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U.S. Consumer Prices Rise 3.4% in August The U.S. consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.4% in August compared to the same month last year, with a monthly increase of 0.4%.The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on September 11 that the CPI for August increased by 3.4% year-over-year.The monthly increase of 0.4% met market expectations for both year-over-year and month-over-month comparisons.Excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, the core CPI rose 2.4% from a year earlier and 0.3% from the previous month.While the year-over-year increase in core CPI matched market expectations, the monthly rise slightly exceeded the forecast of 0.2%.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-11 21:52:00 -
Justice Minister Nominee Kim Seung-won Faces Allegations of False Residency Registration for Children Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, has been confirmed to have registered his minor children at a different address than their actual residence. Kim's team stated that this was done for educational purposes and expressed regret.According to Yonhap News on September 11, Kim's eldest daughter and son were registered at Apartment A in Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, in February 2006 when they were 9 and 6 years old, respectively.In contrast, Kim and his wife, along with their 2-year-old youngest daughter, registered at Apartment B in Sinheung-dong, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, a week later. Apartments A and B are approximately 10 kilometers apart.Seohyeon-dong, where Apartment A is located, is known as a preferred school district among parents in the Bundang area.Court Rejects Public Trial Request for Kim Se-hee in Defamation CaseThe court has denied a request for a public trial for Kim Se-hee, the head of the Garosero Research Institute, who has been indicted on charges of defamation against actor Kim Soo-hyun.The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 26 held its first pre-trial hearing on September 11 and decided to proceed with Kim's case as a regular trial rather than a public trial.Kim is charged with violations of the Information and Communications Network Act and the Sexual Violence Punishment Act.On this day, Kim's legal team denied all allegations raised during the trial.Korean Men's Basketball Team Defeats Indonesia by 54 Points for Second Straight WinThe Korean men's basketball team achieved a decisive 54-point victory over Indonesia, marking their second consecutive win. This victory places Korea at the top of Group A in the preliminary round.Under the leadership of head coach Nikolaos Maroulis, Korea (ranked 57th by FIBA) defeated Indonesia (ranked 92nd) 102-48 in their second group match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Aichi International Arena in Japan on September 11.Similar to their previous match against Saudi Arabia, Korea took control early in the first quarter. They intensified their offensive efforts at the start of the second half, securing their lead.As they prepare for a match against Japan on September 13, Coach Maroulis stated, "Every game starts from zero, regardless of the opponent. Both our team and Japan have undergone significant roster changes since the last friendly match."LG AI Research Institute Partners with National Pension Service for AI DevelopmentLG AI Research Institute is collaborating with the National Pension Service to develop artificial intelligence (AI) specialized for pension fund management.On September 11, LG AI Research Institute announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Pension Service at its headquarters in Magok, Seoul, to jointly develop AI for pension fund management.The two parties plan to combine LG AI Research Institute's AI technology with the National Pension Service's investment expertise to create AI services tailored for fund management.They aim to establish reliable and safe AI services, focusing on building stable applications of AI in the fund management sector.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-11 21:28:00
