The Korea Times

Disgraced ex-president back in detention, sweating it out with no air conditioning

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol began a fresh spell behind bars Thursday, returning to Seoul Detention Center just 124 days after his release. This time, he faces the sweltering summer heat while confined to a modest single cell without air conditioning. Yoon was taken back into custody after the Seoul Central District Court issued a new arrest warrant, citing concerns over evidence tampering. His return as a pretrial detainee followed a nearly seven-hour hearing, after which he was transferred to a detention center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. Upon arrival, he underwent standard identification procedures, surrendered his personal belongings and exchanged his suit for a light brown summer inmate uniform. The compact cell, which now serves as Yoon’s temporary home, stands in stark contrast to his former official residence. The Hannam-dong property in central Seoul, once the official residence of the foreign minister, underwent months of renovation before Yoon and the first lady moved in around November 2022. The move sparked controversy over costs, with the presidential office initiall

Jul 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Disgraced ex-president back in detention, sweating it out with no air conditioning

Environment & Animals

Korea sees growing livestock losses from unprecedented heat wave

A relentless heat wave sweeping across Korea is causing unprecedented livestock losses nationwide, with authorities reporting a dramatic surge in farm animal deaths as temperatures continue to soar. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, Thursday, 160,123 farm animals died nationwide on Tuesday alone, with poultry accounting for 158,006 among them. The remaining 2,117 were pigs. Farm animals are highly sensitive to heat. Optimal temperatures range from 10 to 20 degrees Celsius for beef cattle, 5 to 20 degrees for dairy cows, 15 to 25 degrees for pigs and 16 to 24 degrees for chickens. When temperatures exceed critical thresholds — 30 degrees for cattle and chickens, 27 degrees for pigs and dairy cows — animals experience reduced feed intake, stunted growth and in severe cases, death. The scale of the crisis is staggering. From May 20 to Tuesday, 379,475 animals perished, a 7.6-fold increase compared to 49,799 recorded in the same period last year. The daily toll has nearly doubled in just 24 hours, from 81,970 animals on Monday to just over 160,000 o

Jul 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Korea sees growing livestock losses from unprecedented heat wave

Society

Deadly heat wave sparks urgent calls for worker protections

An unprecedented heat wave in Korea has led to a sharp rise in heat-related illnesses and deaths among outdoor workers, prompting growing calls for stronger legal safeguards and stricter enforcement. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 1,228 cases of heat-related illness and eight suspected deaths were reported nationwide between May 15 and Tuesday. Among them, 238 cases occurred Tuesday. The figure is a 2.5-fold increase from the 486 cases from the same period last year, underscoring the mounting toll of the global climate crisis. The surge has been especially pronounced since early July, when heat wave advisories covered much of the country. It also signals an urgent threat to human life, especially for those most vulnerable to extreme heat. A Vietnamese day laborer in his 20s died at a construction site in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on Sunday, his first day of work. He was found unconscious, with a body temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius, sitting on the ground. Two other fatal heatstroke cases have been reported in the province this year, including farm

Jul 9, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Deadly heat wave sparks urgent calls for worker protections

Environment & Animals

As temperatures soar, open doors at stores fuel energy waste debate

As a relentless heat wave grips Korea, stores in the country’s busiest shopping districts are keeping their doors wide open, blasting air conditioning to draw in heat-weary passersby. The practice, locally known as “open-door cooling,” is drawing renewed scrutiny as temperatures soar and concerns mount over energy waste and environmental impact. Around 1 p.m. in Myeong-dong’s downtown shopping district, where temperatures hovered near 36 degrees Celsius, nearly every shop along a 300-meter stretch near Myeongdong Station — 50 out of 54 stores surveyed — kept their doors open, blasting out air conditioned air that spilled onto the sidewalks. “It’s too hot, let’s take a break in here,” a passerby in her 30s said to her companion, pointing at a nearby Olive Young health and beauty product chain store. “I needed a new eyeliner anyway.” Lee, 45, who runs a food shop in the district, said there is “a 100 percent difference between keeping the door open and closed.” “If we keep the doors closed, customers just don’t come in, especially in this sweltering weather.

Jul 8, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

As temperatures soar, open doors at stores fuel energy waste debate

Environment & Animals

Seoul braces for scorching 36-degree heat wave this week

Korea is bracing for a relentless heat wave this week, with meteorologists warning that the worst is yet to come for Seoul and the western regions. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) upgraded heat wave advisories to warnings for the capital and much of the west on Monday, with temperatures in Seoul expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius throughout the week. Heat wave warnings covered 122 of the nation’s 183 weather zones. Another 55 areas remained under advisories. A heat wave advisory is issued when temperatures are expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius or higher for more than two days. A heat wave warning is issued when highs of 35 degrees or above are forecast to persist for over two days, with the potential to cause serious health risks and disruptions across affected regions. As the mercury soared across the Korean Peninsula, the capital found itself particularly vulnerable to the early onslaught of summer's fury. For Seoul, this marks the first heat wave warning of the season, a striking 18 days earlier than last year's record-setting heat. Forecasts show that daytime high

