The Korea Times

PM nominee grilled over finances in confirmation hearing

Kim Min-seok, President Lee Jae Myung’s nominee for prime minister, faced intense scrutiny Tuesday over his personal finances and qualifications during a combative confirmation hearing. Opposition lawmakers from the People Power Party (PPP) pressed Kim to account for how he spent at least 1.3 billion won ($952,000) over the past five years, despite earning just over 100 million won annually as a lawmaker. “That gap is too big in the eyes of the public, which has led to the question over where the rest of the money came from,” Rep. Joo Jin-woo said at the National Assembly. Kim, 61, attributed the additional income to gifts from friends and relatives for his 2019 remarriage, condolence money following his father-in-law’s death in 2020, proceeds from book publication events in 2022 and 2023 and financial support from his mother. Under current law, funds raised through book events are not considered political donations and therefore do not need to be reported to the National Election Commission. “One more thing: The sums collected for all these events were no more than what would b

Jun 24, 2025By Jung Min-ho

PM nominee grilled over finances in confirmation hearing

Global Community

Municipalities vie to host new immigration agency

With immigration on the agenda of the new administration amid growing demographic pressures, governors and mayors across Korea are jockeying to host a newly proposed state agency tasked with managing immigration policy. The move comes as President Lee Jae Myung charts the country’s policy course for the next five years. While immigration was not a major focus during his campaign, lawmakers from the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) introduced a bill to establish an independent government department to comprehensively address immigration issues. Local officials in Ansan in Gyeonggi Province ― the country’s most ethnically diverse city ― have positioned their city as the most suitable candidate for the agency’s headquarters. Ansan boasts the highest proportion of foreign residents in the country, with more than 100,000 of its 672,000 residents, or about 14 percent, being foreign-born. Five years ago, Ansan became the first Korean city to be recognized on the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities list. “Most importantly, as one of the first cities in Korea to

Jun 24, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Municipalities vie to host new immigration agency

Foreign Affairs

Korea assists Cambodia in developing labor policies

As the Cambodian government moves to align its labor policies with international standards, it has turned to Korea for expertise and collaboration. According to officials at the state-run Korea Labor and Employment Service (KLES) on Friday, nine high-ranking labor officials from Cambodia ― including Lim Suyhong, undersecretary of state at the country’s Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training ― arrived in Korea last week to participate in a specialized training program running from June 14 to 24. This initiative is part of the organization’s project, launched in 2023, to support Cambodia in modernizing its labor governance. “Cambodia wants to update and revise its labor regulations and procedures to handle issues that have been emerging with its economic growth in recent years,” a KLES director told The Korea Times. “Korea is one of the partner countries they wish to learn from.” At the request of the Cambodian government, the training focuses on three areas: Korea’s minimum wage system, dispute resolution mechanisms and labor supervision system. These topics have gain

Jun 21, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Korea assists Cambodia in developing labor policies

Law & Crime

Investigation into Yoon's martial law in full swing

The special counsel looking into former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration indicted former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, a key mastermind behind the incident, on new charges, as investigators move to extend his detention for further questioning. Cho Eun-suk, the independent counsel leading the investigation, said Thursday that his team, which officially began the investigation on Wednesday, is already well into its probe, targeting key suspects involved in the imposition of martial law. Kim, arrested and indicted in December, is the first to face additional indictments. Cho said they indicted Kim on additional charges of obstruction of justice and abetting the destruction of evidence in connection with the martial law decree. The move is widely seen as an effort to keep him in custody beyond the expiration of his current six-month detention period, which is set to end on June 26. Cho said his team will swiftly request judges to merge all charges against Kim and issue a new arrest warrant for him. Kim is already on trial for his role in insurrection, accused of

Jun 19, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Investigation into Yoon's martial law in full swing

North Korea

Seoul pivots from confrontation to engagement with Pyongyang

South Korea is moving away from its previous confrontational stance toward North Korea, as the Lee Jae-myung administration tries to mend relations that deteriorated under his predecessor. In the latest development on Saturday, Lee directed all relevant government departments to devise measures to prevent and penalize the sending of leaflets critical of the North Korean regime across the inter-Korean border. This directive followed an attempt by human rights activists to launch balloons carrying anti-regime messages from Ganghwa Island, near North Korean shores, earlier that day. Lee reaffirmed his commitment the next day to restoring communication and trust between Seoul and Pyongyang. “The Lee Jae-myung government will cease all hostilities, resume dialogue and cooperation and restore the inter-Korean communication channel and the crisis management system to ease military tensions and create a peaceful atmosphere,” Lee said in a social media post on the 25th anniversary of the June 15 North–South Joint Declaration, which was adopted in Pyongyang following a landmark inter-Korean

Jun 16, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Seoul pivots from confrontation to engagement with Pyongyang

