The Korea Times

Seoul says written proof of NK POW secrecy deal exists

South Korea says it has written documents proving that Seoul and Kyiv agreed to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) secret, as President Lee Jae Myung warned Friday that Seoul will take "additional measures" if Ukraine refuses to apologize for disclosing the transfer. The remarks are expected to deepen diplomatic standoff between the two countries after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the transfer during his U.N. General Assembly address on Sept. 23. Kyiv has denied any confidentiality agreement existed, while Seoul insists one was clearly in place and that Ukraine broke it. A senior foreign ministry official laid out Seoul's account of events in detail on Friday. "It is clear that the two countries agreed to keep the transfer secret," the official told reporters. "The Ukrainian side notified the South Korean side that Zelenskyy would make a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, without specifying its content. The South Korean side responded by text, saying it wanted Zelenskyy not to breach the agreement between the two nations on keeping the t

Korea play Venezuela to goalless draw in 3rd match under Moreno

Korea played Venezuela to a goalless draw Friday in their third match under their interim boss Robert Moreno. Korea managed their first shot attempt in the late moments of the first half at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Despite some promising moments in the second half, including a last-gasp shot by winger Lee Dong-gyeong during stoppage time, Korea did not find the back of the net. Moreno began his Korea tenure with a 3-0 victory over Ecuador on Sept. 24, but the Taegeuk Warriors endured a 4-1 loss to Uruguay four days later. Korea will wrap up their Sept.-Oct. match window by hosting Uzbekistan on Tuesday at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, about 40 kilometers south of the capital. Moreno and his staff are signed through the end of November, with two more matches coming up next month. The Korea Football Association said Moreno will be given a chance to stay on to lead Korea at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in January next year in Saudi Arabia. That decision will depend on Korea's performance in Moreno's first six matches in charge a

Step inside this healing spot inside Civilian Control Line in Paju

“Please prepare for a brief security check.” As the bus doors open, a soldier in combat gear boards and collects the identification cards of each passenger. The soldier looks to be in his early 20s, but the scene, reminiscent of something from a movie, is enough to make passengers slightly tense. After collecting all the IDs from the roughly 10 passengers, the soldier gets off the bus. “The IDs will be returned when we come back,” the guide explains, putting everyone at ease again. This is a checkpoint on the Civilian Control Line, the northernmost point that civilians can freely travel to. If you see a chartered bus crossing the line into the Civilian Control Zone and assume that the passengers are taking part in a security tour or academic research, you would be wrong. They are vacationers. They are heading into the forest beyond the Civilian Control Line to relax and recharge — walking on moss, picking up fresh chestnuts and meditating to the sounds of insects and birds. A new opportunity is opening for individuals to visit the Civilian Control Zone for leisure, a place that h

From chestnuts to oysters, quirky souvenir shirts become must-haves for Korea travelers

For visitors heading to Gongju, a city in South Chungcheong Province known as the country's chestnut capital, a new travel tradition has taken hold — buying a chestnut souvenir shirt at Gongju Sanseong Market and wearing it immediately while exploring the area. The shirt features a plump chestnut character printed across the front. It captures the local identity and is a playful nod to the word "bamti," an online meme referring to an unflattering look. After launching in May, the design went viral on social media within a month and now sells more than 1,000 shirts a day on weekends. "So many tourists walk around downtown wearing the shirt that local residents sometimes ask them where to buy it and then visit the market to get their own," said Lee Tae-hee, head of Jeil Yutong and creator of the apparel. "Customers have fun wearing it, and other market vendors have been supportive because the shirt draws more foot traffic." Diversifying domestic travel beyond food tours Regional souvenir shirts that playfully celebrate local culture are breathing new life into domestic travel. Travelers

SK chairman to unload $700.8 mil. stake in holding firm to pay ex-wife

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won will unload his stake in the group’s holding firm SK Inc. worth 944 billion won ($700.8 million) to finance a property division payment to his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, the group said Friday. In a regulatory filing, SK Inc. said Chey, its largest shareholder, will sell 1,653,924 shares in the holding company, equivalent to a 2.3 percent stake. The transactions are scheduled for Nov. 2. SK Group said the stake sale is intended to “meet the largest shareholder’s personal funding needs related to the property division lawsuit.” “The transaction structure was carefully reviewed to minimize the impact on the market and shareholders, while allowing Chey to maintain stable management of the company and continue fulfilling his responsibilities as its largest shareholder.” The filing said all of the transactions will be conducted through after-hours block trades. Of the total, 544 billion won worth of shares will be sold to a designated strategic investor, while another 400 billion won worth will be sold in a transaction involving a price return swap w

