The Korea Times

SPECIAL REPORT Red flag raised over foreign interference in Korean elections

gettyimagesbankUS, France, Taiwan and Canada reel from foreign intervention in their elections, and what makes you think Korea will be an exception? Experts askThis is the first in a two-part series highlighting election and cyberattacks as the nation will hold National Assembly elections in April next year―ED. By Kang Hyun-kyungIt all began with an anonymous whistleblower who uploaded a statement titled, “A Korean Chinese Tells the Truth,” in an online chatroom on March 1, 2020, six weeks before the 2020 National Assembly elections. Identifying himself as a Korean Chinese living in South Korea, the author claimed that like fellow Chinese keyboard warriors also known as “daetgeul budae” in Korean, he uploaded misinformation and fake news on several different internet websites in return for payment to influence public opinion in favor of China. He accused China of having interfered in Korean elections held both at the national and local levels for many years through an internet opinion manipulation group consisting mostly of Han Chinese students studying in Sou

Jun 30, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

[SPECIAL REPORT] Red flag raised over foreign interference in Korean elections

North Korea

North Korea plagued by worst famine, wary of impact

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from left, checks crops in a rice paddy in North Hwanghae Province after the September 2020 floods. Korea Times fileViolent crimes committed by soldiers against civilians increase amid deaths due to worsening starvation, says defectorBy Kang Hyun-kyungDozens of North Korean soldiers were embroiled recently in a violent dispute with health authorities in the reclusive state, according to a defector.Citing a source, Lee Ae-ran, an expert in North Korean cuisine, who became the first defector to earn a doctoral degree in the South, said that the deadly clash occurred as the soldiers took collective action against North Korean authorities, which is a rare occurrence in the totalitarian state.According to Lee, the soldiers arrived in Pyongyang early to prepare for a military parade scheduled for July 27 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement that halted fighting in the Korean War. “Some of them had the flu and were separated from other soldiers for social distancing purposes. After they recovered, the soldiers were orde

Jun 26, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

North Korea plagued by worst famine, wary of impact

Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors

Foreign Affairs

US expert calls for sanctioning Chinese entities over N. Korea's missile program

gettyimagesbankEx-senior NSC official urges Washington to push Beijing harder to cut illicit arms ties with Pyongyang By Kang Hyun-kyungAnthony Ruggiero, former senior official at U.S. National Security Council / Courtesy of Anthony RuggieroA former senior official at the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) called on the Joe Biden administration to impose sanctions on Chinese nationals, companies and banks that are aiding North Korea's procurement of components necessary for the research and production of ballistic missiles.“Continuing the status quo on North Korea sanctions allows the Kim Jong-un regime to continue its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons development,” Antony Ruggiero, a senior director of the Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said in a recent email interview with The Korea Times. His remark comes after the U.S. Department of the Treasury on Thursday imposed sanctions on two Beijing-based North Koreans involved in the procurement of equipment and materials to supp

Jun 19, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

US expert calls for sanctioning Chinese entities over N. Korea's missile program

North Korea

China's facial recognition tech leads to drop in N. Korean defectors

U.S. Congressman Christopher Smith speaks during a hearing on North Korean Refugees and the Imminent Danger of Forced Repatriation from China held in Washington, D.C., Tuesday (local time). Rep. Smith and Sen. Jeff Merkley co-chaired the hearing. YonhapUS lawmakers urge UN, international community to team up to stop China's imminent repatriation of North Korean defectors By Kang Hyun-kyungChina has played a critical role in a sharp drop in the number of North Koreans fleeing their home country after the pandemic, according to experts. Hanna Song, the director of international cooperation at the Seoul-based nonprofit, nongovernmental organization Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, said Beijing has used advanced technology tools to repress its people and North Korean escapees in China. “China's increasing use of advanced technology, such as facial recognition and biometric systems, has become a repressive weapon targeting the most vulnerable,” she said during a hearing titled North Korean Refugees and the Imminent Danger of Forced Repatriation from China, hosted

Jun 14, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

China's facial recognition tech leads to drop in N. Korean defectors

Politics

Filmmaker looks to Taiwan's manual ballot counting as solution to end stolen vote controversy

gettyimagesbank Documentary 'Your Vote Is In Danger' revisits stolen vote controversy, addresses risks of foreign governments' meddling in local electionsBy Kang Hyun-kyung Taiwan has become a source of inspiration for filmmaker Kim Deog-young for his documentary titled, “Your Vote Is In Danger,” released on April 15.Also known by the stage name Young Kim, the filmmaker visited Taipei last year for the local elections held on Nov. 26 to learn about the island country's voting system.Kim said the field trip was mind-boggling.“It was very educational,” he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. “I learned a lot, particularly about the risks of high-tech elections.”No electronic device is used to cast and count ballots in Taiwan, he said.Like South Korea, Taiwanese voters cast their votes by marking their favorite candidates on a paper ballot.However, the two countries adopted different counting methods. In South Korea, electronic vote-counting machines ar

Jun 14, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Filmmaker looks to Taiwan's manual ballot counting as solution to end stolen vote controversy

