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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-water showcases AI-powered hydro management tech at MWC 2026

Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) showcased its artificial intelligence (AI)-based water management technology at MWC 2026 in Barcelona last week, highlighting its competitiveness in the sector. The initiative reflects the corporation’s strategy under K-water CEO Yun Seog-dae to strengthen water management policies aimed at addressing the climate crisis while expanding overseas, as the state-run utility this year launched a global push for AI-driven water management. K-water aims to expand into the high-value AI and digital markets with three core technologies: water management digital twins that replicate dam operations in a virtual environment, supporting decision-making; AI-powered water treatment plants enabling autonomous operations through algorithm analysis; and Smart Water Network Management (SWNM), which uses Internet of Things technology to reduce leaks and stabilize pipelines. K-water’s SWNM was selected as a winner at this year’s Global Mobile Awards, held during MWC, marking the first time a Korean public institution has received the honor and underscoring i

Mar 9, 2026By Park Ung
K-water showcases AI-powered hydro management tech at MWC 2026
Defense

Hyundai Rotem, gov't agency set 2035 target for hypersonic missile development

Hyundai Rotem, the defense and rail subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, aims to mass-produce hypersonic missiles by 2035 in cooperation with the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) — weapons widely regarded as a key element of modern warfare. The plan reflects South Korea’s broader push to secure advanced strike capabilities as neighboring countries develop or already operate hypersonic weapons that are difficult for existing missile defense systems to intercept. With speeds faster than Mach 5, or about 6,120 kilometers per hour, hypersonic missiles are capable of striking targets worldwide within hours. Their extreme speed and maneuverability make them difficult for existing missile defense systems to intercept. The United States, Russia and China currently operate hypersonic missiles, while several other countries, including North Korea, India and France, are developing their own capabilities. According to defense industry sources, Sunday, Hyundai Rotem and ADD recently acquired a key early-stage technology for stable propulsion in hypersonic vehicles. The system allows

Mar 9, 2026By Park Ung
Hyundai Rotem, gov't agency set 2035 target for hypersonic missile development
Travel & Food

Seoul Grand Park set to welcome spring visitors

Seoul Grand Park is rolling out seasonal maintenance and landscaping projects as it prepares to welcome spring visitors, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday. Opened in 1984 in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, the park spans about 9.13 million square meters and features Seoul Zoo, the nation’s largest zoo, home to about 1,950 animals from 216 species, as well as Seoul Land, an amusement park, and a branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. To help maintain the trees and the park environment, workers washed 983 trees — including cherry and zelkova — removing fine dust and pollutants that had accumulated over the winter. Workers also pruned trees across the park, removing hazardous branches and dead trees. Landscaping byproducts, such as trimmed branches, were reused as natural toys for animals in outdoor enclosures, helping encourage natural behavior and reduce stress. The park’s Theme Garden is preparing for roses to bloom in May, with winter covers removed and 500 bags of fertilizer applied as spacing adjustments, transplanting and pruning get underway. S

Mar 6, 2026By Park Ung
Seoul Grand Park set to welcome spring visitors
Defense

UAE seeks faster delivery of Korean air defense system after reported 96% hit rate

The United Arab Emirates has asked Korea to accelerate deliveries of Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile batteries to help intercept incoming attacks, officials familiar with the matter said. The request comes as Iranian forces have launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East following continued attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel. The system, sold to the UAE in recent years as part of Seoul’s expanding defense exports, has been integrated into the country’s broader air defense network. Defense industry sources say Cheongung-II’s strong performance in combat conditions could strengthen its export prospects in the Middle East and beyond, especially if the conflict is prolonged and involved countries move to replenish depleted air defense stockpiles. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have continued since Saturday, when Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial barrage. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Middle Eastern countries, damaging civilian facilities, including airports and hotels. Korean media, cit

Mar 6, 2026By Park Ung
UAE seeks faster delivery of Korean air defense system after reported 96% hit rate
Foreign Affairs

Iran’s ambassador concerned about potential USFK role in Middle East

Amid rising tensions across the Middle East amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, Iranian Ambassador to South Korea Saeed Koozechi on Thursday urged Seoul to take a broader role in deescalating the conflict, and called on the United States and Israel to halt what he described as illegal acts of aggression. At a press conference at the Iranian Embassy in central Seoul's Yongsan District, Koozechi said Iranians have long valued resolving disputes through dialogue and negotiation but would stand firm if their enemies choose war. “Given the ongoing illegal, full-scale attacks, we cannot sit at the negotiating table now. The aggression against Iran must stop,” Koozechi said. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have continued since Saturday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the initial barrage. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in nearby countries, also damaging civilian facilities including airports and hotels. Asked about a statement Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued Monday on the Middle East conflict, in which Seoul emphasiz

Mar 5, 2026By Park Ung
Iran’s ambassador concerned about potential USFK role in Middle East
Society