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Korean Men's Basketball Dominates Indonesia by 54 Points for Second Straight Win The South Korean men's basketball team defeated Indonesia by 54 points, marking their second consecutive victory and securing the top spot in Group A.Under the guidance of head coach Nikolai Mazulus, South Korea (ranked 57th by FIBA) triumphed over Indonesia (ranked 92nd) with a score of 102-48 in their second group stage match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.Similar to their previous game against Saudi Arabia, South Korea took control early in the first quarter. They intensified their offensive efforts at the start of the second half, solidifying their lead.After defeating Saudi Arabia 82-66 the day before, the South Korean team has now recorded two straight wins, placing them ahead of Japan (with one win) in Group A.Lee Hyun-jung led the offense with a double-double, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Yoo Gi-sang contributed 21 points, including seven three-pointers. Lee Woo-seok also added 14 points off the bench.Notably, Yoo Gi-sang made four three-pointers in the fourth quarter, helping South Korea dominate Indonesia 32-7 in that final period.With two consecutive wins, South Korea is one step closer to securing a spot in the quarterfinals. Depending on the outcome of the match between Japan and Saudi Arabia later in the day, South Korea could confirm at least a second-place finish in the group and advance to the quarterfinals.Coach Mazulus stated ahead of the upcoming match against Japan on the 13th, "No matter who we face, every game starts from zero. Both our roster and Japan's have changed significantly since our last friendly match." He acknowledged the rivalry but emphasized the need for his team to focus on their own game, adding, "I will prepare based on what I observe in Japan's game today."After the game, Yoo Gi-sang reflected, "We all agreed with the coach's assessment that the struggles in the fourth quarter were more about mental strength than physical stamina. We committed to finishing strong and focused on our basic plays, which allowed us to maintain a good performance without worrying too much about the score difference."South Korea will face Japan in their final group stage match on the 13th.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-11 20:24:20
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Nexon Opens 'MapleStory Escape' Escape Room Cafe in Hongdae Nexon is set to launch an escape room cafe utilizing the MapleStory intellectual property (IP) in Hongdae, Seoul.On September 11, Nexon announced that it will open the 'MapleStory Escape' cafe on the 21st in collaboration with Isang Creative.Located in front of Hongik University, MapleStory Escape reinterprets the game's universe and key locations into escape room content. The cafe accommodates groups of 2 to 6 people, with regular reservations available every Monday at 10 a.m. through YES24.The space will feature a total of five themes, which will be unveiled sequentially. The first two themes, a thriller titled 'Kerning City' and an arcade theme called 'Mushroom Kingdom,' will launch on the 21st, followed by a spooky theme 'Haunted Mansion' on the 28th, a stealth theme 'Edelstein' on October 5, and another arcade theme 'Ludibrium' on October 12. Each theme is designed to reflect the characteristics of the game’s locations in a genre-appropriate manner.Participants will engage in the escape room experience based on a storyline where five books with empty endings are discovered deep within the 'Library of Dimensions.' Set in the Maple World, players will become heroes who enter the books to retrieve 'Dimensional Fragments' and complete the unfinished endings.Nexon developed this project to provide a new IP experience not only for MapleStory users but also for visitors to the Hongdae area and escape room enthusiasts. The collaboration with Isang Creative, which has experience in the escape room business, aims to bring the MapleStory universe and locations to life in an offline setting.MapleStory Escape is expected to operate as a permanent venue until September 20, 2028.Meanwhile, Nexon is expanding its offline content utilizing the MapleStory IP, including a fall season collaboration 'MapleStory in Lotte World Busan,' which will run until November 22 at Lotte World Adventure Busan.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-11 19:56:00
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Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over Economic Policies in National Assembly 여야는 11일 국회 대정부질문에서 이재명 정부의 확장재정과 부동산 정책 등을 놓고 정면 충돌했다. 경제 분야 질의였지만 국무총리실의 '야당 의원 사찰 의혹'과 2기 내각 후보자들에 대한 공방 등 정치적 공세도 이어졌다.국민의힘은 이날 국회에서 열린 경제 분야 대정부질문에서 정부의 국가 채무 증가와 부동산 정책의 실정을 꼬집었다.야당에서 첫 타자로 나선 송언석 의원은 "우리 경제는 늙어가는데 정부는 빠르게 비대해지고 있다"며 경제 성장보다 정부 지출이 더 크다고 지적했다. 그는 국가 채무에 대해서도 "정부 총지출이 1년 만에 100조가 늘었다"며 "이재명 정부 들어 429조 6000억원으로 국가 채무가 늘어날 것으로 예상된다"고 했다.이에 한성숙 국무총리는 "AI(인공지능), 반도체뿐만 아니라 조선, K-뷰티 등 수출이 좋아지고 있다"며 "세금이 많이 늘고 있고, 국가채무 비율은 떨어지는 상황"이라고 반박했다.이어 송 의원이 미래대응기금에 대해 빚을 내 기금을 조성하는 방식이라고 지적하자 "회사도 대출을 받을 때가 있다. 현금이 쌓여 있어도 대출을 받는 이유는 투자해야 할 중요 산업이 있고, 미래를 준비해야 하기 때문"이라고 답했다.송 의원이 김승원 법무부 장관 후보자의 주가 조작 의혹에 대해 "대통령이 주가 조작하면 패가망신시키겠다고 했는데 정부에서 조치하고 있느냐"고 묻자 한 총리는 "청문회에서 후보자가 소명할 부분은 소명하고 이후 필요한 절차가 진행될 것"이라고 언급했다.박수민 의원은 정부의 부동산 세제 개편안에 대해 "징벌적 과세"라고 비판했다. 박 의원은 "(정부가) 세금을 벌금처럼 쓰고 있다"며 "1주택자라도 실거주하지 않으면 양도소득세를 중과하는 정책이 시작됐는데, 국민 입장에서는 이를 징벌적 세금이라고 느낄 수 밖에 없다"고 주장했다.