Seoul pushes for dialogue with NK, but gov't speaks in different tones

President Lee Jae Myung’s renewed call for dialogue with North Korea following a recent land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is highlighting differences in tone within his administration over how to respond to Pyongyang. While the government remains committed to restoring inter-Korean dialogue, Cheong Wa Dae, the unification ministry and the military have differed in how they have addressed North Korea’s responsibility for the incident and how Seoul should respond. Lee referred to the Sept. 21 explosion, which injured three South Korean soldiers, as an “unfortunate accident,” during his Armed Forces Day speech Thursday. Rather than directly blaming North Korea, he called on Pyongyang to “restore trust and resume the dialogue that has been severed.” “Firm security means creating peace in which there is no need to fight,” Lee said, pledging to continue “practical steps” to reduce military tensions. Cheong Wa Dae sought Friday to dispel criticism that Lee’s wording was intended to play down North Korea’s responsibility. “The expression ‘unfortunate

KOSPI rebounds to close above 7,000 for 1st time in 5 sessions

KOSPI regained the 7,000 level on Friday, ending above the threshold for the first time in five trading sessions as a late rebound erased earlier losses. The benchmark index added 32.39 points, or 0.46 percent, to finish at 7,003.74. After opening 33.08 points, or 0.47 percent, lower at 6,938.27, it extended its decline to as much as 0.62 percent. The index then swung between gains and losses before moving higher toward the close. Early selling reflected profit-taking ahead of the National Foundation Day holiday and caution over U.S. Treasury yields. Buying interest subsequently recovered, drawing support from an overnight rise in U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor shares following Micron’s strong earnings. “The market paused after the previous day’s KOSPI rally, with little fresh news from Wall Street overnight,” Kang Jin-hyuk, an analyst at Shinhan Securities, said. “A retreat in U.S. Treasury yields after an intraday rise helped steady sentiment, while a Federal Reserve official’s reluctance to rush into further rate hikes offered some relief.” Wall Stre

2nd rescue attempt to return Busan shark suspended

A second rescue operation to return “Bukangi,” a shark that has been stranded in an artificial waterway at Busan North Port Waterfront Park for 15 days, to the open sea, has been suspended. A joint rescue team of Busan city officials and other relevant agencies began slowly guiding Bukangi toward the sea at 3 p.m. on Friday, using a 50-meter-long, 6.8-meter-high net and boats positioned on both sides of the waterway. One boat towed the center of the net, while five people were positioned at each end of the waterway to hold the net and keep pace with the shark. Behind the net, another boat equipped with a water pump created foam on the water to guide Bukangi toward the open sea. At around 5:40 p.m., however, the rescue team suspended the operation when the shark was about 50 meters from the sixth pedestrian bridge, which was the last bridge to pass to go toward the open sea. Busan city officials said the operation had become increasingly difficult as the water level rose with high tide approaching, while the net got caught on the bottom about 70 to 80 meters before the sixth pedestria

Coupang feared to become 1st target for FTC's investigative task force

Coupang is facing the prospect of even tougher regulatory scrutiny, as the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a special investigative task force to investigate complex violations involving dominant platforms, in what appears to be a move targeting the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant. The FTC launched its 40-member Key Investigation Planning Bureau on Thursday, upgrading its existing investigation team to a bureau-level organization dedicated to major cases involving platforms, large business groups and serious violations affecting consumers and small businesses. The new bureau comes as Coupang has emerged as one of the most persistent subjects of FTC scrutiny. With the company increasingly challenging the watchdog’s investigations and actions, their disputes expand across search rankings, supplier transactions, discount costs and its food delivery business. The FTC has not identified its first target, and there is no confirmation that Coupang will be assigned as the first investigation target from the task force. But the company’s expanding confrontation with the regulator means t

Asian Games S. Korea wins gold in LoL competition; Faker takes 2nd Asiad gold

South Korea won its second consecutive gold medal in the League of Legends (LoL) esports competition at the 2025 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, with LoL superstar Lee Sang-hyeok bagging his second Asiad gold. In the LoL final at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, just south of Nagoya, the team of Lee, Choi Woo-je, Kim Geon-woo, Ryu Min-seok, Kim Gun-boo and Lee Min-hyung beat Chinese Taipei 3-0 to claim the Asian Games crown for the second event in a row. South Korea won the inaugural LoL title at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games, where the popular multiplayer online battle arena video game was first contested.

