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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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Politics

Prosecutors seek 15-year sentence for former first lady Kim Keon Hee

Prosecutors on Wednesday sought a 15-year prison sentence and 2 billion won ($1.36 million) fine for Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, on charges including stock price manipulation and accepting bribes. The move came about three months after Kim was indicted and exactly one year after Yoon declared martial law. The former first lady remained a key figure in political and legal scandals throughout the previous presidential administration. “I feel wronged, but I believe it is true that I did wrong compared to the position and qualification I held.” Kim said in a statement. “I sincerely apologize for causing great concern to the public.” A special counsel team was launched in July to investigate 16 allegations against Kim, and she was detained the following month over concerns that she might destroy evidence. She has remained in custody throughout the trial. Among the allegations, the most serious involves stock price manipulation. Between 2009 and 2012, a group of individuals manipulated the share price of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in Korea, using 157 stoc

Dec 3, 2025By Park Ung
Prosecutors seek 15-year sentence for former first lady Kim Keon Hee
Travel & Food

Busan achieves long-sought goal, surpasses 3 mil. foreign visitors

For the first time, the number of foreign tourists visiting Busan exceeded 3 million this year, reaching a long-awaited milestone for the southern port city after more than a decade of effort. The Busan Metropolitan Government reported that foreign visitor arrivals hit 3.02 million in October this year. The city had set a target of 3 million tourists back in 2012, but the previous high was 2.96 million in 2016. Numbers subsequently fell below 2 million during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The milestone was driven by increased investment in the city’s global tourism strategy, the expansion of cruise travel, the promotion of culinary tourism, the opening of summer beaches, broader use of the Visit Busan Pass (a prepaid travel card offering discounts on attractions and transportation), and efforts to attract international events,” a city official said. As of September this year, foreign visitors to Busan spent a cumulative 755.6 billion won ($514 million). By category, foreign visitors’ spending was led by shopping, which accounted for 52 percent, followed by food and beverages at 18 perc

Dec 3, 2025By Park Ung
Busan achieves long-sought goal, surpasses 3 mil. foreign visitors
Society

Kookmin University professor stresses need for next-gen tech at desalination forum

Professor Lee Sang-ho of Kookmin University cemented his standing as a global leader in water technology last month, delivering a plenary address at a prominent international conference on desalination. His invitation indicates growing recognition of Korea’s contributions to advancing the sector. Addressing researchers from around the world at the 7th International Conference on Desalination Science and Technology in Florida, Lee stressed the urgency of developing next-generation technologies to overcome efficiency and sustainability limits in existing desalination systems. He placed particular emphasis on the crucial need for expanding pilot-scale studies — a key bottleneck in the sector — to accelerate the path toward commercial viability and widespread adoption. Hosted by Elsevier, a global academic publisher, the conference is a leading international forum on desalination, bringing together researchers, industry leaders and public institutions to discuss advances in seawater desalination, water reuse and brine resource recovery. Kookmin University said Lee was invited as a ple

Dec 2, 2025By Park Ung
Kookmin University professor stresses need for next-gen tech at desalination forum
Society

Could Korea seek compensation from China over fine dust pollution?

Each winter in Korea brings familiar visitors: biting winds, early sunsets and a haze of fine dust. Last week, the government finalized its plan for the seventh seasonal fine dust management program, which has run every winter since 2019 to enforce stricter controls on air pollution from December through March. A central element of the plan is deepening cooperation with China, a major contributor to Korea’s air pollution. Ahn Joon-young, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Research, noted that multiple studies have traced a substantial portion of Korea’s fine dust to China — a fact that Beijing is also said to acknowledge. In May and June 2016, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) and NASA conducted a joint air-quality study in Korea with about 400 experts from 93 research teams, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Measurements of PM2.5 fine dust at Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul's Songpa District — considered the country’s most reliable site for comparing ground and aerial data — indicated that 52 percent originated do

Dec 2, 2025By Park Ung
Could Korea seek compensation from China over fine dust pollution?
Society

Seoul Film Center opens to outcry from filmmakers

Seoul Film Center opened last week after decades of planning and long-held hopes from the film community for such a facility, but it quickly drew criticism from industry members who say its original purpose has been compromised. The center was originally conceived as “Seoul Cinematheque” — a film archive intended to preserve and screen classic and historically significant works, its name derived from the French words cinéma, meaning “film,” and bibliothèque, meaning “library.” Seoul Art Cinema, the capital’s only cinematheque, opened in 2002. But its precarious setup as a rented facility — and the absence of core cinematheque function, such as a film archive and educational spaces — prompted the film community to advocate for a dedicated public venue. In 2006, the Korean Association of Cinematheques (KACT), together with prominent filmmakers including Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho, spearheaded efforts to establish Seoul Cinematheque. In 2010, filmmakers formed a committee dedicated to the effort. The city aimed to open the facility by 2020, but the project was del

