The Korea Times

North Korean provocation looming after Soleimani killing

North Koreans march at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, Sunday, in this photo released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooIn the wake of the drone-led killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, it remains to be seen how the airstrike will affect North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's actions.Some believe Pyongyang will use the assassination to justify its nuclear program as a necessary form of defense and take its own path toward a nuclear power. But there is also speculation that the North Korean leader may disappear from the public eye ― like his predecessors ― out of fear of a possible U.S. attempt to assassinate him. On Monday, three days after the death of the Iranian general in Iraq, the North's official media outlets carried their first reports on the incident, hinting that the country may chart a new course. “There is nothing to hesitate about in the face of growing hostile acts, nuclear threats and blackmail,” the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, said in an article. “W

Jan 6, 2020By Kang Seung-woo

North Korean provocation looming after Soleimani killing

Society

Retailers still using excessive packaging

A customer puts groceries into a cardboard box at a Seoul-based discount store, Wednesday, when the four major retailers stopped providing packaging tape and strings. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooConsumers are complaining of local retail stores' double-dealing regarding their commitment to reducing plastic packaging materials.Staring this year, the nation's four major retailers ― Emart, Lotte Mart, Homeplus and Nonghyup Hanaro Mart ― have halted the provision of packaging tape and string that shoppers used in packaging purchases in cardboard boxes to carry their groceries home, after agreeing with the Ministry of Environment last August.While customers are participating in the “uncomfortable” campaign, retail stores do not seem to share the burden with their clients as they are still using tape for their buy-one-get-one offers and freebies attached to products. “When I heard that retail stores would no longer provide tape and string for cardboard boxes used to carry groceries, I thought the government had good intentions, though they may not have fully thought it throug

Jan 2, 2020By Kang Seung-woo

Retailers still using excessive packaging

Society

Korea, ICT leader with many side effects

Korean society battling internet repercussions By Kang Seung-woo Korea is referred to as a global information and communication technology (ICT) leader and it is not difficult to see why. The country was the first nation in the world to demonstrate its full-fledged fifth-generation (5G) network last April, which provides super-fast connection speeds, low latency and the ability to connect many devices without the system slowing down. It is also the most wired country in the world with the highest internet penetration rate of practically 100 percent as of the start of this year. While leading the way in the development of an ICT-based society, however, the country is now struggling with long-neglected side effects. Cyberbullying is increasingly rampant here, as evidenced by the suicides of K-pop stars Goo Ha-ra and Sulli, both of whom had fallen victim to online trolls' malicious comments that many believe led them to take their own lives last year.Online sexual violence is another concern, with thousands of people, mostly women, becoming victims as perpetrators share illicit video an

Jan 1, 2020By Kang Seung-woo

Travel & Food

Where did Koreans travel last year?

Jeju Island remains the top tourist destination for Koreans. / Courtesy of KayakJeju most-searched destination; Chinese cities gaining favorBy Kang Seung-wooAs 2019 is now in the history books, it might be the right time to look back on tourist destinations that Koreans loved and those emerging as new attractions luring travelers last year.Global travel search engine Kayak recently released the trends of vacation spots that Koreans were interested in in 2019 based on users' searches on the website.Favorite placesJeju Island topped the list as the most-clicked destination by Koreans on the Kayak website in 2019, followed by Japan's Osaka and Vietnam's Da Nang. Other Japanese cities also drew interest from Koreans, as evidenced by Tokyo and Fukuoka ranking fourth and seventh, respectively. However, they lost favor in the second half of the year in the wake of the trade restriction-triggered anti-Japan boycott campaign, under which Koreans opted not to travel to Japan. For example, Osaka was the most-searched destination from January to April, but since then, it barely made the top six.

Jan 1, 2020By Kang Seung-woo

Society

More young adults apply to clean streets

By Kang Seung-wooAmid rising youth unemployment, more young adults are applying for street cleaner jobs, which used to be shunned by young people.According to the Incheon Metropolitan Government, Tuesday, its Seo-gu Office recruited five street cleaners last September from 114 applicants, with those in their 20s and 30s accounting for 49.1 percent (56 applicants).The Yeonsu-gu Office in the city also received 39 applications for two positions and 25 of those ― or 64.1 percent ― were in their 20s and 30s, while the Namdong-gu Office had 110 applicants for 16 jobs, 46 of whom belonged to the same age group, in October, and eight of the total applicants were women.Local governments attribute the growing interest in the job to a change in the perception of street cleaners, as well as the high unemployment rate among young adults.According to the Korea Economic Research Institute, the number of unemployed youth aged between 15 and 29 grew by 28.3 percent over the decade from 2008 to 2018.In addition, street sweepers' high salaries also draw many applicants. The starting annual salary for