North Korea

Aunt, niece poised for power struggle over succession in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong declares victory in her country's battle against COVID-19 during a meeting with health care workers in Pyongyang in this 2022 file photo. Yonhap 'The Sister' depicts North Korean leader's sister as a realistic candidate to succeed Kim Jong-un By Kang Hyun-kyungNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae has drawn media frenzy since she was first spotted on November 18, 2022 when she was with her father at the launch site of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile.The plump little girl, believed to be born in 2013, has since been at the center of media attention whenever accompanying her father at major national or military events. Her public appearance has generated much buzz, sparking speculations over whether she is Kim Jong-un's heir apparent. Ju-ae is the second female member of North Korea's ruling Kim family to make international headlines, following her aunt Kim Yo-jong who is notorious for

Jun 12, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Aunt, niece poised for power struggle over succession in North Korea

Politics

Hallyu inspires Thailand to mull ways to export its culture

K-pop girl band BLACKPINK in this 2019 file photo / Courtesy of YG Entertainment Thai entertainment industry wants government to play role in investment, overseas promotion By Kang Hyun-kyung“South Korea made it with hallyu. Why can't Thailand?”Nobody knows who raised that question and triggered open discussion in Thailand to find ways to spur the global popularity of Thai culture by following in South Korea's footsteps.However, the idea of exporting Thai culture has intrigued the Thai public.Thais call it an open debate about soft power. Through it, Thai politicians and people of the country's entertainment scene are calling for the creation of a Thai version of hallyu, also known as “T-culture.” Hallyu, or the Korean wave, refers to the surge in popularity of Korean culture globally.Thailand's progressive Move Forward Party's (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who has been at the center of the media spotlight after his party's stunning victory in the recent lower hou

Jun 1, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Hallyu inspires Thailand to mull ways to export its culture

Travel & Food

INTERVIEW Korean chef aims to change Hong Kong's dining scene

Bomnamul Bibimbap or Korean mixed rice with assorted spring vegetables presented by chef Lee Sang-gun / Courtesy of Hansik GooAward-winning chef delights Hong Kongers' taste buds with authentic Korean cuisine with modern twist By Kang Hyun-kyungLee Sang-gun, better known as chef Steve in Hong Kong, the head chef of fine-dining Korean restaurant Hansik Goo in Hong Kong / Courtesy of Hansik GooLee Sang-gun, better known as chef Steve in Hong Kong, was in disbelief when his name was announced as the winner of the Young Chef Award during the 15th edition of the Michelin Guide ceremony held on April 26 at the Grand Lisboa Palace in Macau.It was a nice surprise for Lee. “It was surreal,” he said during a Zoom interview with The Korea Times on Wednesday. “I had never thought I would be the one to get the prestigious award.” The Young Chef Award was recognized on the sidelines of Michelin's unveiling of a total of 96 restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau, which received Michelin stars. The award recognizes “a young chef working in a restaurant of the selection and

May 27, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

[INTERVIEW] Korean chef aims to change Hong Kong's dining scene

Law & Crime

INTERVIEW Former UK gang member shares hard-learned lessons to prevent youth violence

Qadar Stewart, the author of “London and Dragons,” a memoir of his troubled youth, leans on a wall with his arms folded in this recent photo taken in the U.K.'s capital. Courtesy of Qadar Stewart'London and Dragons' author calls for coordinated community-level efforts to fight school bullying, drug abuse among teens By Kang Hyun-kyungThe United Kingdom has been wrestling with soaring youth violence and gangs since the global outbreak of coronavirus. In 2021, more than 20 young people were killed in the U.K. capital, making it the worst year of teenage killings since 2008. The pandemic-driven social isolation and the worsening mental health of many Britons have been pointed out by experts as some of the reasons behind the rise of youth and gang-related crimes after the pandemic. While watching and reading news about the rise of youth violence, Qadar Stewart, 42, began to reflect on his dark past. There were definitely parallels between him and the juvenile delinquents he saw on TV. Stewart was abused at home, a bully in school and a member of a prominent London gang. Like

May 26, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

[INTERVIEW] Former UK gang member shares hard-learned lessons to prevent youth violence

Health

Korea wary of opioid abuse among teens, its deadly consequences

Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, center, chairman of the ruling People Power Party, speaks during a meeting with dug experts to curtail juvenile drug crimes at the Center for Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration run by Korea Association Against Drug Use in western Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap Senior citizens and teens responsible for most opioid-related crimes in Korea This is the second in a two-part series about controlled substance overdoes and its fatal consequences on public health―ED. By Kang Hyun-kyungThe 2022 Crime White Paper released in April by the Institute of Justice, a research arm of the Ministry of Justice, sheds light on the unique nature of drug crimes in Korea. In 2021, 16,153 people were arrested in Korea for drug crimes and those who were caught for possessing, using, selling or distributing psychostimulants accounted for the lion's share at 10,631, followed by abusers of cannabis (3,777) and opioids (1,745).In Korea, drugs are classified into three categorie

May 19, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Kang Hyun-kyung

Read more

SPECIAL REPORT Red flag raised over foreign interference in Korean elections

North Korea plagued by worst famine, wary of impact

US expert calls for sanctioning Chinese entities over N. Korea's missile program

China's facial recognition tech leads to drop in N. Korean defectors

Filmmaker looks to Taiwan's manual ballot counting as solution to end stolen vote controversy

Aunt, niece poised for power struggle over succession in North Korea

Hallyu inspires Thailand to mull ways to export its culture

INTERVIEW Korean chef aims to change Hong Kong's dining scene

INTERVIEW Former UK gang member shares hard-learned lessons to prevent youth violence

Korea wary of opioid abuse among teens, its deadly consequences

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