which renamed itself from LIG Nex1 in March, and its Bigung guided rocket and Cheongung II air defense system, along with Hanwha Aerospace's guided weapons, as candidates to use the ranges. Those are inferences from Driscoll's expression of hope, as no Army statement has named Korean companies. Asked whether it will apply, LIG D&A said it is “not in a position” to say. “Even between allies, there are bound to be procedures involved or getting approval from the U.S. government,” said an LIG D&A spokesperson. “If the specific terms such as costs were too steep, then we wouldn't be able to go through with [the test].” The reservations run deeper than price. The Army has attached no procurement incentive, no undertaking that strong performers will be considered for adoption. Korea has its own firing ranges. And moving a weapon onto an U.S. range requires export procedures and U.S. government permission even between allies, which the official described as more complicated than the announcement suggests. There is also what leaves the country with a missile. Firing a weapon on a foreign range exposes sensitive test data and technical information, which argues for selective use, said Jang Won-joon, an associate professor specializing in the defense industry at Jeonbuk National University. He would confine it to essential tests with no domestic alternative, and to the testing and certification required to enter U.S. military procurement. “The opening is a new opportunity,” Jang said, “but given the security concerns around sensitive test data and technical information, firms need to use it selectively.” LIG D&A's medium-range surface-to-air missile, the Cheongung, is displayed at the Agency for Defense Development in 2020. YONHAP Why the door has opened If Korean firms are weighing the offer carefully, Washington had reasons of its own to make it. The timing is scarcity, not generosity. A CSIS analysis published on July 27 by Mark Cancian and Chris Park found Patriot inventories now under 1,000 and Thaad stockpiles at about 250 after the war with Iran. Secondary accounts citing the analysis put the Patriot's fall at 2,330, to between 759 and 827 missiles, and Thaad dropping 452 to between 234 and 278. “Diminished stockpiles may force the United States and its coalition partners to take more risks with interceptions,” the authors wrote, noting no good alternatives exist because Navy ships carrying standard missiles are generally too far away. Rebuilding would take more than three years. CNN, citing sources familiar with an internal report, put Thaad depletion at nearly four-fifths, a figure U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disputed. Choi reads the opening against that shortfall, arguing Korean manufacturing capacity gives Washington reason to keep allied suppliers close. “It can be a win-win structure,” he said. A surface-to-air missile is fired from a Cheongung-II air defense system during live-fire drills in an unspecified western coastal area in 2024. YONHAP There indeed have been past arrangements between the U.S Army and Korean defense manufacturers. The U.S. Army announced an enhanced use lease to Hanwha Defense USA at Pine Bluff Arsenal, Jefferson County, Arkansas on Jan. 28. The lease agreement used underutilized Army property, with proceeds to be reinvested into infrastructure. Hanwha plans to invest roughly $1.3 billion and create about 200 skilled jobs. “These days, you can easily secure all the data you need through things like AI simulations,” said a defense analyst on the condition of anonymity. “The real issue is that our country has extremely limited testing grounds.” “For example, the long-range air-to-air missile project, since the range on those is hundreds of kilometers it’s really difficult to test them here in Korea,” he continued. “If a missile were to fall mid-flight and cause damage to a civilian area, the entire country and the media would go absolutely haywire.” “The truth is, there’s simply nowhere to test them. So, testing in the U.S. is definitely the better option.” Two Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile systems are used during a drill in Korea in this undated stock photo JOONGANG PHOTO The payoff vs. the pay-in For Korean firms, the prize is real. Cheongung II, deployed in the UAE, intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles in March, and Bigung passed a U.S. comparative test in 2024. Combat-proven and U.S.-verified is stronger than either alone. But the Army will not subsidize travel, and Driscoll said the intent is not to bring in companies not far enough along in their funding. It is worth comparing to what Korean industry is being asked to pay elsewhere. In Spain, Hanwha Aerospace is buying European entry with technology and potentially design authority. In the United States, the currency is cash and test data. Two markets, two admission prices, and the same question underneath both: How much value stays in Korea once the door is open?
