The Korea Times

Gwangju schoolgirl murder shatters faith in police

The murder of a high school student in the southwestern city of Gwangju has escalated into a major scandal over alleged police corruption and abuse of power, dealing a serious blow to public trust in law enforcement amid the government's push to hand more investigative authority to the police. In response to mounting criticism over the mishandling of the case, the National Police Agency on Thursday announced plans to launch a task force on reform and create an in-house unit dedicated to investigating police misconduct as part of efforts to establish stricter oversight measures. What happened? The killing occurred after the accused, 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi, allegedly began to follow Lee Chae-won, 17, down a dimly lit walkway in the early hours of May 5 as she was heading home. Investigators say Jang had parked his car nearby and left the rear passenger door open, then came up from behind Lee and restrained her by the neck. As she struggled, he allegedly fatally stabbed her with a knife. Hearing her screams, a male high school student ran to her aid, only to be stabbed as well. Jang, the

Jul 9, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Gwangju schoolgirl murder shatters faith in police

Health

Airbags, robots and cooling vests: Korea pushes smart safety

GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province — Last month, a worker in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, fell backward from a crane platform roughly 4 meters off the ground. In the seconds that followed, an airbag vest sensed the fall and deployed around his neck, spine and head — limiting what could have been a fatal injury to a fractured arm. The vest, developed by Safeware, was among the artificial intelligence-powered safety devices on display Wednesday at the Korea International Safety & Health Show at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where 320 companies gathered as Korea marks Occupational Safety and Health Month. The event run through Friday. A demonstrator dropped a mannequin from a stool to show how the vest works, the airbag deploying in an instant around its neck and shoulders, turning what could have been a hard, head-first impact into a soft landing. "We receive about 30 such life-saving reports each year," a company official said. A few booths away from the airbag vests, a four-legged robot paced across a circular stage, its joints flexing as nuclear engineers explained how it is

Jul 8, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Airbags, robots and cooling vests: Korea pushes smart safety

Law & Crime

Q&A Korea's 'fake news' law is in force — what you need to know

Korea’s revised Information and Communications Network Act, also dubbed the “fake news” law, came into force on Tuesday, reshaping how unlawful information is handled online. Under the new rules, “false or manipulated” information is defined as content whose whole or partial substance is untrue, or altered in a way that misleads audiences into believing it is factual. The revision also introduced a new category of illegal hate or discriminatory expression which covers posts that incite violence, discrimination or hatred against individuals or groups based on traits such as race, nationality or gender. Amid concerns over vague legal definitions and potential conflicts with constitutional free-speech protections, the state-run Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) provided answers to frequently asked questions to address key issues. Q. What should I do if I suffer harm from false or manipulated information? A. Anyone who encounters information suspected of being false or manipulated can file a report with a large online service provider, including the location of the c

Jul 7, 2026By Jung Min-ho

[Q&A] Korea's 'fake news' law is in force — what you need to know

Korea's 'fake news' law set to redraw online speech rules

Education

‘Children with disabilities have right to swim’

Children with disabilities have as much right to learn to swim and enjoy the water as anyone else, and the government has a duty to make that possible, said Jeong Cheol-sang, director of the National Youth Center of Korea. “Survival swimming is not an optional physical activity but safety education to protect life,” Jeong said in a written interview with The Korea Times. “All young people have the right to receive safety education, regardless of disability, and public institutions have a responsibility to ensure that right is realized.” On June 26, 78 students from Cheonan Inae School, a public special school in Cheonan for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities, visited the center, operated by the state-run Korea Youth Work Agency. The students learned how to put on life jackets, float to stay alive and signal for help, gaining hands-on experience in core survival skills. The director cautioned against labeling swimming as inherently dangerous for children with disabilities and using that as a reason to exclude them from such lessons. “Instead of saying, ‘

Jul 7, 2026By Jung Min-ho

‘Children with disabilities have right to swim’

Law & Crime

Seoul Metro puts up English warnings at depots after graffiti cases by foreigners

Seoul Metro, one of the two major operators of the city’s subway system, will install English-language warning signs around its depots after a string of illegal graffiti cases by foreign nationals in recent years. The municipally run company said Monday that four graffiti incidents have been reported at its depots over the past five years, including cases at a depot at Gunja Station on lines 5 and 7 in 2024 and 2025. Officials say intruders typically entered in the early morning hours and spray-painted parked trains before soon leaving Korea, causing damage to subway cars and forcing costly repair work. Amid rising concerns, Seoul Metro CEO Kim Tae-gyun instructed staff at an April safety meeting to install new warnings along depot fences, saying clear notices were needed to deter trespassing by foreign nationals. He pointed out that the existing signs varied in size and spacing and had been put up at different times, leaving their wording inconsistent and often out of step with recent legal revisions. The new signs will adopt a standardized design modeled on recent examples at depots

Jul 6, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Seoul Metro puts up English warnings at depots after graffiti cases by foreigners

