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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

Record medical tourism spotlights Korea's push for sustainability

The K-Medical Tourism Roundtable 2026 convened Thursday, bringing together government officials and industry leaders to discuss shifting Korea's medical tourism strategy toward a more sustainable and competitive ecosystem. Co-hosted by the Korea Medical Tourism Promotion Association (KMTPA) and the Tourism Sciences Society of Korea, the forum topics ranged from Seoul's medical strengths to the structural challenges threatening the industry's long-term growth. “Korea's medical credibility and competitiveness are now recognized worldwide,” Kim Dae-hyun, second vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said in his congratulatory remarks, citing a record 2.01 million foreign patient arrivals last year. Kim added that the country's medical tourism industry is growing beyond treatment into a high value-added sector combining beauty, wellness and tourism, giving foreign tourists more diverse reasons to visit. Kim Jin-kuk, president of the KMTPA, said in a keynote speech that Korea's medical tourism sector remains strong but has yet to reach its full potential. “The tour

Jul 2, 2026By Park Ung
Record medical tourism spotlights Korea's push for sustainability
Society

'Tank Day' controversy spills over to high school baseball game

The Paichai High School baseball team has been suspended from national tournament play for six months after a chant evoked Starbucks Korea's controversial "Tank Day" promotion during a national tournament match against a school from Gwangju. The Korea Baseball Softball Association held a sports fair play committee meeting Wednesday to review the incident and imposed the suspension after determining the chant violated the spirit of sportsmanship and disrupted order on the field. During Monday's match against Gwangju Jeil High School at the 81st Cheongnonggi National High School Baseball Championship in Seoul's Mokdong Baseball Stadium, some Paichai players repeatedly chanted “Let's go, let's go, let's go to Starbucks” in unison. One student even shouted “Tank Day.” The chant was a direct reference to Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" promotion launched on May 18 — the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising — which used the phrase in a reference widely condemned as denigrating the pro-democracy movement. The backlash at the time drew responses from consumers and politicians alike

Jul 1, 2026By Park Ung
'Tank Day' controversy spills over to high school baseball game
Society

Medical tourism key to Korea's global competitiveness, industry chief says

When asked about Korea's signature export these days, most people would say semiconductors. Kim Jin-kuk has a different answer. The president of the Korea Medical Tourism Promotion Association (KMTPA) believes that medical tourism — combined with the cosmetics, wellness, travel and health supplement industries — is already on track to become one of the country's signature products. “There is a strong desire among foreigners to go to Korea and become beautiful,” Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times on Tuesday. “The medical tourism sector alone may be small compared to semiconductors, but combined with the surrounding cosmetics, travel, wellness and health supplement businesses, it becomes massive.” The numbers back up that vision. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2.01 million foreign patients visited Korea last year, the highest since the country began compiling such data in 2009. Their impact extends far beyond hospitals, with foreign medical tourists generating an estimated 22.8 trillion won ($14.6 billion) in economic ripple effects in Korea last ye

Jul 1, 2026By Park Ung
Medical tourism key to Korea's global competitiveness, industry chief says
Sports

EXPLAINER How KFA mismanagement led to Korea's worst World Cup result

Criticism of the Korea Football Association (KFA) and its president Chung Mong-gyu over a long-controversial coaching appointment process is mounting after Korea's failure to reach the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 34th-place finish out of 48 nations — the worst in the country's World Cup history — has put a spotlight on years of mismanagement at the KFA, from a pattern of opaque hiring decisions to procedural breakdowns that sidelined its own committee for national team development. Klinsmann debacle In 2023, the KFA appointed Jurgen Klinsmann, a former Germany striker and German national team manager, as head coach of the Korean men's national football team. However, he quickly drew criticism for spending only 67 days in Korea during his first six months while passing much of his time at his home in the United States. Klinsmann was dismissed the following year after a semifinal exit at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 and persistent criticism of his work ethic, with the KFA reportedly paying nearly 7 billion won ($4.5 million) to buy out his contract. Hong's appointment mi

Jun 29, 2026By Park Ung
[EXPLAINER] How KFA mismanagement led to Korea's worst World Cup result
Society

SeeDevice CEO speaks out on KBS defamation lawsuit, seeks up to $1.23 bil. in damages

The founder of a U.S. tech company that has filed a defamation lawsuit against Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and its U.S. affiliate, KBS America, says false reporting by the broadcaster cost him years of research and a major commercial opportunity and he is seeking up to $1.23 billion in damages. Kim Hoon, founder and CEO of SeeDevice, told The Korea Times in an interview that the KBS report caused substantial harm to both his reputation and that of his company. “In addition to recovering the economic losses caused by the false report, we are seeking compensation for the reputational harm suffered by me and the company,” Kim said. “We are also seeking punitive damages to the maximum extent permitted under U.S. law, as well as a retraction of the false report.” A damages expert retained by SeeDevice calculated the company's economic losses at between $236.25 million and $1.23 billion, citing business opportunities that fell through following the KBS report. A trial has been set at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to begin in January 2027. The case

