The Korea Times

INTERVIEW Korea's first transgender athlete highlights need for '3rd gender' in sports

Na Hwa-rin, a cyclist and asparagus farmer, poses with her bike on a hill near her hometown in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, June 23. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulTransgender cyclist uses her name to make sports more gender inclusive, fairerBy Lee Hae-rinCHEORWON, Gangwon Province ― In June, Korea saw the historic appearance of the country's very first transgender athlete Na Hwa-rin, a 37-year-old cyclist who competed and won medals at this year's Gangwon Sports Festival in eastern Gangwon Province. Standing at 180 centimeters and weighing 72 kilograms, Na has a skeletal muscle mass of 32.7 kilograms, which is a dozen kilograms more than that of a typical female athlete. After her win, Na's physicality sparked debates on gender inclusivity and fairness in sports.After undergoing gender-affirming surgery in Seoul last year and having her birth certificate reissued in April, Na officially became recognized as a woman in Korea. The seventh digit of her resident registration number was changed to "2," marking her official gender designation as female here.Na was able to compete in th

Jul 7, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

[INTERVIEW] Korea's first transgender athlete highlights need for '3rd gender' in sports

Society

North Jeolla to consider including foreign residents in emergency relief funds

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hae-rinNorth Jeolla Province will positively consider a recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) to include foreign residents as recipients of state-funded emergency relief checks, the human rights watchdog said, Friday. According to the NHRCK, in July 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the provincial government provided financial assistance to Korean nationals registered as residents of the province and foreign nationals who have permanent residency (F-5) or marriage migrant (F-6) visas based on its ordinance on emergency relief funds.In response, the local advocacy group Green Jeonbuk filed a petition to the NHRCK that it is discriminatory against other foreign nationals who do not have an F-5 or F-6 visa but live, work and pay taxes to be excluded from the pandemic relief policy.The rights agency urged the provincial government to revise the ordinance and include a wider range of the foreign population in its plan to lessen economic fallout in the event of future pandemics or emergencies. Under the Immigration Act, forei

Jul 7, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

North Jeolla to consider including foreign residents in emergency relief funds

People & Events

Korea's first corporate lawyer dies at 84

Hwang Ju-myung speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in his office in central Seoul in this Jan. 23, 2018 photo. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Lee Hae-rinKorea's first corporate lawyer, Hwang Ju-myung, who was a founder and chairman of HMP Law and a former judge, has died. He was 84.According to those in legal circles and the bereaved family, Wednesday, Hwang passed away at CHA Bundang Medical Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province around 1:30 p.m, Tuesday.Born in South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, Hwang started his judicial career in 1961 after graduating from Kyunggi High School and Seoul National University Law School. He served as a judge at the Busan District Court, the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court and as a research judge at the Supreme Court.Hwang was one of the judges to lead the resignation movement under the authoritarian rule of former President Park Chung-hee in 1971. A total of 153 judges tendered their resignation in protest against the government's investigation targeting judges who found those accused as public safety offender

Jul 6, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Korea's first corporate lawyer dies at 84

Travel & Food

Gangneung carries spirit of communal harmony through Danoje tradition

Shaman and “gut” performers stage Dano-gut during a ritual to celebrate Dano in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, June 22. Courtesy of Gangneung Danoje Festival Committee Coastal city invites mountain deities to mortal world in millennium-long tradition By Lee Hae-rinGANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province ― Dano is one of the three most celebrated holidays in Korean tradition along with Chuseok and the Lunar New Year. Fewer people may be observing this day of great festivity based on the agrarian cultures of the past, but it still remains the biggest local event in Gangneung, an eastern coastal city, two hours from Seoul by train.Falling on May 5 of the lunar calendar each year, Dano was considered a day with the strongest cosmic yang energy. People enjoyed various rituals and popular pastimes. They wished for a good harvest and for peace and prosperity within the family and the nation.Several Asian countries and Korean cities celebrate the spring festival, but the festival celebra

Jul 6, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Gangneung carries spirit of communal harmony through Danoje tradition

Travel & Food

Seosulla Street offers atmospheric, tasty stroll next to royal shrine in Seoul

Grilled rice sticks and gwapyeon, or fruit jelly, made with seasonal fruits served with makgeolli, or Korean traditional unrefined rice wine, at a hanok restaurant in downtown Seoul's Seosulla Street / Courtesy of Korea Tourism OrganizationLesser-known alley is charming 'gastroventure' destinationBy Lee Hae-rinSeoul is a mix of the past and present, where centuries of tradition and cutting-edge technology coexist. Skyscrapers and neon signboards surround royal palaces, while traditional Korean homes, known as “hanok,” in the older sections of the capital formerly called Hanyang, are reminders of the more than 500 years of history of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).Seosulla Street near Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo Shrine in the heart of the capital is a lesser-known alley compared to nearby destinations such as Ikseon-dong and Insa-dong. But it is a charming local secret that celebrates historical beauty as well as urban gastronomy. Seosulla Street / Courtesy of Korea Tourism OrganizationIts name is a combination of the Korean words “Seo,” or west in Korean, and

