my timesThe Korea Times
South KoreaSociety

Society

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Online shopping up 7.3% in July on growing demand for food, travel services

Online shopping sales in Korea increased 7.3 percent from a year earlier in July, mainly driven by rising demand for food products and relevant services, as well as travel services, data showed Monday. The value of online shopping transactions stood at 21.34 trillion won ($15.34 billion) in July, up 1.57 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The growth was led by a sharp increase in demand for food services, which jumped 12.6 percent year-on-year to 3.56 trillion won. Online sales of food and beverages surged 14 percent year-on-year to 3.21 trillion won, the data showed. Sales of travel and transportation services shot up 12.8 percent year-on-year to 2.94 trillion won. Purchases made through smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices increased 10 percent to 18.16 trillion won. Mobile gadget-based shopping accounted for 78.8 percent of the total online sales in July, up 1.9 percentage points from a year earlier, the data showed.

Sep 1, 2025By Yonhap
Online shopping up 7.3% in July on growing demand for food, travel services

PHOTO Gangneung faces drastic water cuts

Fire trucks from across the country pour water into the Hongje Water Purification Plant in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Sunday. The facility supplies 87 percent of the city’s household water. The Obong Reservoir, the main source for the city's water, fell to a record low of 14.9 percent amid a prolonged drought, prompting authorities to tighten restrictions, such as closing household water meters by 75 percent. Yonhap

Aug 31, 2025By Park Ung
[PHOTO] Gangneung faces drastic water cuts

Korea to allow foreign shipboard officers amid crew shortage in tuna fleet

Korean tuna longline vessels will now be permitted to hire one foreign shipboard officer if no Korean sailors are available, a move aimed at addressing a growing labor shortage in the country’s deep-sea fishing industry. A foreign shipboard officer on a Korean tuna longline vessel would carry out the same duties as their Korean counterparts, overseeing the safe and efficient operation of the ship as well as the management of its crew and fishing activities. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said last week that the National Assembly passed nine maritime-related bills, including a revision to the Ship Officers Act. The revised law allows only tuna longline vessels to hire one foreign officer per ship. The revision paves the way for foreign marine officers to work on Korea’s distant-water fishing vessels — a move that had been blocked because the country is not a party to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, which sets global standards and allows mutual recognition of qualifications among member states.

Aug 31, 2025By Park Ung
Korea to allow foreign shipboard officers amid crew shortage in tuna fleet

Severe drought in Gangneung triggers natural disaster alert

Gripped by an unprecedented drought, the coastal city of Gangneung in Korea’s northeastern Gangwon Province has imposed severe water restrictions after the level of its main reservoir fell below a critical threshold, prompting the government to declare a state of natural disaster. The measures, which cut water to 75 percent of households, were enacted as the Obong Reservoir — the city’s primary water source — sank to a record low of just 14.9 percent capacity. An online community of more than 75,000 mothers in the area has been buzzing with posts about the drought and water cutoff. Dozens appeared in August alone, as they shared fears about how to cook, clean and raise their children without running water. “I’m worried a water cutoff is just around the corner. (If it does happen,) should I go to a laundromat in another area? Should I stock up on disposable tableware to avoid dirty dishes?” a user wrote in a post. “I keep thinking about how we would live if the water is cut off, and it’s giving me headaches.” The post reflects growing anxiety among residents as the reg

Aug 31, 2025By Park Ung
Severe drought in Gangneung triggers natural disaster alert

Nearly 6 in 10 workplace harassment reports meet passive measures: survey

Nearly 60 percent of people who reported workplace harassments to authorities saw less-than-satisfactory responses, a survey showed Sunday. According to the survey conducted on 1,000 office workers from June 1 to 7, 14.2 percent of respondents experienced workplace harassment in the past year and reported it to the authorities. Of them, 59.2 percent said the response from or measures taken by the authorities seemed "passive." Reasons for describing the response as passive included "inappropriate remarks, such as slighting the informant or taking the company's side" (51.7 percent), "putting pressure to drop the report or reach an agreement" (37.9 percent), and "insincere investigation" (31 percent). The survey was commissioned by Gapjil 119, a civic group dedicated to stamping out power abuse by people in higher positions, and conducted by polling agency Global Research. Gapjil 119 said labor inspectors' handling of reports is an indicator of the effectiveness of labor laws and respect for labor rights, and called for strengthening their training, increasing hiring and revising work guidel

Aug 31, 2025By Yonhap
Nearly 6 in 10 workplace harassment reports meet passive measures: survey

Trainee doctors to return to hospitals this week, raising hopes of medical vacuum relief

