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.
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said the CIA is not involved in immigration matters related to Korean nationals following a wave of online complaints targeting celebrities who voiced support for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
A total of 179 people were killed in a Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, Sunday.
Korea will consider a pilot program next year allowing Chinese tour groups to enter the country without a visa, as part of efforts to recover from setbacks in the tourism sector caused by President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law and subsequent impeachment, the government said Thursday.
Kimchi from luxury hotels is selling like hotcakes here amid growing demand for packaged kimchi and ingredient price hikes driven by the climate crisis.
“Dear Mr. President! Here are university students' handwritten letters to you! Happy end of the year! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
Tens of thousands of people held rallies in Seoul over the Christmas holiday to call for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law, while others organized separate gatherings opposing his ouster.
President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration and the ensuing fiasco have significantly impacted the lives of many Koreans, mostly negatively. Despite the decree being lifted just six hours later and the National Assembly passing a motion to impeach him, the traumatic memory of those events still lingers for many people.
Seoul's first car-free street, Yonsei-ro in the Sinchon area, will once again allow private vehicles starting next year to revive the local economy.
Nearly half of Korean adults of childbearing age believe it is acceptable to go through life without having children, according to a report released Friday.
The local hamburger franchise Lotteria was the butt of a surge of memes and other online satire on Thursday, after police investigations revealed that former intelligence commanders met at one of its restaurants in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, to discuss martial law plans, two days before President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration on Dec. 3.