The Korea Times

Unions threaten strikes as ‘yellow envelope law’ comes into force

Subcontracted workers represented by unions across various industries are stepping up demands for direct talks with parent companies after Korea’s so-called “yellow envelope law” came into force Tuesday, with labor leaders preparing strikes against firms that refuse to negotiate. Amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act took effect, expanding the legal definition of an employer to include firms that exercise significant control over working conditions, even without a direct employment contract with subcontracted workers. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a powerful umbrella labor organization with more than 1 million members, expects a major wave of bargaining demands from these workers in the coming weeks. The KCTU and its partner unions have begun sending bargaining notices to companies that oversee subcontracted work on behalf of nearly 140,000 subcontracted workers, with plans to present the overall scale of the campaign at a press briefing later this month. “In line with the purpose of the law, the real employer mus

Mar 10, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Unions threaten strikes as ‘yellow envelope law’ comes into force

Society

Infanticide conviction exposes vacuum in Korea’s abortion law

A murder conviction in a case involving an infant who died immediately after birth during what is called a late-term abortion procedure has cast fresh light on the legal void surrounding abortion in Korea. This comes nearly seven years after the Constitutional Court of Korea struck down the country’s ban, as the issue remains unresolved amid a prolonged political stalemate. Last week, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the director of an obstetrics clinic in Incheon, identified by the surname Yoon, to six years in prison for murder in a case widely referred to as the “36-week abortion case,” along with a fine of 1.5 million won ($1,000). Judges also ordered the forfeiture of 1.15 billion won in proceeds that prosecutors said the director had earned over the years by performing illegal abortions on hundreds of patients. The operating surgeon, identified only by his surname Shim, was sentenced to four years in prison, while the mother, surnamed Kwon, received a three‑year sentence suspended for five years after the court found her guilty as an accomplice to murder. The jud

Mar 10, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Infanticide conviction exposes vacuum in Korea’s abortion law

Law & Crime

Police crack down on software-enabled scalping ahead of BTS concert

Police have opened an investigation into the alleged use of automated “macro” programs and ticket scams ahead of BTS’s comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21. The city-sponsored performance, which is expected to attract more than 200,000 fans from across Korea and overseas, requires advance reservations to secure seats, resulting in a surge in black market trading and fraud cases. Speaking to reporters Monday, Park Jeong-bo, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said officers are currently investigating three criminal cases tied to ticket sales for the event, after ticketing operator Nol Universe filed a complaint over suspected “macro‑driven” bulk purchases. Macros are automated scripts that refresh pages and enter login and payment details at high speed, allowing users to snap up tickets far faster than ordinary buyers. Using macros or other tools to hoard tickets for resale at higher prices is illegal in Korea. Park urged fans not to trust brokers who claim they can secure tickets using macros or offer “proxy ticketing” services. He warned that tho

Mar 9, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Police crack down on software-enabled scalping ahead of BTS concert

Seoul launches crackdown on lodging violations ahead of BTS concert

Society

Seoul launches crackdown on lodging violations ahead of BTS concert

City authorities in Seoul have started a crackdown on lodging facilities near Gwanghwamun ahead of K-pop group BTS’ comeback concert on March 21, uncovering a string of violations including hotels operating without posting mandatory room rate information. During its special inspections carried out in central Seoul between Feb. 25 and March 4, 18 hotels and other lodging facilities had violated regulations by failing to display official room rates or business registration certificates, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday. Under the Public Health Control Act, hospitality business owners have to display their business registration certificate inside the premises and post a room rate table at the reception desk. The city’s special judicial police bureau, working in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, will formally book all 18 offending establishments and conduct investigations. Depending on the findings, the violators could face up to six months in prison or fines of up to 5 million won ($3,400). City officials will also ask Jongno and Jung district offices t

Mar 8, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Seoul launches crackdown on lodging violations ahead of BTS concert

Global Community

Korea to allow Iranians to overstay visas until conflict eases

Korea will allow Iranians to remain here beyond their visa limits on humanitarian grounds, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran intensifies in the Middle East. In response to inquiries from The Korea Times regarding Iranian nationals in Korea, the Ministry of Justice said those whose visas cannot be extended under ordinary rules will be permitted to stay until war-related risks are deemed to have subsided enough to allow safe travel. As of January, 2,133 Iranian nationals were residing legally in Korea. “The Ministry of Justice plans to allow Iranians who are currently staying in Korea legally, but can no longer extend their visas or change their status, to remain here on humanitarian grounds until the situation stabilizes,” a ministry official said. This measure comes as some other countries are moving to ease immigration rules or grant temporary protections to Iranians who would face heightened danger if forced to return. At least two countries — Canada and Japan — have so far announced special measures allowing Iranians to extend their stay rather than forcing them to return to a w

Mar 8, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Korea to allow Iranians to overstay visas until conflict eases

North Korea

After Iran strikes, N. Korea sees decapitation threat as ‘much more real’: experts