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세계Heavy rain to continue in southern region until Monday
A highway is submerged in water Sunday in Mokpo, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, as heavy rain fell on the city over the weekend. (Yonhap) The heavy rain in the southern part of South Korea was expected to continue until Monday, as showers fell on most of the country Sunday. Precipitations of at least 100 milliliters were expected across several parts of the Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions, as heavy rainfall of 30-50 milliliters fell on central and southern coastal areas of the South Jeolla region. Rain will let up in most parts of the central region Sunday afternoon, but showers are forecast for other regions at least until Monday morning. Some parts of Jeju Island will have rain until Monday afternoon. Around 120 reports on rain-related emergencies were made to the emergency services in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, from Saturday to Sunday morning. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety held an emergency meeting Sunday and dispatched officials to South Gyeongsang Province, in response to the heavy rainfall expected in the area around the Jirisan Mountain. Rescue workers are carrying an injured civilian to an ambulance on Sunday, in Mokpo, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City. (Yonhap) A restaurant has been flooded due to heavy rain on Sunday, in Haenam-gun County, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City. (Yonhap)
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세계If Joseon had K-pop, it might have sounded like Seodo Band
Five-piece band transforms pansori, pop and nine years of experimentation into debut album Seodo Band poses for a photo before an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul, Aug. 6. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald) If there had been K-pop during the Joseon era, perhaps it would have sounded something like Seodo Band. Formed by five conservatory classmates, the band spent nine years circling around the material that would eventually become its first full-length album, "One: Circle," set for release Friday. The band — vocalist Seodo, guitarist Yeon Tae-hee, bassist Kim Tea-joo, drummer Jeong Hyun-bin and keyboardist Kim Seong-hyun — calls its music "Joseon-pop," a genre of its own making that combines traditional Korean musical elements from gukak with contemporary pop songwriting. Nearly a decade after coining the term, the band still largely occupies that territory alone. The band's beginnings were considerably less deliberate. Four labelmates entered the “21c Korean Music Project” competition in 2018 and formed a band because the contest required them to perform as a group. "We didn't originally plan to make band music," Seodo said during an interview with The Korea Herald on Aug. 6. "But going into that competition, we had to form a group — and that thought carried us all the way to now." The idea of making a full album came much later. "I never really thought about releasing a full album while we were doing this as a band. But if we ever did one, I thought it should be the 'Chunhyangga' set that was the start of our activities as Seodo Band. Now, nine years in, I strongly felt it might finally be time, and that pushed us to move forward," bassist Kim said. "Chunhyangga," or "The Song of Chunhyang," is one of the best-known works of pansori, the traditional Korean form of musical storytelling performed through singing and narration. Seodo Band has been performing its own 30-minute interpretation of the story since its early days. The result is a 12-track album structured more like a play than a collection of individual songs. Seven songs follow the narrative of "Chunhyangga" in sequence, from the lovers' meeting in "Arirang" and their vow in "Love Song" through separation, imprisonment and eventual reunion in the closing track, "As One." Seodo Band poses for a photo before an interview with The Korea Herald's building in Seoul, Aug. 6. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald) Five short instrumental pieces connect those chapters, each built around a different instrument. Their titles contain the letters A, N, I, R and I, which together spell "aniri," the spoken narration used in pansori to connect sung passages and move the story forward. "We wanted people to listen to the whole thing as one connected story," Yeon said. "When we perform the 'Chunhyangga' set live, there's no MC banter between songs. That narration bridges everything into one." That sense of connection extends to "As One," the final song written for the album, and to the album's title itself. "One" means "circle" in Korean. "This song holds the meaning of circulation that runs through the whole album," Seodo said. "There is no such thing as forever. Where there is meeting, there is parting. And where there is parting, there will be meeting again. That is the shape life keeps repeating." The album begins, fittingly, with "Arirang," named after Korea's best-known folk song. The choice comes as BTS has also used "Arirang" as the title of its latest album, but Seodo Band said the familiarity of the name did not make the members hesitant. "The Arirang most people know carries something more sorrowful, as you said. But the Arirang Seodo Band has always sung and played has always held warm emotions, so wanting to share that together came first — rather than feeling burdened," bassist Kim said. For Seodo, the appeal of "Arirang" reaches beyond nationality. "No matter which country's lullaby you hear, a lullaby feels like a lullaby. We all carry the same old feeling it stirs, because we are all human. I think Arirang holds that kind of power," he said. That Korean identity runs throughout "One: Circle," although the band says it was not something the members consciously set out to emphasize. Almost all the album's lyrics and song titles are in Korean. "There wasn't really a big intention behind it," Jeong said. "Looking at the whole album, the only English lyric is one word, 'You' in 'Love Song' — that's the one exception. It wasn't some deliberate decision to keep English out and only express Korean-ness. We just made and released what we had, and it turned out that way. If anything, I think that lets foreign listeners fall more into the charm of the Korean pronunciation and nuance itself." Seodo, the leader of Korean fusion group Seodo Band, performs during Africa Day 2026 at the Grand Hyatt in Seoul on May 20. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald) There have already been unexpected signs of the band's music traveling abroad. Yeon recalled receiving a video from a university classmate on a working holiday in the UK who unexpectedly heard the band's earlier single "City Lights" playing at a London pub with no apparent connection to Korean culture. The band said its highest social media engagement currently comes from the US. Yet even as Korean musical traditions underpin its sound, Seodo Band is reluctant to define itself as a traditional Korean music act. A judging panel for the Rising Star of Korean Traditional Music award on national broadcaster KBS in 2019 described the band's approach as "the most ideal collaboration between traditional music and popular music." Seodo draws a firmer distinction. "We say confidently that our music is not traditional music," he said. "Traditional music is music that inherits tradition. If our music has both inheritance and development, it's the developed form. That shouldn't be called traditional music. I studied pansori as a child, and I have real respect for it. Ours is just something more people can listen to easily." If Joseon-pop eventually takes the band to a larger international stage, the members already know where they would like to go. "I watched Coachella recently and it left a deep impression. If Seodo Band, carrying Korean sensibility, went there and put on a stage worthy of that, I think we could create something incredible," bassist Kim said. And they already have an image of what that stage could look like: a crowd performing Ganggangsullae, a traditional Korean communal dance in which participants join hands to form a large circle. "That's what we always talk about. The image of a Ganggangsullae circle made up of people who aren't even Korean," bassist Kim said. Seodo Band (Seodo Band)
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세계Who will care for Korea's elderly? Foreign workers enter troubled market
As South Korea turns to foreign students to fill a shortage of caregivers, experts warn that bringing in new workers without first improving pay, conditions and career prospects could leave the underlying crisis unresolved Foreign students at Seojeong University in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, practice repositioning a patient as part of a caregiver training course. (Seojeong University) South Korea’s rapidly aging population has created an issue that is at once demographic and deeply personal: Who will care for the growing number of older people? The arithmetic appears daunting. Korea is projected to face a shortfall of roughly 116,000 eldercare workers by 2028, according to government data. The Health Ministry estimates the country will need 990,000 additional caregivers by 2043. Yet beneath that headline shortage lies a contradiction. Nearly 2.3 million people have obtained caregiver qualifications but are not working in the field, according to the care workers’ union affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. That has led workers and labor experts to question whether Korea simply lacks people capable of providing care — or whether it lacks care jobs attractive enough for people to enter and remain in. As policymakers search for ways to expand the care workforce, one increasingly prominent part of their strategy is to open new pathways for foreign residents and international students. With Korea firmly a super-aged society and demand for elderly care rising, the government has begun creating routes for international students to train as caregivers and remain in the country for work. But if poor pay and working conditions are part of what keeps qualified Koreans out of the sector, another question follows: Will those same jobs prove attractive enough for the foreign students now being recruited to fill them? A shortage of workers — or of good jobs? Care work occupies a paradoxical place in Korea’s labor market. Society increasingly depends on it, yet the work remains relatively poorly compensated and socially undervalued. Workers assist with some of the most intimate parts of daily life — bathing, toileting, feeding and mobility — while also performing emotional labor for elderly people suffering from loneliness, dementia and declining health. Yet the occupation offers little career progression, and workloads can be severe. "Although stereotypes against caregivers have subsided, the job remains difficult compared with other careers," Jeon Hyun-wook, head of the KCTU-affiliated care workers’ union, told The Korea Herald. Caregivers are generally paid around the minimum wage, with pay rising largely in line with increases in the statutory minimum. There is no wage system recognizing seniority or accumulated experience, while night shifts and overtime are difficult to avoid at nursing homes that operate around the clock. Jeon said those conditions help explain why many qualified workers stay away from the field. "We keep telling authorities that there needs to be better treatment," he said. Lee Kyu-yong, a senior researcher at the Korea Labor Institute, said the large pool of inactive certificate holders suggests Korea’s shortage cannot be explained simply by a lack of qualified people. "There are a great many Koreans who hold caregiver qualifications," Lee told The Korea Herald. "They are not going into the field because the wages and working conditions are poor." For Lee, the problem is one of sequencing. "Improving caregivers' working conditions should come first," he said, questioning whether bringing in foreign workers should precede efforts to make the existing jobs more sustainable. Kim Ok-nyu, a Sookmyung Women's University professor who studies migration and care work, put the problem more bluntly. "The care sector is already one of the occupations Koreans avoid," Kim said. "If Koreans don't want to do the work, migrants won't necessarily want to do it either." That is the central risk facing Korea’s new strategy. Migration may expand the pool of potential workers, but it does not by itself make care work more attractive. Looking abroad for caregivers To address the looming shortage, the Justice Ministry and