The Korea Times

Korea reviews joining US-led Hormuz operation

Korea is reviewing whether to join U.S.-led operations to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, following an explosion at a Korean-operated ship in the strait. The review comes as the U.S. is increasing pressure on Korea to participate in its operations, claiming the explosion resulted from an Iranian attack. So far Korea has said it is committed to making "practical contributions" to ensuring maritime security in the key waterway. Cheong Wa Dae said it is reviewing whether to join Washington's “Project Freedom,” aimed at guiding ships safely out of the strait. "The government holds the principle that safety in international maritime passage and free navigation meets all nations' common interest and should be protected according to international law," the presidential office said in a statement. "We are reviewing the U.S. proposal about the Strait of Hormuz based on the principle, the military readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula and domestic laws. Regarding Project Freedom, Korea and the U.S. have been communicating closely for safe u

May 5, 2026By Park Ji-won

Korea reviews joining US-led Hormuz operation

Korea discusses responses to explosion on Korean-operated ship in Strait of Hormuz

Politics

June 3 elections take shape: DPK’s presidential aides vs. PPP's incumbents

With less than 30 days remaining until the June 3 local elections, the two main parties have finalized their candidate lineups. While the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has fielded many fresh faces, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is largely relying on incumbent mayors and governors. Out of 17 metropolitan cities and provinces in the 2022 elections, the then-ruling PPP won a landslide victory, securing 12 regions, including major cities like Seoul, Busan and Incheon. However, since President Lee Jae Myung took power last year after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for leading an insurrection linked to his martial law declaration, the approval ratings of Yoon's party, the PPP, have continued to drop, at one point plummeting to 15 percent in a poll. Amid the low support ratings, the conservative party is struggling to find promising candidates, ultimately fielding 11 incumbent heads of cities and provinces. In contrast, many of the DPK's candidates are figures close to the president, whose approval rating has stood at around 60 percent in recent months. Thi

May 4, 2026By Park Ji-won

June 3 elections take shape: DPK’s presidential aides vs. PPP's incumbents

Defense

Pilot exodus in military: Air Force loses veteran pilots to commercial airlines

Hundreds of veteran Air Force pilots have left the military for commercial airlines over the past decade amid poor working conditions, causing significant losses for the military, data showed. According to Air Force data submitted, Sunday, to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, a total of 896 veteran pilots voluntarily left the service from 2017 to March this year. The term "veteran pilots" refers to those with eight to 17 years of experience who are capable of independently carrying out operations and training lower-grade pilots. In the first three months of this year alone, 47 pilots left the Air Force to join civilian airlines. Of the total, up to 622, or 69.4 percent, joined Korean Air, the country's flagship carrier, while 147, or 16.4 percent, joined Asiana Airlines and 103, or 11.5 percent, joined low-cost carriers. Separate 2025 data compiled by Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, another member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, showed that 113

May 3, 2026By Park Ji-won

Pilot exodus in military: Air Force loses veteran pilots to commercial airlines

Foreign Affairs

Korea sends experienced diplomats to US as Coupang dispute strains alliance

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducted a major reshuffle, sending experienced diplomats to key positions overseeing U.S. affairs as tensions with Washington mount over the handling of e-commerce company Coupang and a broader set of trade and security disputes. According to sources, Kim Sun-young, director-general for bilateral economic affairs who had been handling the Coupang matter from Seoul, will be appointed minister counselor for economic affairs at the Korean Embassy in the U.S. Yoon Joo-seok, director-general for consular affairs and safety, will take up the post of minister counselor for public diplomacy there. At the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul, Yi Won-woo, the current deputy director-general for North American Affairs, has been promoted to director-general of the department. Yi has built most of his career around U.S. affairs, with experience spanning security and North Korea intelligence issues, as well as from several years of service in Nigeria. Chun Young-Hee, ambassador to Luxembourg, was reportedly appointed minister for political affairs at the Washington em

May 2, 2026By Park Ji-won

Korea sends experienced diplomats to US as Coupang dispute strains alliance

Society

Too many trainers: Seoul’s Pokemon event canceled due to large crowd

A free Pokémon card giveaway at Seoul Forest was canceled Friday after an estimated 40,000 people flooded the Seongsu-dong area by noon, overwhelming the venue and prompting safety concerns on Korea's first Labor Day as an official public holiday. Pokémon Korea posted a notice on its social media channels announcing the cancellation of the on-site giveaway, which had been organized as part of its 30th-anniversary celebration "Pokemon Mega Festa" alongside the Seoul International Garden Show. "The giveaway event promo card 'Magikarp' has been canceled due to on-site safety concerns," the notice read, adding that applications would instead be accepted later through an online form. "Everyone who met the event conditions today will receive the items, so please feel free to leave the event." The Seoul city government is reported to have requested the cancellation. The event had offered a rare promotional Magikarp card, one of the franchise’s characters, along with a themed sun visor in exchange for collecting stamps across the area. The combination of a national holiday, a rare collectible

