South Korea - The Korea Times

Korea adds 193,000 jobs in October; youth employment remains weak

Korea added more than 190,000 jobs in October, continuing an upward trend in employment this year, but employment losses continued in the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as among the younger population, government data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people stood at 29.04 million last month, up 193,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The increase underscores a continued upward trend in employment following a brief decline last December, when the country recorded a net loss of 52,000 jobs. The labor market has shown steady recovery this year, adding 245,000 jobs in May before moderating to 183,000 in June and then jumping to 312,000 in September. Despite the overall growth, employment data in the manufacturing and construction sectors remained sluggish. The manufacturing sector, often considered the backbone of the Korean economy, shed 51,000 jobs from a year earlier in October, extending its downturn to a 16th consecutive month. The construction industry also continued to struggle, losing 123,000 jobs to c

Nov 12, 2025By Yonhap

Korea adds 193,000 jobs in October; youth employment remains weak

5th body recovered at Ulsan power plant

A fifth body was recovered from under a collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Wednesday, leaving two workers still trapped, firefighting authorities said. The body belonged to one of two workers who could not be located in the rubble of the 63-meter tower that collapsed last Thursday. The discovery came after authorities blew up two other boiler towers near the debris Tuesday to help speed up the search and rescue efforts. Towers 4 and 6, which flanked Tower 5 that collapsed, had been an impediment in the search efforts due to fears they too could crumble. A total of seven workers were initially trapped under the rubble, and Wednesday's discovery raises the confirmed death toll to five. Of the two missing, one worker has been located but is presumed dead, while the other has yet to be found. The plant is operated by the Korea East-West Power Co., a state-run utility. At the time of its collapse, Tower 5 had been in the process of being demolished after 40 years of use ending in 2021.

Nov 12, 2025By Yonhap

Handong Global University creates integrated campus culture for students

Reflecting its name, Handong Global University has grown into one of Korea’s most vibrant campuses, with an active residential community where students from more than 60 countries study, live and socialize together. From its unique dormitory system to a curriculum deeply rooted in global citizenship, the university is redefining internationalization in higher education. “Our vision is to become a global education platform that takes responsibility for every stage, from admission to postgraduation,” said President Choi Do-soung in an interview with The Korea Times. One of the university’s most distinctive traits is its highly residential campus, with nearly 90 percent of students living in dormitories. Unlike most universities that separate local and international students, Handong integrates them into the same residence colleges to create a setting where learning and living blend together seamlessly. “Handong’s greatest strength in globalization lies not in creating separate programs for international students, but in designing a system where Korean and international student

Nov 12, 2025By Jung Da-hyun

Handong Global University creates integrated campus culture for students

1 in 3 Koreans now obese, highlighting mounting disease risks

The obesity rate among Korean adults has climbed by roughly a third over the past decade, with one in three now classified as medically obese as of last year, underscoring rising public health risks from obesity-related diseases. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported Monday that 34.4 percent of Korean adults had a body mass index of 25 or higher, based on a nationwide survey of about 230,000 people aged 19 and older — up from 26.3 percent in 2015. By gender, the obesity rate was 41.4 percent among men and 23 percent among women, highlighting a pronounced gender gap. The rate was particularly high among men in their 30s and 40s, at 53.1 percent and 50.3 percent. Among women, obesity rates increased with age, peaking at 26.6 percent among those in their 60s and 27.9 percent among those 70 and older. In addition, 74.7 percent of men and 78.4 percent of women said they had attempted to lose or manage weight at least once in the past year. Regionally, the public health challenge was most pronounced in South Jeolla Province, where the obesity rate reached 36.8 percen

Nov 11, 2025By Park Ung

1 in 3 Koreans now obese, highlighting mounting disease risks

Lunchboxes, analog watches: essentials for Korea’s college entrance exam

As this Thursday’s College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), known in Korean as “suneung,” approaches, people planning on taking the exam are preparing in ways that go far beyond hitting the books — they're packing lunchboxes and choosing analog watches. The annual nationwide exam, which is considered so important that the police will escort test-takers who are running late and nearby air traffic is suspended during the English listening section, also sparks a scramble for items rarely needed in daily school life but suddenly indispensable for this single day. That demand is now reflected in shopping habits. Searches for insulated lunch boxes on Bungaejangter, a secondhand marketplace commonly known as "Bunjang," surged 107 percent in October from the previous month, the company said Tuesday. Test-takers must bring their own lunch on exam day, as school cafeterias do not operate during the CSAT. “It was really important to bring a warm, comforting lunch when I took the exam, too,” said Wang Sung-jun, 30, an artificial intelligence researcher who sat for the CSAT in 2014 and 201

Nov 11, 2025By Park Ung

Lunchboxes, analog watches: essentials for Korea’s college entrance exam

Flight takeoffs, landings to be suspended during Thursday's college entrance exam