Law & Crime

Bill targets deportation of drug, phishing offenders

A group of conservative legislators has introduced a bill that would allow the government to deport foreigners convicted of drug, sex or voice phishing offenses even if they don’t receive prison sentences. The amendment to the Immigration Act, submitted on Thursday by Rep. Kim Tae-ho and 11 other lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party, seeks to expand the legal grounds for deportation beyond the current standard, which hinges on the imposition of a custodial sentence. Under existing law, foreign nationals can be ordered to leave only if they receive a prison sentence — including a suspended one — and that the decision is final. “There has been criticism that the current requirement of ‘a sentence of imprisonment or heavier’ as a condition for deporting foreign offenders is excessively narrow,” the conservative party legislators said. “In particular, some people point out that the law should be amended so that foreign nationals can be deported even when they have not been given an actual prison sentence in cases involving sex crimes, drug offenses and voice

Jul 4, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Bill targets deportation of drug, phishing offenders

Foreign Affairs

Korean doctors send advance medical team to Venezuela quake zone

The Korean Medical Association (KMA), the nation’s largest organization of doctors, has dispatched an advance volunteer team to Venezuela to assess needs and prepare broader assistance in the wake of devastating earthquakes last week. The organization’s spokesman told The Korea Times on Friday that KMA Vice President Seo Jung-sung had departed earlier in the day for the quake-struck Caracas region with one staff member as its first team in the South American country. The KMA has been coordinating with the Venezuelan Medical Association ahead of the visit to ensure the mission responds to actual needs rather than providing only symbolic support. “As doctors, we believe our mission should not be bounded by national borders, and in that sense we see this as the right thing to do,” the spokesman said. “Before sending the team, we contacted the Venezuelan doctors’ group in advance and asked whether our team would really be of help, and they told us support is needed, so we decided to go.” As of Friday, the death toll from the two major earthquakes increased to 2,595, according t

Jul 3, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Korean doctors send advance medical team to Venezuela quake zone

Law & Crime

Gov’t ramps up crackdown on ‘salt farm slavery’

The government is ramping up a crackdown on labor exploitation in salt farms in an effort to close loopholes that have allowed “salt farm slavery” to persist and become an international human rights and trade issue. Under a plan jointly announced Thursday by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, government workers will cooperate with police to create a standing, field-centered response system targeting abusive practices in salt farms. The move follows the latest such case in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, in which a salt farm owner was arrested for allegedly exploiting three workers, at least one of whom has a serious intellectual disability. The case has reignited worries over rights violations in remote coastal workplaces. On June 25, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it formally designated the three workers as victims of human trafficking. As recognized victims, they can receive up to six months of living expenses support of 783,000 won ($505) per month each, along with access to medical, legal and other assistance. Offici

Jul 2, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Gov’t ramps up crackdown on ‘salt farm slavery’

Companies

JoongAng Ilbo puts controlling rights up for sale amid creditor workout

JoongAng Ilbo, one of Korea's largest newspapers, is preparing to put its management rights up for sale as part of a workout plan aimed at stabilizing operations and restoring its finances. The publisher reportedly told its creditors that it is considering a sale of its controlling stake as part of its plan submitted to the workout committee. The plan also includes selling off real estate assets and subsidiaries, as well as cutting costs, with the aim of securing about 66.4 billion won ($43 million) in liquidity. JoongAng Ilbo's largest shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, which owns 64.73 percent of the paper. Chairman Hong Seok-hyun holds a 15.63 percent stake as the second-largest shareholder, while CJ Olive Networks holds a 9.24 percent. The move comes after JoongAng Ilbo failed to meet an early repayment request on corporate paper worth 22 billion won on June 19, prompting the company to file for a workout with Hana Bank. Under Korea’s workout regime, troubled firms pursue restructuring and a return to normal operations by negotiating debt adjustments with creditors to avoid court-le

Jul 1, 2026By Jung Min-ho

JoongAng Ilbo puts controlling rights up for sale amid creditor workout

Politics

Oh Se-hoon begins final mayoral term with 2030 presidential bid in view

Oh Se-hoon was reinaugurated as Seoul mayor Wednesday, beginning a final four-year tenure many view as a launch pad and test ground for a presidential bid in 2030. Having secured his place as one of the key leaders within the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Oh’s term this time is expected to serve less as a routine mayoral administration and more as a high-stakes audition for the nation’s highest office. In his address, Oh sketched out five priorities — young people, health, housing, transport and small businesses — but spoke in terms that reached well beyond the capital, promising to confront youth employment insecurity, soaring housing costs and the squeeze on small businesses. “If young people no longer believe that honest work leads to a decent life and that taking risks opens up opportunities, there is no greater crisis for Korea,” Oh said. “We must not allow even a single citizen to live in the despair of believing they will never own even one home in their lifetime. There can be no more important livelihood task than easing people’s housing worries.” He

Jul 1, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Gwangju schoolgirl murder shatters faith in police

Airbags, robots and cooling vests: Korea pushes smart safety

Q&A Korea's 'fake news' law is in force — what you need to know

‘Children with disabilities have right to swim’

Seoul Metro puts up English warnings at depots after graffiti cases by foreigners

Bill targets deportation of drug, phishing offenders

Korean doctors send advance medical team to Venezuela quake zone

Gov’t ramps up crackdown on ‘salt farm slavery’

JoongAng Ilbo puts controlling rights up for sale amid creditor workout

Oh Se-hoon begins final mayoral term with 2030 presidential bid in view

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