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Gov't data offers snapshot of Korea's evolving multicultural classrooms

Just over 253,000 foreign students are enrolled in Korean universities as of this year, up 21.3 percent compared to 2024, the Ministry of Education said Thursday. The ministry releases annual education statistics every August based on data as of April 1, covering kindergarten through universities, as well as local education offices. While the overall number of students has declined, the increase in foreign enrollment highlights Korea’s shift toward becoming a more multicultural society and signals broader changes in its higher education system. This year’s figures showed that more than 179,000 foreign students were enrolled in degree programs, making up 5.9 percent of the total and representing a 22.9 percent increase from a year earlier. Another 74,000 were in nondegree courses such as language training, up 17.5 percent from last year. In contrast, the number of full-time foreign faculty members declined slightly, to just over 4,300 — a 2.2 percent drop from a year earlier, and accounting for 5 percent of all full-time faculty. Even as the share of foreign faculty declined, element

Aug 28, 2025By Park Ung
Gov't data offers snapshot of Korea's evolving multicultural classrooms

Smartphones, digital devices to be banned in school classrooms next March

The National Assembly has approved a revised bill to restrict students from using smartphones and other digital devices in classrooms starting next school year, officials said Thursday, amid concerns over the potentially harmful effects posed by the devices. Under the revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed Wednesday, elementary, middle and high school students will not be allowed to use smartphones and other similar devices during class beginning March 1, according to the education ministry. With the ban set to take effect, Korea will become the latest nation to restrict the use of smartphones and digital devices in classrooms. Korea has sought to clamp down on the use of such devices in schools amid concerns over smartphone addiction among young people. Since September 2023, the education ministry has outlined restrictions on smartphones and other portable electronic devices during class. The revised law is expected to provide the legal basis for the ministry's restrictions. There will be exceptions to the upcoming ban for students with disabilities, emergency situations a

Aug 28, 2025By Yonhap
Smartphones, digital devices to be banned in school classrooms next March

Korean mountaineer dies in fall on Matterhorn

A Korean climber has died after falling on the Matterhorn peak in the Alps, Swiss authorities said. The accident occurred at around 4 p.m. Sunday, when the mountaineer fell at an altitude of about 4,000 meters while descending from the summit on the mountain's northeast side, according to the Swiss police Wednesday. Another climber who was coming back down with the mountaineer sent a distress call, and a rescue helicopter was dispatched, but the climber had already died. Swiss authorities identified the victim as a 58-year-old Korean national, saying that their law enforcement is investigating the case. The Matterhorn, straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy, is one of the most iconic peaks of the Alps, along with Mont Blanc and the Jungfrau.

Aug 28, 2025By Yonhap
Korean mountaineer dies in fall on Matterhorn

Single-person households top 10 million

The number of single-person households in South Korea surpassed 10 million for the first time last year, accounting for over 40 percent of all households, the interior ministry's data showed Wednesday. The total number of households was 24,118,928 last year, marking an increase of approximately 1 million from 2020. The number of one-person households topped 10 million, representing 42 percent of the total, up from 39.2 percent in 2020 when such households surpassed 9 million. The number of two-person households also increased from 5.4 million to 6.01 million in the same period, whereas the number of households with four or more people decreased by 670,000 to 3.94 million, according to the data. Meanwhile, the nation registered a population decreased from 51.83 million in 2020 to 51.22 million last year, marking the fifth consecutive year of population decline. But the year-on-year decline rate has decreased since peaking in 2022, indicating the population decline trend has somewhat eased, the ministry said.

Aug 27, 2025By Yonhap
Single-person households top 10 million

Population mobility hits 4-year high for July on home transaction surge

The number of South Koreans relocating to new homes reached the highest level for July in four years, mainly due to an increase in housing transactions, government data showed Wednesday. Around 553,000 people changed residences last month, up 8.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the highest level for any July since 2021, when a total of 563,000 people changed their residences. The population mobility rate, which refers to the percentage of people relocating per 100 residents, also edged up 0.9 percentage point from a year earlier to 12.8 percent. "The recent uptick in housing transactions has resulted in more people relocating, though the broader trend of population movement continues to decline due to aging and demographic shifts," an agency official said. The number of apartment completions and housing sales between May and June rose by 7.2 percent and 20 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year. By region, Seoul recorded a net outflow of 2,554 residents in July, while Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the c

Aug 27, 2025By Yonhap
Population mobility hits 4-year high for July on home transaction surge

Gov't to replace plastic bags with insulation tape in updated air travel battery rule

