The Korea Times

Indonesian cargo ship captain convicted of visiting N. Korea from Busan without permission

An Indonesian captain of a cargo ship has been convicted for making unauthorized voyages between South Korea and North Korea earlier this year. On Saturday, the Busan District Court sentenced the man, who is in his 50s, to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. The captain made a round trip from Busan to Wonsan, a major port city on North Korea’s eastern coast, between February and March after falsely reporting his itinerary to South Korean authorities. The captain and seven other Indonesian crew members were aboard the 1,517-ton vessel, which is registered in Mongolia and owned by a Taiwanese company. Under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, any people, including foreign nationals, who intend to take out or bring in goods between South Korea and North Korea must obtain approval from the Ministry of Unification. The captain admitted he had traveled to North Korea to sell 450 tons of meat products. On Feb. 9, the captain told South Korean authorities that he planned to sail to the open sea before departing for Wonsan, where the ship arrived three days later. The ves

Jun 29, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Indonesian cargo ship captain convicted of visiting N. Korea from Busan without permission

Defense

PHOTO Honoring fallen heroes

Veterans of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong pay respects to the service members killed during the naval clash on its 23rd anniversary, on Chungmu Hill at the ROK Navy 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Six South Korean sailors were killed and 18 others were wounded in the battle, which took place after two North Korean patrol boats crossed the northern limit line. Joint Press Corps

Jun 29, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Law & Crime

Doctor arrested over termination of pregnancy at 9 months

A doctor has been arrested and charged with murder after the termination of a pregnancy at nine months last year, underscoring persistent legal uncertainties as lawmakers continue to struggle with abortion regulation. Judge Park Jeong-ho at the Seoul Central District Court issued arrest warrants on Saturday for the surgeon, identified only by his last name Shim, and the clinic’s head, surnamed Yoon, over their alleged roles in the death of a baby believed to have been born alive and then left to die through willful neglect. This arrest follows an initial October 2024 court rejection of detention requests for the doctors. In the intervening months, investigators conducted extensive searches of the clinic’s electronic devices and the mobile phones of key suspects to gather additional evidence. Speaking to reporters last year, the investigators said they secured evidence suggesting the baby was alive “before and after” the abortion procedure. They also found that hundreds of other pregnant women had undergone abortion procedures at the same clinic. The case gained widespread attenti

Jun 29, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Doctor arrested over termination of pregnancy at 9 months

Korea drops Hyundai Pharm's abortion pill review amid delay in legislation

Foreign Affairs

Seoul, Shanghai commit to expanded tourism collaboration

Seoul and Shanghai signed an agreement to deepen tourism exchanges, marking the first such pact between the two cities since establishing a sister-city relationship in 2014, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday. Representatives of the two cities' governments signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance collaboration in promoting tourism and other areas of culture, city officials said. This agreement comes amid a surge in the number of travelers between Korea and China. According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization, 1.12 million Chinese tourists visited Korea during the first quarter of 2025, accounting for 28 percent of all foreign visitors here. Meanwhile, about 660,000 Koreans visited China during the same period. As part of the new partnership, Seoul and Shanghai will launch a joint campaign to promote tourism and share relevant data. The cities also plan to collaborate on developing special tourism information and experiences. Seoul city officials expect the agreement to accelerate cultural exchanges, which are already heightened by pent-up travel demand fo

Jun 26, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Seoul, Shanghai commit to expanded tourism collaboration

Global Community

Gov’t to proceed with plan for independent immigration agency

The Ministry of Justice said it will proceed with plans to establish an independent agency dedicated to overseeing immigration affairs under the new government administration. The move is a major overhaul of Korea's immigration system, which is currently fragmented across multiple government ministries. A unified agency will centralize everything from visa issuance to border control and integration policies, signaling a shift in how the government approaches a rapidly growing foreign population. In a statement to The Korea Times on Wednesday, a ministry spokesperson confirmed that the initiative — originally developed under the previous administration — remains a priority, citing growing demand for a dedicated immigration body. “Considering the need for an organization dedicated to immigration issues, the Ministry of Justice will collaborate with other relevant government ministries to create such an agency in line with the new government’s approach,” the representative said. The confirmation follows the ministry’s submission of its five-year policy plan to the presidential c

Jun 26, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Gov’t to proceed with plan for independent immigration agency

Global Community

Migrant rights activists welcome president's pick for new labor minister

Migrant rights activists expressed cautious optimism following President Lee Jae Myung’s nomination of Kim Young-hoon as the next labor minister. Kim, a former train operator and head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions from 2010 to 2012, would be the first former leader of the influential labor organization to hold the post. Advocates for foreign workers told The Korea Times on Wednesday that Kim’s tenure as KCTU chairman reflects a strong commitment to the rights of all workers — citizens and noncitizens alike — a stance they hope he will uphold as a Cabinet member. “As chairman of the KCTU, Kim tried to improve the rights of migrant workers by joining rallies and other activities promoting their rights,” said a leading activist for migrant workers here. “Even after leaving that position, he continued to champion these causes politically as a member of the Justice Party.” When Seoul Immigration Office issued a deportation order for Michelle Katwir, former chief of the Migrants’ Trade Union, in 2011, the KCTU under Kim strongly denounced the decision. A week la

Jun 25, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Migrant rights activists welcome president's pick for new labor minister

Politics

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

Jung Min-ho

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Indonesian cargo ship captain convicted of visiting N. Korea from Busan without permission

PHOTO Honoring fallen heroes

Doctor arrested over termination of pregnancy at 9 months

Seoul, Shanghai commit to expanded tourism collaboration

Gov’t to proceed with plan for independent immigration agency

Migrant rights activists welcome president's pick for new labor minister

PM nominee grilled over finances in confirmation hearing

Municipalities vie to host new immigration agency

Korea assists Cambodia in developing labor policies

Investigation into Yoon's martial law in full swing

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