The Korea Times

Korea’s rising multicultural youth population offers glimpse of more inclusive future

Good afternoon, everyone. I am Jung Goo-chang, vice minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. I extend my sincere congratulations to The Korea Times on the hosting of the 14th Global Korea Awards. First, I would like to express my gratitude to President Oh Young-jin of The Korea Times and all members of the organization for your hard work in preparing this meaningful event. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Vice Mayor 1 of Seoul Metropolitan Government Kim Tae-kyoon, as well as to the ambassadors and distinguished guests from Korea and abroad, for honoring this event with your presence despite your busy schedules. The Global Korea Awards seek to nurture young people from multicultural backgrounds as global talent and contribute to creating a more inclusive, healthy and vibrant multicultural society. Since 2012, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has supported the awards and presented a ministerial commendation. I would like to congratulate all of today’s award recipients, including Selma Naciri, who is receiving the grand prize. I will continue to support

Nov 27, 2025By Park Ung

Korea’s rising multicultural youth population offers glimpse of more inclusive future

People & Events

Step into the future you envision

Hello, my name is Jeong Hun-do, and I am here to speak as one of the judges. With the addition of the new university student category, all of us on the judging panel approached our work with great care. But for me, as a fellow university student, the process felt especially personal. I felt the weight of evaluating people my own age — or even those with more experience — and the responsibility that comes with being a young judge who can more deeply listen to and empathize with their stories. As I read through the applications and resumes, what I felt — regardless of the evaluation — was admiration and respect. Each form represented a life far too big to fit on a few sheets of paper. From elementary school students to university students, every applicant was chasing a dream and striving to prove themselves within their own generation. And this feeling was shared by every judge. Although every judge evaluated the applicants fairly and objectively, we could all sense the quiet encouragement that surfaced whenever a student’s name was called. No matter whose name came up, we found

Nov 27, 2025By Park Ung

People & Events

Selma Naciri’s multicultural journey drives her path to diplomacy

When Selma Naciri, an 18-year-old student at Bosung Girls’ High School in Seoul’s Yongsan District, introduces herself, her name often prompts curiosity since it does not sound Korean. Born to a Moroccan father who later became a Korean citizen and a Korean mother, Naciri hopes to bridge the two worlds that shaped her: Korea, where she was born and raised, and Morocco, the country reflected in her surname. “I want to become a diplomat who can contribute to sustainable development that benefits both Korea and Morocco,” Naciri said in an interview with The Korea Times. “Drawing on my multicultural background and years of navigating different cultures and languages, I want to serve as a bridge between the two countries.” Naciri’s ambition — and the reason she chose diplomacy — is rooted in her upbringing. Her experiences navigating multiple cultures and languages have given her a clear sense of purpose and the path she hopes to follow. Born in Itaewon, one of Seoul’s most cosmopolitan neighborhoods, she grew up among friends from many different backgrounds. “Talking wi

Nov 27, 2025By Park Ung

Selma Naciri’s multicultural journey drives her path to diplomacy

People & Events

Winners of 14th Global Korea Awards — 1

Outstanding elementary school students Leading with responsibility, sharing tradition through music Born to a Cambodian mother and a Korean father, Myeong Soo-min is a fifth grader at Geumsan Elementary School in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and hopes to become a traditional Korean musician. Myeong has performed as a member of a children’s arts troupe at the Chuncheon Cultural Center and joined cultural exchanges abroad, including performing at a children’s arts festival in Toyama Prefecture in Japan. Through exchanges with youth ensembles from abroad, Myeong has broadened his outlook and strengthened his communication skills for the international stage. Beyond his artistic activities, he regularly joins volunteer programs, putting care and cooperation into practice. With these diverse experiences, Myeong hopes to share traditional Korean music with audiences around the world. Multilingual child dreams of saving lives Born to Indian parents, Shrestha Mondal is a second grader at Gwangnam Elementary School in Busan’s Suyeong District and a multilingual speaker fluent in Korean, Englis

Nov 27, 2025By Park Ung

People & Events

Winners of 14th Global Korea Awards — 2

National Council of Governors of Education Award Aspiring runner races toward dream of joining nat'l team Born to a Korean father and a Filipino mother, Song Jae-yeon is a second-year student at Gyeongan Girls’ Middle School in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, and hopes to become a national track and field athlete. Song balances team workouts with individual practice and values steady, cooperative progress. She won the 3,000-meter race in the girls’ under-15 division and placed second in the 1,500-meter event at the 54th National Junior Sports Festival, showcasing discipline, endurance and focus. Despite injuries and a demanding training schedule, she has remained committed and continued to improve. Song also contributes actively to her school’s athletics program, participating responsibly and supporting her teammates as she works toward representing Korea. Special Jury Award Nursing student turns adversity into strength Born to a Korean father and a Filipino mother, Yoon Young-mee is a fourth-year nursing major at Munkyung College in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, and hopes

