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Lee Hae-rin

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.

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Health

Dozens report side effects in first month of Mounjaro’s rollout in Korea

At least 35 cases of side effects, including two serious ones, were reported within a month of weight loss drug Mounjaro’s release in Korea, raising safety concerns amid surging demand. According to data obtained by Rep. Seo Mi-hwa of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea from the Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management, the cases were reported between August and September, following the local rollout of Mounjaro, whose active ingredient is tirzepatide. Health officials said two of the 35 reported cases met the threshold for a serious reaction, with symptoms such as diarrhea and hypoglycemic shock. Under Korean drug safety regulations, serious adverse events are defined as those that lead to death, are life-threatening, require hospitalization or produce permanent impairment. Fifteen cases involved women and four involved men, while the gender of the remaining 16 patients was not reported. Seven cases were reported among people between the ages of 19 and 65, with no age data given for the others. Common side effects linked to tirzepatide include gastrointestinal distress, ab

Dec 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Dozens report side effects in first month of Mounjaro’s rollout in Korea
Travel & Food

Seoul lights up for Christmas with Gwanghwamun Market, lantern festival

Santa Claus, traditional and LED lanterns and media art are set to light up central Seoul this winter as the city rolls out major Christmas and year-end festivals designed to attract visitors to Gwanghwamun Square and Cheonggye Stream, two of the city’s most symbolic public spaces. Gwanghwamun Square turns into Santa's Village From Friday to Dec. 31, Gwanghwamun Square will transform into the 2025 Gwanghwamun Market, a European-style Christmas village built around a 15-meter Christmas tree and a newly installed Rudolph carousel. Now in its fourth year, the market has quickly become one of Seoul’s signature winter attractions, drawing 1.64 million visitors and generating about 700 million won ($476,372) in sales for 141 small businesses over 24 days last winter, according to the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO). This year’s concept, "Santa Village in a Winter Fairy Tale," divides the square into three zones — a village entrance, play plaza and village market — filled with more than 10 themed photo spots such as a nutcracker house, gingerbread cookie house and teddy bear photo st

Dec 9, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Seoul lights up for Christmas with Gwanghwamun Market, lantern festival
Travel & Food

Incheon’s Inspire Resort transforms into ‘Winter Wonderland’ for holiday season

YEONGJONG ISLAND, Incheon — Inspire Entertainment Resort on Incheon’s Yeongjong Island has emerged as one of Korea’s most talked-about hotel destinations for a winter vacation, drawing domestic and international visitors to an all-indoor Christmas playground branded as a “Winter Wonderland.” The integrated resort’s layout — linking hotels, media art, arena shows, shopping and dining under one roof — means a single overnight stay can feel too short, as seasonal programs, photo zones and parties spill seamlessly from morning through late night. The heart of this year’s program is the Rotunda, a vast circular hall at the resort’s center that has been transformed into the Winter Wonderland Gift Factory, a large-scale Christmas installation built around animatronic bears busily preparing presents. Six themed zones, from a gift registry reception to baking, toy-making and gift-wrapping stations, create a narrative journey as finished presents glide along conveyor belts before departing for Santa Village. Nearby, the 150-meter digital entertainment street Aurora immerses vi

Dec 9, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Incheon’s Inspire Resort transforms into ‘Winter Wonderland’ for holiday season
Politics

PHOTO Back to Cheong Wa Dae

Trucks loaded with office supplies enter the Sihwa Gate of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul's Jongno District, Tuesday. The move is part of relocating the presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae after three years and seven months in Yongsan District. The relocation, a central campaign promise of President Lee Jae Myung, is expected to be completed around Christmas Day. Newsis

Dec 9, 2025By Lee Hae-rinphoto
[PHOTO] Back to Cheong Wa Dae
Society

Actor Cho Jin-woong's retirement sparks debate over lasting impact of juvenile records

In an era where a digital paper trail rarely fades, the sudden retirement of Cho Jin-woong, one of Korea’s most recognizable and respected actors, has forced a painful national reckoning over the limits of forgiveness and the long shadow of juvenile crime. The controversy, which saw the 49-year-old star abruptly step away from his career after a decades-old offense came to light, pits the progressive principles of juvenile rehabilitation against the modern demand for absolute accountability. The dramatic exit came swiftly after a local entertainment news outlet, Dispatch, published a report detailing a serious crime committed by the actor when he was a teenager, before he adopted his stage name. In Korea, a court-issued juvenile protection measure applies to youths ages 10 to 19 who commit crimes or delinquent acts, prioritizing protection, reform and education over criminal punishment to help them reintegrate into society. The records are kept confidential for the same reason. Cho, best known internationally for the drama “Signal,” acknowledged wrongdoing as a minor while denying

Dec 8, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Actor Cho Jin-woong's retirement sparks debate over lasting impact of juvenile records
Travel & Food

