The Korea Times

Itaewon, October 2022: importance of memory

I was in Itaewon on the night of Oct. 28, 2022, taking photos. The following night, I learned from my deputy at the Mexican Embassy about the tragedy that had just happened. He went as close as he could to the scene and kept in contact with the police all night, trying to find out if any Mexican nationals were among the victims and reporting to me regularly until dawn. As the number of dead rose, eventually reaching 159, I grieved deeply, as did the Korean people and the foreign families who lost loved ones. How could that happen? I knew the reason, because I was there the night before: too many people in such small streets and alleys and no crowd management at all. The following year, before the first anniversary, I examined the 280 pictures I had taken until 1 a.m. What I saw were young people parading in sheer happiness and excitement, joyful at taking pictures and being photographed. I have lived in the United States and knew about the aesthetic of Halloween, where “everyone is entitled to one good scare,” as Ray Bradbury wrote. The horror theme was certainly there in Itaewon. Ho

Oct 29, 2026By Bruno Figueroa

[COVER STORY] Itaewon, October 2022: importance of memory

4 years on, Itaewon businesses face Halloween with mixed expectations

The streets of Itaewon have gone through several iterations over the years — not just the place itself but the meaning attached to it. If you ask someone from the early 2000s or even the 2010s, they would paint a completely different landscape from the Itaewon that exists today. Itaewon is going through a period of social reconstruction, fueled by several factors — the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Halloween crowd crush, U.S. military redeployment out of nearby Yongsan Garrison and commercial redevelopment. Despite the heavy atmosphere, there are some local business owners who feel optimistic about its future. Linus Kim, who has operated Linus BBQ for more than a decade, expects the Halloween nightlife to be stronger than in the years immediately after the crowd crush tragedy. “Itaewon’s nightlife has seen a significant resurgence over the past year, driven partly by a new generation that came of age during COVID and the years following the tragedy,” he said. He described the pandemic and the crowd crush as marking “perhaps the darkest period in Itaewon’s modern history,” d

Oct 27, 2026By Jason "Pinnacle" Waller

4 years on, Itaewon businesses face Halloween with mixed expectations

After interviewing 42 death row inmates, researcher believes capital punishment should end

Every weekday before 1997, death row inmates in Korea braced themselves between 6 and 9 a.m. — the hours when executions could happen. If 9 a.m. passed uneventfully, they felt relief. Then they went to sleep wondering if the next morning would be their last. No one has been executed since Dec. 30, 1997, but 56 people remain on death row — 52 in Ministry of Justice correctional facilities and four in military prisons. Kim Dae-keun, a research fellow at the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, interviewed 42 of them. "Most of them were ashamed, distressed or regretful about what they did," Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times. "I imagine they were brutal and frightening when they committed their crimes. But many I met in prison now were older, frail men." Oct. 10 marks World Day Against the Death Penalty, an annual international observance calling for the abolition of executions as judicial punishment. In Korea, the day arrives with the death penalty still on the books but widely regarded as unenforceable. Most inmates now believe executions will not resume — a beli

Oct 10, 2026By Park Ung

[COVER STORY] After interviewing 42 death row inmates, researcher believes capital punishment should end

Korea's 2-track AI strategy casts uncertainty over sovereign model project

The government has been working to develop a national artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model, while planning to launch a separate effort to develop frontier models. This two-track strategy is raising questions: Why is the government pushing the new project and how will it draw the line between the two programs? The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed that the ongoing AI foundation model project will proceed with a third-stage evaluation, with two finalists expected to be selected in February. Separately, the government plans to allocate 4.7 trillion won ($3.5 billion) for a frontier AI program set to begin in March 2027. The split reflects the government's growing concern that the rapid advances in global AI have made the foundation model project's original goals harder to achieve, while abandoning the project could undermine the ecosystem and capabilities built up over the past year. Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon has repeatedly rejected speculations that the foundation model project is being scrapped. “The national AI foundation model project has b

Oct 11, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

[COVER STORY] Korea's 2-track AI strategy casts uncertainty over sovereign model project

President spars with liberal allies over investigation body chief nomination

It is normal for a president to clash with members of opposition parties, especially those with different political inclinations, over reform measures. President Lee Jae Myung, however, is having an unusual conflict — one against members of his own party and other liberal figures. The conflict is over the nomination of Kim Ji-yong, a former prosecutor, to be the inaugural chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA). The new investigative body was established as part of prosecutorial reform, dividing the prosecutors’ office into SCIA in charge of probing serious crimes and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) tasked with indicting suspects and prosecuting cases. The nomination on Sept. 8, however, turned the long-awaited prosecution reform into the focus of an increasingly bitter internal conflict, as hardliners from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP) and elsewhere in the liberal bloc argue that his record of defending prosecutorial powers makes him unfit to serve as its inaugural chief. They also label Kim a loyalist

