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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

Behind bars in Cheonan, foreign inmate weighs past and future

CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province — Joe, identified by a pseudonym, is serving an 18-month sentence at Cheonan Correctional Institution, Korea's only prison tasked with handling foreign inmates. His name, age and nationality are being withheld at his request. “I caused a car accident while out with friends and entered prison last August,” Joe told The Korea Times. “I'm very sorry to my parents and the victim, who suffered great pain and harm because of me.” Inside the prison, his days follow a strict routine. He wakes up at 6 a.m., prepares for inspection, eats breakfast and waits for the next inspection. He spends his time studying English and religion, drawing and writing letters to friends. “At first it was hard to adjust, but the correctional officers helped a lot, so I haven't had any difficulties. I'm also adjusting to the culture here. Before coming to prison, I was too busy working to pick much up, but now I've been attending a prison program called 'Good Morning Korea,' learning about Korean culture.” Culture is one thing, but sharing a cell with strangers is ano

Aug 21, 2026By Park Ung
Behind bars in Cheonan, foreign inmate weighs past and future
Society

Seoul unveils plan to turn city into 24-hour destination

Seoul is preparing to stretch its nightlife well beyond dinner and drinks, with plans for late-night museum visits, hikes, temple meditation sessions, drone shows and food markets as part of a new push to turn the city into a 24-hour destination. The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled the plan Thursday, targeting the hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. and integrating culture, tourism and commercial districts with expanded transportation services. The initiative comes as international tourists are staying longer and spending more in the capital. In the first half of this year, 8.23 million foreign tourists visited Seoul, up 21.3 percent from the same period last year. Their credit card spending reached 5.6 trillion won ($4 billion), up 56.8 percent. Under the plan, the city aims to generate an additional 5 trillion won in annual nighttime consumption and attract 30 million tourists within five years. Landmarks after dark The city will designate Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Mount Nam, Gwanghwamun and the Han River as its four major nighttime landmarks, tailoring content in each area to e

Aug 20, 2026By Park Ung
Seoul unveils plan to turn city into 24-hour destination
Environment & Animals

EXPLAINER Why Yongsan Park is Seoul's newest housing battleground

The government is considering using Yongsan Park, a proposed green space planned for a former U.S. military garrison, as a site for new housing construction as it searches for ways to expand supply and contain surging home prices in Seoul — a political issue that is increasingly dragging down President Lee Jae Myung’s approval ratings. The idea has pitted the central government against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who says the site should be preserved as the city’s last major green space. But the government says the 3-square-kilometer site in central Seoul — roughly the size of Yeouido — could be used to expand the housing supply for younger people struggling to afford a home in the capital. The government appears determined to press ahead with discussing redevelopment of the area. At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee pushed back directly against Oh’s call for focusing more on redeveloping aging buildings, arguing that doing so could fuel speculative demand and trigger another sharp rise in home prices. Speaking before the National Assembly’s Land Infrastructure and Transport C

Aug 20, 2026By Jung Min-ho and Park Ung
[EXPLAINER] Why Yongsan Park is Seoul's newest housing battleground
Society

Can Korea seize Ha Young's family wealth under pro-Japanese asset recovery law?

As controversy swirls around actor Ha Young's great-grandfather's pro-Japanese past, Korea's Investigative Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property will restart operations this December after a 16-year hiatus — raising the question of whether her family's assets could be among those examined and seized. The commission's reactivation follows the scheduled enforcement of the Special Act on Asset Confiscation for Pro-Japanese and Anti-National Collaborators to the State on Dec. 3. The law targets wealth and property illegally amassed through cooperation with Japan during the 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. “It is unclear how much property this second commission will be able to recover,” said Lee Jun-sik, former head of the Independence Hall of Korea. “The controversy surrounding Ha Young is no different. Once the commission launches, it will discuss and decide the matter there. For now, we cannot know how it will turn out.” Lee said recovering assets is difficult because most of the property collaborators once owned has already passed to third parties. “Take farmland, f

Aug 19, 2026By Park Ung
Can Korea seize Ha Young's family wealth under pro-Japanese asset recovery law?
Society

Young people expect AI to replace desired jobs within 5 years amid hiring slump

More than half of young job seekers and workers say artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to replace or reduce the need for workers in their desired occupations within five years, reflecting deepening anxiety about their place in an AI-driven labor market. The Federation of Korean Industries released the results of a survey Tuesday on job perceptions among young people as AI use grows, polling 1,000 people aged 19 to 34 who are either employed or looking for work. Among respondents, 53.9 percent said AI would likely replace or scale back their current or desired jobs within five years. That perception was more prevalent among job seekers at 63.8 percent than employed respondents at 49.4 percent. Job replacement concerns were greater among those in sectors with high exposure to AI. Office workers, managers and professionals were more likely to say their jobs faced a high chance of replacement at 58.4 percent, which was 12.6 percentage points higher than manual laborers and skilled agriculture, forestry and fishery workers. By industry, 54.5 percent of respondents in sectors with high AI

