The Korea Times

PM's economic strategy meeting with biz leaders

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, third from right, poses with Korea's business leaders before attending a meeting on economic security strategy at the prime minister's official residence in Seoul, Tuesday, to work with conglomerates to overcome trade deficits and ramp up measures to mitigate U.S. tariff effects. From left are Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Han, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. Yonhap

Apr 1, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

PM's economic strategy meeting with biz leaders

Travel & Food

Jeju to launch cruise ship interport in May

Korea will begin operating a cruise ship terminal known as an interport on the southern resort island of Jeju in May to boost regional tourism, the government announced Monday. Interports allow passengers to board and disembark at different points during a cruise itinerary, unlike a port of call, where passengers typically disembark for a few hours before the ship continues to its next destination. So far, Jeju Port and Seogwipo Gangjeong Port have served as ports of call for cruise ships. Passengers would disembark for short tours or shopping for about four to six hours before reboarding. As a result, for Koreans to enjoy cruise tours on Jeju, they typically had to use the "fly-and-cruise" method, traveling to another country and then beginning their cruise from there. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province believes that introducing interports to the island will not only enhance the convenience of cruise ship tourism for Korean nationals but also stimulate demand for travel to the island before and after boarding a ship, ultimately benefiting the local economy. The Ministry of Culture, Spo

Mar 31, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Jeju to launch cruise ship interport in May

Environment & Animals

Korea's worst-ever wildfires contained in 149 hours, 48,000 ha of forest scorched

The devastating wildfires that swept across the southeastern region since last week are fully contained as of Friday 5 p.m. after 149 hours of firefighting operations, according to forest authorities. The fire that started in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, on March 21 had spread rapidly to neighboring cities and counties with strong winds and dry weather, killing at least 28 and displacing more than 33,000 residents. The nation lost some 48,000 hectares of forest, equivalent to 80 percent of the size of Seoul, or 63,245 football stadiums. This is far greater than the 23,794 hectares damaged by the east coast wildfires in 2000, which had been the worst in the country’s history. The cooler temperatures from the overnight rain helped firefighters, as strong winds subsided, the Korea Forest Service (KFS) said. Firefighters have put out some 94 percent of the blaze as of Friday noon, significantly higher than 63 percent from Thursday afternoon. Some 5,580 personnel, 86 helicopters and 569 fire trucks were deployed in the firefighting operations. Meanwhile, the blaze in the Jirisan Nationa

Mar 28, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Korea's worst-ever wildfires contained in 149 hours, 48,000 ha of forest scorched

Society

Seoul's sinkhole site received safety warnings 2 years ago: report

The sinkhole site in Seoul where a motorcyclist was killed on Monday was designated as an “area of caution” in a city government report written two years ago, a document revealed Friday. The report, titled Underground Safety Impact Assessment Service for the Phase 4 Construction of Seoul Metro 9, was obtained by Rep. Park Yong-kab of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It had warned that the ground near the accident site was weak and prone to significant subsidence. Commissioned by the city government in 2021 and completed in 2023, the report assessed the risk of ground subsidence in the area due to the extension of Seoul Metro Line 9. "The fault zone near the area (Station 939) has a relatively high amount of subsidence, requiring careful monitoring of measurement results during excavation work or the installation and removal of temporary structures to ensure safe construction," the report pointed out. It further noted that the area is a "fault fracture zone," where rock has deformed and lost continuity. The report classified the area

Mar 28, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Seoul's sinkhole site received safety warnings 2 years ago: report

Environment & Animals

Korea grapples with worst wildfires in its history

Wildfires that swept through southeastern Korea were possibly the worst in the nation's history, killing at least 27 people, destroying almost 37,000 hectares of forest and displacing more than 37,000 residents, the government said Thursday. The fire that started in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, on March 21 is spreading at a record speed of 8.2 kilometers per hour as of 2 p.m., the fire authorities said. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, 37,185 people had evacuated their homes as of 5 a.m. Thursday. Among them, 29,911 are from Uiseong and Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, where the wildfire damage is most severe. While 20,486 evacuees have returned home, 16,700 remained in shelters. The fires have destroyed over 2,572 buildings, including houses, temples and factories. Forest and firefighting authorities deployed 4,635 personnel and 79 helicopters to battle the blaze in 10 regions as of 5 a.m. Thursday. The damaged forest area had reached 36,900 hectares, surpassing the country's previous record for the worst wildfire in 2000, which destroy

Mar 27, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Korea grapples with worst wildfires in its history

Travel & Food

Native wildflower reflects resilience of Jeongseon villagers

JEONGSEON, Gangwon Province — For most springtime picnickers, the flowers that come to mind when thinking of a spring festival are cherry blossoms, tulips and roses. However, deep in the Taebaek Mountain Range of Gangwon Province, people celebrate spring in Jeongseon County with one of the least expected: the pasqueflower. Dubbed “halmiggot” (granny flower) in Korean, the Korean pasqueflower is a perennial plant with soft, white hairs covering its bell-shaped bud and a curved stem that points toward the ground. The flower was named for its resemblance to an old lady and represents nostalgia and sadness in floral symbolism. According to old legends, it first appeared on the grave of a loving grandmother who died before spring, yearning for her granddaughters who had gone far away to get married. However, unlike most pasqueflowers found in sunny areas, the ones in Jeongseon, native and endemic to the region, grow on barren rocky cliffs, with their buds held straight and high. “The flower holds its head up high and blooms toward the sky, just like the people of Jeongseon who have en