Oct 12, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

[COVER STORY] President spars with liberal allies over investigation body chief nomination

Why Gyeonggi Province is under financial strain

Gyeonggi Province, Korea's most populous province, narrowly averted disruptions to essential welfare programs with the passage of a supplementary budget on Monday. But restoring funding for the rest of 2026 has not resolved the fundamental problem behind the crisis: falling revenue, growing spending obligations and fewer resources to bridge the gap. With the provincial government required to submit next year’s budget proposal by Nov. 11, residents and welfare providers remain concerned and question whether the province's Gov. Choo Mi-ae can prevent further funding shortfalls. What did Monday’s agreement resolve? The provincial council approved the supplementary budget after last-minute negotiations restored 21.6 billion won ($16 million) for livelihood-related programs, including support for child care and postpartum care. The agreement broke a monthlong impasse over funding needed to keep essential services running through the final quarter. Some welfare programs had been allocated only nine months of funding, leaving them facing suspension this month and prompting protests by child

Oct 13, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Why Gyeonggi Province is under financial strain

K-defense expands global footprint amid shifting security order

The global security order is undergoing one of its most profound transformations since the end of the Cold War, as the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts push countries around the world to strengthen their own military capabilities and secure their defense supply chains. These ongoing conflicts, which experts describe as an era of global rearmament, are offering chances for Korea's defense industry to expand as a global player, while the industry also grapples with challenges such as supply chain disruptions. Experts and industry figures see three major factors accelerating the global rearmament trend, according to Kang Eun-ho, former head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The first factor is a shift in the United States' approach to international security. The U.S., which helped create the postwar international security architecture, is increasingly putting its "America First" policy in action, while calling on its allies to assume a greater share of the burden for their own defense. The second factor is growing geopolitical competition stemm

Oct 8, 2026By Kim Bo-kyoung

[COVER STORY] K-defense expands global footprint amid shifting security order

Nuri rocket successfully completes 5th flight

Korea’s domestically-developed Nuri rocket successfully carried out its mission in its fifth launch Wednesday, sequentially deploying 14 out of the 15 satellites it carried into their target orbit. The key objective of the fifth launch was to safely deploy the five microsatellite constellations, and its success has demonstrated Korea's increased multisatellite launch capabilities, taking another step toward privately-led commercial launch services. The rocket lifted off from the launchpad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, at 12:25 p.m. and completed its roughly 20-minute flight at around 12:45 p.m. The rocket separated its first stage about two minutes after liftoff, followed by the second stage about four and a half minutes into the flight. At around 12:40 p.m., it reached an altitude of 570 kilometers and completed the sequential deployment of five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety (NEONSAT) microsatellites (satellites No. 2 to 6), its primary payload, along with nine of the 10 CubeSats it carried. In

Oct 7, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo

[COVER STORY] Nuri rocket successfully completes 5th flight

Global students choose Seoul for dynamic opportunities, safety despite high costs, competition

Seoul is increasingly becoming a top destination for international students, driven by its high level of safety, efficient public services and rich culture, according to a recent survey conducted by The Korea Times among its Global Supporters. In the survey, international students shared their firsthand experiences of studying and living in the Korean capital. They said the city has various appealing points, but at the same time, pointed out challenges like expensive housing costs, intense competition and limited institutional support. The survey findings show a broader shift in global education trends. British newspaper Financial Times recently reported that Seoul is surging in popularity among international students as the capital city offers a unique lifestyle and relatively manageable living costs compared to major Western cities such as New York, London and Paris. Why students pick Seoul Safety, administrative efficiency and a dynamic academic environment emerged as primary reasons for choosing Seoul over other global study destinations. To capture the insights and lived realities o

Sep 24, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

Global students choose Seoul for dynamic opportunities, safety despite high costs, competition

Korea-US $200 bil. investment talks hit last-stage hurdles over 'commercial viability'

Korea’s negotiations with the United States over a $200 billion investment package have run into last-stage hurdles, with the two sides disagreeing over nuclear reactors, energy projects and funding terms. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources postponed a parliamentary briefing initially scheduled for Thursday, which had been expected to clear the way for signing of a memorandum of understanding for the first project as early as Friday. The briefing is now expected to take place Monday or Tuesday, although the timing will depend on progress in the negotiations. President Lee Jae Myung acknowledged that some provisions remained difficult to accept despite the negotiations being close to an agreement. “After reviewing the details, there are parts that are not easy to agree to,” Lee said during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday. “We are discussing them again.” Lee said the investment negotiations had broad, complex implications for Korea-U.S. relations and that disagreements emerged as the talks moved into specific projects. “There were several points o

Sep 20, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

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