South Korea - The Korea Times

Seoul to send 130 volunteers to help underprivileged in Uzbekistan, Laos

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will send 130 volunteers to Uzbekistan and Laos to assist underprivileged communities this year as part of its youth program. According to officials, applications for the program are being collected until May 20. Any residents of the city aged 19 to 39 can participate. Those selected will receive training before visiting Uzbekistan’s Tashkent and Laos’ Vientiane between July and August. They will be offered free round trip air tickets, food, accommodation and some cash. While staying in the cities, the volunteers will take part in various projects such as repairing and improving infrastructure facilities and teaching local children about Korean culture. Tashkent was selected as one of this year’s program destinations to commemorate the 15th anniversary of its sister-city relationship with Seoul, while Vientiane was chosen in recognition of the cities' 10-year partnership. The destination for the inaugural program in 2023 was Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. The following year, 70 volunteers went to Jakarta and Yogyakarta in Indonesia. The progra

May 5, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Seoul to send 130 volunteers to help underprivileged in Uzbekistan, Laos

Foreign residents volunteer to help Korean fire victims

In response to the massive wildfires that swept through Korea’s southeastern regions earlier this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a special program inviting foreign residents to support those affected by the disaster. The initial aim was to find a few dozen people who would be willing to join in and do volunteer work on April 4 in Andong, a city several hours away from central Seoul in North Gyeongsang Province, or in Yeongdeok, a county located further east. But within a day of the plan's announcement, more than 300 foreign residents in the city applied through the city-run Seoul Foreign Resident Center. “It was a pleasant surprise,” a city official who helped organize the program told The Korea Times. “But for safety reasons, we could not take everyone there. Eventually, 71 were selected to join the mission and sent to the affected areas.” Along with 27 medical professionals and 58 city officials, the foreign volunteer workers went separately to Andong and Yeongdeok, where they moved and sorted boxes of relief goods, cleaned temporary shelters set up for fire

May 3, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Foreign residents volunteer to help Korean fire victims

Convenience store launches on-site visa assistance service for foreign residents

CU has launched on-site visa assistance services for foreign residents, becoming the first convenience store chain to do so, the company said Thursday. In partnership with K-VISA, the country's leading visa service provider, customers can now scan a QR code displayed at CU stores and fill out a short form to be immediately connected with a licensed immigration specialist for personalized support. The service supports four languages — English, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese — and allows users to track their application status in real time, from submission to final approval. A wide range of visa categories, including marriage, employment, investment, immigration and permanent residency, will be covered. CU distinguishes itself with competitive pricing, offering fees approximately 50 percent lower than the industry average. For instance, its visa extension services are available at the country's lowest rate of just 20,000 won ($13.96). The company said it aims to ease the administrative burden foreign nationals face. According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of foreign residents

May 1, 2025By Lee Yeon-woo

Convenience store launches on-site visa assistance service for foreign residents

Presidential contenders urged to stop deporting undocumented foreigners

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a powerful umbrella labor union with more than 1 million members, is calling for presidential contenders to discard the detain-and-deport policy currently used against undocumented foreign residents. In its list of 10 requests for the nation’s next leader released Wednesday, the group said migrants, including those without visas to remain in Korea, should be embraced as members of society and that the next administration should offer a legal path for undocumented people to stay. “The deportation policy must be stopped, and the government should implement a policy to grant residency to undocumented migrants,” the group said in the statement. The organization also said all migrants should be given an opportunity to obtain permanent residency if they stay here for five years or longer, regardless of their legal status. Their demands come as presidential hopefuls reveal their political visions and policy priorities ahead of the June 3 election. The organization has long advocated protecting human rights for foreign workers. But it was only last

May 1, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Presidential contenders urged to stop deporting undocumented foreigners

Liberal lawmakers call for expansion of rights for migrant workers

Korean elementary school textbooks depict Africa with prejudice: civic group

A civic group has accused elementary school textbooks in Korea of depicting Africa with prejudice and oversimplifying portrayals of the continent as just a recipient of aid. The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) released its review of five sixth grade social studies textbooks on content concerning Africa on Wednesday, which it said generally failed to depict the diverse ways of life on the continent. VANK criticized the textbooks for their oversimplification of Africa despite the continent being home to 54 U.N. member states and more than 3,000 ethnic groups. Park Ji-eun, a researcher at VANK, said that Korean school textbooks begin carrying material on Africa and other parts of the world in sixth grade, calling for changes so that students are not exposed to prejudiced content. VANK also pointed out that the textbooks do not carry sufficient material on exchanges between Korea and countries in Africa, including those with close ties. The group proposed adding content on Ethiopia and South Africa -- countries that sent troops to support Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. As part o