Luxurious yet practical? ‘Dualism’ to shape Korea’s tourism in 2026

Forget simple vacations. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced Monday that the nation’s 2026 travel buzzword is “dualism,” reflecting travelers’ desire for two contrasting experiences on the same trip: luxury and practicality, as well as cutting-edge technology and raw, unfiltered emotion. At the recent 2025 Data Utilization and Convergence Analysis Conference, the KTO introduced “D.U.A.L.I.S.M.” as the framework for its 2026 tourism outlook. The outlook is based on three years of macroenvironmental analysis, telecommunications and card-spending data, social media trends and surveys of both experts and travelers. The seven major trends identified are digital humanity, cultural unity, adaptive resilience, local re-creation, individualized value spectrums, spatial experience and multi-generation flow. Each trend points to a shifting tourism model shaped by social, environmental and technological factors. In the era of “digital humanity,” artificial intelligence becomes an emotional guide of sorts, taking over complex planning so travelers can devote their attention

Dec 8, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Luxurious yet practical? ‘Dualism’ to shape Korea’s tourism in 2026
Society

Koreans’ love-hate relationship with ‘first snow’: Romance, wishes, military hardships

Koreans greeted this year’s first snowfall on Thursday with a mix of delight and dread, as "cheotnun," or the first snow of the season, has come to symbolize both romance and hardship. Heavy snow blanketed Seoul and surrounding regions through the evening, turning commutes into major ordeals, while couples and families ventured outdoors to take photos and enjoy the special moment. Central regions, including the capital area, witnessed unusually heavy snowfall, with several centimeters accumulating on roads and sidewalks during rush hour. Authorities issued advisories about icy roads and urged drivers to slow down, as congestion on the roads worsened through the night. At the same time, the first snow has come to mark an annual cultural occasion. K-pop group EXO’s winter ballad "First Snow," released in 2013, has once again surged on major streaming charts, as listeners pair its nostalgic melancholy with scenes of snow-covered streets. The boy band even uploaded a "First Snow challenge" video on their social media, dancing to the song wearing Christmas accessories. In Korean pop cultur

Dec 5, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Koreans’ love-hate relationship with ‘first snow’: Romance, wishes, military hardships
Law & Crime

Korea bans neglectful parents from receiving child’s survivor pensions under revised law

Korea has enacted a major reform to its pension system that prevents parents who abandoned their children from claiming survivor benefits after the child’s death — a move that challenges long-standing social norms about unconditional parental rights. The revised National Pension Service Act, passed by the National Assembly this week, bars parents who failed to meet their legal duty to support a minor child from receiving any economic benefits tied to that child’s death. The change mirrors a shift in Korean society toward fairness and accountability over traditional ideas of entitlement based on blood ties. For decades, family law in Korea was heavily influenced by Korean moral ethics, which emphasized filial duty and parental authority as sacred bonds. Under this moral code, parental rights, including inheritance and benefit claims, persisted even when a parent had neglected or abandoned a child. The underlying assumption was that biological ties could not be severed, regardless of parents’ actions or responsibility. That sentiment was tested by several high-profile cases that sp

Dec 5, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Korea bans neglectful parents from receiving child’s survivor pensions under revised law
Travel & Food

Outdoor boom: Seoul Hiking Week sees sevenfold jump in foreign visitors

A growing number of international tourists are flocking to Seoul’s mountain trails, where nature meets the city in what officials are calling “K-hiking.” According to the Seoul Tourism Organization, foreign visitors to its hiking tourism center on Mount Bukhan surged 760 percent this year compared to the same period last year, signaling a sharp rise in the activity’s appeal. The increase follows the success of this year’s Seoul Hiking Week, jointly organized by the tourism board and the outdoor Korean apparel brand Black Yak. The event featured sunrise hikes to Baegundae Peak on Mount Bukhan and trail-running programs through Uiryeong’s maple-lined paths, attracting more than a thousand participants. Officials say many visitors are drawn to Seoul’s unique geography — a metropolis where forested peaks stand alongside clusters of glass towers and centuries-old palaces. From the summit of Mount Bukhan, hikers can watch dawn spill over Gyeongbok Palace and the Han River, a view that captures the city’s dual identity as both ancient and modern. The Seoul Hiking Tourism Cente

Dec 5, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Outdoor boom: Seoul Hiking Week sees sevenfold jump in foreign visitors
Politics

A year after martial law scare, Koreans recall shock, call for safeguards

Nearly a year has passed since then President Yoon Suk Yeol abruptly declared martial law, plunging the country into confusion. Many Koreans say the memory still feels unreal. In interviews with The Korea Times, people of all ages described their initial reactions as disbelief, fear or sheer bewilderment. Most said they remain unconvinced by the justification offered for such an extraordinary measure. Kim Ja-min, a 25-year-old student in Busan, said he was studying for an exam in his dormitory lounge when an alert appeared on his phone. “At first, I thought it must be fake,” he said, adding that he could not believe that something he had only ever read about in history textbooks was happening in real time. A consultant in her 30s said she considered the declaration “unimaginable in this era,” arguing that a leader’s political frustrations could not justify a decision that had such a profound impact on financial markets and people’s lives. A woman in her 60s said her first thought was simply, “Why martial law?” She could not fathom what could possibly justify it. Others reco

Dec 3, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji, Lee Hae-rin and Anna J. Park
A year after martial law scare, Koreans recall shock, call for safeguards
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