the Health Ministry announced in March 2025 that 24 universities nationwide would be allowed to operate degree programs for foreign students seeking caregiver qualifications from 2026. Under the two-year pilot program, designated universities can establish departments for international students and offer degree courses leading to caregiver certification. The curriculum must follow government guidelines and include customized Korean-language training. The government has also introduced visa-related incentives aimed at recruitment and settlement. “With a shortage of caregivers expected going forward, the foreign caregiver training university program could serve as a way to secure a stable workforce,” Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong said when the program was announced. For policymakers, international students offer a potential source of long-term workers. They are younger than much of the existing caregiver population, can build Korean-language skills while studying and may remain in Korea after graduation. For students themselves, the program can also create opportunities that did not previously exist. For 37-year-old Uyanga, a Mongolian student studying global nursing at Sahmyook Health University, the new track has offered a chance to pursue both a new career and long-term settlement in Korea. "I heard it is difficult to obtain a D-2 visa past your late 20s," Uyanga told local media. "I am now able to study what I enjoy in Korea, a country I was always interested in." Uyanga majored in veterinary medicine in Mongolia and later worked at a processed-food factory testing chemical treatments. She said she had long wanted to work in social welfare, particularly elderly care. "I am confident that I can provide care and support services to elderly people better than anyone," she said. "I had a strong desire to work in social welfare, especially in elderly care." For students like Uyanga, the program offers something tangible. It provides a degree, a profession and a possible path to staying in Korea. But the same conditions that deter Koreans will still be waiting for them after graduation. Can migration work without reform? Both Kim and Lee questioned whether the government has sufficiently prepared for what happens after those students graduate. Kim said students entering the new tracks may not have been given a realistic picture of the wages and working conditions awaiting them. "They aren't necessarily studying with an accurate understanding of the working conditions or wages they will face as caregivers," she said. Kim said some students could arrive expecting wages in Korea to translate into greater purchasing power than they actually provide once housing, food and other living costs are taken into account. The program also contains a built-in mismatch. Foreign students are being asked to complete college-level programs to enter an occupation whose Korean certification system currently has no requirement for academic qualifications. Kim questioned whether the sector has created a wage and career structure capable of recognizing that additional education. "If someone has earned at least an associate degree, are they going to receive the same pay as someone with no educational requirement?" Kim said. "The wage system itself has not been properly established." Without better pay or meaningful career advancement, Kim warned, the caregiver track risks becoming a stepping stone into other industries rather than a lasting occupation, cutting directly against the policy’s goal of securing a stable care workforce. "The students need to be given accurate information and asked whether they still want to come," she said. "Only when they come with clear information can both the foreign students and Korea reduce the risk of harm." Lee likewise questioned whether policymakers had adequately worked through the realities of the existing caregiver market before launching the foreign-student pathway. "The sequence is somewhat wrong," he said. "To put it strongly, I think the people who designed this system may not sufficiently understand the reality of the caregiver market." Lee also warned against assuming foreign workers can simply be substituted one-for-one for experienced Korean caregivers under existing staffing arrangements. Facilities operate with set staffing levels, he said, and newly arrived caregivers may need time to adapt to language and workplace barriers. Without additional staffing support, that adjustment period could increase existing workers’ workloads rather than relieve them. Migration is part of the answer, not the whole answer Despite those concerns, even labor representatives acknowledge that migration will likely form part of Korea’s response to its shrinking workforce. "The union had held a lot of debates and there were a lot of opinions on whether we should oppose the government policy to host more foreign caregivers," Jeon said. "In the end, the union decided we would not oppose it because we are ultimately in a shortage." The debate, then, is less about whether foreign caregivers should enter Korea than about the conditions under which they do — and whether migration supplements reform of the care industry or becomes a substitute for it. For Kim, making that strategy sustainable starts with recognizing caregiving as skilled work. Caregivers frequently work with elderly people with serious medical conditions, requiring them to recognize emergencies and make rapid judgments. Language difficulties can have consequences beyond inconvenience if workers cannot immediately understand a resident or communicate during a medical emergency. "This is work with highly vulnerable people, often people with serious conditions, so the service has to be provided professionally," Kim said. High turnover can also affect the quality and continuity of care. If foreign students use caregiving merely as a temporary route into Korea before moving elsewhere, elderly recipients could repeatedly see their caregivers replaced. For foreign recruitment to become sustainable, Kim said, the sector needs better working conditions and a career structure that recognizes skills and experience. Prospective recruits must also understand what the job offers before committing to study and work in Korea. Korea can broaden the pool of people willing to enter care. The harder task is giving them a reason to stay.
