South Korea - The Korea Times

Over 350 pigeons flock around Seoul Station, topping city survey

Seoul Station had the highest concentration of feral pigeons of any surveyed location in Seoul last year, with as many as 351 birds recorded in a recent government study. These findings were published Sunday in a pigeon research report by Korea’s National Institute of Biological Resources, which launched the study last year due to an increase in complaints and social conflicts related to wild birds. The research aims to inform measures addressing damage caused by urban bird populations. After surveying 45 major locations across Seoul, the researchers found that pigeons tended to cluster in areas with heavy foot traffic and frequent outdoor dining, such as parks along the Han River. The pigeon survey was conducted twice, in February and November last year, at 36 designated “feeding prohibition zones” and nine areas without such restrictions. Researchers also carried out additional surveys in key locations, including 14 feeding-ban zones and seven nonrestricted areas, in March, April, May, July and August. Among locations without feeding restrictions, Seoul Station was recorded as ha

May 24, 2026By Anna J. Park

Over 350 pigeons flock around Seoul Station, topping city survey

Suicide remains top cause of death among Korean youth for 14th straight year

Suicide has been the leading cause of death among Korean youth for 14 consecutive years since 2011, claiming more than three times as many young lives as safety accidents have in 2024. According to youth statistics released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Thursday, the number of deaths among those aged 9 to 24 stood at 1,749 in 2024. Suicide was the leading cause at 10.9 deaths per 100,000, followed by safety accidents at 3.3 and cancer at 2.6. A Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency survey of 54,170 middle and high school students last year found that more than one in four, or 25.7 percent, reported experiencing feelings of depression in the past year. The number of people aged 9 to 24 stands at 7.4 million this year, accounting for 14.4 percent of the total population, down 46.5 percent from four decades ago. Students from multicultural backgrounds, by contrast, are on the rise. The number of such students in elementary, middle and high schools surged 145 percent from 82,536 in 2015 to 202,208 last year, now accounting for 4 percent of all students. Students also

May 22, 2026By Park Ung

Suicide remains top cause of death among Korean youth for 14th straight year

Korea launches tripartite committee to tackle AI's impact on labor

Korea launched a new tripartite body to confront the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on labor, bringing together unions, employers and the government in a yearlong dialogue on how to manage the transition inside real workplaces, rather than in abstract policy debates. On Friday, the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC), a presidential advisory body on labor and social issues, formed the Committee on Labor-Management Coexistence in the AI Transition and held its first plenary meeting at its headquarters in Seoul. The committee is designed as a formal forum where labor, business and government jointly examine how the spread of AI is changing industrial worksites and employment and develop solutions to better embrace the transformation. Chaired by Hwang Deok-soon, former senior presidential secretary on jobs during the Moon Jae-in administration, the committee consists of 17 members, including three representatives each from labor and management, four from government and six public interest members. The committee will focus on four main themes: the impact and current state of AI

May 22, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Korea launches tripartite committee to tackle AI's impact on labor

Samsung's record bonuses leave many Koreans envious, some bitter

Han Myung-ae starts work before most people are awake and rarely stops before dark. As a real estate agent, her commissions are capped by law, so when she learned that Samsung Electronics employees in the memory chip division could pocket bonuses of up to 600 million won ($397,000) this year, the news did not sit well. “They already earn more than most of us just for being at Samsung, now they want even more and are making a scene out of it,” the 58-year-old told The Korea Times, referring to the drawn-out labor negotiations that ended just short of a strike. Han's sentiment illustrates the mixed reactions of Koreans as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix roll out record bonus packages fueled by the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven semiconductor supercycle. If the tentative wage agreement reached Wednesday between Samsung Electronics and its unions is approved in a union members' vote, 10.5 percent of the company's projected 300 trillion won in operating profit this year would fund a special performance bonus pool. Employees in the memory chip division are estimated to receive up to

May 22, 2026By Park Ung

Samsung's record bonuses leave many Koreans envious, some bitter

Civil servant unions join Starbucks boycott over 'Tank Day' event

Civil servant unions have called on their members to boycott Starbucks Korea over a promotional event that evoked painful memories of a brutal military crackdown on the 1980 pro-democracy movement, officials said Friday. The Korean Government Employees' Union sent notices to its branches nationwide Thursday asking its members to boycott the coffee franchise, taking issue with the "Tank Day" event that coincided with the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju uprising. The marketing campaign, which offered "tank" tumbler sets on discount, was scrapped within hours of its launch following public criticism over the word "tank," which evoked memories of the military deploying tanks to clamp down on pro-democracy protesters. Its promotional material also featured the phrase, "Put it on the table with a sound of 'Tak!'" The word "Tak" sparked backlash, as it reminded people of student activist Park Jong-chol, who died in 1987 after being tortured. "The (union) recognizes this situation very seriously and proposes a boycott of Starbucks, so we ask for active participation," it said, pointing out tha