이에 대해 구윤철 부총리 겸 재정경제부 장관은 "주택을 보유하는 사람에서 실제 거주하는 사람에게 혜택을 주는 방향으로 보상 체계를 바꾼 것"이라며 "보상 체계를 바꾸지 않으면 거주 중심의 문화를 가져갈 수 없다"고 설명했다.단일종목 레버리지 상장지수펀드(ETF) 논란과 관련해 서일준 의원이 "외신에서는 우리 코스피가 오징어게임이라고 한다. 증권사만 배불린 것 아니냐"고 묻자 한 총리는 "초기 도입 취지와 달리 국민들께서 불편하신 부분은 송구스럽게 생각한다"고 사과했다.이어 "당시 해외 레버리지 ETF에 투자하는 경우가 많았고, 한국에서도 이런 상품이 있었으면 한다는 의견들이 있었다"며 "변동성이 크다는 걸 주지시키긴 했지만 더 강하게 알리는 보완이 필요했다고 생각하고, 최근에 보완책을 만들었다"고 답했다.반면 민주당은 부동산 공급 부족의 책임이 오세훈 서울시장에 있다고 지목했다. 복기왕 의원은 "서울시의 권한으로 서울시의 주택공급을 가로막고 있는 상황"이라며 "오 시장이 6년 넘게 서울시를 운영하면서 아직도 이재명 정부 탓을 한다"고 맞섰다. 이어 "수도권 주택 공급은 누구 특정인의 책임이 아니다"며 "여야, 서울시와 정부가 함께 머리를 맞대고 해법을 찾아가야 한다"고 덧붙였다.정진욱 의원은 정부가 추진 중인 3대 메가 프로젝트를 내세우며 기업에 대한 세제 혜택뿐 아니라 메가특구에서 근무하는 종사자에 대한 세제 지원도 필요하다고 했다. 이에 한 총리는 "이전에는 기업이 지역으로 덜 내려가거나 공공기관만 내려가서 효과가 적었다면 이번에는 기업이 이전한다는 게 굉장히 중요하다"며 "어디까지 기업 특례를 넣을지 준비 과정에 있어 확정적으로 말하기 어렵다"고 했다.이날 대정부질문에서는 한동훈 무소속 의원이 주장하는 국무총리실 사찰 의혹에 대한 문제도 제기됐다. 국민의힘의 송 의원이 '야당 의원 사찰 의혹'에 대해 사과를 요구하자 한 총리는 "저희 직원이 부적절한 처신을 했다. 국민께 송구스럽다"면서도 "명확하게 '사찰'이란 단어가 여기서 쓸 수 있는지에 대해서는 의문"이라며 사찰 의혹을 부인했다.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-11 19:40:00
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Court Rejects Kim Se-hee's Request for Jury Trial in Defamation Case Involving Kim Soo-hyun The court has denied a request for a jury trial from Kim Se-hee, the head of the Garoseoro Research Institute, who is facing charges of defamation against actor Kim Soo-hyun.The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 26 held its first pre-trial hearing on September 11 and decided to proceed with the case as a standard trial rather than a jury trial.Kim is charged with violations of the Information and Communications Network Act and the Sexual Violence Punishment Act.During the pre-trial hearing, the prosecution expressed its opposition to a jury trial, citing the presence of a sexual violence crime victim in the case and concerns over privacy violations.Kim Soo-hyun's legal representative also appeared in court, arguing for the necessity of excluding a jury trial. The attorney stated, "Kim Se-hee is still sending messages to the public in the form of letters from prison, and given his public statements, there is a concern that a jury trial could be used for emotional manipulation."The attorney added, "We hope the court will decide to exclude a jury trial so that the proceedings can be conducted solely based on evidence and legal principles."After reviewing the arguments from both sides, the court decided to exclude a jury trial and proceed with a standard trial.On this day, Kim's legal team denied all charges raised in the trial.The defense argued that the allegations of spreading false information regarding the cause of Kim Sae-ron's death were not factual assertions but expressions of opinion.Regarding the accusation of manipulating and disseminating Kim Sae-ron's voice using artificial intelligence, the defense stated, "We confirmed with the deceased's mother that the voice in the recording file is indeed hers, and it cannot be seen as defamatory."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-11 19:36:00
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Kim Seung-won, nominee for Justice Minister, faces allegations of false residency registration for children Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Justice Minister, has been confirmed to have registered his minor children at a different address than their actual residence. Kim's team expressed regret, stating it was for educational purposes.According to Yonhap News on September 11, Kim's eldest daughter and son were registered at Apartment A in Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, in February 2006 when they were 9 and 6 years old, respectively.In contrast, Kim and his spouse, along with their then 2-year-old youngest daughter, registered at Apartment B in Sinheung-dong, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, a week later. Apartments A and B are approximately 10 kilometers apart.Later, in October 2008, Kim and his spouse, along with their youngest daughter, moved to Apartment A, where the eldest daughter and son were registered.This means that for about 2 years and 8 months, the eldest daughter and son were registered at a different address from their parents.Seohyeon-dong, where Apartment A is located, is known as a preferred school district among parents in the Bundang area.The preparation team for Kim's confirmation hearing stated, "We regret that the actual residence and the registered residence were inconsistent for educational purposes, and we will provide a detailed explanation during the confirmation hearing."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-11 18:48:10
