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Kang Hyun-kyung

Korea Times Editorial Reporter

I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.

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Southeast Asia's scam industry threatens stability of Indo-Pacific region

The remains of a Korean university student, identified only by his surname Park for privacy reasons, were returned to Korea on Tuesday, more than two months after he was found dead near a criminal compound in the Bokor Mountain area of Cambodia. Local police said Park had been brutally tortured which ultimately led to cardiac arrest. Korean forensic experts who traveled to Cambodia on Monday conducted an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Witnesses reported that Park’s body showed extensive bruising, indicating severe physical abuse prior to his death. He was cremated following the autopsy. Park had left Korea on July 17, telling his parents he would attend an exhibition in Cambodia. Shortly after his arrival, his family lost contact with him. News of his death surfaced nearly a month after his departure, sending shockwaves through Korea. Park’s death has sparked widespread outrage. Survivors of similar experiences at criminal compounds in Cambodia have been sharing harrowing testimonies online, exposing the systemic abuse occurring in these locations. Their stories gain

Oct 22, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
Southeast Asia's scam industry threatens stability of Indo-Pacific region
Others

China’s West Sea encroachments demand stronger Korean Navy

BUSAN — Eighty stun grenades, dropped from a P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, lit up the cloudy skies over Busan on Thursday. The dramatic aerial bursts wowed hundreds of spectators watching the air show from aboard the 4,900-ton amphibious ship Ilchulbong. The number of grenades, also known as flash-bangs, symbolized the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy, celebrated with a grand fleet review in the southeastern port city. Out at sea, another display of power unfolded as 31 naval vessels paraded in formation, led by the 8,100-ton Aegis destroyer Jeongjo the Great. From the deck of Ilchulbong, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kang Dong-gil saluted each passing warship as its crew returned the gesture. “A naval event of this scale would have been unimaginable 80 years ago,” said Capt. Oh Se-sung, a senior public affairs official of the ROK Navy headquarters. “At that time, Korea had virtually no naval infrastructure. The ROK Navy was built from nothing.” Established in 1945 after Korea’s liberation from 36 years of Japane

Sep 29, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
China’s West Sea encroachments demand stronger Korean Navy
North Korea

Unequal partners: How Russia-NK alliance can disrupt global security, supply chains

North Korea’s growing military partnership with Russia has emerged as a serious global security concern since it began in 2023. For Russia, facing shortages of artillery amid its prolonged war against Ukraine, North Korea has become a crucial supplier of conventional weapons. In return, Pyongyang has benefited financially and gained valuable battlefield insights. Through direct combat deployment, North Korea has not only earned hard currency but also acquired firsthand experience in modern warfare, enabling it to enhance the precision and effectiveness of its weapons systems. What initially appeared to be a mutually beneficial deal between two authoritarian regimes is now widely seen as a destabilizing force for regional security. Yet, experts caution that a subtler but equally dangerous consequence of the Russia-North Korea alliance is its potential to disrupt global supply chains. If left unchecked, the partnership could inflict lasting damage on global trade flows, warns Olena Guseinova, a lecturer at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. “Maritime routes through the Sout

Sep 23, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
Unequal partners: How Russia-NK alliance can disrupt global security, supply chains
Tech & Science

Daegu sets its sights on becoming Korea’s Boston

DAEGU — The southeastern metropolitan city of Daegu shares a similarity with Boston, the global hub of life sciences. Like Boston, which boasts world-renowned universities, nearly 1,000 biotech companies and the headquarters of major pharmaceutical giants, Daegu is home to several high-end medical centers and a growing pool of biomedical talent. This strong infrastructure was a key reason why the landlocked city was chosen to host the Daegu Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation, better known as K-MEDI Hub. Established in 2010 under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, K-MEDI Hub supports pharmaceutical and biotech startups with the goal of nurturing unicorn companies and positioning Daegu as Korea’s life sciences capital. “In Korea, Daegu ranks third in the number of professionals in the medical field — including doctors, nurses and veterinarians — following Seoul and Gyeonggi Province,” said Park Gu-sun, chairman of K-MEDI Hub, in an interview at his office with The Korea Times on Sept. 9. The foundation traces its origins to former President Roh Moo-hyun’s vision to tran

Sep 16, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
Daegu sets its sights on becoming Korea’s Boston
Opinion

Georgia raid exposes Korea’s diplomatic neglect

Like many other Koreans, I was shocked as I watched footage of hundreds of Korean nationals being arrested during a raid by U.S. immigration officials at the Hyundai Motor–LG car battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia, last week. The images were jarring: people taken away like dangerous criminals, wrists, waists and ankles shackled, loaded onto buses bound for a detention center near Savannah. Watching it was a deeply unsettling experience. I know I am not alone. Many Koreans must have felt the same distress seeing the videos and photos released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The arrested workers reportedly had either overstayed their visas or worked on tourist visas, better known as ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). Some had valid work visas that had already expired. U.S. President Donald Trump called them “illegal aliens” and said immigration officials were simply doing their job. I do not blame U.S. immigration authorities for enforcing the law. Nor do I harbor resentment toward Trump for his blunt characterization. Overstaying a visa or working illega

Sep 10, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
Georgia raid exposes Korea’s diplomatic neglect
Arts & Theater

