Journalist
Lee Hugh
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South Korea to Open Modern-Era Texts and Folk Painting Data for AI Training The South Korean government is accelerating efforts to build high-quality training data for the artificial intelligence industry, starting with texts that can be used without copyright concerns. The National Library of Korea said on Saturday it will open a new section on its website, called “Shared Bookshelf,” around March to provide text data that private companies can freely use for AI development. A library official said the institution rebuilt its digitized holdings into formats suitable for AI training, such as text files, focusing on materials with resolved copyright issues. The official added the data could be opened as early as March. The release will be limited to publications issued in South Korea, mostly from the modern era. The collection will center on works whose copyright protection has expired or materials published by the library itself. Under South Korea’s Copyright Act, protection lasts 70 years after an author’s death, and many works from the early 1900s are expected to be included. The official said the main categories will include modern-era magazines and literature, classical literature and textbooks. The data will also be provided to the Ministry of Science and ICT’s “Independent AI Foundation Model Project.” The term refers to general-purpose AI models trained and operated directly using domestic technology and resources. Major national libraries overseas are also moving to build and open AI training data. Sweden’s National Library, which opened in 1661, has used text accumulated over about 500 years — including medieval manuscripts — to build more than 20 open-source transformer models through an affiliated research institute. Up to 200,000 developers a month are known to use them for research and technology development. The government is also speeding up work on image datasets. The Korea Heritage Service Foundation, an affiliate of the Korea Heritage Service, said it has prepared high-quality training data designed to capture the distinct characteristics of traditional Korean folk paintings through its “Korean Traditional Minhwa Production Data Project.” Existing generative AI models have had limits, including distorting or inaccurately depicting minhwa styles and motifs. The dataset includes 3,779 minhwa images by genre — such as flower-and-bird paintings, landscapes, tiger-and-magpie paintings and bookshelf paintings — along with 5,340 detailed description images and 77,388 Korean-English multimodal caption entries. The foundation defined multimodal caption data as training data that combines images with artwork information so AI can understand, generate and describe them in language. It said it thoroughly verified artists’ time periods and iconography systems, based on collections including those of the Gahoe Museum of Minhwa. The foundation said the dataset is expected to be used in areas including industrial design and product development such as goods, digital content and media art, and global promotion. The minhwa data will be fully opened on AI Hub in the first half of this year.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-09 00:03:33 -
Audiobook Market Expands as Korean Retailers Add Full Casts and AI Narration The audiobook market — “reading” with your ears — is growing quickly. Major online bookstores are racing to secure an early lead, producing titles with dozens of voice actors for drama-like immersion while also using artificial intelligence to shorten production time. According to the online bookstore industry on Feb. 8, the number of audiobook users has continued to rise each year as listeners can play them regardless of time or place. At Yes24, the number of members who bought audiobooks in 2025 rose 25% from the previous year, continuing annual growth. By age, people in their 40s accounted for 35% of audiobook purchases last year, standing out as the biggest group. Teen buyers also increased, with the purchase share rising from 0.2% in 2023 to 0.3% in 2024 and 0.9% in 2025. A key advantage of audiobooks is multitasking. People can listen while driving, working out or walking a pet. Jang Seon Young, 40, who lives in Incheon, said, “With print books or e-books, it’s hard to do other things while reading.” She added, “With audiobooks, I can play them like the radio on my commute or while doing housework, so it doesn’t feel like a burden.” Production methods are also diversifying, including the use of AI. Yes24 plans to launch AI audiobooks this month. Lee Seok Young, a manager on Yes24’s eBook team, said the company last year introduced an AI text-to-speech feature that lets users listen to more than 1 million e-books with AI voices. He said Yes24 is preparing to launch AI audiobooks using AI narration within February. He said the AI “adjusts breathing and speed like a real person and reads naturally by reflecting meaning and flow,” adding that shorter production times could broaden the range of available audiobooks. More than 20 voice actors took part in Millie’s Library’s exclusive audio web novel “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.” Users have responded with comments such as, “I got chills as soon as I heard the voice,” and “The background music and sound effects are really good.” A Millie’s Library official said novels with fast-moving plots are produced with multiple voice actors and that the company is focusing on improving quality so listeners can immerse themselves more deeply. Interest in novels also rose after Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in literature, which the Millie’s Library official said has helped boost engagement with audiobooks. “Audiobooks also move in step with trends in print books and e-books,” the official said, adding that the company is increasing planning for related content as interest grows in literary works such as novels and essays. Still, some in the industry expect AI adoption to be difficult. A publishing industry official said producing AI-based audiobooks requires consultation with original authors, which can take significant time, and that debate continues over the possibility that content could be used for AI training. Even so, the expansion of the audiobook market appears hard to reverse. Spotify said its audiobook users last year increased about 40% from the previous year. Spotify is also pushing to add a print-book sales service in its app, challenging major bookstores such as Amazon. In Japan, which experienced population aging earlier than South Korea, demand for audiobooks has increased mainly among people 50 and older due to issues such as declining eyesight, supporting expectations for further market growth. 2026-02-09 00:03:00 -