Nov 27, 2025By Park Ung

Society

Spiritual boom? Experts debunk claims of 800,000 shamans operating in Korea

The shocking figure was splashed across online posts and reports: Korea is allegedly home to as many as 800,000 shamans — a number nearly double the nation’s active military and well over twice the entire foreign-born population of Seoul. But don't start reading the tea leaves yet. Experts are calling the massive figure totally unverified, noting there is not one shred of official data to back up the supposed surge in shamans. “Eight hundred thousand is an exaggeration. We estimate the number at around 300,000,” said an official for the Korea Gyeongshin Association, the country’s largest organization of shamans, who requested anonymity. He said the estimate draws partly from mid-1970s records showing about 300,000 registered members. Although he declined to reveal the current total, he noted that there are usually around 30 new registrations each month. Cho Sung-je, a professor of shamanist studies at Dongbang Culture University, also rejected the 800,000 estimate, saying even he does not know the exact number. “I believe the number is closer to 100,000, and even that would mea

Nov 27, 2025By Park Ung

Spiritual boom? Experts debunk claims of 800,000 shamans operating in Korea

Society

Korea prepares for severe winter fine dust with China’s cooperation

As fine dust levels are forecast to rise this winter, the government will take targeted steps — including further closures of public coal-fired power plants — and deepen coordination with China, a key contributor to Korea’s air pollution. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Tuesday presided over the Special Policy Committee on Fine Dust and finalized the implementation plan for the seventh seasonal fine dust management system, which has operated every winter since 2019 to tighten controls on air pollutant emissions from December through March. In Korea, fine dust levels typically rise in winter and spring due to westerly winds carrying pollutants from China, stagnant atmospheric conditions and reduced rainfall. According to a National Institute of Environmental Research analysis released last month, about 55 percent of Korea’s ultrafine dust was traced to China, while 29 percent came from domestic sources. The study was conducted with NASA between February and March last year. The government aims to cut ultrafine dust and its precursors by 2 percent from last year, to about 129,000 to

Nov 25, 2025By Park Ung

Korea prepares for severe winter fine dust with China’s cooperation

Society

Foreign labor cannot halt Korea’s demographic slide: study

Korea is increasingly relying on foreign workers to counter its shrinking population, a problem especially acute in rural areas, but a new study warns that the approach has its limits as the domestic population continues to decline. A recent report from the National Assembly Budget Office found that foreign residents now account for a rising share of Korea’s population and are spreading well beyond the greater Seoul area. But experts, including Lee Sang-lim, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, are quick to warn that this demographic stopgap provides no fundamental solution, arguing that the limited economic input and tax contributions of temporary workers restrict real local growth. “Foreign residents in regional areas may slow the pace of population decline, but they are far from a fundamental solution,” Lee said. The number of foreign residents climbed to 2.58 million last year, pushing up their share of the population from 3.4 percent in 2015 to 5 percent in 2024. Over the same period, the resident registration population — which excludes non-Kor

Nov 24, 2025By Park Ung

Foreign labor cannot halt Korea’s demographic slide: study

Health

Hope of palliative care at home falls short for dying Koreans

Only about 8 percent of hospice patients who wanted to spend their final days at home died in their own residences, underscoring the gap between their wishes and practical barriers to dying at home. That gap reflects a surging demand for home deaths that Korea’s hospice system has struggled to meet, constrained by staffing shortages and by the burdensome procedures families must navigate when a death occurs outside a hospital. Last week’s report by the National Assembly Research Service found that the number of new hospice patients has continued to rise each year and most of them prefer to receive care at home. Hospice care provides palliative treatment for terminally ill patients, such as those in their final days with advanced cancer, to enhance their quality of life. It is offered in three forms — inpatient, home-based and consultative, the last providing palliative support to patients in general wards or outpatient clinics through coordinated visits by hospice teams. Patients can receive more than one type of care simultaneously. Nearly 20,000 new patients entered hospice care i

Nov 23, 2025By Park Ung

Hope of palliative care at home falls short for dying Koreans

Society

Many Korean investors pull out of home market, drawn by US stocks

Korea’s benchmark stock index, the KOSPI, recently soared past the 4,000 mark for the first time, a surge that would signal exuberant confidence in most major economies. Yet, beneath the number, a sense of anxiety persists, fueled by a long history of stagnation and a deep-seated fear among domestic investors that they are better off betting on Wall Street than on Seoul. For years, the index had been stuck between 1,800 and 2,100 — a long stretch of stagnation in the early 2010s that earned it the nickname “BoxPI,” a play on “box pattern.” Shaped by their personal experiences in the domestic market and a deep belief in U.S. stocks, many young investors remain drawn to Wall Street. Lee Sang-min, a 30-year-old consultant, said his portfolio is now entirely in U.S. stocks. “When I started investing at age 20, I put my money into the Korean stock market. Now, my entire portfolio is in U.S. stocks,” he told The Korea Times. The shift reflects a broader trend: Younger Koreans, frustrated by limited domestic returns and drawn by global opportunities, are increasingly moving capita

Nov 21, 2025By Park Ung

Park Ung

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Korea’s rising multicultural youth population offers glimpse of more inclusive future

Step into the future you envision

Selma Naciri’s multicultural journey drives her path to diplomacy

Winners of 14th Global Korea Awards — 1

Winners of 14th Global Korea Awards — 2

Spiritual boom? Experts debunk claims of 800,000 shamans operating in Korea

Korea prepares for severe winter fine dust with China’s cooperation

Foreign labor cannot halt Korea’s demographic slide: study

Hope of palliative care at home falls short for dying Koreans

Many Korean investors pull out of home market, drawn by US stocks

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