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세계Korean builders double down on AI data centers
Shorter project timelines and multibillion-dollar orders draw firms beyond housing Pacific Sunny Data Center built by Hyundai E&C in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province (Hyundai E&C) Korean builders are racing into data centers, chasing multibillion-dollar opportunities as the generative AI boom fuels a global surge in demand for computing infrastructure. Global real estate consultancy JLL estimates that the data center market will grow at an annual average rate of 14 percent through 2030, while global data center power consumption is expected to nearly double from around 103 gigawatts in 2025 to 200 GW by 2030, led by an infrastructure super-cycle requiring up to $3 trillion in total spending. According to JLL, the average construction cost of data centers rose 38 percent over five years, from $7.7 million per megawatt in 2020 to $10.7 million in 2025. The figure is expected to climb further to $11.3 million per MW this year, underscoring the rising value of data center construction projects. Hyundai E&C has the largest data center construction track record among Korean builders, having completed four data center projects in the country. The company is participating in an AI data center project in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, and began construction on the 40-MW Ansan Sihwa AI Data Center in June. Daewoo Engineering & Construction is emerging as a major contender, establishing a dedicated data center-dedicated task force in April to strengthen its design, technology and construction capabilities and develop new projects. The builder also signed a partnership with data center operator KINX in July to connect development, construction, and operations as part of its longer-term strategy to expand from construction into land acquisition, development, operations and eventual asset sales. Daewoo E&C completed the 40-MW Empyrion Digital AI Campus in Gangnam last year and is participating as both an investor and constructor in the up-to-60-MW Pine Data Center in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province. The builder is also pursuing projects with capacities of 200-300 MW in the Jangseong and Gangjin areas of South Jeolla Province. Samsung C&T is pursuing orders from global technology giants while looking beyond Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Australia. It won a 40-MW Ansan Global Cloud Center project worth 400 billion won ($283 million) in November 2024 and has also