Kim Sang-gyeom wins snowboard silver, South Korea’s first medal at Milan-Cortina 2026 South Korean alpine snowboard veteran Kim Sang-gyeom (High1) won his country’s first medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, taking silver in the men’s parallel giant slalom. Kim finished second in the final on Feb. 8 at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, losing to Austria’s Benjamin Karl by 0.19 seconds. It marked South Korea’s first Olympic medal in skiing and snowboarding since Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard) won silver in the same event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Kim’s result also made him the winner of South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal across the Summer and Winter Games. Kim advanced to the round of 16 after placing eighth in qualifying with a combined time of 1 minute, 27.18 seconds over two runs. The knockout rounds were decided in single-elimination races from the round of 16 through the final. In the round of 16, Kim trailed Slovenia’s Zan Kosir until Kosir fell midrace. In the quarterfinals, Italy’s Roland Fischnaller — the top-ranked rider in this season’s International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup parallel giant slalom standings — went off course late, sending Kim through. Kim then beat Bulgaria’s Tervel Zamfirov by 0.23 seconds in the semifinals. Lee, a medal contender, was eliminated in the round of 16, losing to Austria’s Andreas Prommegger by 0.17 seconds. Lee qualified sixth and led early before being passed after the midway point. 2026-02-08 23:06:00 -
Snowboarder Kim Sang-gyeom clinches silver, South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 22:30:00 -
Snowboarder Lee Sang-ho Eliminated in Round of 16 at Milan-Cortina Olympics; Kim Sang-gyeom Reaches Semifinals South Korea had mixed results in the men’s snowboard parallel giant slalom at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, with Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard) eliminated in the round of 16 and Kim Sang-gyeom (High1) advancing to the semifinals. Lee lost to Austria’s Andreas Prommegger by 0.17 seconds in the round of 16 on Feb. 8 (local time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy. In parallel giant slalom, two riders race side by side. The top 16 from qualifying advance to a single-elimination bracket to decide the final standings. Lee reached the knockout round after placing sixth in qualifying with a combined time of 1 minute, 26.74 seconds across two runs. But he could not hold an early edge against Prommegger, a 1980-born veteran who qualified 11th. Lee won silver in the event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, South Korea’s first Olympic medal in skiing and snowboarding. After a quarterfinal exit at the Beijing Games, he again fell short of the podium, ending his third Olympic campaign. Kim advanced to the quarterfinals when Slovenia’s Zan Kosir fell during their round-of-16 race. Kim then beat Italy’s Roland Fischnaller in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 22:09:00 -
Lindsey Vonn Crashes in Olympic Downhill After Returning From ACL Tear Alpine skiing star Lindsey Vonn of the United States, who chose to compete at the Olympics despite being diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, crashed during the race and was airlifted to a hospital by medical helicopter. Vonn failed to finish the women’s downhill at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday (local time) at the Tofane Alpine Ski Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, after an early accident. Starting 13th, Vonn struck a gate in the opening section, lost her balance and fell. She remained down for a time before on-site medical staff assessed her and called a medical helicopter to take her to a hospital. Athletes and spectators at the venue watched the crash on the video board. U.S. skier Breezy Johnson, who was leading at the time, was seen covering her face. Vonn is one of the sport’s top downhill racers. She won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She retired in 2019 but returned ahead of the 2024-2025 season to prepare for these Olympics. She remained competitive after her comeback, posting two wins, two runner-up finishes and three third-place results on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) World Cup circuit this season. But on Jan. 30, she injured her left knee on a jump landing at a World Cup event in Switzerland and was diagnosed with a torn ACL. Despite the injury, she opted to compete at the Olympics and completed local training as scheduled, but her race ended with Saturday’s crash.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 20:42:00 -
South Korea’s Kim Sun Young-Jeong Yeong Seok beat Estonia 9-3 for second straight mixed doubles win South Korea’s mixed doubles curling team followed a five-game skid with a second straight win, continuing a late turnaround in round-robin play. Kim Sun Young (Gangneung City Hall) and Jeong Yeong Seok (Gangwon Provincial Office) beat Estonia’s Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill 9-3 on Saturday (local time) in their seventh round-robin game at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. After beating the United States a day earlier for their first victory, South Korea improved to 2-5 in the round robin. South Korea jumped ahead early, scoring three in the first end and adding two more in the second. Estonia got one back in the third, but South Korea capitalized on an error in the fourth to score two and extend the lead to 7-1. In the fifth, Kim’s final shot limited the damage to one point. South Korea then scored two in the sixth with the hammer to seal the result. In mixed doubles, 10 teams play a round robin and the top four advance to the semifinals. South Korea sit low in the standings after their early losing streak, leaving their semifinal chances slim. Kim and Jeong are scheduled to play their final two preliminary games Sunday against Canada and Norway.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 19:48:00 -