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Kazakhstan puts AI to work as Tokayev heads to Seoul SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Kazakhstan's president says the country has finished the first stage of building a digital state and is now on the second, putting artificial intelligence to work for ordinary citizens. The United Nations' most recent E-Government Survey, published in 2024, bears out the first part of that claim. It ranked Kazakhstan 24th of 193 countries, up from 28th two years earlier, and placed it in the top 10 for online services alongside South Korea, Denmark and Estonia. Among landlocked countries, Kazakhstan came first. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev drew the line between the two stages on Aug. 23, after voting in the first election for the Kurultai, the single-chamber parliament created under the country's new constitution. "We are now at the second stage, and I have instructed the government not to remain at the so-called presentation stage or focus solely on international negotiations," he told reporters in Astana. "We must now put digitalization and artificial intelligence at the service of the people, all citizens of our country." He measured that service in income, saying digital tools should help people earn money and run businesses, and that farmers in particular should be able to do so without leaving their home regions. "Simply put, a smartphone is not just a toy," Tokayev said. "Nor is it merely a device for endlessly watching TikTok. A smartphone is a tool for making money." Tokayev first set the goal of a fully digital state within three years in his Sept. 8, 2025, State of the Nation Address, titled "Kazakhstan in the Era of Artificial Intelligence." On Sept. 18, he signed a decree creating the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, and later that month he put Zhaslan Madiyev in charge of it with the rank of deputy prime minister. Central Asia's first AI law followed in November 2025 and took effect Jan. 18. It holds the owners, holders and users of AI systems responsible according to the role each plays, and it gives legal footing to a national AI platform for developing, training and piloting models. In his New Year address, Tokayev declared 2026 the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. By then the Alem.Cloud supercomputer in Astana had been running for half a year. Built on 512 Nvidia H200 graphics processors, it entered the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful machines in 86th place in November 2025 and trains the country's own large language models in Kazakh and Russian. In June, the government signed agreements worth $10 billion with Nvidia and Firebird, a U.S. AI infrastructure company, to build Data Center Valley, a campus near Ekibastuz that could eventually hold as many as 100,000 graphics processors. Its first 125-megawatt facility is due in 2027. Freedom Holding Corp. had signed its own deal with the ministry in November 2025 to develop a $2 billion sovereign AI hub on Nvidia infrastructure. On the former EXPO 2017 grounds in Astana, Qazaq AI Research University began its first academic year this month with 400 bachelor's students, 308 of them on state grants, and 100 master's students. Its bachelor's degrees take three years and are taught entirely in English. Samruk-Kazyna, the national sovereign wealth fund, is sending 100 of its own employees through the university's MBA AI+X program. Universities across the country updated 1,983 degree programs this year to match emerging professions, Science and Higher Education Minister Sayasat Nurbek told a government meeting in September, compared with seven in 2022. At Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the national railway company, 113,000 employees received training in AI last year, according to figures presented to the government the same month. In January, Kazakhstan became the first Central Asian country to join OpenAI's Education for Countries program. The deal, financed by Freedom Holding, puts 165,000 free ChatGPT Edu licenses in the hands of schoolteachers, university faculty and staff, and members of the Astana Hub technology park community. The government's broader goal is to train one million people in AI skills over five years. A decree Tokayev signed on May 12 carries AI into secondary education from 2026 through 2029, beginning with pilot schools in the Pavlodar and Kyzylorda regions. The government expects the program to narrow the gap in quality between urban and rural schools. Education officials said more than 350,000 teachers have completed training in digital tools, including AI assistants for the classroom. At the first meeting of his Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence last year, Tokayev warned that algorithms can produce inaccurate or oversimplified material. "It is people, not machines, who should be responsible for the quality and content of education," he said. At the National Kurultai, a presidential advisory assembly that met in Kyzylorda in