participated in data center projects ordered by Samsung affiliates. For a 2.4-MW data center project in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Samsung C&T said it would use modular construction methods designed to shorten construction time and facilitate future expansion. GS E&C is taking on one of the largest projects in the domestic pipeline, working with the local governments of Gangwon Province and Donghae to develop an AI data center campus with a total planned capacity of 2.4 GW. The first 1.2-GW phase is estimated to require around 10 trillion won, with the groundbreaking targeted for early October. Rendering of Jangseong Pine Data Center in South Jeolla Province (Daewoo E&C) Having constructed a 20-MW AI data center in Seoul, DL E&C is developing an 80-MW data center project in Gimpo, and DL Construction won a 126.8-billion-won contract for a 9.8-MW AI computing-focused facility in Bucheon in May. SK Ecoplant, which is participating in the construction of the 103-MW SK-Amazon Web Services data center in Ulsan, recently set up an AI data center-dedicated team to better handle the rising demand for AI infrastructure. The economics of the business offer a lucrative source of revenue for builders. Compared with housing developments, data centers typically have shorter construction periods while offering project values ranging from hundreds of billions of won to several trillion won. "Construction firms are paying close attention to data centers because they can generate sizable orders within a relatively short construction period," a construction industry official said. "Once builders expand into land development, equity investment and operations, they can continue generating rental and operating income long after construction is completed." Policy is adding another layer of momentum as the Korean government laid out plans to support the construction of 8.4 GW of AI data centers by investing 550 trillion won through 2029 in cooperation with the private sector. According to a recent report by the Korea Research Institute for Construction Policy, AI data centers are increasingly being treated as strategic infrastructure assets rather than simple buildings. Developers are seeking contractors capable of coordinating the entire project lifecycle from grid connections, substations and backup power systems to cooling infrastructure, telecommunications networks and regulatory approvals. "The capabilities of builders in the future data center market will depend on how effectively they can integrate shorter power procurement lead times, modular