Jul 5, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Seosulla Street offers atmospheric, tasty stroll next to royal shrine in Seoul

Law & Crime

Police expand probe into unregistered babies

Police search for the body of an infant, Tuesday, who was allegedly murdered by his mother five days after birth and buried next to a stream in Geoje City, South Gyeongsang Province, based on the mother's confession during police questioning. YonhapBy Lee Hae-rinOut of 209 reported cases of “ghost babies,” 193 are now under investigation, police said, Tuesday, raising concerns that there could be more cases of undocumented newborns caused due to a loophole in the country's childbirth management system.The term “ghost baby” refers to an infant who has a birth record but remains officially unregistered.Police confirmed the whereabouts of 20 unregistered newborns and are continuing to investigate the remaining 177. Twelve of the newborns, including two who were found to have been murdered by their mother and stored in a refrigerator in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province last month, were all confirmed dead.The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency is now investigating four of the twelve. Five were confirmed to have died in hospital, while the mother of the two victims of

Jul 4, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Police expand probe into unregistered babies

Society

Child care centers close, senior homes open as Korea's population declines

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hae-rinOver the past five years, Korea has witnessed the establishment of 13,000 new senior welfare centers, while around 10,000 child care centers have closed down, thus, reflecting the country's aging demographics and plummeting birthrate, recent government statistics show.According to the report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Friday, the number of senior welfare facilities across the country stood at 89,643 and served 364,116 people last year. This is a substantial increase from 2017, when there were 76,371 facilities catering to 144,650 individuals, marking increases of 17 percent and 66 percent, respectively.These senior welfare facilities include sanatoriums, centers offering visiting care services, protection of seniors and job recruitment agencies that help find jobs for those who are 65 or older.The growing number of these facilities is a response to the country's sharp rise in people who are 65 or over, which has increased from 7.35 million in 2017 to 9.26 million last year.At the same time, the country has seen a significant decrease

Jul 3, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Child care centers close, senior homes open as Korea's population declines

Society

K-Family Festival seeks solutions to plunging birthrate

K-Family Festival organizing committee chairperson Lee Myung-sun, fifth from left in front row, and members of the inaugural edition of the festival's organizing committee in Seoul pose with the event's speakers after the opening ceremony at the Seoul City Hall's Citizen Hall, last Thursday. Courtesy of K-Family Festival in Seoul organizing committee By Lee Hae-rinThe inaugural K-Family Festival kicked off at Seoul City Hall, Thursday, aiming to convey the value of Korea's traditional family culture as a solution to the aging country's record-low fertility rate and family dissolution. Under the theme of “Universal Value and Ethics of Sex, Marriage and Family,” the four-day event ran through Sunday and was hosted by the Family Peace Forum and Global Peace Women. It began with an opening ceremony and a two-session forum on policy and education held at the city hall building, while also holding exhibitions and cultural events at Cheonggye Plaza themed around traditiona

Jul 3, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

K-Family Festival seeks solutions to plunging birthrate

Society

INTERVIEW Expert highlights importance of traditional family unit as solution to population crisis

Professor Lee Myung-sun of Ewha Womans University, who chaired the K-Family Festival organizing committee, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Seoul City Hall, Thursday. Courtesy of K-Family Festival in Seoul organizing committeeBy Lee Hae-rinKorea emerged from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War to become the fourth-largest economy in Asia and 12th-largest in the world. But the country is now suffering from a plunging birth rate and aging population.Korea's birth rate hit a record low last year, with an average of only 0.78 newborns expected per woman, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of between 1.13 and 1.19 children per woman. According to Statistics Korea's latest population report, 372,800 people died in Korea while only 249,000 were born last year, marking the third straight year of population decline.Professor Emeritus Lee Myung-sun, an expert in public health at Ewha Womans University, thinks that a growing sense of hopelessness felt by younger generations is the main cause of the country's population crisis.“Korea will soon disappear in

Jul 3, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

[INTERVIEW] Expert highlights importance of traditional family unit as solution to population crisis

Travel & Food

Record-high travel spending

Passengers queue for an international flight at a departure gate in Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, Sunday. With outbound travel on the rise, Korea's top five travel apps ― Yanolja, Goodchoice, Agoda, AirBnB and Trip.com ― set a record in May, with combined spending exceeding 800 billion won ($607 million), according to a report by Wiseapp Retail Goods. The figure is up 33 percent from last May. Yonhap

Jul 2, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Lee Hae-rin

Read more

INTERVIEW Korea's first transgender athlete highlights need for '3rd gender' in sports

North Jeolla to consider including foreign residents in emergency relief funds

Korea's first corporate lawyer dies at 84

Gangneung carries spirit of communal harmony through Danoje tradition

Seosulla Street offers atmospheric, tasty stroll next to royal shrine in Seoul

Police expand probe into unregistered babies

Child care centers close, senior homes open as Korea's population declines

K-Family Festival seeks solutions to plunging birthrate

INTERVIEW Expert highlights importance of traditional family unit as solution to population crisis

Record-high travel spending

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