January, he linked the digital push to national identity. "The reality is that in the new era, only those nations and states that succeed in digitizing their history and culture and integrating them into the global digital civilization will retain their agency," he said. In August, Astana hosted the third International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence, where more than 500 high school students from 106 countries competed after Tokayev opened the event on Aug. 3. At the previous edition in Beijing, students from Kazakhstan won three gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Tokayev arrives in Seoul on Sept. 14 for a state visit at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung. Talks on strengthening the enhanced strategic partnership between the two countries are set for Sept. 15, and he will also meet executives of leading South Korean companies. At that first AI council meeting, he had cited South Korea's use of AI in language learning as an example of personalized education, which he said carries special meaning for a multiethnic country like Kazakhstan. On Sept. 16, he will join the leaders of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan at the first Korea-Central Asia Summit. *The author is the assistant editor of AJP. 2026-09-11 18:39:49 -
KB Financial Group Selects Lee Jae-geun as Next Chairman KB Financial Group has selected Lee Jae-geun as the final candidate for its next chairman. This decision comes as a surprise to the financial sector, which had anticipated the reappointment of current chairman Yang Jong-hee, who has led the company to record-breaking performance. The KB Financial Chairman Candidate Recommendation Committee emphasized a focus on 'change and generational transition' over 'stability.'On September 11, the committee conducted in-depth interviews with three final candidates: Yang Jong-hee, current chairman of KB Financial Group; Kwon Kwang-seok, former president of Woori Bank; and Lee Jae-geun, the current head of KB Financial Group's division. Following these interviews, the committee announced Lee as the final candidate for the next chairman.Initially, the financial sector leaned towards Yang's reappointment due to KB Financial's unprecedented performance during his tenure. Under Yang's leadership, KB Financial became the first financial holding company to surpass an annual net profit of 5 trillion won in 2024, the year after he took office. In the first half of this year, the company reported a net profit of 3.8846 trillion won, marking the highest half-year performance in its history. There are also discussions in the financial sector about the possibility of annual net profits exceeding 6 trillion won for the first time this year.However, the recommendation committee selected Lee after evaluating each candidate's management vision, business strategy, and the group's long-term growth direction during the second round of in-depth interviews. Chairman Cho Hwa-jun stated, "We chose Lee as the right person to lead the necessary bold changes and generational transition to strengthen the group's fundamental competitiveness and secure future growth drivers, rather than resting on current excellent performance."While both candidates have extensive experience in key positions at KB Kookmin Bank and the holding company, Lee, born in 1966, is five years younger than Yang. Cho further praised Lee, saying, "He possesses exceptional expertise across both banking and non-banking sectors, along with deep insights into finance, strategy, and global operations, gained from his roles as head of the holding company and bank." The committee highly valued Lee's comprehensive experience in both banking and non-banking operations.Lee's first challenge will be to meet the heightened performance expectations established during Yang's tenure while also securing new growth drivers. Currently, KB Financial is focusing on asset management (WM), pensions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), corporate investment banking (CIB), insurance, and artificial intelligence (AI) as its next core businesses. How effectively Lee can present concrete plans for AI transformation, productive finance, and global business expansion will be crucial.Expanding productive and inclusive finance is also a major task. In its '2025 KB Financial Group Sustainability Management Report' published in July, KB Financial announced plans to provide a total of 17 trillion won in inclusive finance by 2030, including 10.5 trillion won for low-income and vulnerable groups and 6.5 trillion won for small business owners and self-employed individuals. This requires balancing profitability management with the social role of finance.Lee is expected to be officially appointed as chairman at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on November 20, following the recommendation from the committee and the board on October 2. His term will begin on November 21 and last for three years.Lee graduated from Seoul High School and earned a degree in mathematics from Sogang University, followed by a master's degree in economics from the same institution. He joined Housing Bank in 1993 and has since held various key positions, including head of management planning and sales groups at KB Kookmin Bank. In 2022, he became the youngest bank president in the industry. Since last year, he has overseen global operations, WM, and SME businesses as the head of KB Financial Group.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-11 18:16:00
