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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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Society

'Squid Game' parade at Seoul’s city center sparks concerns over children’s exposure to adult content

A large-scale “Squid Game”-themed parade held at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday evening has sparked debate among parents and educators over the appropriateness of exposing children to content inspired by the adult-rated Netflix series. Baek, a 34-year-old Seoul resident, was strolling through the square with her husband, 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter when she was surprised to encounter the event. The parade, organized to celebrate the release of the final season of Squid Game on Friday, resulted in traffic controls and drew thousands of fans. “I just can’t understand it,” Baek said. “The show is rated for adults. Should something like this really be held in an open square, not a restricted venue? Adults shouldn’t expose children and teens to content meant for mature audiences. Is money and popularity all that matters? This kind of marketing makes me uncomfortable.” She added that “Squid Game”-branded snacks and children’s merchandise are now common in stores, further blurring the lines between adult and child-appropriate content. Jung, a 28-year-old kinderg

Jun 29, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
'Squid Game' parade at Seoul’s city center sparks concerns over children’s exposure to adult content
Travel & Food

Mondrian Seoul Itaewon hosts TEDxSeoul annual event

Mondrian Seoul Itaewon, a five-star lifestyle hotel at the heart of Seoul's vibrant Itaewon neighborhood, has signed a memorandum of understanding with global ideas platform TEDxSeoul and will host the TEDxSeoul 2025 annual event Sunday. Blending TEDxSeoul’s motto, “Ideas Change Everything,” with the hotel’s goal of encouraging creative collaboration, the partnership — signed on April 11 — includes hosting TEDx events, producing cultural content and co-launching community-centered initiatives. Under the theme "CROSSOVER," TEDxSeoul 2025 will feature speakers who embody the idea of breaking boundaries and forging new paths. Participants include Gareth Weir, deputy ambassador at the British Embassy in Seoul; political scientist Kim Ji-yoon; Yoon Kyung-a, head of KT AI Tech Lab; pop artist Nancy Lang; and other leaders from academia, business and the arts. The program will also offer interactive sessions, idea presentations and experiential content, with a networking night in the hotel lobby. “Through this collaboration with TEDxSeoul, we hope to position our hotel as an open p

Jun 26, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Mondrian Seoul Itaewon hosts TEDxSeoul annual event
Travel & Food

China overtakes Japan as top destination for Korean travelers

China has overtaken Japan as the top travel destination for Koreans, driven by a surge in weekend trips and improved travel conveniences that are reshaping regional tourism patterns. Recent data from Trip.com shows that bookings for round-trip flights departing Korea after 6 p.m. on Fridays and returning by Sunday have surged by more than 150 percent in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Notably, more than 80 percent of these bookings were made by solo travelers or pairs, highlighting the growing appeal of quick, flexible getaways over traditional family vacations. Local market research firm Consumer Insight also confirmed China’s rise to the top, naming it the leading overseas destination for Koreans, followed by Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. “The demand for short, spontaneous trips — so-called ‘night goblin’ getaways — has soared, and China’s proximity and evolving travel infrastructure have made it the go-to choice for Korean office workers,” Consumer Insight stated in its latest report released Wednesday. The shift is d

Jun 25, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
China overtakes Japan as top destination for Korean travelers
Others

S. Korea faces 'everything everywhere all at once' moment in geopolitics: foreign minister nominee

South Korea’s nominee for foreign minister warned Tuesday that the nation faces a diplomatic landscape as chaotic and overlapping as the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” vowing to navigate the turbulence with pragmatism, patience and discretion. In his first public remarks since being tapped for the role by President Lee Jae Myung, Cho Hyun struck a careful, measured tone — declining to offer specific policy plans ahead of his confirmation hearing, but signaling a continued commitment to “pragmatic diplomacy” and a quiet, steady-hand approach in managing relations with major powers including the United States, China and North Korea. "It's like the movie ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ It's hard to prioritize just one thing," Cho told reporters during an impromptu briefing on his way to work. "Given the current instability in the international landscape, I feel a great sense of responsibility as I take on this role at the ministry of foreign affairs," he said. He pledged to carefully assess and navigate the increasingly complex global environment if confirme

Jun 24, 2025By Lee Hae-rin and Lee Hyo-jin
S. Korea faces 'everything everywhere all at once' moment in geopolitics: foreign minister nominee
Travel & Food

Korea Beauty Festival blends K-pop glamour with wellness trends

For 22-year-old Shaantika Bhat, coming to Korea has always been her biggest dream. Growing up as one of the few Asians in her Baltimore neighborhood, she found community and identity through Korean culture — especially Korean food, K-pop and K-dramas — during her teenage years. But as she began planning her first trip to Seoul, she quickly discovered that navigating the latest Korean beauty trends was more daunting than she had imagined. “We were having a hard time finding the personal color analysis or skincare program. As English speakers, Naver was a whole new platform and the beauty-related experiences we found on Klook were expensive,” she said, referring to the international travel and experiences booking company. That changed when she and her friend landed at Incheon International Airport last week and picked up a leaflet for the Korea Beauty Festival. Their visit to the festival’s main venue at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Friday exceeded all expectations, offering a wide range of K-beauty events and promotions — all for free, in one place. “This event made e

