The Korea Times

Firefighter’s death spurs calls to bolster trauma care after disasters

Calls to overhaul and strengthen Korea’s trauma care system have intensified following the recent death of a firefighter who responded to the 2022 Itaewon disaster, highlighting wider concerns over the country’s preparedness for social emergencies. His death, the 160th official fatality linked to the crowd crush, has renewed criticism of Korea’s failure to provide adequate support for first responders and survivors grappling with long-term psychological trauma, despite its experience with multiple high-profile social disasters in recent decades. On Thursday, police confirmed that the body of a firefighter found Wednesday in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, after he had been missing for 10 days, showed no signs of foul play. Authorities said the 30-year-old appeared to have taken his own life, and at the family’s request, an autopsy will not be conducted. He left notes expressing sorrow to loved ones, but no will was discovered. The firefighter, who had served as a first responder since 2017, was dispatched to the Itaewon disaster site on Oct. 29, 2022. More than 150 people were killed

Aug 21, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Firefighter’s death spurs calls to bolster trauma care after disasters

People & Events

Yoon Moo-boo, Korea’s beloved ‘bird doctor,’ dies at 84

Yoon Moo-boo, a prominent ornithologist and educator known to many as Korea’s “bird doctor,” died on Friday at Kyung Hee University Medical Center in Seoul. He was 84. Yoon, who had a stroke in 2006 and suffered a recurrence in June, is remembered for his unwavering devotion to the study and preservation of Korea’s birds. He continued his work even after being confined to a wheelchair and developing partial paralysis that forced him to learn to photograph with his non-dominant left hand. Born in 1941 in the coastal town of Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Yoon grew fascinated with birds as an elementary school student after encountering a hoopoe. He later remarked that, if born again, he would want to come back as a hoopoe, a testament to his lifelong affection for the creatures. Over a career spanning five decades, Yoon traversed the Korean Peninsula, amassing a staggering archive of 600,000 bird photographs and more than 1,300 reels of footage. Yoon held bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Kyung Hee University and wrote his doctorate thesis on the geographic va

Aug 15, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Yoon Moo-boo, Korea’s beloved ‘bird doctor,’ dies at 84

Society

AirAsia blames bad weather for Incheon-bound flight's surprise Gimpo landing

The AirAsia flight that caused passenger confusion by making an unexpected landing at Gimpo International Airport instead of its original destination of Incheon International Airport on Wednesday evening made a safety-based “planned diversion” due to adverse weather conditions, according to the airline. Flight D7 506, which departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport earlier that day, had been scheduled to land at Incheon Airport. However, after circling over Korean airspace due to bad weather, the flight instead touched down at Gimpo at 8:08 p.m., about 20 kilometers away from Incheon, causing confusion and inconvenience. Videos taken on board showed a crew announcement stating the aircraft was short on fuel, describing the landing at Gimpo as an emergency measure while the captain assessed the possibility of flying to Incheon. However, several passengers later told local media that the crew failed to manage the confusion effectively during the two-hour delay, citing the lack of a clear announcement or apology in Korean about the landing. Even the cabin crew appeared “as confused

Aug 15, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

AirAsia blames bad weather for Incheon-bound flight's surprise Gimpo landing

Society

Who is Korea's gender equality minister nominee?

Korea is poised to reinvigorate its long-stalled gender policy agenda after President Lee Jae Myung nominated Won Min-kyong, a veteran women’s rights activist and attorney, as the new minister of gender equality. Won, 53, is a well-known family law expert with over 20 years of work on behalf of women and children. Her nomination comes after the Lee administration’s troubled first attempt to fill the post with Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Rep. Kang Sun-woo, who withdrew her candidacy last month amid abuse of power allegations and public criticism over her perceived insensitivity and lack of expertise on gender equality issues. Won's selection comes after the ministry endured a 17-month leadership vacuum under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which initially pledged to abolish the ministry, then largely sidelined its functions. Lee has pledged to restore the ministry, vowing not only to fill the ministerial void but to also expand it into a “Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Empowerment,” targeting deeper support for the marginalized and improved protection for you

Aug 14, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Who is Korea's gender equality minister nominee?

Society

Lee vows workplace reforms to build stronger social safety net, reduce industrial deaths

The Lee Jae Myung administration will bolster Korea’s social safety net, centering efforts on safeguarding people from industrial accidents that have long plagued the nation, the State Affairs Planning Committee announced, Wednesday. The moves represent a cornerstone of the president's state agenda and mark a decisive response to Korea’s persistently high industrial fatality rates. The announcement was made during the committee’s national address on the five-year state agenda at Cheong Wa Dae, the former official presidential office. The committee, headed by Chair Lee Han-joo, was established on July 16 with a 60-day mandate to craft the new administration’s core policies, following Lee’s victory in the snap presidential election and the assumption of office without the usual two-month transition period. According to the report, the government aims to strengthen the nation’s safety net by implementing more effective industrial accident prevention measures, expanding workers’ compensation coverage and significantly reducing fatalities in the labor sector. Korea’s death rat

Aug 13, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Lee vows workplace reforms to build stronger social safety net, reduce industrial deaths

Travel & Food

Will Hangang Bus become must-do activity for tourists in Seoul?