Jul 7, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Seoul braces for scorching 36-degree heat wave this week

Photo News

PHOTOS Beloved panda twins mark second birthday at Everland theme park

Hui Bao and Rui Bao, Korea’s beloved twin giant pandas, munch on bamboo at Panda World in Everland theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in this photo provided by the amusement park, June 28. Courtesy of Samsung C&T

Jul 7, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

[PHOTOS] Beloved panda twins mark second birthday at Everland theme park

Environment & Animals

Korea steps up emergency measures to combat lovebug infestation

Korea is ramping up its response to a severe outbreak of lovebugs, or Plecia nearctica, that has blanketed the Incheon region and caused widespread inconvenience for residents. The Ministry of Environment announced Friday that it has dispatched 37 emergency personnel to Mount Gyeyang in Incheon, where the infestation is the most severe, to conduct urgent pest control operations. The ministry’s emergency teams, working alongside Gyeyang District officials, have used air blowers, insect nets and water-spraying equipment to remove adult bugs from affected areas. Large-scale cleanup operations also took place to collect and dispose of dead insects, which have created foul odors. Authorities have also installed light-based insect traps because of the bugs’ attraction to light. The ministry is also expanding its collaboration with local governments, including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, for the activation of a 24-hour task force added to the existing joint response system with Seoul and the National Institute of Biological Resources. Although lovebugs are harmless to humans — they do

Jul 5, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Korea steps up emergency measures to combat lovebug infestation

Environment & Animals

Unprecedented marine heat waves fuel fishery disaster in Korea

Korea’s coastal fisheries are on high alert as an early and intense heat wave has rapidly raised sea temperatures, triggering mass fish deaths and prompting government intervention. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Institute of Fisheries Science issued high sea temperature advisories for 23 regions including Jeju, the West Sea and the southern coast, effective 6 p.m. Thursday. The sea temperature warning level was elevated from level 1 “attention” to level 2 “caution” in a five-tier system, after average water temperatures in key areas soared by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius in just five days. For example, Jeju’s Jungmun saw the daily average sea temperature jump from 22.1 degrees on June 28 to 25.6 degrees on Thursday. Similar spikes were recorded in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, and Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The ministry has warned that this year’s high-temperature trend is developing faster and more intensely than last year, with advisories issued more than a week earlier than in 2024. Sea surface temperatures in Korea’s coastal waters are projec

Jul 4, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Unprecedented marine heat waves fuel fishery disaster in Korea

Environment & Animals

Monsoon shifts north, leaving Korea sweltering under intense summer heat

An early retreat of the monsoon front has left Korea with one of its shortest rainy seasons in recent memory, exposing much of the country to sustained heat and oppressive nighttime temperatures. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Thursday that this year’s monsoon ended on June 26 in Jeju, a week earlier than usual and half its normal length at just two weeks — making it the island’s second-shortest rainy season on record. The southern part of the mainland saw a similarly brief spell, with the monsoon ending on July 1 after only 12 days. While rainfall is expected to remain limited, meteorologists say the rainy season may not yet be over for Seoul and parts of the upper mainland. While the exact dates remain subject to change, the broader pattern is clear: An anomalously strong North Pacific subtropical high-pressure system has displaced the monsoon front to the north, leaving southern Korea largely dry, with intensifying heat conditions. Korea’s rainy season, known locally as “jangma,” typically stretches from late June through late July or early August, deliverin

Jul 3, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Monsoon shifts north, leaving Korea sweltering under intense summer heat

Travel & Food

Korea Beauty Festival returns, lighting up Seoul with latest trends

The Korea Beauty Festival has returned for its second year, turning Seoul into a bustling hub for international beauty enthusiasts and travelers eager to explore the latest K-beauty trends. Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Visit Korea Committee (VKC), and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the monthlong festival is attracting both local and international attention as K-beauty solidifies its status as a must-experience attraction for visitors to Korea. At the heart of the festivities is the event’s welcome center, set up in front of Myeongdong Theater in Seoul’s iconic shopping district. Despite sweltering heat that reached 30 degrees Celsius by 2 p.m. Tuesday, the welcome center was bustling with foreign visitors eager to join the festivities. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through July 18, the center offers event information and multilingual tourism support. “This year, we’re focusing on interactive events to better engage a wider spectrum of international tourists,” a VKC staff member explained, noting the shift from last year’s shopping-f

Jul 3, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

Disgraced ex-president back in detention, sweating it out with no air conditioning

Korea sees growing livestock losses from unprecedented heat wave

Deadly heat wave sparks urgent calls for worker protections

As temperatures soar, open doors at stores fuel energy waste debate

Seoul braces for scorching 36-degree heat wave this week

PHOTOS Beloved panda twins mark second birthday at Everland theme park

Korea steps up emergency measures to combat lovebug infestation

Unprecedented marine heat waves fuel fishery disaster in Korea

Monsoon shifts north, leaving Korea sweltering under intense summer heat

Korea Beauty Festival returns, lighting up Seoul with latest trends

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