People should really watch the documentary Pink Ribbons Inc. This documentary shows how these breast cancer fundraisers raise little money for breast cancer research. Instead the money that is raised is used to sustain the breast cancer fundraiser industry. It additionally allows celebrities and businesses to virtual signal to the female demographic while doing little to nothing for breast cancer research. It is good to see that people are calling out this behavior in South Korea:

Charity galas are meant to blend glamour with goodwill. But when the spotlight shifts too much toward spectacle and the funds raised fall short, public criticism often follows.

That is what happened to W Korea.

On Sunday, the magazine issued a public apology after its annual breast cancer awareness campaign, Love Your W, was criticized for feeling more like a celebrity party than a charity event, especially given the modest amount it raised.

The company apologized four days after Wednesday’s event in Seoul sparked backlash online.

“Since 2006, Love Your W has focused on raising awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer,” the magazine said in a statement. “However, we recognize that the format and atmosphere of this year’s event did not reflect the purpose of the campaign, and we take these concerns seriously.”

“Most importantly, we deeply apologize to breast cancer patients and their families for any discomfort or hurt we may have caused. We also apologize to those who participated with good intentions and were affected by the controversy. We are reflecting on our shortcomings,” it added.

W Korea said it plans to review how the event is organized and managed to prevent similar issues in the future. The magazine has also deleted all posts related to the event from its Instagram account.

However, the apology left many questions unanswered, particularly about how much money was raised.

Many questioned how a campaign that has been running for nearly two decades, supported by top celebrities and luxury brands, had reportedly raised only about 300 million won ($210,000) in total. This amount was revealed by data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Rep. Lee Soo-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea.

In response, W Korea reportedly clarified that total donations from 2006 to 2024 amount to around 960 million won, not 300 million. The smaller figure referred only to direct contributions made under the magazine’s name. Including this year’s planned donation of 150 million won, the total comes to about 1.1 billion won over 20 years — still a disappointing sum to many.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

South Korea has a well respected education system that has provided workers for some of the world’s greatest companies, but the current education minister wants to make major changes:

Korea’s education system is at a turning point, facing both a declining student population and the pressures of a highly competitive academic environment, with Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin calling for greater diversity to drive innovation in higher education.

“Diversity in the student body positively affects creative thinking and learning outcomes. It goes beyond equal opportunity — it plays a decisive role in improving the quality of university education,” Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin told reporters Monday at Government Complex Sejong. 

The press conference, held a month after Choi took office, outlined the ministry’s vision and priorities for higher education under the Lee Jae Myung administration.

Citing examples from overseas, he noted that many foreign universities have established dedicated committees to promote diversity across race, gender and socioeconomic background.

“Some Korean universities are also making such efforts, which is an encouraging sign,” he said. “Expanding diversity should be a key direction for the future of Korean higher education.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is something you just don’t see happen with a high profile government official visiting South Korea. Considering he did this to a woman he doesn’t know during a state sponsored trip, you know he is doing this to women working around him in Vietnam:

This photo, provided by the defense ministry, shows Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee (L) shaking hands with his Vietnamese counterpart, Hoang Xuan Chien, in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2025. (Yonhap)

 The defense ministry has summoned a Vietnamese defense attache stationed in South Korea over alleged sexual misconduct by Vietnam’s deputy defense minister during his visit to Seoul last month, military officials said Monday.

According to the officials, Senior Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien inappropriately touched a South Korean public servant during a banquet with high-ranking military officials on Sept. 11.

The Vietnamese vice defense minister was visiting Seoul on the occasion of the Seoul Defense Dialogue on Sept. 8-10.

Given the gravity of the case, the ministry summoned the Vietnamese defense attache eight days later to lodge a protest over the deputy minister’s behavior.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is pretty odd that the USFK was not given a heads up these investigators were going to be on Osan Airbase:

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday a raid at Osan Air Base by a special counsel team was not an issue that requires consultations with the United States, after the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) reportedly lodged a formal complaint over the action.

Ahn’s remarks came after USFK Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. David Iverson reportedly sent a letter to Seoul’s foreign ministry, expressing concerns over the team’s search conducted in July at the air base jointly run by the allies, as part of its investigation into former ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law bid.

While the team searched an Air Force Master Control & Reporting Center operated by the South Korean military, the U.S. military reportedly took issue, believing it should have consulted beforehand with the USFK, considering investigators would have to go through areas under its control.

“It was not something that required consultations with the U.S.,” Ahn said during a parliamentary audit session, stressing the search took place in areas governed by the South Korean military.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is pretty clear that this woman must be completely crazy and unsafe to return to society:

A local court on Monday sentenced a teacher to life in prison for murdering a 7-year-old student at their school in Daejeon in February.

The Daejeon District Court handed down the sentence to Myeong Jae-wan, 48, after convicting her of stabbing the girl, Kim Ha-neul, to death.

“Murder is a crime that takes away the life of a human being, and an unprecedented case occurred where an elementary school teacher brutally murdered a victim aged only seven at the school where she worked,” the bench said.

“She committed a cruel case of a child not being protected at school, where she should have been safest, even though as an elementary school teacher she was in a position to protect the victim.”

Myeong is accused of luring Ha-neul to a classroom in the afternoon of Feb. 5, when the girl was leaving an afterschool care program, by offering her a book and then stabbing her there with a weapon she had prepared in advance.

Myeong was also charged with kicking and damaging a school computer and assaulting another teacher who had asked to leave work together, several days before the murder.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Just another indication that the future of warfare is advanced drones:

South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace is partnering with U.S. manufacturer General Atomics to develop a multi-mission, short-takeoff-and-landing drone the companies call a “game changer,” Hanwha said in a Wednesday news release. The project will produce the Gray Eagle Short Takeoff and Landing unmanned aerial aircraft system, or STOL, a new variant of General Atomics’ Gray Eagle, itself an upgraded version of the widely used MQ-1 Predator.

The new drone will offer “unprecedented runway independence, able to launch from warships to dirt fields and everywhere in between” and can be configured for electronic warfare, over-the-horizon targeting, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to General Atomics’ website.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.