The transport ministry said Wednesday it will ban the use of plastic bags for portable battery storage on airplanes and instead require insulation tape as part of an updated in-flight safety measure for battery packs. The revision, set to take effect on Monday, comes after the government introduced a safety management scheme for portable battery packs in March, following an Air Busan aircraft fire incident in January. Plastic bags have been provided to prevent fires from short circuits, but environmental concerns prompted the government to update the measure. Under the new rule, airlines will provide insulation tape for portable batteries at check-in counters, security checkpoints, boarding gates and inside the cabin. In addition, airlines will be required to carry fire containment bags and heat-sensitive stickers on aircraft. Heat-sensitive stickers will be attached to overhead bins so that cabin crew and passengers can detect rising temperatures early. The ministry plans to carry out intensive inspections throughout next month to ensure airlines comply with the revised rule. It is also c

Aug 27, 2025By Yonhap
Gov't to replace plastic bags with insulation tape in updated air travel battery rule

2 grenades left unattended for a month after discovery at Seoul school

Police and military bomb squads rushed to a middle and high school in Seoul’s Guro District on Aug. 23 after two grenades were found in a recycling area, but it later emerged that the school had discovered them a month earlier and failed to report it. The grenades were first spotted by a janitor about a month ago inside a sack in the school’s recycling station. The staff member reported the discovery to the administration office, but the school did not notify police. Believing the items posed no danger, staff placed them inside a discarded rice cooker and left them in the same location. About a month later, on Aug. 23, a security guard checking whether the rice cooker could still be used opened it and was shocked to find the grenades, immediately calling police. Though no students were in classrooms that day, officers evacuated teachers and local residents from the building and nearby playground before a military explosive ordnance disposal unit retrieved the devices and secured the site. A school official said, “Staff assumed they were teaching equipment or replicas, so they did no

Aug 26, 2025By Hankookilbo
2 grenades left unattended for a month after discovery at Seoul school

Jeonbuk National University nominated to lead gov’t-funded AI pilot project

Jeonbuk National University has been named a lead institution for the government’s physical artificial intelligence (AI) pilot project, the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) said Monday. The government has allocated a total of 1 trillion won ($721 million) of taxpayer money to help facilitate the technology. Of those funds, the college said the school has secured 21.9 billion won to establish top-notch R&D infrastructure to create a central hub for the country’s emerging physical AI ecosystem. Physical AI refers to next-generation AI capable of physical actions, going beyond the scope of generative AI. The pilot project marks Korea’s first large-scale demonstration of physical AI as a strategic industry. The school said it will oversee the entire process from testing to talent cultivation and industrialization. It added it will focus on “collaborative physical AI.” Unlike conventional applications which are limited to individual robots or machines, Jeonbuk National University envisions AI integration at the factory-wide level, treating entire plants as a unified syst

Aug 25, 2025By Jhoo Dong-chan
Jeonbuk National University nominated to lead gov’t-funded AI pilot project

Rights body urges action to curb pressure-filled early English programs

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea is urging broad measures to curb the country’s pervasive early English education, amid growing criticism of the so-called “7-year-old exam” — entrance tests that preschoolers take to gain admission to elite after-school English-language cram academies. The move follows a petition from 826 people, mostly parents of elementary-age children, urging the commission to officially recognize that requiring children as young as six to take such exams amounts to child abuse. In a statement released on Monday, the commission described these practices as “clearly a form of abuse” that can harm children’s health in the long term. It called on the Ministry of Education to take decisive action against “excessively premature education.” “To enter certain English academies (hagwons), 6-year-old children are required to take English reading tests, memorize sentences and prepare for oral interviews … Such exams are considered a serious infringement on children’s fundamental rights to healthy growth and development,” the commission sai

Aug 25, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Rights body urges action to curb pressure-filled early English programs

Korean adoptee seeks gov't compensation for flaws in overseas adoption

Kim Yoo-ree, a 52-year-old Korean adoptee, has filed a groundbreaking compensation claim against the Korean government, alleging official negligence in her overseas adoption more than four decades ago. The claim, which is the first publicly known case, seeks redress for a childhood she describes as a series of abuses at the hands of her French adoptive parents. Her legal team says a decision in the coming weeks could establish a significant precedent, opening the door for thousands of other overseas adoptees to seek similar remedies. Kim was sent to France at the age of 11 in 1984, along with her younger brother. She says she endured physical, verbal and sexual abuse by her adoptive parents. It was only in 2022 that she began to speculate that her adoption may have been unlawful, prompting her to pursue legal action. According to her compensation claim document viewed by The Korea Times, Monday, Kim's request is based on two major allegations of wrongdoings by Korean authorities. She was sent to France without her legal guardian's consent after an orphan registry was created, despite off

Aug 25, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Korean adoptee seeks gov't compensation for flaws in overseas adoption
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