The Korea Times

Mexican man apologizes for racist gesture toward Korean YouTuber at World Cup

A Mexican football fan who made a racist gesture toward a Korean YouTuber during the Korea-Czech Republic match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup apologized amid widespread controversy. Korean YouTuber Ino Cat, who has 6.6 million subscribers, posted a video Thursday from Akron Stadium in Zapopan near Guadalajara, Mexico, where she had watched the Group A opener between Korea and the Czech Republic. In the caption, she asked viewers, “Tell me if I'm just being too sensitive,” with the English caption “POV: When you experienced racism at the World Cup.” The footage shows her taking a selfie and waving at the camera while, behind her, a Mexican man looks directly into the lens and pulls both eyes back with his index fingers — a gesture long recognized as insulting toward people of Asian descent. The man in the video was later identified as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of an engineering association in the Mexican state of Jalisco. As the controversy grew, he posted a video apology over the weekend. “I sincerely regret everything this situation has caused. I have taken t

Jun 14, 2026By Park Ung

Mexican man apologizes for racist gesture toward Korean YouTuber at World Cup

Society

‘It’s about democracy, suffrage, sovereignty of people’

University students across the country denounced the ballot shortages in last week's local elections as a fundamental violation of the right to vote and the Constitution, demanding sweeping reforms at the National Election Commission (NEC). They warned the political parties, both liberal and conservative, that they should not use the issue for their own political gains, saying the students are calling for a thorough investigation to establish the reason behind the ballot shortages and measures to prevent a repeat of the incident. Student bodies at 18 universities issued a joint declaration Wednesday, a week after at least 91 polling stations nationwide faced ballot shortages, leaving many voters unable to cast their ballots or forced to wait past the 6 p.m. closing time. Former NEC Chairman Roh Tae-ak resigned days later to take responsibility, and a joint police-prosecution investigation was launched this week. “We gathered here not merely to speak about the flaws in the electoral system, but to speak about the one vote that was taken from us,” Hwang In-seo, emergency council head

Jun 11, 2026By Park Ung and Jung Da-hyun

‘It’s about democracy, suffrage, sovereignty of people’

Society

AI glasses used in TOEIC cheating case in Korea for 1st time

Cheating attempts using artificial intelligence (AI) smart glasses were caught during a Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) last month, the first such cases detected on one of Korea's most widely taken English proficiency exams. YBM Korea TOEIC Committee, which administers the exam in Korea, said Tuesday that two such attempts were caught during last month's regular session, with proctors noticing examinees wearing the devices. One examinee wore glasses that can be purchased through an overseas online retailer, while the other wore a model not yet available in Korea. AI smart glasses are wearable devices that combine cameras, microphones and speakers with generative AI. First released in Korea last month, the glasses can analyze whatever the camera captures and display the results directly on the lens, with no smartphone required. An examinee looking at a test sheet could see answers and translations appear in real time, making the devices highly susceptible to misuse. To address the risk, the committee has been training proctors to identify various forms of electroni

Jun 10, 2026By Park Ung

AI glasses used in TOEIC cheating case in Korea for 1st time

Society

After 3,000 autopsies in nearly 30 years, Yoo sees life as movie

Having examined more than 3,000 bodies since 1999, Yoo Seong-ho, a professor of forensic medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine, has come to believe that life is like a movie. “A good death is living a good life,” Yoo said in an interview with The Korea Times. “Think of it like a film where the story is a mess from the start. If only the ending has a twist, people will hate it.” Every Monday and Friday, Yoo performs autopsies referred by nine police precincts across Seoul from Jongno District to Yongsan District. In 2024, some 359,000 people died in Korea, most of them in hospitals under medical care and therefore not requiring an autopsy. The cases that come to Yoo are those where the cause of death is unknown or suspicious. Depending on the criteria, that amounts to between 30,000 and 50,000 a year, of which around 9,000 actually go to autopsy. Of Korea's 54 forensic pathologists, 34 work at the National Forensic Service (NFS) and 20 at universities, each handling roughly 180 cases a year. Among them, Yoo may be the most publicly recognized, running the YouTu

Jun 6, 2026By Park Ung

After 3,000 autopsies in nearly 30 years, Yoo sees life as movie

Society

Election chief offers to resign over local election ballot shortages

National Election Commission (NEC) Chairman Roh Tae-ak offered to resign Friday to take responsibility for ballot shortages during Wednesday's local elections, amid sharp criticism and a police investigation into the nation's top election body. On Election Day, 14 polling stations in Seoul ran out of ballot papers, forcing hundreds of voters to wait for hours past the 6 p.m. ballot closing time. "The ballot shortage incident damaged the public's strong interest in local self-government and their active expression of political will through voting," Roh said in his public apology made at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. "I feel both devastated and infinitely responsible as the NEC chairman for a situation that has undermined public trust in election management and led to broader distrust in the electoral process," he added. He stressed that the commission would fully cooperate with all procedures aimed at determining its responsibility for the incident, including a parliamentary investigation. "If the findings show that there are responsibilities I must bear, I will neve