Korean American patron’s quest to bring authentic Korean culture to US

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), one of the 10 largest museums in the United States, is preparing to revamp its Korea section with a modern twist. Currently, the Arts of Korea Gallery at the museum primarily features works from the Joseon Dynasty. To meet growing demand from local visitors for broader representation, the museum plans to introduce modern and contemporary Korean art from the 20th and 21st centuries. To do that, the Houston museum is seeking to partner with Korea’s first and largest private museum, Kansong Museum of Art, to showcase authentic Korean art. Bradley Bailey, the museum’s curator of Asian art, emphasized the MFAH’s commitment to its Korean collection, noting that it was the first museum in the American South to dedicate a gallery to Korean art. “Many Korean artists are doing very interesting things,” Bailey said in an interview with The Korea Times on Wednesday at The Shilla Hotel in Seoul. “After World War II, postwar Korean artists did not receive enough attention, especially in the United States. Some gained recognition in Europe, but much

Sep 4, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
Korean American patron’s quest to bring authentic Korean culture to US
Others

From Vermont to Alaska, Korean American couple’s 5-year journey honors forgotten Korean War heroes

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Ten Alaskans lost their lives during the Korean War, a bloody conflict that erupted on June 25, 1950, when communist North Korea invaded the South. Among them were three Indigenous Americans. Most of these young men were just teenagers or in their early 20s when their lives were cut short in a faraway land few had known before their deployment. They died fighting for the freedom of South Korea. Decades after the armistice of July 1953 brought the fighting to a halt, these little-known Alaskan soldiers have finally been honored, as Sung-yull and Chang-wha Koo, a Korean American couple based in New York, launched an initiative to locate and commemorate fallen Korean War soldiers across the United States. On Friday, the couple held a memorial service at Northwood Elementary School in Anchorage to pay tribute to the 10 Alaskan servicemen. The ceremony included a donation of $5,000 to rename the school library after Private John Byron “Little Jack” Whitson Jr. (1932-1953), one of the fallen soldiers. Northwood Elementary was chosen as the site for the 50th and final

Aug 20, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
From Vermont to Alaska, Korean American couple’s 5-year journey honors forgotten Korean War heroes
Opinion

Unfit and unchecked: Do we really need confirmation hearings like this?

The confirmation hearing for Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Kang Sun-woo on Monday turned into a tense political showdown, with lawmakers fiercely divided between defending and attacking the nominee. Kang, a sitting lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), remained composed throughout the contentious session, denying most of the allegations against her. The hearing was heated from the outset. Dozens of legislative aides staged a protest outside the National Assembly hearing room, demanding Kang withdraw her nomination. Holding signs featuring a disparaging acrostic poem using Kang’s name, the protesters accused her of abusing power and treating her aides like personal servants. “Shame on you,” one shouted as Kang approached the room. Unfazed, Kang, escorted by Assembly staff, entered the room without reacting. Inside, the atmosphere was hostile. Lawmakers grilled Kang over her alleged mistreatment of staff and failure to submit requested documents. In the media, she has been portrayed as a self-serving bully, with accusations of sending abusive text

Jul 16, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
Unfit and unchecked: Do we really need confirmation hearings like this?
Others

Trump's silence on Korea-US summit: What does it signal?

U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement earlier this week of a 25 percent tariff on all products imported from South Korea has thrown the country into turmoil. It was, as a Korean saying goes, “a thunderbolt from a clear sky.” Korea’s economy is heavily dependent on exports, which accounted for 44 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023. The U.S. is its second-largest trading partner. Last year alone, Korea exported goods worth $128 billion to the U.S., leaving Korean exporters deeply alarmed over the potentially devastating impact across-the-board tariffs could have on their businesses. If the new levies take effect on Aug. 1 — separate from existing sector-specific tariffs, as Trump stated — the Korean economy could sink into a recession. Already showing signs of contraction, the country’s GDP shrank in the first quarter on a quarter-on-quarter basis. In May, the Bank of Korea slashed its 2025 growth forecast to 0.8 percent, down from its February projection of 1.5 percent. For Korea, the next three weeks are critical. Trump indicated the U.S. gov

Jul 10, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
Trump's silence on Korea-US summit: What does it signal?
Others

The SKT hack: the real threat behind stolen data

The SK Telecom hack, revealed in April, marked a watershed moment for South Korea’s cybersecurity. In its wake, a flurry of proposals has been put forward to prevent similar large-scale data breaches. Yet the discourse, focused narrowly on cybersecurity measures, risks missing the bigger picture. The consequences of stolen personal data — and its potential abuse — are far more dangerous than many can imagine. In today’s digital age, experts warn that cyberattacks of this scale can even pose a direct threat to national sovereignty. Peter G. Kirchschlaeger, a professor of ethics at the University of Lucerne in Switzerland, emphasized the profound potential for misuse of stolen data, highlighting election interference as one of the most serious risks. With illegally harvested data, he explained, hackers can analyze users’ characteristics, interests and preferences to predict their thinking patterns and decisions. “The hackers, or those who possess the stolen data, can manipulate people into buying certain products they’re promoting,” Kirchschlaeger said. He warned that the

Jun 26, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
The SKT hack: the real threat behind stolen data
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