The Korea Times

Koreans say money matters most for health, surpassing genes and habits: report

More Koreans now see money and social status as the strongest determinants of their health, overtaking previously dominant factors such as genetics and lifestyle habits, a new survey showed Sunday. According to the 2025 Health Perception Report released by the Korea Health Promotion Institute, 33.3 percent of respondents said income and social status most influenced their health. That figure exceeded all answers, including access to workout facilities and parks at 14.8 percent, genetic factors at 12.8 percent, and personal lifestyle or coping skills at 11.5 percent. The poll, conducted from Oct. 31 to Nov. 14 last year, surveyed 2,000 men and women aged 20 to 69 across the country. It marks a notable shift in Koreans' perceptions, as genetics had previously topped the list in 2023 and 2024. The perception that wealth matters most for health was consistent across generations. The portion of respondents choosing income and social status as the top factor was highest among those in their 40s and 50s at 36.4 percent, followed by seniors in their 60s at 32.6 percent and those in their 20s an

Jan 25, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Koreans say money matters most for health, surpassing genes and habits: report

Society

Why Koreans hold celebrities to sky-high moral standards

Korea’s harsh moral expectations for public figures have once again come under scrutiny, as star chef Im Seong-keun saw his hard-won fame evaporate almost overnight following revelations of past drunk-driving offenses. Sociologists say this goes beyond cancel culture, reflecting how Korean society views celebrities as moral proxies, emotional surrogates and symbols of justice in an unequal society. Im shot to national fame on Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars" Season 2, where viewers praised his skill, humor and easy rapport with younger chefs. His simple, affordable recipes went viral on YouTube, and by early January his inbox was overflowing with collaboration requests and commercial offers from major broadcasters and brands. The momentum collapsed on Sunday, when he posted a YouTube video confessing to multiple drunk driving offenses over roughly a decade, saying he had "made mistakes because of my love for alcohol" and had even had his license revoked. Subsequent reporting revealed at least four DUI cases, including one involving riding a motorcycle while intoxicated and without

Jan 22, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Why Koreans hold celebrities to sky-high moral standards

Travel & Food

Inside world’s esports capital: Seoul’s PC bangs and pro gaming scene

Outside Jonggak Station in central Seoul on a chilly Saturday evening, the air carried a hum of anticipation as an escalator climbing toward the third floor of a downtown office complex funneled hundreds of fans toward a single glowing destination: LoL Park, the home of Korea’s League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) and the beating heart of Seoul’s esports scene. An hour before the big match between KT Rolster and Gen.G began, the concourse felt like a high-stakes cross between a football derby and a movie premiere. Fans in team-branded beanies lined up for BBQ chicken and beer, while others posed for photos under towering character statues. While only 450 fans can fit inside the arena, hundreds of thousands more tune in online — on platforms such as SOOP, Chzzk and YouTube — turning what is billed as a regional Saturday match into a globally watched event. Gamer's pilgrimage Inside LCK Arena — a modern colosseum where seats wrap 360 degrees around an open stage — the intimacy is staggering. Players sit barely 5 meters from the front row, close enough for fans to witness the

Jan 22, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Inside world’s esports capital: Seoul’s PC bangs and pro gaming scene

Health

Korean researchers identify brain differences linked to suicide risk

A Korean research team has identified distinct differences in brain networks among people with depression who have attempted to take their own lives, suggesting that altered neural wiring, not simply more severe symptoms, may increase the risk of suicidal behavior. Researchers at Korea University Anam Hospital said on Wednesday that patients with depression who had attempted suicide showed weaker connectivity between the brain’s visual cortex, which processes what people see, and the frontal lobe, which governs judgment and emotion. The findings were based on a study of 123 patients diagnosed with depression, compared to 81 participants in a control group, the team said. The team, led by psychiatry professors Han Kyu-man and Ham Byung-joo, analyzed brain activity using MRI scans taken while patients were at rest, along with clinical data and standard questionnaires on childhood trauma. The researchers focused on how different regions of the brain communicate with one another when a person is not performing any specific task, a method often used to detect underlying network difference

Jan 22, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Korean researchers identify brain differences linked to suicide risk

Society

Korea moves to extend labor protections to 8.6 mil. freelancers, platform workers

Freelancers, platform workers and others long excluded from labor protections will gain new rights under sweeping changes expected to be passed by May 1. The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced a legislative package Tuesday that introduces a “presumption of worker status” and enacting a new Basic Rights of Working People Act, aiming to close legal loopholes that have left at least 5.7 million, and possibly up to 8.6 million people, without basic labor rights. Under the proposed system, anyone who provides labor for another person’s business will be presumed a worker in civil disputes. The burden of proof will shift from workers to employers, who must prove that a claimant is not an employee. The change is expected to make it easier for contract and gig workers, including delivery riders and subcontracted professionals, to claim unpaid wages, severance or minimum wage protections. Once enacted, the system will reverse the current structure that forces workers to prove their own status as employees, a hurdle that has disadvantaged freelancers and special employment workers. I

Jan 20, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Korea moves to extend labor protections to 8.6 mil. freelancers, platform workers