prefabrication, parallel construction processes and early commissioning," said Lee Gyu-eun, an associate research fellow at the Korea Research Institute for Construction Policy. “In the near term, construction companies are likely to focus on strengthening their position in the terrestrial AI data center market. Over the longer term, however, accumulating expertise in modular construction, robotics, remote operations and thermal management could lay the groundwork for entering the emerging space infrastructure market.” DCI SEL1 Data Center in Seoul (DL E&C)
PERCIAESSICEIMA -
새 소식
Wails v3 Beta - Go 데스크톱 앱을 위한 새로운 기반
Go 기반 데스크톱 앱 개발 프레임워크인 Wails가 3년여의 개발 끝에 v3 베타 버전을 출시했다. 이번 버전은 멀티윈도우 지원, Go Service 도입, 애플리케이션 구조 재설계 등 대규모 개편이 이루어졌다.
ReactICEAPIAMDAI -
새 소식
X, For You 알고리듬 공개 범위 확대 - 랭킹 가중치와 노출 제한 시스템까지
X가 2026년 1월 공개 한 For You 추천 알고리듬 저장소 를 대폭 확장해, 실제 노출에 영향을 주는 설정과 필터링 시스템까지 추가 공개함 기존 공개는 Thunder/Phoenix 기반 후보 수집과 Transformer 랭킹 구조가 중심이었지만, 이번에는 실제 점수 계산에 쓰이는 주요 가중치와 설정값 이 포함됨 X는 저장소의 기본 설정값을 주요 production 값에 맞춰 주기적으로 갱신하며, 트래픽의 10% 이상에 적용되는 주요 실험 도 공개하는 것을 목표로 함 Phoenix는 기존 데모 모델에서 실제 For You 모델의 학습/실행 코드 로 교체되고, 합성 데이터로 학습 PoC를 실행할 수 있는 코드도 추가됨 비팔로우 계정 게시물을 찾는 후보 소스로 기존 Phoenix Retrieval에 SimClusters 가 추가됨 가장 큰 변화는 게시물이 추천에서 제외되거나 경고 화면 뒤에 표시되는 과정을 결정하는 Visibility Filtering 코드 공개임 visibility-filtering 은 게시물마다 ALLOW / INTERSTITIAL / DROP 을 결정하며, 계정 차단/뮤트/국가/설정과 각종 콘텐츠·계정 라벨을 함께 사용함 라벨을 만드는 botmaker / scarecrow , 계정 신호를 분석하는 agatha / bdsm / user-cred-v2 , 이미지·영상 분석 시스템 등도 함께 공개됨 abuse-enforcement-service 가 모델 점수와 규칙을 바탕으로 계정이나 게시물에 라벨을 적용하거나 추가 조치를 수행하는 과정도 확인 가능함 다만 시스템 악용을 막기 위해 Grox의 구체적인 LLM 프롬프트와 일부 botmaker 규칙은 여전히 비공개 임 코드 공개와 함께 Under the Hood 를 파일럿으로 제공해, 사용자가 자신의 계정과 게시물에 어떤 노출 제한 라벨이 적용됐는지 확인할 수 있게 함 최근 한 달간 10회 이상 게시한 계정 중 생성 1년 이상 된 일부 사용자를 대상으로 먼저 제공하며, 라벨 데이터 다운로드도 지원함 이번 업데이트는 기존 오픈소스에서 빠져 있던 실제 랭킹 설정과 노출 제한 판단 경로를 추가로 공개한 것 X 오픈 소스 계정의 공개 관련 트윗 Open-sourcing the For You timeline
ICELLM구조ISIT -
세계UAE "이란, 호르무즈 해협서 국영석유사 선박 2척 공격"
아부다비국영석유회사(ADNOC) [로이터=연합뉴스. 재판매 및 DB 금지] (서울=연합뉴스) 김아람 기자 = 아랍에미리트(UAE)의 국영 석유사인 아부다비국영석유회사(ADNOC)는 13일(현지시간) 오후 자사 선박 2척이 호르무즈 해협을 통과하던 중 공격받았다고 밝혔다. 이번 공격으로 인명피해는 발생하지 않았다고 ADNOC은 설명했다. ADNOC은 자사 직원 및 자산에 대한 정당한 이유 없는 공격으로 상당한 영향을 받았으나, 고객 요구 사항을 차질 없이 충족해 나가고 있다고 전했다. UAE 국영통신사 WAM에 따르면 UAE 외무부는 공격 주체로 이란을 지목했다. UAE 외무부는 이란 이슬람혁명수비대(IRGC)가 상업용 선박을 표적으로 삼고 해협을 경제적 압박이나 협박의 도구로 활용해 "해적 행위"를 저질렀다고 규탄했다. 앞서 ADNOC은 지난 7일 발표한 성명에서 분쟁 발발 이후 호르무즈 해협을 통과하던 자사 소속 선박 15척이 미사일과 드론 공격을 받았다고 밝힌 바 있다. rice@yna.co.kr
호르무즈 해협드론 공격혁명수비대연합뉴스ICE -
생활청결 유지에 필수적인 계면활성제, 잘못 쓰면 건강 위협
