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Park Ung

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

I cover a wide range of stories about Korean society — one of the most dynamic places in the world. To me, journalism means being on the ground, uncovering untold stories and amplifying marginalized voices, especially in an era when AI is reshaping the media landscape. That’s why I’m always here to listen. Tips and stories are welcome — feel free to reach out via email. Before becoming a journalist, I traveled through 24 countries over 702 days, served two years as a military police officer in the Republic of Korea Air Force and later studied filmmaking at the Korea National University of Arts.

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Society

K League player faces racism backlash over banana, gorilla emojis

Portuguese defender Rafael Bandeira of Chungbuk Cheongju FC is facing a racism controversy after posting emojis of two bananas and a gorilla on Instagram following a match, prompting a review by K League. Bandeira posted a photo of Chungbuk Cheongju's second goal against Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Instagram after Saturday's match, along with the emojis. As the controversy grew, he issued an explanation. “The post was a(n Instagram) story shared by an African friend of mine living in Portugal, congratulating me on my assists in my last two matches,” he wrote on social media Sunday, adding that a banana often symbolizes help in Portugal. “My parents are from Africa, and I grew up around family members of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Racism or discrimination of any kind is not something I stand for. But regardless of my intent, I take seriously that some people who saw the post felt uncomfortable.” A K League official said the league has asked Chungbuk Cheongju to submit a written explanation about the issue and will decide whether to convene a disciplinary committee after rece

1d agoBy Park Ung
K League player faces racism backlash over banana, gorilla emojis
Society

Over 12-day streak of tropical nights leaves Korea sleepless

Korea's average number of "tropical nights" nationwide hit a record high of 12.1 days since June through Tuesday, the highest average since the country expanded its weather observation network in 1973. For Seoul, its overnight low temperature recorded 29.1 degrees Celsius Tuesday night, extending its tropical night streak to 14 straight days, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). A tropical night is defined as a night when the temperature does not drop below 25 degrees. Seoul nearly reached the threshold for a “super tropical night,” a term the KMA does not officially use but refers to a night when the overnight low is 30 degrees or higher. Gangneung in Gangwon Province experienced a super tropical night on July 31 night, reporting 30.2 degrees as its overnight low. Tuesday's overnight lows also approached 30 degrees in other parts of the country, including 29 degrees in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, 28.8 degrees in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and 27.8 degrees in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. “I'm dying from these tropical nights. Korea was never like this

1d agoBy Park Ung
Over 12-day streak of tropical nights leaves Korea sleepless
Travel & Food

From movies to comic books: Where to cool off indoors this week

The pavement shimmers, the air feels thick and heavy and stepping outside starts to feel like a dare. When the summer heat currently baking the Korean Peninsula turns punishing, these three spots in the greater Seoul area offer not just relief from the sun but reason to stay all day. Seoul Metropolitan Library Located in Jung District, central Seoul, Seoul Metropolitan Library is the city's flagship public library. Located in the old City Hall building, which was constructed in 1926, during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial period, and continued being used as City Hall after Korea's liberation. The building was renovated in 2012 and the remaining original section was repurposed as a library after the addition of the new City Hall building. With the original facade preserved, the building houses the General Collections of Korean-language books, the Digital Collections of DVDs and multimedia materials and the Seoul Document Collections of publications by the Seoul city government, along with the old mayor's office on the third floor, used until 2008. Visitors can settle in with a book while tak

2d agoBy Park Ung
From movies to comic books: Where to cool off indoors this week
Society

Seoul faces highest heat alert for 1st time Tuesday

An intense heat wave gripping the Korean Peninsula is shifting westward, with the greater Seoul area bracing for conditions even hotter than in past weeks and authorities rolling out measures to protect vulnerable residents. A heat wave emergency warning, the highest alert level, will take effect at 11 a.m. Tuesday in southeastern and southwestern Seoul, Osan, Hanam and western Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province and Jangseong and northern Gokseong in South Jeolla Province, marking the first time the warning will have been issued in the greater Seoul area since the new alert system was introduced in June. The warning is issued when a region that has already had a perceived temperature of 35 degrees Celsius or higher for at least two consecutive days is expected to reach a perceived temperature of 38 degrees or higher, or an actual temperature of 39 degrees or higher, for at least one more day. It serves as a strong signal urging even healthy people to take extra precautions and halt outdoor work such as farming. As of 10 p.m. Monday, the day's highest temperature nationwide reached 41.2 degrees C

Aug 3, 2026By Park Ung
Seoul faces highest heat alert for 1st time Tuesday
Health

7 in 10 Korean students have tried alcohol by high school senior year, survey finds

Smoking and drinking among Korean adolescents rose sharply from sixth grade through the final year of high school, according to new government data highlighting a steady decline in healthy habits as students grow older. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency released findings Monday from its Korean Youth Health Behavior Panel Survey, which has tracked a panel of 5,051 students who were sixth graders in 2019 for a 10-year period through 2028 to study behavioral changes and their contributing factors. Monday's release, covering the 2019-2025 period, drew on 3,756 students and compiled cumulative statistics on smoking, drinking and eating habits. The data showed a sharp rise in tobacco product use as students advanced through school. The share of students who had ever used a tobacco product rose to 11.93 percent by their final year of high school from 0.35 percent in sixth grade, up 11.58 percentage points over six years. The increase was steeper among male students, up 15.47 percentage points to 16.02 percent, than among female students, up 7.5 percentage points to 7.64 percent. Th

