The Korea Times

Experts warn of 'bubble' population targets in noncapital regions

Korea’s local governments have collectively overestimated their future populations by more than 6 million people, creating what researchers call “bubble” population targets that drive wasteful infrastructure spending. Ahead of the June 3 local elections, experts gathered Wednesday for a seminar on the country’s demographic crisis and called on politicians and policymakers to abandon “inflated growth assumptions” and redesign their policies around realistic population data. During the event, think tank Korean Peninsula Population Institute for Future unveiled a nationwide analysis of population figures embedded in municipalities’ plans. The research found that 119 of them — 96 percent of the sample — had overestimated their future population. The average gap between planned and actual figures was 21.9 percent, it found. While the actual resident registration count stood at 39.7 million, the combined planned population reached 46.16 million, leaving roughly 6.46 million “extra” people on paper. “That’s because those population figures serve as a baseline for plann

Mar 25, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Experts warn of 'bubble' population targets in noncapital regions

Society

Korea’s 'salary-blind' culture meets transparency push

Korea’s long‑standing pay‑secrecy culture is facing fresh pressure for transparency, as President Lee Jae Myung backed mandatory salary disclosure in job ads while the labor ministry warned that a rigid rule could shrink hiring. At a policy forum on March 19, Lee publicly sided with young job seekers frustrated by job postings that list pay only as “according to company rules” or “to be discussed following interview,” saying applicants deserve to know exactly how much their wages will be before they apply. He then instructed Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon to address the issue. When asked whether the Ministry of Employment and Labor has started drafting a legislation bill to make it mandatory, a senior official said it is proceeding cautiously. “One of our biggest worries is that a strict mandate could end up shrinking opportunities for job seekers. Companies need to hire people, but if this becomes a burden, they respond by cutting back on job postings. That would be a big problem,” the official told The Korea Times, adding that it is looking for ways to “reflect the

Mar 24, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Korea’s 'salary-blind' culture meets transparency push

Global Community

Syrian deportation case becomes 1st test of Korea’s new constitutional appeal

A Syrian man facing deportation filed Korea's first-ever constitutional complaint against a court ruling minutes after a landmark legal reform took effect on March 12 — and his lawyer says the case is a rare opportunity to put basic rights and non-refoulement, or not deporting an applicant to unsafe conditions, at the center of judicial practice in asylum cases. The reform allows a person to ask the Constitutional Court to overturn a court ruling that conflicts with existing Constitutional Court decisions or was reached without following required procedures. If the court finds a violation, the ruling is cancelled and the case is sent back for retrial. Lee Il, a lawyer at APIL, a Seoul-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) providing legal services to vulnerable migrants, said the case will show whether the new mechanism becomes a meaningful safety net for foreigners facing life-threatening removals or merely adds another procedural layer to an already strained process. Lee filed the complaint — confirmed by the Constitutional Court as the first under the new system — arguing tha

Mar 24, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Syrian deportation case becomes 1st test of Korea’s new constitutional appeal

Society

CEO apologizes over deadly fire as risk of collapse slows probe

The head of Anjun Industry, the auto parts maker at the center of a deadly factory blaze in Daejeon, apologized to the victims and their families Sunday. Accompanied by about 30 company executives and employees, CEO Sohn Ju-hwan arrived at a joint memorial altar installed in the lobby of Daejeon City Hall and paid respects to 14 workers who died in Friday’s fire, the cause of which is under investigation. A day prior, Sohn issued a written apology on the company’s website, offering his “deepest condolences and heartfelt apologies” to the injured and the bereaved families. He said his company would “take full responsibility” by providing support and compensation. The fire broke out at around 1:17 p.m. at the company’s Munpyeong-dong plant in Daedeok District, killing 14 people and injuring around 60 others. The police, fire authorities and other government agencies launched a forensic investigation, but officials say the on-site probe has been severely hampered by the risk of further collapse at the fire-damaged structure. Many sections of the factory have partially collapse

Mar 22, 2026By Jung Min-ho

CEO apologizes over deadly fire as risk of collapse slows probe

Society

Tripartite council puts AI at top of agenda as robot fears grow

The presidential Economic, Social and Labor Council has placed artificial intelligence (AI) at the center of its new work agenda, establishing a dedicated AI transition committee as part of a broader effort to revitalize tripartite social dialogue. The council under President Lee Jae Myung held its first plenary session Thursday at Cheong Wa Dae, unveiling a package of seven committees that collectively target what officials call Korea’s “compound transition crisis” of an AI revolution, demographic change and the green energy transition. Its committee on “labor-management coexistence in the AI transition” seeks to map how AI spreads through workplaces, how jobs and skills will change, and what cooperation models labor and management can build around that shift. Council Chair Kim Ji-hyung said AI has become one of the most pressing challenges for the nation’s economy and labor market and therefore needs to be handled as a dedicated social dialogue agenda, amid fears of job replacement as companies such as Hyundai Motor move to introduce humanoid robots like “Atlas.” Speaki

Mar 19, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Tripartite council puts AI at top of agenda as robot fears grow

