The Korea Times

Second female PM

Timing is often an unruly thing. Many pundits have stressed the importance of timing in life. What I mean to say is, it is high time that Korea usher in another woman into a higher government office. The nation produced its first female president, Park Geun-hye, who served from 2013 until her disgraceful removal from office in 2017, and its first female prime minister, Han Myeong-sook, who served in the Roh Moo-hyun administration from 2006-07. Han Seong-sook, the current minister of SMEs and startups, has been tapped to become the next prime minister by President Lee Jae Myung. If she passes muster at the parliamentary hearings — which she did once before assuming the small and medium-sized enterprises ministership by promising, among other things, to sell off some of her real estate — she will become the second woman to become prime minister in Korean history. As Korea shifts gears to go headlong into the era of artificial intelligence (AI), Han's earlier career at IT company Naver is key. Her business background is different from the two women, Park and Han Myeong-sook who were

Jun 10, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

Today in History

WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2026

1190-Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River in modern-day Turkey, leading an army to Jerusalem during the Third Crusade 1786-A landslide dam on the Dadu River, caused by an earthquake ten days earlier, collapses and kills 100,000 in Sichuan province, China 1898-U.S. Marines land in Cuba during the Spanish–American War 1916-Hashemite-led Arabs of the Hejaz rise up against the ruling Ottoman Empire in the Great Arab Revolt of World War I 1963-U.S. Equal Pay Act signed into law by President John F. Kennedy 1977-Apple Computer ships its first Apple II computers 2003-The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission

Jun 9, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

People & Events

PHOTO Green growth conference

Dignitaries including Kim Sang-hyup, seventh from left, director-general of Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and Ban Ki-moon, eighth from left, president and chair of GGGI, pose for commemorative photo at the first GGGI-GCF joint conference, titled "Partnering for Ambitious Global Climate Action," at Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Thursday. The GGGI and the GCF (Global Climate Fund) are international organizations which deal with policy planning and procuring funds for green growth in the globe, both headquartered in Korea. The two organizations stated that the conference will further strengthen cooperation towards that goal. Courtesy of GGGI

May 21, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

Korean Heritage

A 'simmani,' forager and naturalist

JANGSU, North Jeolla Province — Mount Beophwa is considered among the smaller mountains here in this remote but lush town, rising slightly over 700 meters above sea level. Lee Kyoung-suk, 66, came here to forage for mountain herbs and vegetables in the last week of April. The veteran "simmani," or forager, wore her rainboots to fend off the snakes, her apron, and a backpack to carry the wild veggies and herbs she gathers. Deftly, she climbed over fallen tree trunks and hanging branches, her legs and arms moving in a long arc-like silhouette. Whenever she saw a target, she bent 90 degrees, swiftly plucking it. "Ah there, there is 'chwinamul' (aster scaber). Here, look, there is 'gosari' (bracken fiddlehead)," she said. When she changes direction and enters a deeper, thicker section of the mountain, she finds 'dureup,' or Aralia sprouts from a Korean angelica tree. These seasonal wild herbs, which have a fresh and nutty taste, are in full bloom during late April and May, making them busy months for Lee. About four hours' drive from the highly wired and connected Seoul, the people in Jan

May 13, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

Opinion

Like climbing a mountain

Renting in Seoul's competitive housing market in 2026 can be challenging. With apartment prices having risen around 9 percent in Seoul in 2025, the news warned of the death of rentals, especially Korea's lump-sum "jeonse" rental system. Some 21 years ago, when I rented my first apartment, it was not that difficult. My past experiences made me pretty complacent — until I actually had to find a place recently. Circa 2005, there were plenty of jeonse rentals, the Korean system where people pay a large, refundable lump-sum deposit rather than monthly rent for multiyear leases. I had the fortune of living 16 years in one such place — both the landlord and I were too lazy to bother with changes. Then, about five years ago, I had to move to a new apartment nearby. Unfortunately, the apartment buildings where I had lived were all scheduled to be torn down and rebuilt as new apartment buildings with updated units. Of course, they became more expensive. As neighborhoods soon turned to "construction mode," where buildings are torn down and rebuilt en masse, they also had the effect of pushing

Mar 18, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

Others

Roundtable Gauging impact of US-Israel war on Iran

As the world attempts to make sense of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, Korean experts are gauging when the conflict will end, as well as grappling with its economic and political ramifications, including the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and soaring energy prices. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that Iran is facing imminent defeat and that the U.S. is willing to escalate its attacks. However, there is no sign that Iran is considering surrender or that the war will come to a swift conclusion. To better understand the issues, a panel of experts was invited to share their opinions at The Korea Times roundtable, "U.S.-Israel war on Iran and its impact on the Korean Peninsula," held Wednesday in Seoul. The Korea Times' chief editorial writer Shim Jae-yun moderated the event, which featured Kim Won-soo, former United Nations under-secretary-general and high representative for disarmament affairs and retired Lt. Gen. Chun In-bum, former commander of the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command, along with Song Kyung-jin, senior fellow at the Asiatic Resear