May 22, 2026By Yonhap

Civil servant unions join Starbucks boycott over 'Tank Day' event

Seoul mayoral candidates kick off races on first day of campaign period

With the campaigning period for the June 3 local elections officially kicking off Thursday, Seoul mayoral candidates from both major parties launched their bids in neighborhoods with deep personal roots. While the conservative People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon focused his attacks on the Lee Jae Myung administration's housing policy and called for checks on its power, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea candidate, Chong Won-o, highlighted the Lee administration's achievements over the past year while pointing to a catalog of safety lapses under Oh's four terms as mayor. Oh launched his campaign in Gangbuk District, where he spent his childhood. In his subsequent stump speech, he turned to housing, saying the Lee administration had driven the market to a breaking point. “Whether you own or rent, jeonse or monthly, just thinking about moving is enough to send your anxiety through the roof,” Oh said. “Jeonse units are nowhere to be found, and renewing a monthly lease at your current rate has become impossible.” Jeonse is a unique Korean rental system where tenants pay a large

May 21, 2026By Park Ung

Seoul mayoral candidates kick off races on first day of campaign period

School trip debate highlights pressures of dealing with parental complaints

“You shouldn’t throw out the whole fermentation jar just because you’re afraid it might attract maggots.” The Korean proverb, similar in meaning to the Western idiom “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” was invoked by President Lee Jae Myung during a Cabinet meeting as he addressed the decline of field trips and multiday school trips across Korea. His comments added to a growing public debate over why schools and teachers are scaling back educational trips, with many educators citing the burden of parental complaints — sometimes over the smallest details. Lee’s comments helped fuel discussion about restoring a wider range of school trips. He suggested subsidizing the cost of additional safety personnel if teachers feel too burdened by the responsibility of supervising students. The Ministry of Education has said it is coordinating with the Ministry of Justice on legal revisions that would strengthen protections for teachers when safety accidents occur. But teachers on the front lines remain concerned. They say stronger safety measures and reduced legal burdens

May 21, 2026By Hankookilbo

School trip debate highlights pressures of dealing with parental complaints

From consumers to politicians, Starbucks Korea faces growing boycott

Kim Hye-joon, 30, doesn't go a single day without visiting Starbucks. But her daily routine may change following sharp criticism of the company over its controversial “Tank Day” promotion that briefly ran on Monday, the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising. “I think this was extremely careless. I have no idea what they were thinking with the event and the wording,” Kim told The Korea Times on Wednesday. “I'm not about to smash my mug like some people on social media, but if there's a local cafe nearby, I'll just go there instead.” Kim's sentiment reflects a broader backlash spreading among consumers and politicians, highlighting how a marketing blunder can ignite public fury in a country where the historical wounds around the 1980 uprising run deep. The pro-democracy movement erupted in the southwestern city of Gwangju on May 18, 1980, when citizens stood up against the nationwide extension of martial law by the military junta led by Chun Doo-hwan, who would become president later that year. The crackdown left hundreds dead or missing, and it has since been recogn

May 20, 2026By Park Ung

From consumers to politicians, Starbucks Korea faces growing boycott

1 in 8 elementary students face school violence, as half of witnesses stay silent

School violence among elementary school students has more than doubled in the past two years, raising alarm over the growing vulnerability of the country's youngest students. According to a survey released Tuesday by the Blue Tree Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to school violence prevention, the proportion of elementary school students who reported being victims of school violence jumped from 4.9 percent in 2023 to 12.5 percent last year. The survey polled 8,476 elementary, middle and high school students nationwide between November and December last year. Middle and high school students reported lower rates, at 3.4 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively, highlighting the outsized impact on younger students. The foundation linked the rise to elementary school students' struggle to differentiate violence from play, noting that children at that age often cannot draw a clear line between roughhousing and actual harm. Verbal abuse was the most common form of school violence, accounting for 23.8 percent of cases, followed by physical violence at 17.9 percent and cyberbullying at 14.5 percen

May 19, 2026By Park Ung

1 in 8 elementary students face school violence, as half of witnesses stay silent

Ahead of Korea’s dog meat ban, this meat is booming

As Korea’s ban on dog meat consumption is set to take effect next year, the goat market is seeing a boom as an alternative source of restorative food, signaling a potential shift in the livestock industry landscape in Gyeonggi Province, the country’s largest such market. Gyeonggi Province said Monday that the Paju-Yeoncheon Livestock Cooperative, which operates a goat auction market, sold 174 goats in the first half of last year and 381 in the second half. The market opened in August 2024 and sold 151 goats that year, making the second-half figure last year more than double its opening-year volume. The total trade value also nearly doubled from the year earlier and reached 186 million won (around $124,000). The goat auction market recorded a total of 171 goats traded through April this year, despite disruptions caused by a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak at a farm in Ganghwa County, Incheon, on Jan. 30 that forced the market to close in February and March. The report showed each auction sold more than 40 goats on average, up from 34 a year earlier. Goats sold for medicinal use gener

May 19, 2026By Hankookilbo

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