Health

For Koreans, ‘good death’ means comfort, easing burden on family, study shows

A growing number of Koreans now see a “good death” less as a family-centered moment and more as one free of pain and financial strain, a shift highlighted in a study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA). The report, published in the latest issue of the institute’s journal, Health and Social Welfare Review, analyzed responses from 1,021 adults aged 19 and older who took part in an online survey conducted between April 23 and May 7, 2024. Led by Oh Jong-min of Ewha Womans University’s School of Medicine, the research examined public attitudes toward death and preparations for one’s final years. Results showed that an overwhelming 97 percent of respondents considered minimizing physical pain essential to a good death, followed by easing families’ financial burden at 96.2 percent and sparing them from prolonged caregiving at 95.3 percent. These figures show that growing openness to hospice care here is driven less by acceptance of palliative medicine than by harsh financial realities. The data is also supported by a rise in so-called “caregiving traged

Jan 19, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

For Koreans, ‘good death’ means comfort, easing burden on family, study shows

Politics

Tool of justice or political weapon? Debate grows over exit bans in Korea

Korea’s “exit ban,” a sweeping tool used to stop suspects from leaving the country, is coming under mounting scrutiny. Long seen as a cornerstone of investigative authority, the system is now under attack both as an instrument of arbitrary state overreach and a system riddled with gaps that appears to spare well-connected figures, including a Seoul city councilor under investigation for corruption and the acting head of one of the country’s biggest online retailers. Recent lapses involving Kim Kyung, the city councilor accused of bribery, and Coupang’s interim CEO Harold Rogers, have exposed a systemic double bind: Authorities are increasingly decried as being heavy-handed with ordinary suspects, yet indulgent toward the powerful. Police, who are behind the 30 percent rise in ban requests since 2020, face mounting pressure to reform. Critics argue the "ban-first" culture has become a default tactic rather than a last resort, even as high-profile figures continue to slip through the cracks. However, experts note such incidents are the exception and that more often, exit bans hav

Jan 19, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Tool of justice or political weapon? Debate grows over exit bans in Korea

Society

Seoul sets stricter rules for city-sponsored marathons

The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled a new set of guidelines tightening regulations on marathons organized or sponsored by the city, aiming to reduce traffic disruptions, noise and public inconvenience as citizens' love of running shows no sign of slowing. Under the new rules, races requiring traffic control must now begin before 7:30 a.m. and finish around 10 a.m., moving up start times from the previous 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., according to the city government. The earlier ending is intended to ease commuter complaints caused by prolonged road closures. The city also banned alcohol companies from sponsoring events, citing a mismatch between the spirit of athletics and alcoholic branding. Until last year, beverage makers such as OB Beer and HiteJinro sponsored marathons and distributed nonalcoholic beer to runners. To maintain public order and safety, the guidelines set capacity limits for major public venues: 15,000 participants at Gwanghwamun Square, 12,000 at Seoul Plaza, 9,000 at Yeouido Park and 7,000 at World Cup Park. Organizers who fail to clean up litter on roads after races wi

Jan 18, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Seoul sets stricter rules for city-sponsored marathons

Travel & Food

Why Korean airports ban most battery-heated gadgets in cabin and checked bags

Korea is tightening restrictions on battery-heated gadgets on airplanes, effectively banning most cordless hair tools and similar devices from both carry-on and checked luggage amid mounting fears over in-flight lithium-ion battery fires. The issue drew fresh attention after Australian traveler Ellie Tran was forced to abandon a wireless hair straightener worth around 500,000 won ($399) at Incheon International Airport before boarding a flight home to Sydney. Tran told British outlet Daily Mail that she had checked in the same model multiple times without incident and had even flown into Korea with it, only to be told on departure that it had to be discarded. The device contained a built-in lithium-ion battery that cannot be removed, which security officials flagged as a fire risk. Korean airlines now prohibit cordless straighteners, curling irons, portable irons and rechargeable hand warmers with non-removable batteries in both cabin and checked baggage on all routes. The crackdown isn’t limited to hair tools. Security officials at Incheon and other major Korean air hubs are increasin

Jan 17, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Why Korean airports ban most battery-heated gadgets in cabin and checked bags

Society

BTS comeback sparks astronomical hotel price hikes in Busan

BTS’ long-awaited full-group comeback concert in Busan is still months away, but hotel prices in the southeastern port city have already hit exorbitant levels, rekindling anger over “rip-off” room rates whenever mega-events come to town. Some properties have reportedly hiked prices by up to 10 times and even asked guests with existing bookings to cancel so they can resell at higher prices. The group will return as a full act for the first time since all members completed their mandatory military service, kicking off a world tour in April that will stop in North America, Europe, South America and Asia. Busan is the only domestic venue outside Seoul, with shows slated for June 12 and 13 — the latter doubling as BTS’ debut anniversary and a homecoming for Busan-born members Jimin and Jung Kook, intensifying demand from both local and overseas ARMY, their official fan base. As of Friday, on local booking platforms, many hotels across key tourist areas such as Haeundae, Gwangalli and Gijang were already sold out for the concert dates within hours of the schedule dropping. Remaining

Jan 16, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

Koreans say money matters most for health, surpassing genes and habits: report

Why Koreans hold celebrities to sky-high moral standards

Inside world’s esports capital: Seoul’s PC bangs and pro gaming scene

Korean researchers identify brain differences linked to suicide risk

Korea moves to extend labor protections to 8.6 mil. freelancers, platform workers

For Koreans, ‘good death’ means comfort, easing burden on family, study shows

Tool of justice or political weapon? Debate grows over exit bans in Korea

Seoul sets stricter rules for city-sponsored marathons

Why Korean airports ban most battery-heated gadgets in cabin and checked bags

BTS comeback sparks astronomical hotel price hikes in Busan

Top 5 stories