Jun 23, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Korea Beauty Festival blends K-pop glamour with wellness trends
Society

Too hot or too cold? Seoul subway swarmed with temperature-related complaints

Lee, a 29-year-old Seoul-based office worker, was surprised to find the temperature inside the subway to be warm when he got on the subway on Thursday afternoon. “The weather was so hot and humid, and I was already sweating after a few minutes of walking there. I was looking forward to the cool air conditioning in the subway, but it was warmer than I expected,” he said. But another office worker in Seoul, Kim, 33, said she feels the air conditioning is usually stronger than it needs to be. Kim said she forgot to bring a jacket she would normally carry to protect herself from air conditioning sickness the same day, so she moved to a less cold subway car. Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines 1-8, said Friday that it received 283,972 complaints about heating and cooling discomfort from January to May this year, accounting for 75 percent of all complaints submitted to the customer center. More than 110,000 complaints were filed in May alone, as daytime temperatures became warmer. According to the Ministry of Environment’s guidelines, the temperature in regular subway cars is set to

Jun 20, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Too hot or too cold? Seoul subway swarmed with temperature-related complaints
Society

Excessive private education at early age hinders children's cognitive, social development: experts

Korea’s enthusiasm for early education may come at a significant cost to children as experts warn that excessive private tutoring and mounting academic pressures are taking a toll on their well-being and hindering their healthy cognitive and social development. “Excessive academic focus during early childhood can hinder the development of creativity, play skills and social abilities — all of which are critical areas for healthy growth,” said Eom So-yong., a professor at Yonsei University’s College of Medicine, during a forum on reducing private education for children held Wednesday by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Council. “Persistent stress at this age can negatively affect brain development. Excessive secretion of stress hormones can harm cognitive function and emotional stability," the professor explained. "It can later decrease interest in learning during the school years, lower motivation and lead to poor academic performance, reduced self-esteem and emotional problems as well." The remarks come amid Korea’s relentless pursuit o

Jun 19, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Excessive private education at early age hinders children's cognitive, social development: experts
People & Events

Japanese hip-hop dancer enjoys immense popularity in Korea after starring in Mnet's survival program

Japanese hip-hop dancer Kyoka Yamamoto has become a sensation among Koreans — a rare achievement for a Japanese woman — thanks to her outstanding performances and charisma in the latest series of Mnet’s popular survival reality show, “Street Woman Fighter.” The ongoing third season of the show, titled “World of Street Woman Fighter” (WSWF), expands the show’s original format into an international contest, featuring six crews from Korea, Japan, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Born and raised in Osaka, Kyoka is a core member of OSAKA Ojo Gang, a seven-member project crew that represents Japan. Out of the 24 dancers competing against each other as national representatives, the 29-year-old has received significant attention from Korean viewers, not only for her charismatic stage presence, but also for her authentic confidence and iconic character. Kyoka was born in 1996 and began dancing at the age of 8, quickly garnering recognition as a world-class dancer. She became the first Japanese dancer to win the global hip-hop competition Juste Debout in France at the

Jun 19, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Japanese hip-hop dancer enjoys immense popularity in Korea after starring in Mnet's survival program
Law & Crime

Kim Keon Hee's hospitalization sparks political row: stress or evasion?

The sudden hospitalization of Kim Keon Hee, the wife of the ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol, has sparked a fierce debate. Critics allege that she is feigning illness to avoid an ongoing investigation, while her supporters claim that the mounting legal pressure has taken a serious toll on her health. During a party meeting on Wednesday, Rep. Seo Wang-jin, floor leader of the minor progressive Rebuilding Korea Party, criticized Kim’s hospitalization, arguing that Kim “seeks to hide behind hospital curtains to avoid the truth.” He pointed out that prosecutors had obtained hundreds of audio files indicating that Kim was aware of, and had conspired in, a stock manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors. The special probe bill that promulgated last week, he said, had removed the political shield surrounding her from multiple allegations. “Kim probably knows better than anyone that the end is near. She should receive proper treatment and cooperate fully with the investigation,” Seo said. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has also suggested that Kim was hospitalized in order t

Jun 18, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Kim Keon Hee's hospitalization sparks political row: stress or evasion?
Society

YouTube dominates news consumption among older, conservative Koreans: study

Koreans aged over 50 and those with conservative political leanings tend to consume news through YouTube much more than younger people and those with progressive tendencies. According to the latest issue of Media Survey, published by the Korea Press Foundation on Tuesday, these findings were included in the Digital News Report 2025, a survey conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. Since its first edition in 2012, the annual report has compiled survey results on digital news usage and perceptions in major countries. This year’s edition is based on an online survey of 98,072 individuals across 48 countries, including 2,038 respondents from Korea. The survey shows that, alongside the Philippines, Korea ranks fourth in terms of YouTube news consumption, with usage at 50 percent. This puts it behind Thailand and India at 55 percent, and Kenya which has a usage rate of 54 percent. The figure was 20 percentage points higher than the global average of 30 percent, indicating that YouTube has become a major news source in the country. Notably, t

Jun 18, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
YouTube dominates news consumption among older, conservative Koreans: study
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