On a warm Tuesday morning, the Yeouido pier hummed with joyful excitement, as families, older couples and foreign visitors gathered for one of the final trial runs of Seoul’s Hangang Bus. At Yeouido Dock, just a three-minute walk from Exit 2 of Yeouinaru Station, staff in bright pink jumpsuits greeted arrivals as they passed through subway-style turnstiles. “Welcome to Hangang Bus,” they said, ushering passengers onto the city’s first-ever waterborne public transportation service. The vessel used for Tuesday’s trial, Hangang Bus 101, was a single-deck, 150-ton boat built low to slip under the Han River's bridges. The boat featured 199 seats facing panoramic windows that frame the skyline and riverside parklands, each equipped with fold-out seat tables and life jackets. Passengers, many with smartphones and cameras in hand, chatted and waved to others on the riverbank as the boat quietly pushed off toward Ttukseom, 18 kilometers away. “Congratulations on being chosen from hundreds to join today’s trial!” a crew member announced over the speakers as the engines hummed quiet

Aug 13, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Will Hangang Bus become must-do activity for tourists in Seoul?

Society

Korea moves closer to legalizing nonmedical tattooing after 33-year ban

Korea is on the verge of ending its decades-long ban on tattooing by nonmedical professionals, with a landmark bill set for debate in the National Assembly later this month which could transform an underground art form into a regulated, recognized profession. Tattooists from across the nation and union leaders rallied outside the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday, urging lawmakers to pass the proposed Tattooist Act ― a legislative bill that, after decades of prohibition and legal wrangling, could finally legalize professional tattooing by people other than medical doctors in Korea. The revision bill will be formally brought forward for discussion in a legislative subcommittee of the Assembly again on Aug. 20 after previous botched attempts to pass the idea into law. “For 33 years, our work has been treated as a crime,” said Lee So-mi, vice chair of the Tattoo Union under the Federation of Korean Chemical and Textile Food Workers’ Union. “We are asking the National Assembly to recognize our sacred right to labor and protect the safety of 13 million tattoo consumers. It’s time

Aug 11, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Korea moves closer to legalizing nonmedical tattooing after 33-year ban

Society

Fans push for Liberation Day pardon to end Steve Yoo’s 23-year exile over draft evasion

Fans of Steve Yoo, the Korean American pop icon who has lived outside Korea for more than two decades over his evasion of mandatory military service, are urging President Lee Jae Myung to grant a presidential pardon ahead of Korea’s Aug. 15 Liberation Day — a date long associated with high-profile acts of clemency and national reconciliation. Known in Korea as Yoo Seung-jun, he was one of the country’s biggest pop stars in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He debuted in April 1997 and quickly rose to fame with a string of chart-topping hits, dynamic performances and wholesome image. However, his career collapsed in 2002, shortly before his scheduled enlistment, when he left for a concert tour and acquired U.S. citizenship. The move exempted him from mandatory military service, sparking public outrage in a country where conscription is a civic duty for men. The Ministry of Justice swiftly barred him from reentering the country, citing draft evasion. He has been banned from entry ever since, except for a brief return in 2003 to attend his father-in-law’s funeral. Despite two Supreme

Aug 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Fans push for Liberation Day pardon to end Steve Yoo’s 23-year exile over draft evasion

Society

Fewer than 10 babies born in 38% of cities, counties in Korea last year

More than 1 in 3 cities and counties in Korea saw fewer than 10 childbirths last year, statistics showed Sunday, highlighting deepening regional disparities in births. The rate is mainly driven by a smaller number of births than before amid population decline, along with the fact that some regions, especially in rural areas, do not have obstetric facilities at all, forcing expectant mothers to give birth in neighboring regions. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the country saw 237,484 births in small to large hospitals and midwifery centers last year. Out of 251 cities, counties and districts, 97 — or 38.6 percent — recorded fewer than 10 births. These so-called "childbirth deserts" span both sparsely populated counties and some small cities. They included Gwacheon, Dongducheon, Uiwang, Anseong and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province. There are also Taebaek in Gangwon Province; Gyerong in South Chungcheong Province; Gimje in North Jeolla Province; Naju in South Jeolla Province; and Mungyeong and Gyeongsan in North Gyeongsang Province. The ratio of such regions w

Aug 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Fewer than 10 babies born in 38% of cities, counties in Korea last year

Society

Abortion reemerges as hot-button issue as ruling party eyes dormant bill

Debate over the legalization of the abortion pill has come under renewed scrutiny in Korea, as lawmakers move to address the legal gray zone surrounding women's health that has persisted since the country’s Constitutional Court struck down the abortion ban six years ago. On Wednesday, the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee convened a major forum on the issue. Participants included lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, with Rep. Nam In-soon, who recently proposed bills aimed at removing restrictions on both surgical and medical abortions and extending national health insurance coverage to these procedures. “Women face significant difficulties in the absence of clear and official information and safe access to medication, despite abortion's decriminalization in 2019,” Nam said. She emphasized that the intent behind the proposed amendments is to ensure women’s safety and remove legal obstacles to proper medical care. Rep. Park Ju-min, chair of the committee, added, “In the absence of clear legal protections, women are often compelled to make unsafe

Aug 8, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

Firefighter’s death spurs calls to bolster trauma care after disasters

Yoon Moo-boo, Korea’s beloved ‘bird doctor,’ dies at 84

AirAsia blames bad weather for Incheon-bound flight's surprise Gimpo landing

Who is Korea's gender equality minister nominee?

Lee vows workplace reforms to build stronger social safety net, reduce industrial deaths

Will Hangang Bus become must-do activity for tourists in Seoul?

Korea moves closer to legalizing nonmedical tattooing after 33-year ban

Fans push for Liberation Day pardon to end Steve Yoo’s 23-year exile over draft evasion

Fewer than 10 babies born in 38% of cities, counties in Korea last year

Abortion reemerges as hot-button issue as ruling party eyes dormant bill

Top 5 stories