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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

Feeding stray cats will require consent from affected neighbors

The government has unveiled revised guidelines on the care of stray cats, calling for individuals to obtain consent from property owners before installing feeding stations on land they do not own. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Sunday that the updated guidelines reflect input from experts, veterinarians and local government officials. The revision comes amid ongoing conflicts between residents and caregivers over stray cats in urban areas, with growing calls for clearer rules on how feeding stations are operated and relocated. The installation of feeding stations has emerged as a key source of tension. While feeding stray cats is not illegal under current law, setting up feeding stations on private or public property without consent can lead to legal disputes. In parks and green spaces managed by local governments, such facilities may be classified as unauthorized structures and subject to removal orders. On private land or in apartment complexes, they can raise issues of trespass and potential liability for damages. Caregivers may also face penalties under waste

Mar 23, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Feeding stray cats will require consent from affected neighbors
Society

Netflix criticized over out-of-sync subtitles during BTS livestream

While BTS has staged a high-profile comeback concert, the viewing experience for fans tuning in through Netflix was marred by technical shortcomings, with poorly synchronized subtitles drawing widespread criticism. Complaints over subtitle issues quickly spread across social media and online communities, as viewers voiced frustration with the live stream. “English subtitles were out of sync and hard to follow,” one user wrote on Reddit. “Even half a day later, Netflix hasn’t fixed the crappy subtitles.” “BTS COMEBACK LIVE: ARIRANG” marked Netflix’s first-ever global live event and music performance to be broadcasted globally from Korea, reaching audiences in 190 countries. However, at the outset, subtitles were out of sync with the members’ remarks, falling short of expectations among both domestic and international viewers. As the concert progressed, synchronization issues persisted, with subtitles frequently appearing after songs had already concluded. “I had high expectations for how well Netflix would handle the BTS live broadcast, but the audio and subtitle synchr

Mar 22, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Netflix criticized over out-of-sync subtitles during BTS livestream
Education

Korean language classes fill up as students from migrant backgrounds increase

Schools with high concentrations of students from migrant backgrounds have increased 2.6-fold in Korea over the past five years, while improvements in the educational environment for them have lagged behind. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Education to the office of Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Sunday, the number of schools with high concentrations of students coming from migrant backgrounds rose from 47 in 2020 to 123 in 2025. Schools are designated as having a "high concentration" if they have more than 100 enrolled students from migrant backgrounds, accounting for 30 percent or more of the overall student body. By region, Gyeonggi Province has the largest number of high migrant population schools, at 52. It was followed by Seoul with 18 schools, South Chungcheong Province with 10, Daegu with eight and Incheon with seven. Daejeon, Ulsan and North Jeolla Province had the lowest numbers, with just one such school each. The increase comes despite Korea’s steadily declining school-age population. The number of students from migrant backgrounds

Mar 15, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Korean language classes fill up as students from migrant backgrounds increase
Society

Foreign voting rights debate resurfaces ahead of June 3 local elections

With the June 3 local elections approaching, debate has resurfaced over voting rights for foreign residents as Korea’s foreign population continues to grow. It has been two decades since the government allowed certain long-term foreign residents to vote in local elections, but critics argue that the current rules violate the principles of reciprocity and international fairness. The government first granted voting rights to foreign permanent residents in local elections in 2006 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. At that time, the number of eligible foreign voters stood at just 6,726, but the figure has grown steadily — rising to 12,878 in 2010, 48,428 in 2014, 106,205 in 2018 and 127,623 in 2022. Under the current Public Official Election Act, foreign residents who have obtained permanent residency are allowed to vote in elections for local government leaders and local council members after three years of holding an F-5 visa. According to the Ministry of Justice, Korea had more than 1.6 million registered foreign residents as of December last year, including 220,788 permanent resi

Mar 15, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Foreign voting rights debate resurfaces ahead of June 3 local elections
Society

Soonchunhyang University launches college dedicated to int'l students

Soonchunhyang University announced Thursday that it will establish a new college dedicated exclusively to international students as part of a broader overhaul of its education system to cultivate global talent. The new college will operate as an independent academic unit exclusively for international students, with its own curriculum and administrative system rather than placing foreign students across existing departments. The college will offer several specialized majors for international students, including undeclared major programs, global health, global industrial engineering and global sports management. The program will adopt a phased curriculum that integrates Korean-language instruction with major coursework across each academic year. The initiative will also align with the university’s strategic focus on AI-driven medical convergence. Leveraging its biomedical research infrastructure, affiliated hospitals and industry partnerships, the university plans to expand global programs in fields such as health care, medicine and industrial engineering. It aims to collaborate with loca

Mar 12, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Soonchunhyang University launches college dedicated to int'l students
Society

Chonnam Nat'l University microfluidics study features on cover of leading journal

