창간 80주년 경향신문

A 96-year-old grandmother receives a middle school diploma··· “I hope the juniors will enjoy a happy school life, too”

“Learning character by character made me so happy that I spent the whole day thinking only about the letters I learned that day, and if, after lying down to sleep, I couldn’t recall those letters, I would get up again to check.”On the afternoon of the 10th, Oh Sang-ho (96), with a head of white hair, put on a mortarboard and stepped onto the dais in the main auditorium of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education to share her thoughts. She was the oldest participant at the Busan Metropolita...

2026.02.10 20:55

“I will pay; find me a job” The hiring freeze has reshaped the U.S. job-seeker market

In the United States, white-collar job seekers are increasingly requesting so-called ‘reverse recruiting’, paying headhunters to obtain positions. As the hiring freeze continues and applicants become more desperate, analysts say even the traditional hiring structure is being turned on its head.The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 9th (local time) that “recruiters have traditionally searched for talent on behalf of companies, in boom times and bust alike, but a change has appeared re...

2026.02.10 20:55

The High Seas Biodiversity Agreement sets sail... Could it cool the South China Sea, heated by geopolitical tensions, even a little

The Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ, hereinafter the Agreement), aimed at protecting biodiversity in the high seas that cover two-thirds of the world's oceans, entered into force on January 17. Attention is turning to how the Agreement may affect the South China Sea, long heated by sovereignty disputes and resource development.The Agreement embodies a resolve to designate more than 30 percent of t...

2026.02.10 20:55

Japan’s ‘Tariff Minister’ to visit the U.S. tomorrow···Expected to discuss first U.S.-investment item

Kyodo News reported on the 10th that Akasawa Ryosei, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry who served as the Japanese government’s point person during tariff negotiations with the U.S. Donald Trump administration, will visit the United States this week.According to the report, Akasawa plans to visit the United States from the 11th to the 14th and hold talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Kyodo said the two sides are expected to conduct final consultations on the first ite...

2026.02.10 20:54

“Takaichi to ally with opposition parties that agree to constitutional revision to overcome the ‘nejire Diet’··· Even close aides feel uneasy about ‘1-strong’ and ‘court politics’”

The Tokyo Shimbun reported on the 10th that Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which won a landslide in the House of Representatives (lower house) election on the 8th, appears set to seek partnerships with opposition parties that support constitutional amendment, such as the Democratic Party for the People and the Sanseito, to realize revision. Although the LDP alone secured 316 seats, enough to introduce an amendment bill, it is expected to court opposition forces as part of effor...

2026.02.10 20:54

“The Coupang incident was an accident caused by poor management”···The scale of the personal data leak is likely to grow further

It was confirmed that the former Coupang employee who leaked a massive trove of personal information viewed the address list page, which contains names, phone numbers, and addresses, about 148 million times. From the ‘Edit My Information’ page alone, 33,673,817 name and email records were leaked, and the final, precise tally to be confirmed and announced by the Personal Information Protection Commission is expected to grow further. The government pointed to “Coupang’s poor management” as the c...

2026.02.10 20:54

Iran arrests many opposition figures amid nuclear talks···showcasing internal control and hardliners’ resilience

Iranian authorities have moved to arrest a large number of reformist figures critical of the government. After last month’s bloody suppression of anti-government protests in Iran left thousands dead, criticism of the authorities grew even within reformist ranks, and the move is seen as an attempt both to tighten internal control and to emphasize the regime’s durability amid nuclear talks with the United States.On the 9th (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported that at least seven ...

2026.02.10 20:54

Kim Min-seok on ‘property holding tax’: “Not ruling it out in principle···Not being cautious because of the election”

On the 10th, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said regarding the possibility of raising the property holding tax that “we are not, in principle, excluding it.”During the interpellation session at the National Assembly, when Rep. Cha Kyu-geun of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party pointed out that ‘in the early phase of the term, the policy to normalize the holding tax should be made clear,’ he replied, “It is actually not the case that we are exercising caution on tax matters just because an election ...

2026.02.10 17:44

Amid Trump ‘tariff bomb’ threat… government activates temporary ‘U.S. investment’ framework

The government decided to immediately activate a ‘temporary implementation framework’ before the law takes effect to ensure seamless implementation of the Korea-U.S. strategic investment memorandum of understanding (MOU). As it is expected to take about three months to enact the relevant special act, the aim is to preempt unnecessary misunderstandings on the U.S. side regarding Korea remaining committed to carrying out the investment.On the 10th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance...

2026.02.10 16:45

An additional 1.8 trillion won in national taxes was collected last year··· driven by increases in corporate and earned income taxes

Driven by increases in corporate tax and earned income tax, last year's national tax revenue came in 1.8 trillion won above the projection made when the government drafted the supplementary budget. This reflects that the forecast was marked down by about 10 trillion won at the time due to concerns about a revenue shortfall. However, compared with the original main-budget forecast set by the previous administration, collections fell short by 8.5 trillion won, leading some to say it was effec...

2026.02.10 16:08