May 1, 2026By Park Ji-won

Too many trainers: Seoul’s Pokemon event canceled due to large crowd

Environment & Animals

Wild boar sightings in Seoul surge 137%

A video of firefighters struggling to subdue a wild boar in an apartment building in Seoul’s Mapo District went viral, April 27. The footage shows four firefighters wrestling with the animal before it was eventually killed. Six days earlier, Ewha Womans University put up an unusual notice for dormitory residents, warning them about wild boars on campus and advising them not to walk alone at night, or make any sudden or provocative movements if they encounter one. The university said it had increased patrols while spraying repellent, but failed to spot or capture any animal. The number of wild boar sightings has been on the rise over the past few years. The incidents reflect a broader trend. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of wild boars reported in the city rose137 percent, from 205 in 2022 to 486 in 2024. Eunpyeong District recorded the most cases at 158, followed by Dobong District with 126 and Seongbuk District with 79. Fire department callouts related to wild boars in Seoul reached 589 in 2024, up 55.4 percent from 2022, with 290 cases already logged in th

May 1, 2026By Park Ji-won

North Korea

Bukhan or Joson? Seoul debates official name of North Korea

“I have never thought of or called North Korea as 'Joson' in my life. Joson for me is the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910),” said Lee Ye-seul, 37, a South Korean office worker. Like Lee, most South Koreans would never consider calling North Korea by its official name — the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or "Joson" in its shortened Korean form. The familiar term here is "Bukhan," meaning North Korea in Korean. North Korea, for its part, calls itself Joson or the Republic and refers to its southern counterpart as "Namjoson," meaning South Joson. That ingrained habit is now the subject of a formal public debate. The Ministry of Unification has opened discussions on what South Korea should officially call its northern neighbor, after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young spent recent months consistently using the North's official name of Joson. Chung pointed to a reciprocal shift already underway in the North, where the former designation of Namjoson has gradually given way to the South's official name, "Daehanminguk," or its abbreviation "Hanguk." The move appears to align with the g

Apr 29, 2026By Park Ji-won

Bukhan or Joson? Seoul debates official name of North Korea

Foreign Affairs

UNICEF executive director visits Seoul to discuss AI hub partnership

Once one of the world’s poorest countries, Korea has become one of UNICEF’s largest donors — a transformation the agency’s executive director calls “one of the most remarkable in modern history.” “Korea has gone from being a recipient to a leading donor and one of UNICEF’s most important global partners ... Korea is a shining example that with the right investments in children — in education, health, nutrition and protection — transformation is possible,” UNICEF chief Catherine Russell told The Korea Times in a written interview ahead of her visit to Seoul. Korea now contributes $228.5 million to UNICEF annually from public and private sources combined, ranking sixth globally in 2025. Since joining the OECD Development Assistance Committee in 2010, the Korean government alone has contributed more than $800 million to UNICEF programs, helping reach over 110 million children worldwide. “What sets Korea apart is that it’s not just one type of partnership. It’s everything, all at once. I sometimes describe it as a whole-of-ecosystem partnership,” Russell said. O

Apr 28, 2026By Park Ji-won

UNICEF executive director visits Seoul to discuss AI hub partnership

North Korea

North Korea sends envoys to key posts in bid to act like ‘normal state’

North Korea is replacing people in decade-old ambassadorial posts across multiple countries in a diplomatic reshuffling, which analysts say is designed to project the image of "a normal state" and diversify its foreign ties beyond its heavy reliance on China and Russia. The moves include a series of appointments announced in quick succession. On April 7, Pyongyang named Song Se-il as ambassador to Brazil, followed by Ji Kyoung-su to Belarus on April 12. On April 18, Jo Yong-sam was appointed ambassador to Nigeria. On April 21, Hong Kwang-il was named ambassador to Indonesia and Mun Myong-sin to the United Kingdom. On Saturday, Kim Chol-hae was appointed ambassador to Sweden. The U.K. appointment is among the most significant. Mun will take over a key strategic mission handling North Korea's relations with the West, replacing Choe Il, who has held the post since 2016. Mun reportedly served as a second secretary at the North Korean Embassy in London alongside Thae Yong-ho — a high-profile defector to South Korea and former People Power Party lawmaker, who was then deputy to the ambassa

Apr 27, 2026By Park Ji-won

North Korea sends envoys to key posts in bid to act like ‘normal state’

Politics

Main opposition party struggles to find June election candidates, bringing back old guards

While the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) continues to list candidates for the June local and by-elections, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is struggling to field contenders, relying on old guards amid internal disputes and a declining support rate. With just 40 days remaining, the PPP has yet to finalize its candidates for key mayoral and by-election races, including in Gyeonggi Province and Busan, the country’s second-largest city, as of Friday. The conservative party is also showing signs of polarization over Chairman Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok’s leadership, with growing calls for his resignation. For the by-election for the parliamentary seat in Pyeongtaek B, Gyeonggi Province, political heavyweights have gathered. Minor Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, Jinbo Party leader Kim Jae-yeon and former acting president and conservative party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn have all announced their bids. The PPP, however, has yet to field a candidate. While Choo Mi-ae, a former justice minister and six-term lawmaker, has been actively campaigning as the DPK candidate in the Gye

Apr 24, 2026By Park Ji-won

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