Aug 19, 2026By Park Ung
Young people expect AI to replace desired jobs within 5 years amid hiring slump
Society

Meet the stars with independence fighters in their family trees

Ahead of the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule on Saturday, pro-Japanese activities by actor Ha Young's great-grandfather have stirred controversy. As National Liberation Day approaches, here are some K-pop and entertainment stars who are descendants of Korean independence fighters. Chungha Singer Chungha's maternal grandfather, Kim Yong-geun, was an independence and pro-democracy activist. He received the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1990 and was recognized as a person of distinguished service to the May 18 Democratization Movement in 2002. During Japan's colonial rule, Kim refused to worship at Shinto shrines, a religious practice imposed on Koreans. He also formed an assassination squad targeting Korea's Japanese governor-general, though the plot didn't succeed. During the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, Kim was imprisoned for hiding his students who were fleeing martial law troops. The pro-democracy movement erupted in the southwestern city of Gwangju on May 18, 1980, when citizens stood up against the nationwide extension of martial law b

Aug 14, 2026By Park Ung
Meet the stars with independence fighters in their family trees
North Korea

Inside Hwang's network, moving defectors, cash across N. Korea's hardening border

Hwang Ji-sung, 46, fled North Korea in 2009. Since then, he has helped roughly 3,000 people escape the North and sent money to many of the families they left behind. “At first, I didn't understand why defectors would cry over having no news of their families. Getting that kind of news wasn't hard for me,” Hwang said in an interview with The Korea Times. “So I told them, 'I'll do it for you.'” From smuggler to broker Growing up in Musan County, North Hamgyong Province, Hwang became familiar with the geography of the North Korea-China border, including the Tuman River's currents and water levels, knowledge that proved critical when he began smuggling goods into China in the mid-1990s, amid a famine that killed an estimated 600,000 to 3 million people, though the exact toll remains unknown. He also guided women who had been trafficked into China, later sent back to North Korea and wanted to return to their Chinese husbands, leading them to the banks of the Tuman River. In 2005, Hwang made his first attempt to defect, drawn by a longing for freedom and stories that people in South Ko

Aug 12, 2026By Park Ung
Inside Hwang's network, moving defectors, cash across N. Korea's hardening border
Society

PHOTO Drought dries up reservoirs nationwide

The dried-up bed of Okcheon Reservoir is exposed in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. Meteorological drought — a period of below-average precipitation — has hit 48 cities and counties nationwide, with the average water storage rate at agricultural reservoirs standing at 53.2 percent, or 76.1 percent of the normal rate of 69.9 percent. Yonhap

Aug 10, 2026By Park Ungphoto
[PHOTO] Drought dries up reservoirs nationwide
Society

Extreme heat drives livestock insurance claims past 2,000 cases

Extreme summer heat has pushed livestock insurance claims from farms past 2,000 cases in the last two months, with pigs and poultry bearing the brunt. According to NongHyup Property & Casualty Insurance on Monday, claims filed by farms enrolled in livestock disaster insurance for heat-related incidents totaled 2,135 cases this year as of Friday. About 99 percent were filed in July and August as the heat wave intensified. Pigs accounted for 1,628 of the total claims and poultry for 507. Livestock disaster insurance covers damage farms may suffer from causes including heat waves, wind, floods, heavy snow, earthquakes, fires and livestock diseases. It serves as a social safety net for farmers, with the government subsidizing half the premium. The heat wave damage rider, however, is available only for pigs and poultry, including chickens, ducks and quails, given their vulnerability to extreme heat. Pigs have a hard time maintaining safe body temperatures in warm weather because of their thick fat layer, while chickens lack sweat glands and have difficulty cooling down, a problem compounded

Aug 10, 2026By Park Ung
Extreme heat drives livestock insurance claims past 2,000 cases
Society

Summer heat can't cool tourists' hanbok enthusiasm

Giosue, a 29-year-old Italian tourist, felt the fabric of his rented hanbok, Korea's traditional dress, clinging to his skin on a Sunday afternoon. Even with the temperature close to 30 degrees Celsius, the discomfort did not deter him from wearing the elegant outfit he'd selected. “It sticks to you and it's getting more hot,” Giosue told The Korea Times. “But I think it's worth it. It's fun and kind of a special experience.” The weekend brought cooler weather after Seoul's heat wave peaked Friday, when temperatures topped 40 degrees. Still, Sunday's highest perceived temperature in Seoul reached 32.4 degrees Celsius by 3 p.m. On Sunday, nearly all Koreans around Gyeongbok Palace wore short sleeves and shorts. But the palace and the streets around it were still filled with hanbok-clad international tourists, drawn by the chance to experience something distinctly Korean. Wearing hanbok was high on the list for Liz, 29, from Monterrey, Mexico, who arrived in Korea a day earlier. “It's very interesting how Koreans wear hanbok because of the culture. It's symbolic and amazing, so I

Aug 10, 2026By Park Ung
Summer heat can't cool tourists' hanbok enthusiasm
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