The Korea Times

'Why not Gangnam?': Data center boom fuels fear in neighborhoods kept in the dark

About 20 people gather every morning in front of Geumcheon District Office in southwestern Seoul, holding signs and staging protests. Most are in their 50s and 60s and live in a large apartment complex identified only as "L," home to more than 1,700 households. Their protest, which they say is the first demonstration they have ever taken part in, marked its 203rd consecutive day on Sept. 21. They might be expected to be tired by now, but it is anger rather than fatigue that shows on their faces. The protesters are vehemently opposed to a data center. About 100 meters from the entrance to their apartment complex, construction of an eight-story data center has been underway for 11 months. Ko Young-chan, 33, a two-term member of the Geumcheon District Council who lives in L Apartment, said, "It seems data center developers came here thinking, 'Land prices in a place like Geumcheon District make the project worth trying.'" He also claimed that the data center itself would not generate tax revenue for the district. The situation is not unique to Geumcheon District. Data center projects are

4h agoBy Hankookilbo

[WEEKENDER] 'Why not Gangnam?': Data center boom fuels fear in neighborhoods kept in the dark

Foreign victims shut out of Korea's 'jeonse' fraud relief efforts

At the start of 2022, Nan Ming-ji, a 40-year-old with Chinese citizenship, moved with his parents into a home in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The family put down a 140 million won ($104,000) deposit — money his parents had saved since arriving in Korea two decades ago. It was no small sum. But under the country’s distinct “jeonse” system, such large upfront deposits have long been the norm. Instead of paying monthly rent, tenants put down a lump sum that is returned in full when the lease ends. For landlords, the deposits provide access to a large pool of capital they can invest or earn interest on. In October 2023, Nan’s father found a notice saying their home was being put up for auction. Just weeks later, the family learned that their landlord owned several other buildings in his wife’s and brother-in-law’s names. Those properties, too, had been flagged for auction. The family had fallen victim to a form of jeonse fraud that has spread rapidly across Korea over the past decade. Some landlords used deposits from multiple tenants to acquire properties with little of their ow

Sep 11, 2026By Park Han-sol

[WEEKENDER] Foreign victims shut out of Korea's 'jeonse' fraud relief efforts

Beyond the podium: Embracing true diversity in Korean sports

NAGOYA, Japan — When the Korean men’s 3x3 basketball team secured a historic Asian Games gold medal here last week, the celebrations back home were muted. That same quiet greeted the nation’s canoe sprint athletes as they paddled their way to the podium. There was only one Asian Games event for that time slot that made it to viewers through the major broadcast television networks in Seoul: early-round baseball. The Asian Games, promoted with grand “Imagine One Asia” banners, are designed to project unity. But for Korea, the competition has exposed a strict, deeply unequal domestic sports culture — one that divides far more than it unites, valuing TV ratings and outdated labels over athletic skill. The broadcast blackout was not a deliberate affront, but a reflection of a TV industry tied to profit. Just months ago, major broadcast networks championing the “public’s right to watch” criticized cable channel JTBC for securing exclusive rights to show the World Cup and the Winter Olympics. However, when faced with the cold reality of television ratings, those same network

Oct 2, 2026By Choi Won-suk

[WEEKENDER] Beyond the podium: Embracing true diversity in Korean sports

A century of Hangeul Day: From cultural independence to AI challenge

When King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) created “Hunminjeongeum,” the Korean alphabet now known as Hangeul, in 1443, it did not immediately replace the Chinese characters which Koreans had used for centuries. For centuries afterward, it was largely shunned by the dynasty's aristocrats and intellectuals, who favored the use of Chinese characters. It wasn't widely popular among ordinary citizens either. A major change came in 1894, when King Gojong declared Hangeul as the country’s official writing system. Three decades later, in December 1926, a group of Korean linguists and independence activists gathered and proclaimed Gagya Day — at the time, the name of Hangeul was not widely known and “gagya” was the starting sounds of people learning the alphabet. That marked the beginning of what would later become Hangeul Day, which this year reaches its 100th anniversary. It was set on Sept. 29 based on the lunar calendar and was moved to the current Oct. 9 in 1940. Historical legacy of Hangeul Day Establishing Gagya Day a century ago was part of a cultural independence move