KOREA TIMES POLL Strengthening US alliance is top foreign policy priority

Global Community

Low applicant turnout delays Seoul’s foreign nanny program

The Seoul city government has received fewer applications than expected for its new foreign nanny program, raising concerns that services may not be available to residents until at least late summer. The sluggish uptake highlights the complexities of addressing Korea’s deepening demographic crisis, as the city tries to ease the child care burden on working parents amid plummeting birthrates. The program’s struggles could worsen challenges for families seeking affordable child care, potentially limiting workforce participation and further depressing fertility rates over time. As of Wednesday, only about 70 foreign residents had applied, according to officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Government — well short of the city’s goal to recruit enough workers to serve 300 households. Of these applicants, approximately a dozen has completed training required to work as caregivers so far, officials said. As a result, those eager to use their services will likely have to wait until August, according to officials. Originally, city officials planned to complete work training between April and

Jun 12, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Low applicant turnout delays Seoul’s foreign nanny program

Activists condemn new foreign nanny program as ‘abusive, discriminatory’

Society

Prominent activist urges Korea to end death penalty

When France abolished the death penalty in 1981, public opinion was largely opposed to the move, with nearly 65 percent of the population supporting its retention. Nonetheless, then-President François Mitterrand pressed ahead with abolition, making it a cornerstone of his administration’s early reforms. A gradual but uneven decline in public support for the death penalty in France followed the change. If Korea is to move toward abolition, it must take a similar approach, according to Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan, executive director of ECPM, a France-based nonprofit organization advocating for the universal abolition of capital punishment. “As seen in France and other countries, abolishing the death penalty is possible only when there is political courage and political willingness,” Chenuil-Hazan said during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul on Tuesday. “I really hope President Lee Jae-myung will show his leadership to end it.” His comments come as the Korean president, who was elected last week on promises to champion human rights of all individuals, works to form his admi

Jun 12, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Prominent activist urges Korea to end death penalty

People & Events

History lecturer named honorary ambassador of Overseas Koreans Agency

Choi Tae-sung, a prominent lecturer on Korean history, has been appointed the first honorary ambassador of the Overseas Koreans Agency, a government body that supports members of the global Korean diaspora. The agency said Tuesday that Choi, 53, will help advance its mission of providing administrative services to Koreans living abroad, safeguarding their rights and strengthening their ties to the homeland. The Overseas Koreans Agency is a government body established last year to succeed the Overseas Koreans Foundation. With an expanded mandate, the agency now provides comprehensive administrative services, advocates for the rights of 7.5 million Koreans living abroad and works to deepen their connections to Korea. This is the first time the agency has appointed an honorary ambassador since being founded in June 2024 under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “As an instructor, Choi has played a big role in teaching the history of Korean immigration to other countries and their contributions to their home country through fun and entertaining lectures,” the agency said in a statement. Choi

Jun 11, 2025By Jung Min-ho

History lecturer named honorary ambassador of Overseas Koreans Agency

Society

Matchmaking program leads to first wedding in Gimhae

A couple set to tie the knot this Saturday say they probably would not have met if it weren't for Gimhae Mayor Hong Tae-yong. The couple who met at a matchmaking event hosted by the South Gyeongsang Province city last year may be the first to marry there — but they are unlikely to be the last, as such government-backed matchmaking programs gain traction nationwide. “I am happy and grateful to have found a good spouse to spend the rest of my life with,” the soon-to-be husband, surnamed Kim, said. “I hope ‘Gimhae Solo’ will continue to remain as a platform for many young men and women to find love.” A growing number of municipal governments across Korea are turning to matchmaking programs like Gimhae’s to address the country’s record-low birth rate, hoping that encouraging marriage will eventually lead to more births. Initially met with public skepticism and criticism over the use of taxpayer money, these initiatives are now gaining broader acceptance. Rather than scaling back, many local officials are expanding such efforts, pointing to growing participation and early si

Jun 10, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Matchmaking program leads to first wedding in Gimhae

Foreign Affairs

KOREA TIMES POLL Strengthening US alliance is top foreign policy priority

Strengthening South Korea’s alliance with the United States should be the top foreign policy priority of the Lee Jae-myung administration, according to a recent poll commissioned by The Korea Times. In the poll conducted by Hankook Research at the request of The Korea Times, 49 percent of 1,000 respondents said bolstering ties with the ally as the top foreign policy issue the new president should focus on. Strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance was especially important among conservatives, with 75 percent of the major conservative People Power Party (PPP) supporters and 67 percent of the minor right-wing Reform Party supporters saying so in their responses. Even among supporters of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), 30 percent said they think focusing on that issue is the most important. However, DPK supporters said improving relations with China is almost as important as the South Korea-U.S. alliance, which 29 percent picking it as the top priority. PPP and Reform Party supporters did not see improving relations with China as an important task. Among all respondents, bo

Jun 8, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

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