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Recent missing-person cases cast shadow over Jeju tourism SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Jeju was long celebrated as the "island of three absences," or Sammu in Korean, a traditional expression meaning there were no thieves, no beggars and no front gates because residents had little reason to fear one another. That image of trust and safety is now being shaken as a botched missing-person investigation, revelations of falsified police case records and a wave of crime fears raise concern that the resort island's reputation could begin to hurt its tourism industry. South Korea's resort island of Jeju is facing growing concern that a scandal over a falsely closed missing-person case and mounting fears about crime could inflict fresh damage on its tourism industry, as travelers post about canceling trips and the island struggles to defend its long-cultivated image as a safe holiday destination. The anxiety has intensified since the case of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman who disappeared from Hallim-eup in Jeju City in May and was found dead 104 days later after the police officer initially assigned to her disappearance falsely closed the case. Jang left the accommodation where she had been staying at about 10:15 p.m. on May 12. Her boyfriend reported her missing three days later. But the officer handling the case told the boyfriend that he had contacted Jang and that she was safe but did not want her location disclosed. Investigators later found that no such call had taken place. The officer closed the case about 2 1/2 hours after the report and deleted Jang from the police missing-person profiling system. When Jang's boyfriend tried to report her missing again in July, the earlier record hindered a new report. Her family subsequently filed another report, triggering a renewed search, but by then much of the nearby CCTV footage that could have reconstructed her movements had been automatically erased. Her body was eventually found Aug. 24 at a palm-tree farm roughly 1 kilometer from the accommodation. Police formally confirmed her identity the following day. Investigators have said they consider the possibility of foul play low and believe she may have died shortly after disappearing, with evidence suggesting death by hanging. The scandal became more serious after police found that Jang's case was not an isolated instance of improper handling. The same officer was accused of falsely closing the disappearance of a man in his 60s, who was also later found dead. A review of 298 missing-person cases handled by the officer uncovered 25 additional suspicious cases, according to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency. In 10, the officer allegedly closed cases without actually confirming the missing person's whereabouts. In another 15, police said false reasons for closure were entered into the system. The officer was sent to prosecutors in custody on Sept. 1 on charges including dereliction of duty, falsifying official electronic records and obstruction of official duties. The revelations landed particularly hard on Jeju because tourism depends not only on beaches, volcanic landscapes and resort infrastructure, but also on perceptions of personal safety. Online reaction shows how quickly that perception can change. Korean media monitoring social networks and online communities found users saying they were reconsidering or canceling planned trips. One post said the writer intended to cancel a September family trip, while others said they would avoid isolated volcanic cones, coastal roads and sparsely populated areas and would stay inside their accommodations after dark. A pension in Hallim reportedly received more than 10 cancellations in about a week after the Jang case drew widespread attention. Some of the reaction has gone much further. An AI-generated Instagram video portraying Jeju as a crime-filled version of the video game "Grand Theft Auto" drew more than 200,000 views, while the term "Gyulbodia" began circulating online, combining gyul, the Korean word for mandarin orange, with Cambodia