Mar 26, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Native wildflower reflects resilience of Jeongseon villagers

Environment & Animals

Death toll rises to 26 as wildfires ravage Korea's southeast

Deadly wildfires that started in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, swept across Korea's southeast, leaving at least 26 dead, 19 injured and displacing over 27,000 people. The fires, driven by strong winds and dry weather, have ravaged seven neighboring cities and counties, the government said Wednesday, destroying over 31,000 hectares of forest and 257 buildings, including houses, temples and factories. Authorities planned to deploy 87 helicopters to extinguish the fire in densely populated areas and mobilize 5,421 personnel. However, strong winds are hindering firefighting efforts. A firefighting helicopter crashed on a mountain in Uiseong at 12:54 p.m. while carrying out a water supply operation, killing the pilot, according to the Korea Forest Service. The cause of the accident is under investigation. In the meantime, forest authorities halted firefighting operations of all helicopters across the affected regions. In Andong, a man in his 80s was found burned to death at a house that was completely destroyed by fire around 11 a.m., according to police. As a result, the wildfire death t

Mar 26, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Death toll rises to 26 as wildfires ravage Korea's southeast

Environment & Animals

Wildfires become uncontrollable, spread nationwide amid strong winds

Wildfires in the southeastern part of Korea appear to be getting out of control due to strong winds and extremely dry weather, burning over 15,000 hectares of woodland and causing 16 deaths, the forest authorities said Tuesday. A massive forest fire that started in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, has advanced for four days, spreading to Andong, Cheongsong, Juwangsan National Park, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, which is located 63 kilometers from Uiseong. The Korea Forest Service announced at 4 p.m. Tuesday that it had issued a national crisis warning for forest fire disasters in the "severe" stage for all regions nationwide. Firefighting operations are underway but deployed personnel face difficulties in approaching the fire sites due to smoke from the forest fires that spread at night, according to forest authorities. A woman in her 60s was found burned to death near the wildfire site in Cheongsong, according to police. The Andong city government ordered all residents to evacuate at 5 p.m., saying, "The forest fires are spreading throughout the jurisdiction." Water supply facilities were d

Mar 25, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Wildfires become uncontrollable, spread nationwide amid strong winds

Environment & Animals

Korea faces growing need to prepare for wildfires amid climate crisis

Korea has experienced significant damage from around 50 simultaneous wildfires across the country, prompting growing calls for improved preparedness and prevention in response to the rise of extreme fire events globally due to climate change. As of Monday, over 8,700 hectares of forest, equivalent to 12,300 football fields, were damaged nationwide by wildfires that broke out over the weekend, according to the Korea Forest Service. The fires caused at least four deaths and forced more than 2,700 residents to evacuate, mostly in southeastern regions of the country and over 6,500 personnel have been deployed in firefighting operations. The first and most serious wildfire, which started on Friday in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, was 70 percent contained as of Monday following overnight firefighting efforts involving over 2,500 personnel. Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province, where large-scale wildfires broke out on Saturday and caused the most extensive damage, has had about 65 percent of the fire extinguished with the efforts of 2,602 personnel. The government designated Uiseong, Ulj

Mar 24, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Korea faces growing need to prepare for wildfires amid climate crisis

Politics

Korea's political YouTubers earn massive profit out of impeachment crises

Political YouTubers here have enjoyed a massive profit from the political turmoil that has continued for over 100 days since President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration. According to YouTube analytics platform Playboard on Sunday, @tubeshin, a conservative political channel with 1.62 million subscribers, earned some 310 million won ($211,477) between December and February, topping Korean YouTube channels in Super Chat revenue. The progressive channel run by left-wing commentator Kim Ou-joon, @gyeomsonisnothing, also earned about 240 million won during the same period, followed by conservative channels @groundc and @hongtv with about 140 million won and 130 million won, respectively. While it is rare for even top Korean YouTubers to earn more than 100 million won per month in cash donations, YouTube channels broadcasting live coverage of protests and legal developments have massively monetized the public’s growing interest in political crises. Last December, @gyeomsonisnothing earned about 150 million after Kim attended the National Assembly in December and drew attention

Mar 23, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

PM's economic strategy meeting with biz leaders

Jeju to launch cruise ship interport in May

Korea's worst-ever wildfires contained in 149 hours, 48,000 ha of forest scorched

Seoul's sinkhole site received safety warnings 2 years ago: report

Korea grapples with worst wildfires in its history

Native wildflower reflects resilience of Jeongseon villagers

Death toll rises to 26 as wildfires ravage Korea's southeast

Wildfires become uncontrollable, spread nationwide amid strong winds

Korea faces growing need to prepare for wildfires amid climate crisis

Korea's political YouTubers earn massive profit out of impeachment crises

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