Mirae Asset Securities under pressure for funding screenings of controversial film after leveraged ETF row

Mirae Asset Securities is facing scrutiny over its sponsorship of group screenings of “The Assassin(s)” for employees of public institutions, adding to pressure on the brokerage amid controversies over a failed SpaceX stock allocation and single-stock leveraged investment products ahead of the National Assembly’s annual audit. According to industry officials, the brokerage recently covered the cost of group screenings of the film, which has been accused of distorting history, attended by employees of the Korea Land & Housing Corp. and the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. The screenings were organized by the institutions themselves, while Mirae Asset Securities, which manages their retirement pension accounts, paid for the movie tickets. Regarding this, Lee Jong-bae, a former Seoul city council member from the conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP), filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Wednesday against Mirae Asset Securities and officials from the two public institutions, alleging violations of

Nana's 'direct' flirting style resurfaces after she confirms romance with T.O.P

Singer and actress Nana's candid comments about love are drawing renewed attention after she confirmed that she is dating T.O.P, with fans revisiting everything from her preference for "gentle" men to her admission that she makes the first move when she likes someone. Nana's agency, Sublime, confirmed the relationship to Xportsnews on Friday, saying the two became acquainted while working on a music video. "They formed a connection through filming a music video and are currently enjoying a good relationship," an agency official said. As news of the romance spread, comments Nana made about her ideal partner and approach to dating just months earlier began attracting fresh attention. During a March appearance on MBC's reality show "The Manager," also known as "Omniscient Interfering View," Nana discussed relationships while traveling to a beauty salon with her manager. "This is exactly the time when you should be dating," Nana said. When her manager said dating seemed difficult, Nana offered a glimpse into her own approach to balancing romance with a busy schedule. "Dating is something you do

Korea, Japan trade claims over who has pricier mobile plans

Korea and Japan are trading claims over the average prices of mobile phone plans, with a Seoul-based telecom operators’ association challenging a recent Japanese government report that ranked Seoul as the most expensive cities for mobile services. The Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) recently issued a statement arguing that the Japanese government’s international comparison of mobile service rates “undermined its objectivity and credibility” by adopting comparison criteria “favorable to Japan and arbitrarily selecting mobile plans for comparison.” “If the data were compared again using the same criteria, Korea’s mobile service rates would rank third or fourth among the six countries,” the statement read. “(Japan) should refrain from drawing conclusions about Korea’s mobile service rates based on international comparisons using arbitrary analysis.” Korea’s three major mobile carriers — SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus — are members of the KTOA. Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released a report on June 30 comparing mobile

Foreign homeownership in Korea surges 30% over 3 years, approaching 100,000 mark

Foreign nationals owned nearly 100,000 homes in multiunit housing, or "gongdong jutaek" — a category spanning high-rise apartments to low-rise "dasedae" multifamily homes — in Korea last year, with ownership rising roughly 30 percent over three years and Vietnamese holdings more than doubling, according to government data submitted to a lawmaker. The data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Real Estate Board, provided to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), showed that foreign nationals owned 99,215 multiunit residential properties in the second half of 2025. That marks a 30.3 percent increase, or 23,068 units, from 76,147 in the second half of 2022. Chinese nationals accounted for the bulk of the growth. Their holdings climbed 37.2 percent from 43,058 to 59,082 units over the period, representing 69.5 percent of the overall national increase. Vietnamese nationals posted the fastest growth rate, with their holdings surging 112 percent from 842 to 1,786 properties. American nationals remained the second-largest foreign group

Border tensions cost South Korean frontier counties $22 mil. in tourism, damage

South Korea's border regions saw tourism spending fall by more than 30 billion won ($22 million) and reported hundreds of millions of won in direct damage during 2024 and 2025, when North Korea's trash-filled balloon launches and tit-for-tat loudspeaker broadcasts under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration escalated inter-Korean tensions. According to the data submitted by Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces to the office of Woo Won-shik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Friday, Gyeonggi Province reported a total of 24 incidents of damage worth 414.42 million won across 10 cities and counties as a result of North Korea’s waste balloon launches between May 28, 2024, and November 28, 2025. Border regions also experienced a sharp decline in tourism spending during the same period. Data from the Korea Tourism Data Lab showed that combined tourism spending in the five border counties in Gangwon Province — Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje and Goseong — fell from 444.45 billion won in 2023 to 414.15 billion won in 2024, marking a decrease of more than 30 billion won. Though

PHOTOS From Syria to Asian Games: refugees' unyielding journey

Hyundai Motor's sales slump deepens beyond strike fallout

Hyundai Motor’s push to reverse its sales decline comes under a tougher test in the fourth quarter, as its long-time rivals and emerging players show greater resilience. The carmaker sold 49,022 vehicles in Korea last month, down 25.7 percent from a year earlier. The company attributed the decline largely to fewer operating days caused by the Chuseok holiday and pent-up demand ahead of its new strategic model launches. It also pointed to the lingering effects of production disruptions from the 111-day labor dispute that ended in August. But the scale of Hyundai’s local sales decline stands out, as Kia fared much better with a sales fall of 6.7 percent during the same period. The contrast is even sharper when looking at overall performance, with Hyundai Motor reporting a sales drop of 16 percent here and abroad. The carmaker also reported an overseas sales fall of 13.9 percent. Kia’s global sales rose 5.1 percent in September from the previous year, with overseas sales increasing 7.5 percent. The automaker also posted a record third-quarter sales figure of more than 846,000 vehicles.