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dahyun08

Jung Da-hyun

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.

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Society

1 in 5 normal-weight Korean women see themselves as obese

Nearly two in 10 normal-weight Korean women perceive themselves as obese, according to a recent survey. The findings are raising concerns over the use of increasingly popular injectable weight-loss drugs among people who are not obese. According to a survey by the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO), Monday, 18.9 percent of normal-weight women aged 20 or older perceived themselves as obese. The findings were based on data from adults who participated in the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2022 and 2024. The figure was more than four times higher than among normal-weight men, only 4.1 percent of whom perceived themselves as obese. Under the KSSO’s obesity treatment guidelines, body mass index (BMI) — calculated by dividing weight by height squared — is classified into five categories: A BMI of 18.5 to 22.9 is considered normal weight, 23 to 24.9 pre-obesity, 25 to 29.9 stage 1 obesity, 30 to 34.9 stage 2 obesity and 25 or higher is categorized as stage 3 obesity. Among women classified as pre-obe

Aug 17, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
1 in 5 normal-weight Korean women see themselves as obese
Society

Landslide kills 1 in Geoje as torrential rain batters southern Korea

Torrential rain battered Korea's southern regions during the three-day National Liberation Day long weekend, triggering landslides, flooding and widespread damage. Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province was among the hardest-hit areas, recording 909.8 millimeters of rain from Saturday through 4:30 p.m. Monday. The region had until recently been grappling with a prolonged and severe drought. The torrential rain left one person dead and four others injured, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Monday. At around 4:42 a.m., a landslide struck the first floor of an apartment building in the city, killing one resident. Two others were rescued and are being treated for injuries. Rescue operations were also underway as of Monday afternoon for more than 20 residents stranded by flooding in parts of Geoje, including Hoejin Village, and about 100 residents of Yesol Village were being evacuated due to concern over possible landslides. According to the National Fire Agency, 154 Geoje residents had been rescued or were being evacuated as of 4:30 a.m. More than 20 emergency calls requ

Aug 17, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Landslide kills 1 in Geoje as torrential rain batters southern Korea
Education

GKS becomes gateway to life in Korea for Uzbek scholar

Sodikov Normatjon had an older brother already studying in Korea when he began exploring scholarship options from Uzbekistan. That early window into Korean university life pointed him toward the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) and made the prospect of moving abroad feel, if not easy, at least less uncertain. "GKS was a life-changing opportunity for me," Normatjon said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. "Studying abroad can bring financial and cultural uncertainties, but the scholarship took away much of that burden and allowed me to focus fully on my studies." Normatjon arrived in Korea in 2018 and the program has since helped him learn Korean, build a career and start a family in the country. Beyond financial support, the scholarship also helped him navigate the linguistic and cultural challenges of living abroad. Its Korean-language training and cultural programs gave him an early foundation for adapting to life in Korea and connecting with people in the country. "When I first came to Korea, I couldn't speak any Korean," he said. A yearlong language program at Silla Universi

Aug 11, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
GKS becomes gateway to life in Korea for Uzbek scholar
Society

Seoul tops 40 C as record heat peaks

Despite "ipchu," the traditional start of autumn, the heat wave reached a new peak on Friday, with Seoul topping 40 degrees Celsius for the first time on record. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Friday was the hottest ipchu on record nationwide, with temperatures reaching 40.2 C in Seoul's Nowon District at around 3:28 p.m. It was the first reading above 40 degrees Celsius at a monitoring station in the capital since Aug. 1, 2018. Temperatures soared to near 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country, reaching 40.7 in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, and 40.2 in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. Seoul's Gangseo District hit 39.2, while Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, and Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, recorded 39.8 and 39.6, respectively. From June 1 through Thursday, Korea averaged 14.8 heat wave days, the fourth-highest figure for the period since nationwide records began in 1973. The country also averaged a record 13 tropical nights, when overnight temperatures remain at or above 25 degrees Celsius. As such extreme heat becomes increasingly common, climate insurance is

Aug 7, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Seoul tops 40 C as record heat peaks
Education

Private schools push back against Korea's free tuition plan for nat'l universities

A government proposal to make tuition free for some 64,000 incoming students at national universities next year is facing mounting opposition from private universities. Critics warn the policy could put private institutions at a further disadvantage in attracting students and deepen their financial struggles. The concerns are particularly acute among private universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area, which are already struggling with declining enrollment and financial pressures while facing continued restrictions on tuition hikes. During a policy briefing at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Wednesday, the Ministry of Education said it is considering providing full tuition scholarships to some 64,000 freshmen at 30 national universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area beginning in the 2027 academic year. Under the plan, it would gradually expand to cover all undergraduate students at those universities within the current administration's term. International students are not included in the plan, at least for now. Since they are admitted outside the standard enrollment quota and are su

Aug 7, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Private schools push back against Korea's free tuition plan for nat'l universities
Society