Jun 25, 2026By Park Ung
SeeDevice CEO speaks out on KBS defamation lawsuit, seeks up to $1.23 bil. in damages
Society

PHOTO Marking 76th anniversary of Korean War

A Korean family from the United States visits the graves of relatives killed during the 1950-53 Korean War at Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Wednesday, the day before the 76th anniversary of the war's outbreak. Korea Times photo by Yoon Ki-hoon

Jun 24, 2026By Park Ungphoto
[PHOTO] Marking 76th anniversary of Korean War
Society

98% of parents support restricting minors' smartphone use, survey finds

Nearly all parents of school-aged children in Korea support restricting minors' smartphone use, with a large majority willing to switch to a dedicated device that blocks harmful features. According to a survey by Rep. Kim Young-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, released Wednesday, 98.1 percent of approximately 52,000 parents of elementary, middle and high school students in Seoul, Incheon and South Gyeongsang Province said certain limits on minors' smartphone use were necessary. Respondents also cited a range of other concerns, with 97.5 percent saying smartphones could increase the risk of exposure to harmful or inappropriate content. The majority flagged interference with studying at 96 percent, difficulty controlling screen time at 93.9 percent and family conflict at 90.4 percent. Most parents said they would consider a safer alternative. When asked if they would prioritize a restricted device that still met their child's essential needs, 92.2 percent answered yes. The top reason was prevention of harmful content exposure at 78.6 percent, followed by communication and safety featur

Jun 24, 2026By Park Ung
98% of parents support restricting minors' smartphone use, survey finds
Travel & Food

Singing bowls and Buddhist temples: Seoul's certified tour program shows different side of city

Patricia Hung, a Canadian in her 40s, arrived in Seoul last week with six friends to celebrate her birthday and found a city of shopping and relentless energy — until a singing bowl meditation session Sunday showed her something else entirely. “It feels amazing and very tailored, like a reset. I'm very at peace right now, really relaxed,” she told The Korea Times. “I didn't know that there's this side of things to Seoul.” The session was part of this year's Seoul Quality Tour Packages, a city-designated program running since 2013, offers curated itineraries spanning themes from K-drama and K-beauty to esports, cultural heritage and nighttime tourism. The package Hung joined, "Seoul Mind Reset: Bongeunsa Meditation Walk," brought that range to Gangnam, a district better known for nightlife and cosmetic clinics, leading visitors to an unlikely combination of meditation, temple culture and relaxation tucked behind the high-rises. Joanna Cheng, 46, who made the trip with Hung, also found the buzzing city, then the singing bowl session revealed another Seoul. “It was amazing. My fr

Jun 24, 2026By Park Ung
Singing bowls and Buddhist temples: Seoul's certified tour program shows different side of city
People & Events

Kim Dan-bi promoted to principal at Houston Ballet

Ballet dancer Kim Dan-bi, 26, was named a principal at the Houston Ballet, one of the United States' most prestigious dance companies, cementing Korea's reputation as a powerhouse of world-class ballet talent. According to Korea Ballet Stars, Kim was recently promoted from first soloist to principal, the highest rank at the Houston Ballet. She is the second Korean dancer to reach that rank at the Houston Ballet, following Cho Soo-youn, who retired last year after being promoted to principal in 2018. Kim dropped out of middle school and pursued her ballet training while homeschooling. After winning a junior gold medal at the 2015 International Dance Festival Tanzolymp in Berlin, and then an award from the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation at the 2016 Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, she entered the Houston Ballet Academy in Texas on a scholarship. Joining the Houston Ballet upon graduation in 2019, she took on leading roles in productions, including “Swan Lake,” “Raymonda” and “The Little Mermaid,” rising rapidly through the ranks to claim the title of principal dancer seven years af

Jun 23, 2026By Park Ung
Kim Dan-bi promoted to principal at Houston Ballet
Society

Samsung, SK hynix-linked semiconductor majors more competitive than SNU admissions

University departments guaranteeing jobs at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix required more competitive admissions scores than Seoul National University's (SNU) natural sciences track this year — a notable milestone given that SNU, widely regarded as Korea's most prestigious university, has long set the benchmark for top admissions scores — reflecting surging student demand for chipmaker careers amid record bonus packages at the two companies. According to an analysis released Sunday by Jongno Academy, a private university admissions prep institution, five semiconductor departments partnered with the two semiconductor giants averaged 96.2 in admission scores based on Korea's College Scholastic Ability Test, also known as Suneung, outpacing SNU's natural science track by 0.4 points. The university-corporate partnership model, introduced in 2003, pairs companies with universities to shape curricula around industry needs. Companies support tuition costs, and most students are guaranteed jobs upon completing their degrees. SK hynix has contracts with Hanyang University, Korea University

Jun 21, 2026By Park Ung
Samsung, SK hynix-linked semiconductor majors more competitive than SNU admissions
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