Aug 3, 2026By Park Ung
7 in 10 Korean students have tried alcohol by high school senior year, survey finds
Society

Multicultural families need equality, not special treatment: KIHF head

Park Ku-yeon, chief director of the Korean Institute for Healthy Family (KIHF), believes that migrants should not be seen as special but regarded just like Korean citizens and that this is how Korea can become a truly inclusive society. “Korean society should treat migrants the same way it treats its own citizens,” Park said in an interview with The Korea Times on Wednesday. “Giving them special treatment could result in distortion and discrimination. We are pursuing a society of equal treatment.” An agency under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, KIHF was established to support family policy in Korea, aimed at improving the quality of life and strengthening the resilience of diverse families. Under the vision of “a harmonious society that grows together with multicultural families,” KIHF sets a basic policy plan every five years aimed at helping these families live as full members of Korean society with ease. One of the institute's key programs toward that goal is the Danuri Call Center, reachable at 1577-1366 and staffed by some 80 counselors, offering emergency su

Jul 31, 2026By Park Ung
Multicultural families need equality, not special treatment: KIHF head
Travel & Food

Cheongyang offers foreign tourists slower pace of life in Korea

If you want to slow down in Korea's countryside, taking in local life and the season at your own pace, Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong Province is the place to visit. “Cheongyang's biggest draw is that visitors can enjoy rest, hands-on experiences, traditional culture and local food in a balanced way, all amid pristine nature,” Cheongyang County head Kim Hong-yeol said in an interview with The Korea Times. “A short trip is enough to experience nature, ecology, religion and folk culture, with tourism resources gathered close together.” For foreign tourists, Kim's top recommendation is Mount Chilgap, home to Jangseung Park and Janggok Temple. The park displays about 350 reproductions of “jangseung,” Korean village guardian totems from across the country, offering a window into Korea's folk beliefs and village community culture. Nearby, Janggok Temple dates back to the 57 B.C.-935 A.D. Silla Kingdom. It holds cultural heritage items including a Gilt-bronze Seated Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, making it a spot to experience both Korean Buddhist culture and the quiet atmosphere of

Jul 31, 2026By Park Ung
Cheongyang offers foreign tourists slower pace of life in Korea
Society

Mounjaro prescriptions top 1.5 mil. in 10 months, teen use surges

Obesity treatment drug Mounjaro has been prescribed more than 1.5 million times in the 10 months since its domestic launch, reflecting surging demand for the weight-loss treatment. Concerns are growing about abuse among younger patients, as more than half of prescriptions were concentrated among people in their 20s and 30s, while prescriptions for teenagers rose 1.5 times this year alone. According to drug utilization review (DUR) data submitted by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to Rep. Han Zee-a of the People Power Party on Wednesday, Mounjaro was prescribed 1,501,161 times between its domestic launch last August through May this year. Mounjaro, developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, is a once-weekly injectable that acts on GLP-1, a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar, to aid weight loss. Monthly prescriptions rose about 14.7 times, from 18,579 in August last year to 273,140 in May this year. By age group, people in their 30s accounted for the largest share at 36 percent, followed by those in their 40s at 27.1 percent, those in their 20s at 16

Jul 29, 2026By Park Ung
Mounjaro prescriptions top 1.5 mil. in 10 months, teen use surges
Society

Yoon Suk Yeol received $1.15 mil. in prison deposits over 1 year, 6.3 times presidential salary

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol received more than 1.7 billion won ($1.15 million) in prison deposits over the past year, more than six times the president's salary this year of 271 million won. According to the office of Rep. Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party, Tuesday, the inmate who received the most prison deposits at the Seoul Detention Center from July 10, 2025 to July 10, 2026 received 1,714,700,137 won. The inmate is reportedly Yoon. Yoon was returned to detention in July last year and received the deposits over 39,829 transactions. The total is about 13 times that of the second-highest recipient at the Seoul Detention Center, who received 131 million won. Yoon withdrew 99.46 percent of the total in 511 transactions. Former first lady Kim Keon Hee, meanwhile, topped the list of prison deposit recipients at the Seoul Nambu Detention Center from Aug. 12 last year to July 10 this year, receiving 171 million won. Kim received prison deposits 8,119 times during the period and withdrew 94.5 percent of the total in 92 transactions. Yoon and Kim are believed to have transferred th

Jul 28, 2026By Park Ung
Yoon Suk Yeol received $1.15 mil. in prison deposits over 1 year, 6.3 times presidential salary
Education

6 universities recognized for supporting int'l student jobs, startups

The Ministry of Education selected six universities on Monday as outstanding performers in employment and startup support for international students, backing schools' efforts amid a rise in foreign enrollment and growing interest among them to settle in Korea. Kyung Hee University and Vision College of Jeonju took the grand prizes, recognized for programs that guide international students from campus to career. Kangwon National University, Kyungbok University, Kyungsung University and Chungnam National University won merit prizes for customized education tied to regional industry needs. At Kyung Hee University, the four-year university category winner, international students' core competencies are certified in stages. Digital badges let students apply their completion records for career planning and job preparation programs, along with competency certifications, directly in job searches. Vision College of Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, the two-year college category winner, attracted talented students through the Saemangeum Hangul School, a Korean language school it runs overseas with t

Jul 27, 2026By Park Ung
6 universities recognized for supporting int'l student jobs, startups
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