Education ministry to expand Korean language classes to 70 countries

Korean language classes will be added to public school curricula in 70 countries by 2030, up from 51 this year, under a new government road map that also charts accelerating artificial intelligence (AI)-driven learning and strengthening regional universities as part of a broader push to position the country as a global education powerhouse. The Ministry of Education presented the vision Wednesday during a policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung, framing it around the global expansion of Korean language education and the vision of "education for everyone's future." "Education's fundamental role is to ensure everyone can dream about the future," Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said. "We will implement these initiatives swiftly to help Korea become an irreplaceable global education powerhouse." At the heart of the global strategy is a major expansion of Korean language instruction in overseas schools. Unlike the Sejong Institute, which primarily serves adult learners, the program integrates Korean language education into elementary and secondary schools abroad, embedding Korean into for

Aug 5, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Education ministry to expand Korean language classes to 70 countries
Society

Korea unveils plan to power AI boom entirely with clean energy

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment unveiled an ambitious strategy to power its artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions with clean energy, arguing that responding to the AI revolution and the climate crisis simultaneously will determine the country's future. During a policy briefing to the president Tuesday, the ministry presented its vision for building an “electrostate,” a strategy aimed at meeting the soaring electricity and water demands of AI data centers, semiconductor fabrication plants and other advanced industries through expanded carbon-free energy and infrastructure. "We are confronting the AI revolution and the climate crisis at the same time, and how we respond to and overcome these challenges will determine our future," Environment Minister Kim Sung-whan said. The ministry plans to expand renewable energy generation rapidly, aiming to bring 100 gigawatts of capacity online ahead of schedule while strengthening power grids and energy storage systems to meet soaring electricity demand from AI and advanced industries. The plan includes large-scale solar farms on

Aug 4, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Korea unveils plan to power AI boom entirely with clean energy
Society

As AI glasses get harder to detect, universities scramble to update exam rules

Artificial intelligence (AI) glasses are emerging as a new tool for academic dishonesty, with a string of recent cases exposing their potential for misuse, putting the education sector under growing pressure to respond. The Ministry of Education recently instructed metropolitan and provincial education offices to classify AI glasses as prohibited items in examination rooms and closely monitor examinees for suspicious behavior, according to Yonhap News Agency, Sunday. The directive follows a series of cases of cheating involving the devices. Earlier in May, three examinees wearing AI glasses were caught during the Industrial Engineer Electrical and Fire Protection Systems Engineer certification exams. Two test takers were later caught using the devices during an English language test. Concern is mounting across the education sector ahead of the College Scholastic Ability (CSAT) Test and rolling admissions exams — high-stakes, state-administered tests that have drawn relatively close scrutiny due to their weight in Korea's highly competitive college admissions process. Even so, many ins

Aug 3, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
As AI glasses get harder to detect, universities scramble to update exam rules
Society

Yangsan hits 42.5 C, Korea's hottest temperature ever recorded

Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, recorded a temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the highest ever measured in Korea since modern weather observation began in 1904, as a record-breaking heat wave grips the country. The temperature was recorded at approximately 1:26 p.m. The southeastern city set a new local temperature record for a fourth straight day since Wednesday, with temperatures climbing higher each day. Daytime temperatures also topped 40 degrees in other areas, including northern Busan, Gimhae in South Gyeongsang Province, Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, and Gwangyang in South Jeolla Province. At 11 a.m., the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) upgraded the heat wave advisory for northwestern Seoul to a heat wave warning, placing all of the capital under the second highest-level heat alert. Heat wave warnings had already been in effect for southeastern, southwestern and northeastern Seoul since Wednesday. As the prolonged heat wave continued across the country, the government raised the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Level 2,

Aug 2, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Yangsan hits 42.5 C, Korea's hottest temperature ever recorded
Society

Korea's summers are getting longer and hotter, data shows

Korea's summers are becoming longer and more intense as heat waves arrive earlier, persist longer, with tropical nights growing increasingly common. A new analysis released by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Friday, compared heat wave and tropical night patterns from 2016 to 2025 with those recorded from 1973 to 1982. It found that heat waves now begin 10 to 30 days earlier nationwide and end about 10 days later than five decades ago. A heat wave is defined as a day with a high of at least 33 degrees Celsius, while a tropical night refers to one in which temperatures stay above 25 degrees overnight. In Gangneung and parts of the Yeongnam region, including Daegu, Hapcheon, Miryang, Yeongdeok and Pohang, where heat waves tend to arrive earlier than in other parts of the country, the onset of heat waves has shifted to early June over the past decade, more than 10 days earlier than during the 1973 to 1982 period, when they typically began in mid- to late June. A similar shift has been seen across inland central regions, including Seoul, Icheon, Chuncheon and Cheongju, where he

Jul 24, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Korea's summers are getting longer and hotter, data shows
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