Seoul theater troupe’s ‘Big Mother’ explores algorithm-driven power in the data age "With a mother-like warmth, it uses our information to change and manipulate what we think." Lee Jun-woo, who leads the Seoul Metropolitan Theatre Company, said at a news conference on March 12 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts that the play "Big Mother" looks at a kind of power different from "Big Brother," the symbol of coercive control. The company’s first production of the year, "Big Mother," asks in an era dominated by algorithm March 12, 2026

Korea Auto Industry Welcomes Passage of Special Law on Strategic U.S. Investment South Korea’s auto industry welcomed the National Assembly’s passage on Thursday of a special law on strategic investment management with the United States, a follow-up step to tariff negotiations. The Korea Automobile & Mobility Association said in a statement Thursday that it “sincerely welcomes” the bill’s approval, thanking the Assembly for bipartisan cooperation and government officials for pursuing trade talks. The association said the industry had been concerned that if U.S. March 12, 2026

Korean Internet Banks’ Boards Rarely Dissent Despite 70% Outside Directors South Korea’s internet-only banks have boards where outside directors make up nearly 70%, yet most agenda items are still approved unanimously, according to a review of recent filings. Over the past three years, Toss Bank recorded the most dissenting votes, but only six in total. Industry observers say the boards’ oversight role is unlikely to strengthen unless the process for recommending outside directors changes. An analysis of the past three years of “annual reports on governance a March 12, 2026

Woori Bank to Create Financial Consumer Protection Committee Under Board Woori Bank will create a Financial Consumer Protection Committee under its board of directors as it seeks to make consumer protection a core management value. According to the Financial Supervisory Service on Wednesday, the bank plans to establish the committee on March 20 as a specialized subcommittee under the board. The move is intended to proactively implement best practices for financial consumer protection governance announced by the watchdog in September last year. The committee w March 12, 2026

South Korea to Face Dominican Republic in WBC Quarterfinal in Miami South Korea has reached the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals for the first time since 2009 and will face the Dominican Republic in a winner-take-all matchup. The South Korean national team, managed by Ryu Ji-hyun, will play the Dominican Republic at 7:30 a.m. (Korea time) on March 14 at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida. South Korea advanced by finishing second in Pool C in Tokyo. It is the first time the team has made it out of the group stage since its runner-up finish in 2009. Sout March 12, 2026

South Korea’s Top 5 Banks Boost SME Lending by 4 Trillion Won as Tech Finance Rebounds Small-business lending at South Korea’s five biggest banks is rising quickly, in line with the government’s push for so-called productive finance that steers funding toward promising companies.  As of last month, the outstanding balance of small and medium-sized enterprise loans at KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup totaled 678.7439 trillion won, the financial sector said Thursday. That was up 2.8385 trillion won from the previous month’s 675.9054 trillion won. Compa March 12, 2026

Daseok Society to Hold Spring Symposium on Korean Language Philosophy in Seoul The Daseok Society will hold a spring symposium March 13 to mark the 136th birthday anniversary of Daseok Ryu Yeong-mo (1890-1981). The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. at a second-floor classroom of the Seoul YMCA in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Held under the theme, “Our writing and our language are fitting,” the meeting is intended to highlight Ryu’s thought and philosophy of language and to revisit the meaning of the Korean language and script. The society said it is worth reflecting on “the realit March 12, 2026

Seoul Opens Seo-Seoul Museum of Art, City’s First Public New Media Museum Seoul’s first public museum specializing in new media — and the first public art museum in the city’s southwest — opens Thursday. The Seoul Museum of Art said it is opening its eighth branch, the Seoul Museum of Art Seo-Seoul Museum of Art (Seo-Seoul Museum of Art), on March 12. The museum, in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon-gu, has a total floor area of 7,186 square meters (2,173 pyeong) and spans two basement levels and one above-ground floor. Planning began in 2015. The building was designed b March 12, 2026

Naver Pay Launches NFT-Based Community Features in Npay Wallet Naver Pay said on March 12 it has launched a new community service based on non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, within its non-custodial digital asset wallet, Npay Wallet. Npay Wallet is a digital asset wallet designed to securely store digital art, tickets and certificates. The new Npay Wallet Community is built around NFTs and is intended to let users connect through shared interests. In the community's "channels," users can freely discuss specific topics, including Jeju Is March 12, 2026

Stray Kids Win Four Japan Gold Disc Awards, Most Ever for Overseas Artist Stray Kids won four prizes at the 40th Japan Gold Disc Awards, setting a record for the most wins by an overseas artist. The Japan Gold Disc Awards said on its official website on the 11th that the group received Best Asian Artist. It also won Album of the Year (Asia) and Best 3 Albums in the Asia category for its third Japanese mini album, “Hollow.” In addition, the live Blu-ray of its 2024 in-person fan event in Japan, “Stray Kids Fan Connecting ‘SKZ TOY WORLD,’” was named Music Video o March 12, 2026