Dec 31, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

More young adults apply to clean streets

Society

Education sector split over voting age

Members of a youth civic group hold a press conference at the National Assembly, Nov. 18, urging lawmakers to lower the voting age to 18 from 19. The bill on the issue was passed recently. / Korea Time fileBy Kang Seung-wooMixed responses are rising over the National Assembly's passage of an election reform bill that lowers the voting age to 18 from current 19. Those aged 18 are usually high school seniors in Korea.Proponents say the lower voting age will guarantee young people's right to vote, providing them opportunities to express their opinions publicly in areas directly linked to their lives such as education and employment, while critics are concerned that it could politicize classrooms.Last week, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and smaller opposition parties passed a reform bill, enabling some 530,000 high school students to cast their votes in the upcoming general election scheduled for April 15, 2020. The age adjustment was one of President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledges. Under the current Election Law, a national of 19 years of age or above shall have voting righ

Dec 30, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Travel & Food

Number of foreign tourists to hit record high in 2019

A street in Myeong-dong in central Seoul is crowded with citizens and foreign travelers, Tuesday. The number of foreign tourists to Korea is expected to reach a record 17.5 million this year. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooThe number of international tourists to Korea for this year is expected to reach a record 17.5 million amid efforts to draw more independent Chinese travelers and diversify markets, the state-run tourism promotion agency said, Tuesday,According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), 16.05 million foreign tourists visited Korea between January and November, and an additional 1.45 million are expected to travel here by the end of the year. “Considering the current pace of foreign tourist arrival in Korea, the total number for this year is easily likely to set a  record,” a KTO official said. The previous annual record for inbound tourists is 17.24 million set in 2016.Taking a closer look, the record number means one international traveler visits Korea per 1.8 seconds and 118 fully occupied 407-seater airplanes land daily over the course of a year. The hi

Dec 24, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Number of foreign tourists to hit record high in 2019

Law & Crime

Prosecution requests arrest warrant for ex-justice minister

By Kang Seung-wooThe prosecution asked a court to issue an arrest warrant for former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, Monday, on charges that while at Cheong Wa Dae he unfairly intervened in a bribery probe involving a former Busan vice mayor.Former Justice Minister Cho KukThe Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office said it has requested a warrant to detain Cho over charges of abuse of power and obstruction of official duties.The request came after prosecutors questioned Cho twice last week, hinting that a warrant request was imminent. Cho was senior presidential secretary for civil affairs before taking the justice minister post.Seoul Eastern District Court is scheduled to review the prosecution's request on Thursday.Former Busan Vice Mayor Yoo Jae-soo allegedly took bribes worth 49.5 million won ($42,600) from four financial firms in various forms like golf clubs, flight tickets and gifts in 2017 while serving as director-general of the Financial Services Commission (FSC).Cheong Wa Dae's special inspection team was apparently investigating corruption allegations involving the vice mayo

Dec 23, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Prosecution requests arrest warrant for ex-justice minister

Companies

Jeju Air suspends Jeju-Fukuoka flights

By Kang Seung-wooJeju Air has temporarily suspended flights between Jeju Island and Japan's Fukuoka amid sluggish demand due to the “Boycott Japan” movement. “We will suspend the service in January and February next year due to declining profitability as fewer Koreans travel to Japan,” a Jeju Air official said.Tickets for the route are unavailable on the airline's website. The decision comes six months after the nation's largest low-cost carrier opened the route in July, the same month the Japanese government announced trade restrictions against Korea. As a result, Koreans have stopped buying Japanese products and visiting the neighboring country. The nationwide campaign continues to grow.According to the company, the route's average seat occupancy for July was 75 percent, but it has since declined from 70 percent in August to 40 percent in September. This month, it dropped below 30 percent despite a bargain 100,000 won ($86) round-trip fare. Jeju Air slumped to a 17.4 billion won operating loss in the third quarter from a 37.8 billion won operating profit a y

Dec 20, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Travel & Food

Korea Grand Sale to take place on Jan. 16

Foreign tourists visit the main welcome center in Seoul during the 2019 Korea Grand Sale. / Courtesy of Visit Korea CommitteeBy Kang Seung-woo The Korea Grand Sale, an annual sales event to woo foreigners, will be back, Jan. 16, for a 45-day run until Feb. 29, the Visit Korea Committee said, Tuesday. Under the theme of “Inviting you to the Korea Grand Sale,” the integrated festival of shopping, tourism and culture for international visitors will once again offer steep discounts in a variety of areas such as flights, transportation, accommodation, shopping, beauty, health and hands-on events. Also this time, the festival is set to offer foreigners a package of Korean culture-inspired activities such as K-pop, K-beauty and K-food that are catching on worldwide. “We are ready to deliver a pleasant shopping experience and opportunities for foreign visitors to experience and consume Korea's culture through the upcoming Korea Grand Sale,” Han Kyung-ah, the secretary-general of the committee, said at a press conference in Seoul. According to the committee, this year'

Dec 18, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Kang Seung-woo

Read more

North Korean provocation looming after Soleimani killing

Retailers still using excessive packaging

Korea, ICT leader with many side effects

Where did Koreans travel last year?

More young adults apply to clean streets

Education sector split over voting age

Number of foreign tourists to hit record high in 2019

Prosecution requests arrest warrant for ex-justice minister

Jeju Air suspends Jeju-Fukuoka flights

Korea Grand Sale to take place on Jan. 16

Top 5 stories