Lee Sang-ho qualifies sixth for Olympic men’s parallel giant slalom finals Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard) advanced to the finals of the men’s parallel giant slalom at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, qualifying sixth as he pursues a second Olympic medal. Lee posted a combined time of 1 minute, 26.74 seconds across two qualifying runs on Saturday at Livigno Snow Park in Italy to secure a spot in the knockout rounds. In parallel giant slalom qualifying, 32 riders each make one run on the blue and red courses, with the top 16 on combined time moving on. The finals begin at 9:24 p.m. South Korean time in a single-elimination round of 16. Lee, the silver medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, is aiming to rebound after a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Another medal would be South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal across the Summer and Winter Games. In his first run, Lee raced against 45-year-old Italian veteran Roland Fischnaller, who has three International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup wins this season and leads the rankings. Lee clocked 43.21 seconds on the blue course, finishing fourth among the 16 riders on that course despite some shaky sections. Switching to the red course for the second run, Lee rode alongside Zan Kosir of Slovenia and finished in 43.53 seconds, sealing his place in the finals on combined time. Kim Sang-gyeom (High1) also advanced, placing eighth at 1:27.18. Cho Wan-hee (Jeonbuk Ski Association) missed out in 18th at 1:27.76. In the women’s event, Jung Hae-rim (High1) finished 31st at 1:40.55 and did not advance.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 19:27:00 -
Seoul bourse ranks 8th in global market cap rank, up 2 notches from Dec SEOUL, February 08 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market has climbed to eighth place globally by valuation upon sustaining double-digit gains into the new year on the back of strong momentum in semiconductor and tech shares. According to the Korea Exchange, the combined market capitalization of the KOSPI, KOSDAQ and KONEX stood at 4,799.36 trillion won ($3.6 trillion) at Friday’s close, slightly edging Taiwan’s total of 4,798.68 trillion won as well as Germany. The World Federation of Exchanges rank placed South Korea at the 10th worldwide as of December last year, trailing the United States, China, the European Union, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Canada, Taiwan and Germany. The Seoul bourse moved up by two notches on frenzied buying in chip stocks upon record earnings confirming a semiconductor supercycle. The benchmark KOSPI, hosting memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix has surged about 21 percent as of Friday, marking the strongest performance among major global indices. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ has gained nearly 17 percent, ranking third worldwide in year-to-date returns. Germany’s DAX index and Taiwan’s weighted index so far in the year gained 0.94 percent and 9.73 percent, respectively. Despite last week's correction, analysts are still buoyant about upward momentum. NH Investment & Securities perceives the KOSPI has yet to reach the peak of its current cycle, raising its 12-month target to 7,300 from 5,500. JPMorgan also raised target to 7,500 from 6,000. 2026-02-08 18:50:53 -
Stars Chase Winter Olympics Record of Eight Gold Medals at Milan-Cortina Games As the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics get underway, attention is turning to star athletes chasing the all-time record for most Olympic gold medals in Winter Games history. The Winter Olympics gold-medal record is eight, held by biathlon great Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and cross-country skiers Bjoern Daehlie and Marit Bjoergen, all of Norway. Bjoerndalen also owns the Winter Olympics record for most total medals with 15. Several active athletes are aiming at those marks. Norway’s Johannes Klaebo is considered a leading contender. He won five gold medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing Games and is entered in six events this time, seeking both multiple titles and a record. He also backed up his form by winning six golds at last year’s world championships. Germany’s Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, who compete in men’s doubles luge, are also in the hunt. Across Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing, they swept men’s doubles and the team relay, giving each athlete six Olympic gold medals. They will try for a fourth straight Olympics with two golds and a share of the all-time record. Other athletes are chasing sport-specific milestones. China’s Gu Ailing is aiming to become the first freestyle skier to win a fourth Olympic medal. At the Beijing Games, she won two golds and a silver. In snowboarding, Chloe Kim of the United States (halfpipe) and Austria’s Anna Gasser (big air) are each trying to become the first in their events to win three straight Olympic titles. In bobsled, Germany’s Francesco Friedrich is seeking a third consecutive double in the two-man and four-man events. American Kaillie Humphries, competing in her fifth Olympics, is also chasing a record, aiming to break the mark for most women’s bobsled gold medals, currently four. Among South Korean athletes, short-track speed skater Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) is viewed as a record contender. She has three Olympic gold medals and two silvers. If she adds another gold, she will tie Chun Lee-kyung for the most Winter Olympics gold medals by a South Korean athlete with four. If she wins two more medals of any color, she would surpass the South Korean record for most total Olympic medals across Summer and Winter Games, currently six and jointly held by Jin Jong-oh, Kim Soo-nyung and Lee Seung-hoon. 2026-02-08 18:42:00