May 1, 2025By Yonhap

Korean elementary school textbooks depict Africa with prejudice: civic group

KOREAN TEMPLE ADVENTURES 3 temples to visit on Buddha's Birthday

Buddha’s Birthday in Korea is a wonderful day off to enjoy the sights, sounds and celebrations of Buddhism. For a lot of people, this means a visit to a local temple or hermitage. But if you really want to fully enjoy and appreciate Buddha’s Birthday this year, take advantage of the May 5 holiday to visit sites that are typically off-limits to the general public. Once a year, sites like the interior of Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju, the Geumgang Precept Platform at Tongdo Temple in Yangsan and Bongam Temple in Mungyeong, all three in North Gyeongsang Province, are open to the public. The holiday is a rare occasion when these areas, typically restricted, are open for everyone. Of the three, Seokguram Grotto is the most famous. Construction on the grotto began in 751 under Kim Daeseong (700-774), a chief minister of the Silla Kingdom(57 B.C. – 935 A.D.). The grotto was completed in 774, shortly after Kim’s death. According to the Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), Seokguram Grotto and neighboring Bulguk Temple were built to honor his parents. Usually, visitors to Seok

May 1, 2025By Dale Quarrington

[KOREAN TEMPLE ADVENTURES] 3 temples to visit on Buddha's Birthday

InterviewNext president tasked with driving real change for migrant workers' rights

Shekh al Mamun, a migrant rights activist, said Korea’s next president must move swiftly to strengthen protections for migrant workers that he believes were seriously eroded under former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration. Shekh, a naturalized Korean from Bangladesh, has served as the deputy chief of the Migrants' Trade Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the country’s largest umbrella labor group, since 2013. "Things have only gotten worse under the Yoon government," Shekh said in an interview with The Korea Times to mark May 1 Labor Day. "Policies implemented in recent years haven’t been good for foreign workers nor for employers." Shekh criticized the Yoon administration for "ruining" the Employment Permit System (EPS), a government-run program that allows foreign nationals from 16 countries to enter Korea for low-wage jobs, mainly in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. "They increased the quota to more than 160,000 workers a year without properly assessing how many jobs were actually available," he said. "With so many workers flowing in wit

Apr 29, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

Next president tasked with driving real change for migrant workers' rights

Liberal lawmakers call for expansion of rights for migrant workers

Liberal lawmakers on Tuesday called for expanding the rights of foreign workers in Korea as members of the Migrants’ Trade Union (MTU) marked the 20th anniversary of its founding. At the event held in Seoul to celebrate the anniversary, Rep. Lee Yong-woo of the Democratic Party of Korea expressed solidarity with union workers and vowed to help their voices be reflected in the future policies of his party and the new administration after the presidential election on June 3. “All workers are equal, regardless of their migration status,” he said. “I will do my best to help guarantee their equal rights as laborers during and after the election campaign.” In a statement released for the forum, he outlined several policy priorities, including introducing a system that would allow foreign workers to freely change their workplaces and fields of work — a long-standing demand of the MTU. Rep. Jung Hye-kyung of the minor liberal Progressive Party also vowed to improve the rights of migrant workers as she acknowledged the unfairness that remains in the current system. “I will do my part

Apr 29, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Liberal lawmakers call for expansion of rights for migrant workers

Daejeon Arts Collective prepares for 2025 exhibition

DAEJEON — “I failed art class in elementary school. At least twice,” artist Hank Haddock said in an interview with The Korea Times. Haddock was busy preparing for the Daejeon Arts Collective’s (DJAC) twice-yearly group exhibition. In advance of the exhibition, he talked to The Korea Times about his artistic trajectory, particularly within the DJAC. The DJAC is an association of artists from around the world living in Daejeon, and Haddock has been a member for seven years. After graduating from university, Haddock worked professionally as a carpenter and wrote fiction and poetry for years in the U.S. before moving to Korea. With the extra time and energy he found in Korea, he devoted himself to painting. “I can't paint pictures of flowers and people because I don't have the patience, the skill or the desire — mostly the desire — to do that," he said. "It was just all abstract painting. I just did hundreds of paintings, actually, probably 200 or more.” After joining the DJAC, Haddock found friends and future collaborators. His interest shifted to furniture carpentry. His wo

Apr 29, 2025By Monica Nickolai

Daejeon Arts Collective prepares for 2025 exhibition

Jesse Jae Hoon's ‘Saved’ explores political roots, emotional aftermath of adoption

Though it had its premiere reading on the opposite side of the world from Korea, on a stage in New York City, Jesse Jae Hoon’s "Saved" spoke directly to the hearts of many in both countries. Divided into two parts, the first part of "Saved," titled "The Girl and the Sky," debuted at The Public Theater in New York on April 21 as part of its Emerging Writers Group Spotlight Series. The one-night-only event offered audiences a glimpse into a bold new voice in American theater — one shaped by lived experience and a fierce commitment to truth-telling. With nuance and emotional depth, the play explored the complexities of adoption — not merely as a legal process or an act of “saving” a child, but as a personal journey shaped by love, loss, identity and history. It served as a reminder that questions of origin and belonging are deeply human — and often entangled in geopolitical forces far beyond an individual’s control. The story unfolds across three interwoven timelines. In the present-day (2014), Peggy Mortimer, a Korean adoptee, grapples with personal tragedy and a painful rift

Apr 29, 2025By Antonia Giordano

Global Community