Mar 12, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

[Roundtable] Gauging impact of US-Israel war on Iran

Korean Heritage

Samseongbo, tracing descendants of sons-in-law

Family genealogy records in Korea harken back to Chinese traditions, but the Korean-style printed books chronicling family relationships, known as "jokbo," blossomed in Korea, while China's tradition weakened after the Song Dynasty. Reflecting Korean values around social and family relationships, jokbo took surprisingly diverse forms. A good example is "Samseongbo," the only existing genealogy tracing descent through three sons-in-law. It is the family record of Choi Bu (1454-1504) who wrote well-known accounts of being shipwrecked during his travels in China. Choi, living in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), lacked a male heir and his tomb in Haenam (now Jeolla Province) wasn't being maintained. His family, and in particular his descendants through his daughters, decided to track their family records through his three sons-in-law. This reflected a perception even during the highly patriarchal Joseon period that daughters and their descendants are equally able to respect their ancestors, in both mind and practice. Choi's "Samseongbo" took 10 years to complete, detailing not only the child

Mar 3, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

Samseongbo, tracing descendants of sons-in-law

Opinion

Family roots, search for identity

It was a reunion with an old friend in a foreign land that brought back memories of the late 1970s. Perhaps it was the weather. Sometimes, when winter turns icy and frosty, it recalled the old days, back when the cold seemed far harsher. Families would gather in the main bedroom and share a blanket over a heated floor while sharing old tales. In the houses back then, there was a wall closet with a partition-like door that opened to reveal blankets and valuables. The valuables would include family documents like the family tree, and we would talk about how high or low my family was along the family tree, and whether women would also be registered on it. What reminded me of those days was meeting the friend, Mohamed Nasim, who lives in Singapore and who I have not met in 35 years. When we caught up in December, he presented me with a book he wrote in 2022 about his roots as a Malayalee and Malabari Muslim in Singapore. His father and mother arrived in the city-state from Kerala, India. His community was Malayalee, but they were largely identified as "Indian Muslims" in Singapore, a nati

Jan 9, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

Opinion

Enviable policies

Traveling overseas is a rare opportunity these days due to affordability issues. But when bones are chilled by the cold, people jump at the smallest opportunity — and when one such opportunity arrived for me, I took it. Ever the "one-plus-one-plus-one" traveler, this trip was a chance to reunite with friends, feast on local delicacies and find similarities between the city-state of Singapore and my life in Korea through a homestay program. Landing in a place where the temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius awakened my near-frozen senses, and with that my first stop was East Coast Lagoon Food Village. The numerous hawker stalls featured local delicacies like bak kut teh (a pork soup similar to Korean gukbap), stingray meat, skewers of satay and fried oyster omelettes. This distinctively Singaporean quality helped bring hawker culture to greater acclaim, including designation as a UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. Experience a few hawker centers, and you will barely notice a dent in your wallet, but definitely notice a bulge in your stom

Jan 7, 2026By Kim Ji-soo

Trends

Global Green Growth Week 2025 under way in Seoul

Alongside the high-level diplomacy of the APEC meetings in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Global Green Growth Week 2025 kicked off on Monday. The event is being held in both Seoul and Gyeongju under the theme of "Innovation in a World in Transition: Driving Green Solutions for Climate and Development." A total of 170 speakers from the 53 member states of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) are exploring sustainable artificial intelligence, green finance, hydrogen, carbon markets and strategies for adaptation and resilience. These key topics are central to GGGI’s work, which helps member states transition their economies toward a green growth model that reduces poverty, promotes social inclusion and ensures long-term economic sustainability. Around 2,000 participants are expected to join the event in person and online. Global Green Growth Week featured standout events, including the CJK+ASEAN High-Level Roundtable on carbon market cooperation, held Tuesday in cooperation with APEC 2025 Korea. Representatives from China, Japan, South Korea and ASEAN countries discussed the e

Oct 28, 2025By Kim Ji-soo

Kim Ji-soo

Read more

Second female PM

WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2026

PHOTO Green growth conference

A 'simmani,' forager and naturalist

Like climbing a mountain

Roundtable Gauging impact of US-Israel war on Iran

Samseongbo, tracing descendants of sons-in-law

Family roots, search for identity

Enviable policies

Global Green Growth Week 2025 under way in Seoul

Top 5 stories