[이광렬의 화학 생활] 4급 암모늄 이온 지닌 빨래 세제로 몸 씻으면 위험 멀고도 어려운 단어 ‘화학’. 그러나 우리 일상의 모든 순간에는 화학이 크고 작은 마법을 부리고 있다. 이광렬 교수가 간단한 화학 상식으로 생활 속 문제를 해결하는 법, 안전·산업에 얽힌 화학 이야기를 들려준다. 계면활성제 분자들이 이루는 미셀 구조. 기름을 좋아하는 꼬리가 안쪽, 물을 좋아하는 머리가 바깥쪽을 향해 있다. GETTYIMAGES 화합물 명칭 중 계면활성제만큼 미디어에 많이 나오는 단어도 없을 것이다. 그런데도 계면활성제가 무엇인지 제대로 아는 사람은 별로 없다. 계면활성제는 대체 무엇이고 무슨 일을 하는지 알아보자. 청소나 빨래를 더 잘하기 위해서도, 건강을 지키기 위해서도 필요한 지식이다. 음이온성 계면활성제는 피부 각질 유발 물과 기름은 섞이지 않는다. 물 분자는 물 분자끼리 모이고 기름 분자는 기름 분자끼리 모이기 때문이다. 이렇게 서로 성질이 다른 물질이 이루는 뚜렷한 경계면을 ‘계면’이라고 부른다. 그런데 섞이지 않는 두 물질에 계면활성제를 넣으면 서로 섞이게 된다. 왜일까. 물속에 기름 한 방울을 떨어뜨리고 여기에 계면활성제를 넣어보자. 계면활성제 분자들은 기름을 좋아하는 꼬리 부분과 물을 좋아하는 머리 부분을 가진다. 계면활성제는 기름방울 쪽으로 자기 꼬리를 집어넣는다. 그러면 자연스레 물을 좋아하는 머리 부분이 물로 향하게 된다. 계면활성제 분자들이 꼬리를 안으로 둬 기름을 가두고 머리를 물 방향으로 내밀어 만드는 구조를 미셀(micelle)이라고 한다. 계면활성제 분자들은 큰 기름방울을 점차 작은 기름방울로 쪼갠 뒤 이 작은 기름방울들이 물속에서 둥둥 떠다니도록 만든다. 이렇게 기름 덩어리를 아주 작은 조각으로 만들어 물체 표면에서 떼어낼 수 있는 성질 덕에 계면활성제는 청소, 설거지, 빨래 등에 유용하게 쓰인다. 계면활성제는 머리 부분 모양에 따라 종류가 나뉜다. 머리 부분이 음이온, 즉 음전하를 띠는 경우 거품이 잘 나고 세정력이 좋다. 우리가 흔히 쓰는 비누도 음이온 계면활성제로 분류된다. 머리 부분이 양이온인 계면활성제는 양이온끼리 서로 싫어해 반발하는 원리를 이용해 섬유나 모발용 린스에 사용된다. 머리 부분이 아무런 전하를 띠고 있지 않은 비이온성 계면활성제는 기름과 아주 친하고 독성이 적어 화장품에 많이 쓰인다. 용액에 따라 머리 부분이 양이온도, 음이온도 될 수 있는 계면활성제가 있다. 이러한 계면활성제를 양쪽성 계면활성제라고 부르는데, 피부 자극이 적고 순해서 아기용 샴푸 등에 사용된다. 코카미도프로필 베타인, 알킬 베타인 같은 이름이 보이면 양쪽성 계면활성제다. 우리가 일상생활에서 사용하는 세정제는 대부분 여러 종류의 계면활성제가 섞여 있다. 식기 세제만 해도 기름때를 강력하게 제거하는 음이온 계면활성제를 주축으로 하지만 거품 안정화나 피부 자극 완화를 위해 비이온성 계면활성제와 양쪽성 계면활성제가 함께 들어간다. 아름다움과 건강을 지키는 데 몇 가지 중요한 사실이 있다. 음이온성 계면활성제는 기름때를 제거하는 데 탁월한 성능을 보여 세탁용으로 유용하다. 하지만 이를 과다 사용해 세안을 하거나 몸을 씻어내면 피부에서 유분이 다 제거돼 오히려 피부 장벽이 무너지고 각질이 생기는 부작용이 생길 수 있다. 그러니 빨래용 세제에 직접 손을 담그거나 이를 이용해 몸을 닦는 건 좋지 않다. 세포 파괴하는 4급 암모늄 계면활성제 계면활성제 중에는 세포 독성이 아주 큰 물질도 있다. 특히 4급 암모늄 이온을 가진 계면활성제의 경우 박테리아나 곰팡이 세포막에 달라붙어 세포 안으로 침투할 수 있다. 4급 암모늄 이온의 양전하가 세균 세포막의 음전하를 띠는 인지질에 결합하고 소수성 꼬리 부분이 세포막 안으로 침투함으로써 세포막의 유동성과 구조를 흐트러뜨려 세포가 터지게 만드는 것이다. 박테리아나 곰팡이의 세포를 파괴할 수 있어 빨래 쉰내와 곰팡이를 제거할 때 효과적이다. 이러한 물질이 우리 몸에 고농도로 들어오면 건강에 악영향을 끼칠 수 있다. 빨래 쉰내를 잡는 세제는 다이옥틸 다이메틸 암모늄 클로라이드, 다이데실 다이메틸 암모늄 클로라이드 같은 4급 암모늄 이온을 가진 계면활성제를 사용한다. 이를 빨래에만 사용하고 잘 헹구면 문제가 없을 것이다. 그러나 우리 피부에 직접 닿게 하거나 세균을 죽이겠다고 설거지에 사용하는 행동은 위험하다. 한때 폴리헥사메틸렌 구아니딘, 염화 올리고에톡시에틸 구아니딘 같은 물질이 가습기 살균제로 판매돼 많은 사람의 건강과 생명을 앗아갔다. 가습기 세균만 죽이고 잘 닦아냈더라면 큰 문제가 없었을 물질들이다. 하지만 이를 물에 타 사용하도록 안내하는 바람에 이 물질이 사람들 폐에 들어가 폐 세포들을 파괴했다. 계면활성제는 우리 몸과 생활공간의 청결 유지에 필수적인 물질이다. 다만 목적에 따라 사용해야 하는 계면활성제 종류도 달라진다는 점을 명심해야 한다. 특히 4급 암모늄 계면활성제와 구아니딘 계열 계면활성제는 용도 및 사용 방법을 정확히 알고 써야 한다. 이광렬 교수는… KAIST 화학과 학사, 일리노이 주립대 화학과 박사학위를 취득하고 2003년부터 고려대 화학과 교수로 재직 중이다. 대표 저서로 ‘게으른 자를 위한 수상한 화학책’ ‘초등일타과학’ ‘사춘기는 처음이라’ 등이 있다.
KAIST피부 장벽ICEIMA부작용 -
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