The government said Tuesday all aircraft takeoffs and landings across South Korea will be temporarily prohibited to regulate noise during this year's annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) later this week. According to the transportation ministry, aircraft takeoffs and landings will be restricted for 35 minutes between 1:05 p.m. and 1:40 p.m. Thursday during the English listening evaluation portion of the national college entrance exam. All aircraft in flight, excluding those in emergency situations, must remain in the air at an altitude of 3 kilometers or higher under the direction of air traffic control authorities. The ministry said the measure is aimed at preventing aircraft noise during the exam. The operating schedules of 140 flights will be adjusted in advance to avoid the time frame, and airlines will provide advance notices of the change to passengers with reservations, according to the ministry. The CSAT is one of the nation's most important academic events as it is the culmination of years of hard work for many students anxious to enter top universities.

Nov 11, 2025By Yonhap

Flight takeoffs, landings to be suspended during Thursday's college entrance exam

Marathon runner left brain-dead after being hit by truck during race

A runner in his 20s was hit by a truck during a marathon in North Chungcheong Province, leaving him brain-dead. According to police and fire authorities, the crash occurred at about 10:08 a.m. Monday, in Okcheon County during a marathon event. A 1-ton Porter truck hit the runner, a 25-year-old athlete from the Cheongju City Hall team. The accident happened when the driver of the truck, traveling in the first lane, suddenly changed into the second lane. The race course had two lanes: One remained open to regular traffic and the other was reserved for marathon runners. The victim was running at the front of the pack, with a police vehicle escorting runners about 20 to 30 meters ahead. The North Chungcheong Sports Council said the runner suffered severe head injuries and was taken to a general hospital in Daejeon, where he was later declared brain-dead and placed on life support. He joined the Cheongju City Hall team in August and had recently recorded strong results in multiple races. The relay marathon event, organized by the North Chungcheong Province Athletics Federation as part of a cou

Nov 11, 2025By Hankookilbo

Marathon runner left brain-dead after being hit by truck during race

Trust in Seoul's tap water reaches record high

A new survey revealed on Monday that 75 percent of Seoul citizens now drink the city’s tap water, known as Arisu, with more people expressing trust in and satisfaction with its quality. The annual report by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, drawing on data from 1,000 adults, found that 75 percent now drink Arisu tap water — a record high, up 5.4 percentage points from the previous year. During Korea’s breakneck industrialization in the 1970s and ’80s, the country’s tap water was widely regarded as unsafe, hobbled by aging pipes, insufficient filtration and unchecked industrial runoff that fouled its rivers. The result was deep public mistrust, and a national habit of boiling water before drinking it, a precaution against the illnesses that many feared lurked in every glass. The latest findings suggest that Arisu is becoming firmly woven into daily life. Among the respondents, 56.3 percent said they drank tap water at home, while 18.7 percent did so in public spaces such as parks, sports facilities and walking trails. The results also showed a notable rise in satisfaction, with

Nov 10, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Trust in Seoul's tap water reaches record high

Dropouts rise among students from multicultural families

The number of students in Korea from multicultural backgrounds surpassed 200,000 for the first time this year, yet many continue to face challenges in the classroom, according to recent government data. Data released Sunday by Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the Rebuilding Korea Party showed that students from multicultural families accounted for 477 high school dropouts during the 2023 academic year, a 2.22 percent dropout rate, according to the Ministry of Education. The rate has gone up steadily — from 1.36 percent in 2020 to 1.93 percent in 2021 and 1.99 percent in 2022 — surpassing 2 percent for the first time last year. This figure is higher than the nationwide high school dropout rate, which reached 2.0 percent in 2023. The most common reason students from multicultural backgrounds cited for leaving school was difficulty adapting, according to the data. In 2023, more than 200 students pointed to challenges in school life — including struggles with Korean-language classes — as a key factor. Educational experts estimate that the majority of students from multicultural backgrounds s

Nov 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Dropouts rise among students from multicultural families

Search for missing in boiler tower collapse enters 5th day

The search for two missing workers entered its fifth day Monday after a boiler tower collapsed at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan. A total of seven workers were initially trapped at the plant of the Ulsan branch of Korea East-West Power, a state-run utility company, on Thursday. Three bodies have been recovered, while four people are still trapped, including two who are presumed dead. Firefighting authorities said drones were sent inside the debris overnight to aid in the search but failed to locate the missing. Search personnel have withdrawn from the site temporarily as work began the previous day to prepare for the demolition of two other boiler towers flanking the one that collapsed. Once the two towers are demolished, sometime early this week, officials plan to use heavy equipment to lift the debris from the collapse, speeding up the search for the missing. The collapsed tower was 60 meters tall and in the process of being demolished after 40 years of use ending in 2021.

Nov 10, 2025By Yonhap

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