A research team at Chonnam National University has drawn international attention after its microfluidics study was featured as the cover paper of the 25th anniversary issue of a leading scientific journal. According to the university Wednesday, the team led by Park Jin-soo, a professor in the university’s School of Mechanical Engineering, conducted the international joint research with scientists from Germany’s Technische Universitat Ilmenau. The study appeared on the cover of Lab on a Chip, an international journal published by the U.K.-based Royal Society of Chemistry. Building on years of research in microfluidics, which examines how fluids behave at microscopic scales, Park’s team investigated how biological particles such as cells, bacteria and microalgae move and interact in fluid environments. Many earlier studies treated biological particles as perfectly spherical when conducting theoretical or computational analyses. Yet such assumptions often failed to align with results observed in experiments and clinical settings. To address this gap, the researchers focused on the fact

Mar 12, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Chonnam Nat'l University microfluidics study features on cover of leading journal
Society

Chungnam National University sets sights on AI-powered campus transformation

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how universities teach and learn, Chungnam National University is setting its sights on becoming a leader in AI-driven education in Korea. University President Kim Jeong-kyoum said the central question for higher education institutions is how they understand and approach artificial intelligence, urging them to embrace the sweeping changes the technology is expected to bring. “AI will undoubtedly bring significant changes across industries and in our daily lives,” Kim told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “Universities need to approach this shift with an open mindset and be ready to accept it. I want Chungnam National University to become a university that uses AI better than anyone else.” While acknowledging that the term “AI-leading university” has become something of a cliche, Kim said the university’s real focus is on integrating AI meaningfully into education. “We want to teach students how to use AI effectively in practice,” he said, adding that the university is considering incorporating AI-related elements into more

Mar 10, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Chungnam National University sets sights on AI-powered campus transformation
Society

Bureaucratic hurdles undermine Korea’s ambitions to attract int’l students

Korea’s drive to attract and retain international students is hitting a roadblock at immigration offices, a place many students now view as a source of fear rather than support. Even as universities expand recruitment and the government pledges to ease visa rules, inconsistent administrative practices and constantly shifting guidelines at immigration offices are emerging as major hurdles to the country’s study-to-settlement pathway for foreign students. All students interviewed by The Korea Times for this article requested that their names not be used. One Iraqi student said she nearly lost an internship due to a delayed decision on her part-time work permission. She received an internship offer from a tech company building apps for foreign communities in Korea and was scheduled to begin work on Jan. 5. She applied for part-time work authorization on Dec. 20 last year, and received a text message six days later stating the application had been “accepted by an appropriate department.” There was no further notice for about a month, until the immigration office informed her on Jan. 2

Mar 8, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Bureaucratic hurdles undermine Korea’s ambitions to attract int’l students
Society

Illegal employment of foreign workers surges in delivery sector

Korea’s delivery sector is rapidly becoming a major channel for the illegal employment of foreign workers, according to the Ministry of Justice. The trend has also raised concerns about safety because of inadequate checks on licenses and insurance, while domestic delivery riders say the growing competition is making it harder to secure delivery calls. The ministry reported that the number of foreigners caught working illegally in the delivery and courier sector surged from 117 in 2023 to 486 last year. Under current regulations, delivery work is permitted only for foreigners holding certain residency statuses, including the F-2 resident visa, F-5 permanent resident visa and F-6 marriage visa. However, cases continue to emerge of foreigners working as delivery riders while on nonprofessional employment visas like E-9 or student visas like D-2. Many foreign riders circumvent restrictions by using accounts registered under Korean citizens’ names. Delivery agencies reportedly secure multiple accounts under Korean identities and rent them to foreign riders for monthly fees of 200,000 to 3

Mar 6, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Illegal employment of foreign workers surges in delivery sector
Foreign Affairs

Dubai-Incheon direct flights resume after Iran conflict disruption

Direct flights from Dubai to Incheon resumed Friday after being suspended amid escalating military conflict in the Middle East. The resumption raises hopes that Korean tourists stranded in the region can return home. Direct flights departing from Incheon to Dubai and other Middle Eastern destinations remain suspended until Sunday. According to Dubai International Airport and Korean nationals staying in the United Arab Emirates, Emirates flights departed Dubai at 3:30 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. local time, bound for Incheon International Airport. The flights marked the first direct service between Korea and the Middle East since the suspension of operations following airstrikes on Iran by the United States and Israel and Tehran’s subsequent retaliatory attacks. Apart from the two flights scheduled for Friday, no additional direct services have yet been confirmed. Meanwhile, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Friday that the government has secured a route for the safe evacuation of Korean citizens out of the Middle East. "We have been in close consultation with authorities in the United

Mar 6, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Dubai-Incheon direct flights resume after Iran conflict disruption
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