in an apparent reference to recent crime fears associated with that country. Unsubstantiated claims have also spread that about 1,000 adults disappear on Jeju each year or that an organ-trafficking organization operates on the island. Authorities and media fact checks have found no evidence supporting such claims. The distinction is important because the official numbers present a more complicated picture than either side of the online debate suggests. Jeju does, in fact, record the highest crime rate among South Korea's 17 provinces and metropolitan cities under the government's standard population-based measure. In 2024, Jeju recorded 4,539.6 crimes per 100,000 people, according to government statistics based on prosecution crime data. That was about 36 percent above the national average of 3,342.9 and substantially higher than South Jeolla Province, the second-highest region at 3,859.8. Busan recorded 3,845.8, while Ulsan had the lowest figure at 1,727.4. Yet that calculation divides crimes committed on the island by its resident population, without adding the millions of tourists who visit each year to the denominator. That matters in Jeju more than almost anywhere else in South Korea. The island has fewer than 700,000 residents but receives well over 10 million visitors annually, meaning tourists contribute both to the population exposed to crime and potentially to the number of crimes recorded, without being counted as residents when the crime rate is calculated. A recent SBS analysis of 2024 police data also found that the picture changed when crime was examined at a more granular local level. Jeju remained relatively high overall but ranked 27th for serious offenses such as murder, robbery and rape, while fraud and offenses including assault, threats and property damage were major contributors to its overall crime figures. That does not erase the island's crime problem, but it complicates social-media descriptions of Jeju as exceptionally dangerous to visitors. The immediate economic concern is whether perception overtakes that nuance. Jeju recorded about 1.07 million domestic visitors in August, down 2.5 percent from a year earlier. Domestic tourism had already fallen year on year for four consecutive months, dropping 7.2 percent in May, 11.5 percent in June, 5.2 percent in July and 2.5 percent in August. That timeline means the downturn cannot simply be attributed to the missing-person scandal. Reduced airline capacity, higher travel costs and growing demand for overseas travel had already been weighing on Jeju. Still, the pattern late in August has attracted attention. Domestic arrivals were lower than a year earlier for seven consecutive days from Aug. 25 through the end of the month, with declines widening to about 12 to 13 percent over the final three days, shortly after Jang's body was discovered and the police scandal dominated national news. There is not yet enough evidence to establish a causal relationship. Tourism officials have therefore warned against interpreting the latest decline solely as a crime-driven flight from Jeju. Figures for Aug. 1-29 showed total tourist arrivals still up 1.1 percent year on year as foreign arrivals offset a 1.9 percent decline among domestic travelers. Industry officials also said there had been no evidence of mass cancellations across the island. But the risk to Jeju is less about a single month's visitor count than about its reputation. Jeju authorities have begun monitoring online discussion of crime and safety and announced measures aimed at improving protection for visitors, including faster reporting systems involving lodging and rental-car businesses and expanded emergency and location information at tourist destinations. The task is complicated by the fact that authorities are fighting two problems at once: a genuine failure of police oversight that has damaged public trust, and an expanding body of online rumors that exaggerate unrelated deaths or unverified claims into a narrative of an island overrun by crime. For an economy heavily dependent on visitors, even an inaccurate perception can carry a real price. The question for Jeju is whether it can restore trust in its policing quickly enough to prevent its safety problem from becoming a tourism problem. AJP Takeaways - Jeju's tourism industry faces fresh reputational risks as recent disappearance cases, allegations of police misconduct and viral crime-related content fuel perceptions that the island has become less safe. - Despite the growing public anxiety, official crime statistics do not show Jeju as exceptionally dangerous compared with other major regions of South Korea. - Tourism officials and local authorities face pressure to restore confidence in Jeju, whose image as a peaceful "Sammoo" island has long been central to its tourism brand. 2026-09-11 18:01:49