Oct 9, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

[WEEKENDER] A century of Hangeul Day: From cultural independence to AI challenge

Korean shamanism spreads far beyond its homeland

As Korea has taken its place among the world leaders in technology, many facets of its traditional culture also have found their way to a global audience. Through a series of appearances in media and popular streaming content, Korean shamanism has achieved a a new level of global awareness in recent years. For some, the idea of Korean shamanism being a global entity began 20 years ago with the arrival of Andrea Kalff, a woman from Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, who became the very first European to become a Korean shaman. Kalff was raised in a Catholic family in Bavaria, with little knowledge or interest in any kind of shamanism, let alone the Korean version. “Since childhood, I had experienced unusual dreams, intuitive perceptions, illnesses that physicians could not explain and psychological crises that correspond to what Korean tradition understands as 'sinbyeong',” she explained, referencing the "spirit sickness" that is thought to affect people marked to become shamans. Initiation into world of Korean shamanism At the age of 32, while in declining health, she was invited by a frien

Sep 4, 2026By Aaron Wadsworth

[WEEKENDER] Korean shamanism spreads far beyond its homeland

Talented but with nowhere to play: Korea's baseball girls forced to leave sport

The Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) opened its season at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois, on Aug. 1 with a game between the New York Heights and Los Angeles Queens. The matchup carried historic significance as the first game of the U.S. professional women's league, revived after 72 years. At the top of the first inning, a short-haired pitcher in the Heights’ pinstriped uniform confidently took the mound. It was Kim Ra-kyung, 26, who made history as the first girl to hit a home run in Korean Little League baseball at age 15 and, in the same year, became the youngest player ever selected for the Korean women’s national baseball team. Kim is not the only Korean competing at the highest level of women’s baseball. Catcher Hyeonah Kim, 26, joined the Boston Hunters, while infielder Jua Park, 22, made it to the San Francisco Firebells. Their success, however, is hardly evidence of a strong development system for women’s baseball in Korea. Players such as Kim Ra-kyung are outliers who have reached the world stage through extraordinary talent and effort despite the lac

Aug 28, 2026By Hankookilbo

[WEEKENDER] Talented but with nowhere to play: Korea's baseball girls forced to leave sport

Inside Korea's only prison tasked with handling foreign inmates

CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province — A roughly 30-minute drive from Cheonan-Asan Station leads to a remote, little-visited area. After surrendering all electronic devices and passing through a security check, visitors navigate a maze-like building and pass through seven or eight heavy steel doors to step inside Cheonan Correctional Institution, Korea's only prison tasked with handling foreign inmates. The prison became the world's first correctional institute designated for foreign inmates in 2010, after the number of foreign nationals in Korea, and crimes among them, rose through the 2000s. As of August, it houses about 500 inmates from 51 countries alongside some 920 Korean nationals. Overcrowding has led to foreign nationals being distributed across multiple prisons, including Daejeon and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, but the Cheonan prison is the only one mainly tasked with handling them, complete with an International Affairs division. About 10 staff members speak various languages, including English, Chinese, Russian, Thai, Mongolian and Arabic, helping inmates with personal conce

Aug 21, 2026By Park Ung

[WEEKENDER] Inside Korea's only prison tasked with handling foreign inmates

Don't bet on AI for historic accuracy when traveling in Korea

Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted travel often has a goal of finding cheaper flight tickets or affordable accommodation options. Recently, however, an acquaintance of mine living in Seattle reached out, asking for advice on planning her upcoming trip to Korea. She confessed to relying heavily on generative AI. Seeking an immersive “time-travel” itinerary that would take her to important historical sites related to late 19th and early 20th century events, she asked Google Gemini to craft a one-day historical tour through Seoul that would cost around 200,000 won ($150) to complete. Before leaving an overseas visitor to navigate the capital based on the whims of an algorithm, The Korea Times set out to fieldtest the AI-recommended itinerary. Can AI craft a tour that can capture the spirit and nuance of local history, or does it merely stitch together what it finds online without understanding the real situation? While the model displayed impressive spatial efficiency and a strong grasp of overarching narratives, it faltered when confronted with the shifting tides of street-level tre

Aug 14, 2026By Park Jin-hai

[WEEKENDER] Don't bet on AI for historic accuracy when traveling in Korea

Verdict on AI-guided tour of modern Korea's history

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