Jun 5, 2026By Park Ung

Election chief offers to resign over local election ballot shortages

Society

DPK takes 17 of Seoul's 25 districts, reversing PPP majority

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was expected to win 17 of Seoul's 25 districts, reversing the People Power Party's (PPP) majority sweep in the 2022 local elections. On Thursday, DPK candidates had secured 17 districts, including Jongno and Dongdaemun. The PPP had won eight, including Yongsan and Gangnam. Songpa District, where multiple polling stations ran short of ballots on Wednesday, was still counting as of Thursday morning, but the PPP candidate was expected to win. The outcome marks a reversal of the 2022 local elections, when the PPP won 17 districts to the DPK's eight. Analysts partly attributed the results to voters prioritizing government stability over checking a new administration, as the previous vote was held just 22 days after former President Yoon Suk Yeol took office. In 2018, the DPK swept all but Seocho District in the district chief races, even prevailing in traditionally conservative Gangnam. The then-ruling party rode a favorable political climate partly driven by inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea summit diplomacy. 2 women elected Two of the 25 elected district ch

Jun 4, 2026By Park Ung

DPK takes 17 of Seoul's 25 districts, reversing PPP majority

Society

PPP calls for revote over Seoul ballot shortages

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok called for an immediate halt to vote counting Wednesday until the cause of ballot shortages at several Seoul polling stations during the day's local elections could be determined. “The Seoul election has been tainted. A tainted election is invalid," Jang said. "Once counting proceeds and wraps up, there will be no way to properly investigate what happened. Counting must stop right now.” Jang added that depending on the findings, the suspension should extend to all affected areas, including Seoul and Incheon, and that a by-election should be held if irregularities are confirmed. Heo Cheol-hoon, secretary general of the National Election Commission (NEC), apologized for the disruption. “I feel deeply responsible and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to voters who came to the polls to exercise their precious right to vote, and for undermining public trust in fair election administration,” Heo said during a briefing Wednesday evening. Voting at several polling stations in southern Seoul and Incheon was

Jun 3, 2026By Park Ung

PPP calls for revote over Seoul ballot shortages

Society

Local election turnout hits 61% as of 11 pm, exceeding 2022 mark

The turnout for Wednesday's local elections was tallied at 61 percent as of 11 p.m., according to the National Election Commission. According to the election watchdog, 27.2 million out of 44.6 million eligible voters cast their ballots. The final turnout figure had not been confirmed as of 11 p.m., as ballot shortages at polling stations in southern Seoul forced voting to extend until around 10 p.m. for those who were already in line before closing time. Early voting on Friday and Saturday drew more than 10 million voters for a 23.5 percent turnout — a record high for a local election, surpassing the 20.6 percent mark set in 2022. Wednesday's turnout was higher than the 2022 local elections, which recorded 50.9 percent. Turnout in local elections has ranged between 50 and 60 percent over the past decade. In the 2022 local elections, early voting hit a record high, raising expectations for a strong final turnout. However, the overall figure fell short, coming in roughly 10 percentage points below the previous election and marking the second-lowest participation rate in local election his

Jun 3, 2026By Park Ung

Local election turnout hits 61% as of 11 pm, exceeding 2022 mark

Politics

Voters head to polls with different hopes in local elections

As polling stations opened across Korea Wednesday morning, voters streamed in to cast ballots in the nationwide local elections, each carrying their own hopes and expectations for their communities and local governments. At a polling station set up at an indoor baseball practice facility at Cheonggu Elementary School in central Seoul, residents quietly made their way through the voting process. The facility, normally used by students for batting practice, was temporarily converted into a polling station for Election Day. Among those casting ballots was Oh Eun-soon, 73, who said she came out because there was a candidate she strongly supported. “I came because there is someone I really want to see elected,” she said. “I wanted to do my part.” Elsewhere in Seoul, polling stations saw a steady stream of voters throughout the morning. At Jangchung Elementary School, voters waited their turn for election officials to guide them through the process of casting seven separate ballots for metropolitan and local offices. Families, older and younger voters were all visible among the crowd. Park

Jun 3, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji and Park Ung

Voters head to polls with different hopes in local elections

Society

Lee flags repeated Hanwha plant explosions as 'serious problem,' orders prevention measures

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday said the repeated occurrence of the same type of accident at the same facility is a serious problem, referring to the explosion and fire at a Hanwha Aerospace plant in Daejeon that killed five workers and injured two others the previous day. “Relevant authorities must thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and take all necessary measures to prevent a recurrence,” Lee said at a Cabinet meeting, ordering officials to compile a list of workplaces where the same type of accident has repeatedly occurred. The Daejeon plant has seen similar explosions before, with incidents in 2018 and 2019 killing five and three workers, respectively. The explosion of undetermined cause occurred Monday when seven workers were conducting cleaning operations to remove explosive residue from tools used in the manufacturing process of rocket propellant, according to an executive at Hanwha Aerospace, a defense affiliate under Hanwha Group. The five died at the scene, where a fire broke out, while the two injured workers managed to escape on their own. The plant is th

Jun 2, 2026By Park Ung

Park Ung

Read more

Mexican man apologizes for racist gesture toward Korean YouTuber at World Cup

‘It’s about democracy, suffrage, sovereignty of people’

AI glasses used in TOEIC cheating case in Korea for 1st time

After 3,000 autopsies in nearly 30 years, Yoo sees life as movie

Election chief offers to resign over local election ballot shortages

DPK takes 17 of Seoul's 25 districts, reversing PPP majority

PPP calls for revote over Seoul ballot shortages

Local election turnout hits 61% as of 11 pm, exceeding 2022 mark

Voters head to polls with different hopes in local elections

Lee flags repeated Hanwha plant explosions as 'serious problem,' orders prevention measures

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