Global Community

Korea moves to raise minimum salary for foreign workers to protect Korean wages

Korea is moving to introduce what would function as a higher minimum wage floor for many foreign workers, by writing “reasonable” wage requirements for migrants directly into visa and stay conditions. Responding to inquiries from The Korea Times about this new immigration policy, revealed earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice said the goal is to protect the wage levels of Koreans by pushing up wage levels for foreign workers in certain visa categories. “The purpose of setting wage requirements for foreign workers, as in countries such as the United States and Britain, is to prevent declines in Korean workers’ wages and guard against violations of their working conditions,” a ministry official said in a recent statement. Under the 2030 Immigration Policy Future Strategy, the ministry plans to embed these wage thresholds in immigration rules, so that employers will have to meet or exceed them if they want to hire or keep foreign workers on visas such as E-7-1 or E-7-3. This comes after President Lee Jae Myung publicly questioned whether a growth model built on low‑paid mi

Mar 18, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Korea moves to raise minimum salary for foreign workers to protect Korean wages

Society

Care workers press gov’t for direct bargaining under new law

Care workers nationwide have launched a coordinated push to bring government ministries they call their “real employers” to the bargaining table, citing a new labor law that expands the legal definition of an employer. They threatened to go on strike if their demands are not met. During a press conference at the office of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a powerful umbrella organization with more than 1 million members, the KCTU and affiliate unions said they have recently demanded that 57 ministries and public agencies hold talks with them as principal employers under the so-called “yellow envelope law” that came into force last week. Union leaders said most care workers — including elder-care aides, child care staff, disability support workers and home-care helpers — are formally hired by outsourced private facilities but effectively governed by state-set fees and guidelines, and that more than 2 million workers nationwide fall under this category, according to KCTU estimates. The government bodies they seek direct bargaining with include the Ministry of Hea

Mar 17, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Care workers press gov’t for direct bargaining under new law

Society

Everything Seoul lined up for BTS fans

Seoul is transforming itself into an extended concert venue ahead of BTS' comeback show Saturday, with the city government rolling out a month of landmark light displays, themed festivals and guided tours designed to give the hundreds of thousands of fans — collectively known as ARMY — more than a single night out, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday. Starting Friday, the day the highly anticipated album "Arirang" drops, 15 city landmarks, including Sebitseom and Cheonggye Stream, will be lit in red — the color associated with the new album — to mark their return, turning the skyline into a dynamic nighttime stage. City officials say the lighting is designed to make Seoul feel like a giant open-air performance space. To demonstrate the city’s welcome, greeting banners will be hung along Sejong-daero near the Gwanghwamun concert venue and welcome messages will be displayed on 10 media facades across the city. Major tourist spots and traditional marketplaces will also show welcome phrases in English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Korean. On S

Mar 17, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Society

Lawmaker targets English cram lessons for toddlers after level test ban

A lawmaker who led this week’s ban on English level tests for preschoolers is now vowing to push a far more sweeping proposal that would sharply curb academic lessons for children at so-called “English kindergartens” and other private institutes in Korea. On Thursday, the National Assembly approved an amendment to the Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons Act in order to ban level tests used by private institutes to screen or rank preschool students for their programs. This law will come into force six months after passage. Only low‑pressure diagnostic checks will be allowed after a child is enrolled, and only with prior parental consent, using observation‑style activities intended to support learning rather than rank children. Detailed standards for these diagnostics will be set later by enforcement ordinances. A senior aide in the office of Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, who led the legislation effort, welcomed the passage but stressed that it represents only “half” of the lawmaker’s early-childhood agenda. “The oth

Mar 13, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Lawmaker targets English cram lessons for toddlers after level test ban

Society

Police to deploy maximum security for BTS comeback show amid terror concerns

Police said Friday that they will deploy maximum security measures for K-pop group BTS’ concert at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, citing the possibility of a terror attack amid intensifying tensions in the Middle East and worsening global security conditions. In a press release, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it will mobilize all resources to counter terrorism risks in and around the venue near City Hall in central Seoul, with over 200,000 fans expected to crowd the area for the concert. It also pledged a tough response to hoax threats. “If a bomb threat is reported on the day of the event, it could cause major disruptions,” the police said. “Anyone who causes delays or wastes police resources by making bomb threats will be subject to arrest and a full investigation until they are apprehended.” Police buses and water-filled barricades will be placed on surrounding roads to block access to the venue as part of the safety measures. Metal detectors will also be set up at 30 entrance points. Police asked visitors to pack light, saying that screening procedures could cau

Mar 13, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Experts warn of 'bubble' population targets in noncapital regions

Korea’s 'salary-blind' culture meets transparency push

Syrian deportation case becomes 1st test of Korea’s new constitutional appeal

CEO apologizes over deadly fire as risk of collapse slows probe

Tripartite council puts AI at top of agenda as robot fears grow

Korea moves to raise minimum salary for foreign workers to protect Korean wages

Care workers press gov’t for direct bargaining under new law

Everything Seoul lined up for BTS fans

Lawmaker targets English cram lessons for toddlers after level test ban

Police to deploy maximum security for BTS comeback show amid terror concerns

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