Trainee doctors who quit their jobs in protest of the previous administration's increase of medical school admissions are set to return to hospitals this week, raising hopes of easing the medical service vacuum, industry sources said Sunday. Their return on Monday comes after the second-half recruitment process mostly wrapped up last week, with the exact number of new or returning trainee doctors to be announced by the health ministry in the coming days. At Seoul's "big 5" hospitals, the application rate came to 60 to 80 percent, filling about 70 percent of the quota at each hospital. The trainee doctors' return is expected to ease the work burden at hospitals, which are known to have relied heavily on the trainees before they launched their protest early last year. Medical services that had been suspended may resume in the near future, while waiting time at hospitals may also be expected to be shortened. The standoff began in February 2024, when thousands of trainee doctors walked off their jobs while many medical students boycotted classes in protest against the government's plan to inc

Aug 31, 2025By Yonhap
Trainee doctors to return to hospitals this week, raising hopes of medical vacuum relief

Korean celebrities challenge family norms as divorces, single parenthood, and blended families gain visibility

From divorces to single parenthood to blended families, South Korean celebrities are reshaping public perceptions of marriage and family, challenging long-held traditions and social taboos. One of the most talked-about cases recently was broadcaster Hong Jin-kyung, who revealed earlier this month that she had divorced her husband after 22 years of marriage. Speaking candidly on fellow entertainer Jung Sun-hee’s YouTube channel, Hong said, “No one was at fault. We just thought, ‘Let’s try living differently.’” Despite the separation, she described maintaining a close relationship with her ex-husband, adding, “He’s still like a great brother to me. He often comes over, and our families still meet. It feels almost Hollywood-like.” The public response to Hong’s remarks highlighted a shifting perspective in Korea: happiness and personal choice are increasingly valued over the traditional notion of marriage as a lifelong commitment. Singer Lee Min-woo of the legendary K-pop group Shinhwa also drew attention when he announced his upcoming marriage to a single mother of a se

Aug 30, 2025By Hankookilbo
Korean celebrities challenge family norms as divorces, single parenthood, and blended families gain visibility

Man nabbed for threatening to kill Seoul mayor

Police apprehended a man suspected of posting online messages threatening to kill Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, officials said Friday. The man, who is in his 20s, was apprehended at his residence in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, at around 5:55 p.m. after posting multiple messages on online forums earlier in the day, according to the Gyeonggi Hwaseong Dongtan Police. Alongside the murder threat, the messages posted by the suspect included a complaint on a road construction project in western Seoul that has caused inconvenience for users. Police had tracked down the suspect by tracing his messages and reportedly visited the Seoul Metropolitan Council to confirm whether Oh was safe. They plan to further probe into why the suspect posted such messages.

Aug 29, 2025By Yonhap
Man nabbed for threatening to kill Seoul mayor

Subcontractor unions ramp up demands after passage of ‘yellow envelope law’

Subcontractor unions across Korea have intensified their demands for greater accountability and direct negotiations from parent companies after the passage of the so-called “yellow envelope bill,” a pro-labor law intended to expand union rights and redefine employer obligations. The legislation, scheduled to take effect in six months, will expand the definition of “employer” to an entity that “substantially controls” the working conditions of subcontracted workers. Even before its implementation, the law has already triggered a flurry of action by subcontractor unions nationwide and prompted concerns from the business sector. On Wednesday, more than 1,800 workers employed by subcontractors of Hyundai Steel, the nation’s second-largest steelmaker, filed a criminal complaint with the prosecution, accusing management of conducting unfair labor practices, including unlawful subcontracting. “Despite the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s direct employment order in 2021 and the court ruling issued in favor of it in 2022, Hyundai Steel has failed to rectify its unfair labor a

Aug 29, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Subcontractor unions ramp up demands after passage of ‘yellow envelope law’
  • EXPLAINER What’s in Korea's ‘yellow envelope law'?

Photo complaint about weightlifter's abs escalates into profanity controversy

A female weightlifter with Pocheon City Government’s team has sparked controversy after responding with insults and mockery to a citizen complaint filed against her for posting a photo of her abdominal muscles on social media. The athlete revealed on Aug. 26 that she was the subject of a petition demanding disciplinary action. She posted the details on her social media account, writing, “Even though we belong to City Hall, we’re just an athletic team, not treated as civil servants. The city doesn’t care about us.” She then mocked the complainant, saying, “Capturing every photo to file a complaint must take some effort, XX,” and, “What business is it of yours? Must be some maladjusted ‘Young-Forty.’” The slang term ridicules people in their 40s who act immature while believing themselves to be youthful or accomplished. She also included an obscene hand gesture emoji. According to her post, the complaint was submitted through the national online petition system on Aug. 23 under the title, “Request for severe disciplinary action against Pocheon City Government weight

Aug 29, 2025By Hankookilbo
Photo complaint about weightlifter's abs escalates into profanity controversy
previous page
126127128129130
next page

Most Read in South Korea