Dec 1, 2025By Park Ung
Seoul Film Center opens to outcry from filmmakers
Society

Special prosecutor indicts Seoul mayor on election finance charges

A special prosecutor on Monday indicted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, without taking him into custody, on charges of violating the Political Funds Act — a development that could significantly undermine his bid for reelection next year. Prosecutors allege that ahead of the 2021 mayoral by-election, Oh received poll results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and had a businessman pay for them on his behalf. Prosecutors assert that the chief of staff for the mayor’s 2021 election campaign directly communicated with the political broker Myung Tae-kyun, coordinating the illegal polling efforts. The indictment specifies that the campaign aide, Kang Cheol-won, acted on the mayor’s instructions, exchanging survey questionnaires and consulting on polling methods. Myung went on to conduct 10 public and private opinion surveys between January and February 2021. Prosecutors believe the businessman paid Myung 33 million won ($22,400) in five installments between February and March 2021 to cover the polling costs. Myung has asserted that he met with Oh seven times and that the mayor asked him to hel

Dec 1, 2025By Park Ung
Special prosecutor indicts Seoul mayor on election finance charges
Society

Korea gains Interpol backing for crackdown on cross-border crime hubs

The 93rd Interpol General Assembly held in Marrakech, Morocco, on Wednesday (local time) adopted a resolution proposed by the Korean National Police Agency, urging coordinated global action against transnational scam centers. The move follows mounting concerns over the rapid expansion of illicit online fraud syndicates operating out of Southeast Asia, especially within Cambodia. These sprawling, guarded compounds are known to hold thousands of individuals forced into executing sophisticated financial crimes. A total of 126 member countries joined the vote, and 125 approved the resolution. Recommendations for a stronger response include real-time intelligence-sharing, multinational joint operations, targeting of criminal financing and illicit assets, standardized victim rescue protocols, and global awareness campaigns for vulnerable groups such as young people and job seekers. “Interpol is committed to supporting the resolution’s implementation and working with member countries to break these operations apart and protect the people who are most at risk,” Interpol Secretary General V

Nov 28, 2025By Park Ung
Korea gains Interpol backing for crackdown on cross-border crime hubs
Society

ILO urges Korea to ease restrictions on public sector unions

The International Labour Organization (ILO) on Thursday called on the Korean government to engage with civil servant unions to protect legitimate labor activities, including the right to voice opinions on economic and social policies affecting their workforce. The move underscores ongoing tensions in the public sector, where civil servants can form unions and bargain collectively but are barred from striking, and certain senior officials remain ineligible for membership. ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA) issued the recommendation in response to a complaint by the Korean Government Employees’ Union (KGEU) over a 2022 survey on the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s labor policies, which the government said violated civil servants’ political neutrality. The committee urged talks to clarify which union activities should be permitted, noting that topics like wages and workforce reductions directly affect working conditions. It also rejected the government’s claim that Grade 6 civil servant managers cannot join unions, highlighting that they had previously been all

Nov 28, 2025By Park Ung
ILO urges Korea to ease restrictions on public sector unions
People & Events

14 students from diverse backgrounds honored in Global Korea Awards

Fourteen outstanding students from diverse backgrounds were honored Thursday for their achievements and contributions at the 14th Global Korea Awards. The awards, hosted by The Korea Times, aim to support multicultural students who often encounter hurdles rooted in cultural differences or language barriers. The ceremony, held at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, was attended by awardees and their families, along with Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family Jung Goo-chang, Seoul Vice Mayor Kim Tae-kyoon and Seoul National University Vice President of International Affairs Kim Tae-kyoon. Foreign envoys, including Philippine Ambassador to Korea Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez and Minister Counselor and Consul General of the Chinese Embassy to Korea Zhong Hongnuo, were also present. Representatives from sponsoring organizations, including Korean Association for Multicultural Education President Chang In-sil; Upbit Investor Protection Center director Lee Hae-boong, University of Utah Asia Campus Chief Administrative Officer Gregory Hill and Sharp Aviation K Executive Director Kim S

Nov 27, 2025By Park Ung
14 students from diverse backgrounds honored in Global Korea Awards
Society

Solitary deaths rose 7% in 2024, disproportionately affecting men

Men in Korea died in social isolation at a rate five times higher than women last year, with most deaths concentrated among men in their 50s and older. The disparity has renewed calls for stronger intervention, as the rise of single-person and aging households leaves more people vulnerable to dying alone. The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Thursday released a report on solitary deaths, defined as people who die alone in social isolation, cut off from family, relatives and others close to them. The report reviewed 57,145 police case records from last year and identified cases that met that definition. Korea recorded 3,924 solitary deaths in 2024, up 7.2 percent from the previous year, according to the report. Men accounted for 81.7 percent of solitary deaths, more than five times the share of women at 15.4 percent. By age group, those in their 60s made up the largest share at 32.4 percent, followed by people in their 50s at 30.5 percent. When gender and age are combined, men in their 60s made up the largest share at 27.8 percent, followed by men in their 50s at 26.2 percent, indicating t

Nov 27, 2025By Park Ung
Solitary deaths rose 7% in 2024, disproportionately affecting men
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