U.S. strikes on Iran, coupled with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s vow to “deal with” Tehran’s nuclear ambitions while sending “plenty of signals,” are meant as a pointed warning that extends beyond the Middle East, according to experts, who noted Thursday that North Korea is likely watching with a mix of heightened anxiety and greater determination to retain its own nuclear arsenal. Hegseth said Wednesday (local time) that Washington’s operation in Iran targets its “nuclear ambitions” and “will send plenty of signals in the process” — a message analysts in Seoul say was deliberately broad and closely watched in North Korea. This came a day after Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby described North Korean and Russian nuclear weapons as the “primary existential threat” facing Washington, signaling a hardening line on nuclear dangers in both countries. For Kim Jong-un, the most immediate lesson from the U.S. operations in Venezuela and Iran — and the latest warnings out of Washington — is that the U.S. capability and willingness to remove

Mar 5, 2026By Jung Min-ho

After Iran strikes, N. Korea sees decapitation threat as ‘much more real’: experts

US strike on Iran dampens prospects for Trump-Kim talks in April

People & Events

Actor Myung Gye-nam appointed governor of N. Korea’s Hwanghae Province

Actor Myung Gye-nam, 74, has been appointed as the new governor of Hwanghae Province, one of the five North Korean provinces over which South Korea claims symbolic governance. Myung is a well-known figure in the nation’s film and theater industries as both an actor and a producer, including “Spring in My Hometown” and “Peppermint Candy.” Myung has long been active in supporting liberal politicians. In 2002, he served as the leader of former President Roh Moo-hyun’s official fan club. In both the 2022 and 2025 elections, he also campaigned for Lee Jae Myung, then-presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. “He was deemed fit to carry out the duties of Hwanghae Province governor, given, among other things, his father’s status as a displaced person from Gaeseong,” an official at the Ministry of Interior and Safety said. Governors of the North Korean provinces are appointed by the South Korean government as a symbolic administrative gesture. Hwanghae, North and South Pyongan, and North and South Hamgyong all have administrators appointed by the president on the

Mar 5, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Actor Myung Gye-nam appointed governor of N. Korea’s Hwanghae Province

Society

Man behind push to abolish ‘academic caste system’

An education reform advocate says a proposed “ban on school‑background discrimination in hiring” bill, which would bar employers from asking job-seekers about their alma mater, is a first step toward dismantling what he describes as Korea’s “academic caste system.” Song In-soo, co-head of Education Spring, a civic group driving the campaign for the bill, said he wants to fix what he sees as a hiring culture that treats school names as a kind of social rank, rather than a measure of ability. “In Korea we treat school names almost like a social caste. One child’s admission to a top university can make neighbors feel as if their own children’s status has been downgraded,” he told The Korea Times. “If we keep throwing our children into this credentialist society, this never‑ending competition, there is no hope.” Song added that the bill is not a blanket ban on considering educational backgrounds in hiring, but a targeted curb on the use of school names in recruitment. “This is not about banning education from hiring decisions,” he said. “It is about banning d

Mar 5, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Man behind push to abolish ‘academic caste system’

Environment & Animals

354 Seoul residents take on 100-day challenge to reduce household waste

Seoul has begun a 100-day “waste diet” experiment involving 354 residents, as city officials seek to demonstrate that the capital is taking responsibility for its own household trash and to spark a broader movement — amid criticism that it has been offloading its waste burden onto other regions. Under the program, 354 participants — matching the city’s per capita daily household waste generation of 354 grams — receive small electronic scales and are asked to weigh everything they throw away once a week over the course of the project, scheduled to run through June 10. They record the weight of general waste in volume‑based bags and seven types of recyclables — paper, plastic, vinyl, cans, glass bottles and polystyrene foam — and submit the data online. Participants are first asked to establish a baseline for their typical waste output, then try to cut that amount over 10 rounds and track how much they have reduced. Noh Su-im, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s climate and environment policy division, said the campaign is meant to be a citizen-led scheme t

Mar 4, 2026By Jung Min-ho

354 Seoul residents take on 100-day challenge to reduce household waste

Landfills go quiet as Seoul’s trash heads to incinerators — and other regions

Law & Crime

Seoul unveils 24-hour AI system to combat digital sex crimes

Seoul will offer its patented artificial intelligence (AI) system, which automatically detects and reports sexually exploitative content online, free of charge to institutions across Korea. The technology, first introduced in 2023, uses 24-hour real-time monitoring to automatically identify unlawful sexual images and videos on illicit websites and social media, request their removal and block re-uploads, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Tuesday. City officials said the first transfer agreement has been signed, opening the door for central government agencies, local governments and even private companies working for the public interest to adopt the system. Nonprofit organizations based abroad may also be able to use the technology, given the cross‑border nature of digital sex crimes, they added. Seoul’s AI tool has been recognized at home and abroad, winning a top presidential award in a government innovation competition in 2023 and the U.N. Public Service Award the next year. It has also secured national patents and copyright registration. Since the program was comple

Mar 4, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Unions threaten strikes as ‘yellow envelope law’ comes into force

Infanticide conviction exposes vacuum in Korea’s abortion law

Police crack down on software-enabled scalping ahead of BTS concert

Seoul launches crackdown on lodging violations ahead of BTS concert

Korea to allow Iranians to overstay visas until conflict eases

After Iran strikes, N. Korea sees decapitation threat as ‘much more real’: experts

Actor Myung Gye-nam appointed governor of N. Korea’s Hwanghae Province

Man behind push to abolish ‘academic caste system’

354 Seoul residents take on 100-day challenge to reduce household waste

Seoul unveils 24-hour AI system to combat digital sex crimes

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