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The Korea Times

October 2026

Policymakers take on energy shock, rising debt at IMF-World Bank meetings

The meetings run from Monday through Saturday in the Thai capital, and will see policymakers tackle some stark choices, with the IMF calling on governments to rein in spending even as vulnerable citizens' needs may be growing in the face of surging inflation and climate risks

Alexander De CroouNDP Administrator
Surging oil and food prices leave millions of families with no safety margin,
Kristalina GeorgievaiMF Managing Director
Love it, hate it, or fear it, AI is here, rapidly becoming a key driver of countries' relative fortunes in the world economy,
Kevin Gallagherprofessor of Global Development Policy, Boston University
The poorer member states of the IMF and World Bank are in distress from spillovers of the Iran war, rising interest rates in the West, and a climate crisis exacerbated by El Nino,
Kristalina GeorgievaiMF Managing Director
To put it simply, the global economy is being pulled in two opposite directions: a negative energy supply shock and a positive demand shock from AI,

Poland suspects assassination attempts on PM, defense minister

Members of the police, state protection service (SOP) and internal security agency were present at the meeting Sunday

Jacek Dobrzynskithe meeting, special services spokesperson
We are treating this matter as deadly serious,
Karolina Galeckainterior spokeswoman
Following information received by the Polish Police regarding a possible attack on Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, and the Minister-Coordinator of Special Services, Tomasz Siemoniak, have ordered action to be taken in this matter,

Cheong Wa Dae makes rare disclosure of Lee's golf outing ahead of opposition attack

Joo Jin-wooopposition lawmaker
They admitted it only 10 minutes before my news conference, after we secured photographic evidence from inside the golf course,
Who can foresee an accident before it happens?”
We regret that the president’s private, undisclosed schedule is being used for political disputes,

Experts see no quick fix to Korea-US intelligence rift

We make it clear once again that, aside from some information that led to the intelligence-sharing restrictions already acknowledged by our government, South Korea and the U.S. are actively cooperating across a wide range of areas, including Pyongyang's missiles, conventional military capabilities and what is happening in North Korea, as well as international relations, cybersecurity and counterintelligence,
Sung-Wook Namresearcher
The U.S. is showing a deep-seated distrust toward key figures such as Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and NIS chief Lee Jong-seok in the Lee Jae Myung administration and claiming that they cannot have high-level intelligence-sharing meetings. It is worrisome as it is also fundamentally hurting the allies,
As the South Korea-U.S. alliance shifts from a traditional hierarchical structure toward a mutually beneficial strategic partnership, friction has emerged as Washington adjusts to this new paradigm,
With the narrative surrounding South Korea-U.S. relations being weaponized for domestic political gains in both Seoul and Washington, it is necessary to take a sober approach. The conflicts need to be decoupled and resolved individually,

Cyber risk gains ground in Korean financial firms' credit ratings

Cyber risk has evolved into a multifaceted credit risk that can simultaneously weaken profitability, cash flow, liquidity and capital adequacy while increasing regulatory costs, damaging reputation and raising funding costs. We believe its importance to creditworthiness has also grown,

12 killed and over 300 hurt in latest attack on Riyadh airport, Saudi authorities say

Donald Trumppresident
We’ll find out.”
These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now,

Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections another year

The postponement leaves entrenched Palestinian leaders unchallenged and threatens to further erode the Palestinian Authority’s credibility among ordinary Palestinians and donor countries who fund it

Abbas is terrified by the electoral alliance bringing our faction together with opposition factions and forces within Fatah that reject his leadership,

Roh Jeong-eui, Show Kasamatsu uncover dark romance in 'Shaving'

Roh Jeong-euisouth Korean actress (born 2001)
Starting something new is always exciting, so filming was a lot of fun,
Roh Jeong-euisouth Korean actress (born 2001)
There was so much to learn from Show Kasamatsu,
Shō Kasamatsujapanese actor
Roh Jeong-eui made the atmosphere on set so bright and warm,
Shō Kasamatsujapanese actor
This movie was a major challenge for me,
Kim Jung-hoon (table tennis)south Korean table tennis player
Shaving is a daily routine for most men, but if you examine it closely, it is also dangerous and chilling,

University of Seoul students showcase achievements of overseas exploration program

This trip went beyond a simple overseas experience. It taught us firsthand the importance of communication and service, as well as professionalism and creativity,
I hope this showcase provided a meaningful opportunity for students to share what they learned and achieved overseas and gain new perspectives and ideas from the projects undertaken by other teams,
We were happy to create and document precious memories with our fellow students, and we hope more University of Seoul students will take advantage of opportunities like this,
It also helped us take another step toward becoming the kind of future talent envisioned by the university.”
Although the trip we planned ourselves did not always go as expected, that made the seven days all the more memorable.”

Trump calls for replacing Ukraine's Zelenskyy in tussle over diesel deal with Russia

Donald Trumppresident
I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason he never does,
Donald Trumppresident
I said to him, ‘Do what you want. Don’t hit refineries,’
Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident
Today, Russia said thank you for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,