Japan is using piezoelectric floor tiles in busy areas like Shibuya and Tokyo Stations to convert footsteps into clean electricity. pic.twitter.com/mD9ziisEhd
Reservoir hit by drought This photo, taken Aug. 14, 2026, shows Ungdong Reservoir in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, southeastern South Korea, dry as a prolonged drought continues in the area. The water level of the agricultural reservoir has fallen to zero percent of normal levels, according to government data on droughts. (Yonhap)
S. Korea men’s national modern pentathlon team Members of the South Korea men’s national modern pentathlon team train at the National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, central South Korea, on Aug. 13, 2026, ahead of the Sept. 19-Oct. 4 Asian Games to be held in the central Japanese city of Nagoya. (Yonhap)
This is basically the first step to creating a professional military. Few people are going to agree to be a conscript for 4-5 years no matter how good the job is. This is why the pay is going to have to be significantly higher compared to a conscript to get them to agree to that contract. This essentially means you now have a professional soldier and not a conscript:
President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday stressed the need for Korea to adopt a selective enlistment system to transform the country’s armed forces into a “smart, elite and powerful military” centered on advanced equipment and technology.
The president reaffirmed his long-standing commitment to the revised system, which was one of his election campaign pledges. The proposed system would let individuals choose between serving as active-duty conscripts for 18-21 months or as technology-intensive noncommissioned officers for four or five years — a longer commitment than rank-and-file conscription, offset by incentives such as higher salaries meant to attract volunteers.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a national security memorandum permitting foreign shipbuilders to build up to two ships in their parent shipyards for delivery to the United States, as the U.S. seeks to rebuild its Navy and shipbuilding industrial base.
The memorandum came as the U.S. is stepping up shipbuilding cooperation with Korea, which has committed to investing $150 billion in the U.S. shipbuilding sector as part of a total $350 billion investment pledge under last year’s bilateral trade and investment deal.
It just goes to show that if you have enough money that it doesn’t matter how much your reputation is in tatters people will still flock to see you:
TerraPower founder Bill Gates arrives at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul on Aug. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)
American billionaire and founder of TerraPower Bill Gates arrived in South Korea on Thursday to meet with political and business leaders to discuss cooperation on next-generation nuclear reactors.
Gates, who also chairs the Gates Foundation, landed aboard a private jet at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul at around 9:20 p.m., according to people close to the matter. He last visited Seoul just about a year ago.
While in Seoul, Gates is expected to have a string of meetings with key figures in political and business circles for discussions on expanding partnerships in small modular reactors (SMRs) and other areas.
He is expected to meet Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Friday and top business leaders, including SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun.
🇯🇵 A Muslim woman in Japan asks a Malaysian religious leader: "My Japanese friends are asking me why pork is forbidden… Japanese eat pork and yet live such long lives. What should I tell them?"
School reopening in S. Korea Pupils hold up their textbooks for the second semester of the year at an elementary school in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Aug. 11, 2026, as they returned to school after the summer vacation. (Yonhap)