Lee reunites with Filipino worker he helped win 1992 factory injury retrial

President Lee Jae Myung met Ariel Galac, a Filipino worker he once represented as a lawyer, on Wednesday during his state visit to the Philippines. In 1992, Galac lost an arm in a factory accident in Korea and was deported without compensation. Lee, then a human rights lawyer, helped him win recognition for medical care and industrial accident compensation through a retrial. Lee himself suffered a permanent injury to his left arm while working as a teenage laborer, after it was crushed by a factory press. “(Back then) foreign workers injured on the job were often deported,” Lee said, adding that younger generations no longer have to face such injustice thanks to Galac’s case. Galac said he was honored and grateful that Lee remembered him and took time to meet. Despite the accident, Galac said, he still holds fond memories of Korea and thanked Lee for helping secure a favorable outcome in his case. Lee said he appreciated the fact that Galac still has good memories of Korea, even though he must have felt wronged. Galac told Lee he now volunteers by advising neighbors who are preparin

Mar 4, 2026By Park Ung
Lee reunites with Filipino worker he helped win 1992 factory injury retrial
Defense

Korean air defense system in UAE downs Iranian missile

As Iranian forces launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East following Saturday's U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the United Arab Emirates turned to South Korea’s Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile system to help intercept incoming attacks, according to officials familiar with the matter. The system, sold to the UAE in recent years as part of Seoul’s expanding defense exports, has been integrated into the country’s broader air defense network. The interception marks the first combat use of a South Korean-made air defense weapon deployed overseas, underscoring the country’s expanding arms exports to the Middle East and offering a rare glimpse of the system’s performance in combat. According to Korean media reports citing military officials, the system has been used as part of the UAE’s missile defense network, which also includes the U.S. Patriot system. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have continued since Saturday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the initial barrage. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Midd

Mar 4, 2026By Park Ung
Korean air defense system in UAE downs Iranian missile
Society

Iranians in Korea express mixed reactions to death of Khamenei

The Iran that Park Si-ma remembers was once described as the “Paris of the Middle East,” a place where women wore miniskirts instead of hijabs and some residents flew abroad for weekend shopping trips. That changed in 1979, when the Iranian Revolution toppled the Pahlavi dynasty and ushered in the Islamic Republic — the same year Park moved to Korea with the husband she had met in Iran. The revolution transformed Iranian society and governance, ending decades of secular, Western-oriented rule and replacing it with a theocratic system that reshaped everyday life and cultural norms. Since 2009, the Iranian Network in Korea (INK) has carried out activities from Korea opposing the Iranian government. On Saturday, too, Park and about 70 other Iranians held a rally in Seoul condemning Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. That same day, Khamenei was killed in coordinated U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on his central Tehran compound — a dramatic escalation in hostilities that marked one of the most significant military operations in the long-running conflict and triggered retaliator

Mar 3, 2026By Park Ung
Iranians in Korea express mixed reactions to death of Khamenei
Society

Health ministry unveils trillion-won investment blitz to secure biohealth dominance

Seeking to transform a record-breaking export surge into a permanent pillar of the national economy, the Ministry of Health and Welfare unveiled Tuesday a trillion-won investment into its biohealth sector, anchored by a new state-backed fund designed to push local drugmakers through the riskiest stages of global development. The plan centers on a 1.1 trillion won ($750 million) allocation for national health care research and a specialized 150 billion won fund dedicated to Phase 3 clinical trials — the prohibitively expensive "final mile" that has long stymied the country's midsized biotech firms. Coming on the heels of a record $27.9 billion in exports last year across the pharmaceutical, medical device and cosmetic industries, the measures signal Seoul’s intent to pivot from a manufacturer of components to a global powerhouse in original drug innovation. With the aim of raising exports to $30.4 billion this year, up 9.1 percent from 2025, the health ministry will invest 233.8 billion won — 3.5 times more than last year — to support Korean companies’ expansion into global ma

Mar 3, 2026By Park Ung
Health ministry unveils trillion-won investment blitz to secure biohealth dominance
Others

Korean travelers stranded as Middle East turmoil hinders return plans

Korean travelers have been stranded at major Middle Eastern airports after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran prompted retaliation, leading to airspace closures and widespread flight cancellations across the region. As tensions mount, disruptions at key transit hubs have left passengers facing extended delays and uncertainties over safety and travel logistics. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have continued since Saturday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the initial barrage. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Middle Eastern countries, damaging civilian facilities including airports and hotels. As of Monday, flights at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, the United Arab Emirates’ two main air transportation hubs, were suspended until further notice, with passengers told not to travel to the airport. On Sunday, Zayed International Airport in the UAE said that the temporary closure of national airspace meant passengers should check with their airlines before setting out for the airport. Korean travelers

Mar 2, 2026By Park Ung
Korean travelers stranded as Middle East turmoil hinders return plans
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