South Korea - The Korea Times

Costly pigeon droppings fuel nationwide push for feeding bans

As feral pigeons increasingly make their homes in urban centers across Korea, local governments are moving to curb their population by banning residents from feeding them. In Ulsan, a man in his 50s recently faced an unexpected financial burden — more than 400,000 won ($290) in air conditioner repair fees — after a malfunction was traced to acidic pigeon droppings corroding the unit’s outdoor condenser. “At first I didn’t think much of the pigeons nesting on my balcony,” he said. “But now it’s a constant mess, and even after installing bird spikes, droppings are still falling from the neighbor’s unit above.” As pigeons increasingly settle in city parks, apartment complexes and playgrounds, complaints from residents are on the rise. This has prompted a wave of new local ordinances outlawing the feeding of wild pigeons, supported by recent legal changes. According to the Ministry of Environment, pigeons, specifically the urban-dwelling pigeons, have been designated as harmful wildlife since 2009. While they naturally breed twice a year in the wild, abundant food and a l

Jul 8, 2025By Hankookilbo

Costly pigeon droppings fuel nationwide push for feeding bans

Man found dead in manhole in Incheon

A 52-year-old worker who went missing while inspecting a wastewater pipeline inside a manhole in Incheon was found dead, officials said Monday. The deceased man, who was an employee at a sewer pipeline management company, was found about a day after fire authorities received a call reporting two people had collapsed inside the utility hole. One of the two victims, an 48-year-old man, was found inside the manhole in a state of cardiac arrest, authorities said. Authorities suspect that the victims may have been exposed to poisonous gas, citing hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide found inside the underground pipeline. An investigation will be launched to look into the exact cause of the incident.

Jul 7, 2025By Yonhap

Korea sees unprecedented wave of business closures

In an online community of more than 1.8 million small business owners, a user in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, wrote on Friday: “Am I the only one whose business is falling apart?” “The restaurant near my shop went out of business and has since been replaced by a rental space, and the walnut pastry store next to it also shut down,” the user continued. “This feels serious and unsettling.” The post was soon flooded with sympathetic replies, including: “Business is so dead I can’t even think straight” and “I opened my chicken shop at 4 p.m. and only made 120,000 ($87) won by 8 p.m.” These accounts from small business owners offer a vivid snapshot of the hardships many are enduring — struggles that are reflected in the data. According to recent data from the National Tax Service, just over 1 million businesses — both individual and corporate — filed for closure last year, up by nearly 22,000 from the previous year. It was the first time the number surpassed 1 million since the government began tracking such statistics in 1995. The surge in closures is widely attri

Jul 6, 2025By Park Ung

Korea sees unprecedented wave of business closures

More idle graduates stay home, shun work in Korea

About 17 percent of young Koreans who are neither employed nor seeking work continue to live with their parents after college — and their willingness to join the workforce has been steadily declining, according to a recent study. The report, published by the Korea Labor Institute, draws on Statistics Korea survey data from 2015 to 2024, examining the demographic patterns of young adults aged 19 to 39 who are not actively seeking employment. Over the past decade, the number of young people not in work or actively seeking employment in Korea ranged from about 4.43 million to 3.54 million per year, with a 10-year average of 4.15 million. Over the past decade, an average of 67.6 percent of respondents said they had spent the previous week either attending school, caring for children or resting — the three most frequently cited activities. While the percentage of those attending school remained relatively stable, the share of respondents engaged in child care fell sharply from 26.8 percent to 13.8 percent. Meanwhile, the proportion of those who said they were resting nearly doubled, risin

Jul 6, 2025By Park Ung

More idle graduates stay home, shun work in Korea

Elite high schools' dominance wanes at Korea's top universities

The number of freshmen from specialized high schools admitted to Korea’s top three universities has fallen to a five-year low, signaling a shift in the nation’s elite college admissions landscape. Data from the university admissions reporting system, analyzed by Jongro Academy — one of the country’s largest private education institutes specializing in university admissions — showed that 3,458 freshmen from specialized high schools were admitted to Seoul National, Yonsei and Korea universities this year, marking a five-year low. For years, students from specialized high schools — including foreign language, science and international schools — as well as autonomous private schools and science academies for gifted students, have disproportionately filled freshman classes at Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei universities, collectively known as the elite “SKY” universities. But the latest data suggests that changes to medical school quotas and admissions criteria may be reshaping the fiercely competitive path to a top-tier education. Of the 3,458 freshmen from specialized hi

Jul 6, 2025By Jung Da-hyun

Elite high schools' dominance wanes at Korea's top universities

Int'l air passengers reach record high in first half

Over 46 million people traveled to or from Korea via air in the first half of 2025, setting a record high, data showed Sunday. A total of 46,029,842 passengers arrived in or left Korea via international flights between January and June, up 7.6 percent from the same period last year, according to the data compiled by the land ministry, Incheon International Airport Corp. and Korea Airports Corp. The figure surpassed the previous record of 45.5 million posted in the first half of 2019. The number of international flights during the six-month period also increased 5.6 percent on-year, also outpacing the previous first-half record set in 2019. China posted the largest number of air passengers to and from Korea, with 7.81 million passengers traveling between the two countries via air in the first six months of the year, up 24.3 percent from a year earlier. Such a sharp increase was partly attributed to the visa-exemption program China implemented for Korean visitors in November. Japan followed next, with the number of travelers to and from Korea jumping 9.9 percent on-year. Japan has seen a cons

Jul 6, 2025By Yonhap

Int'l air passengers reach record high in first half

InterviewSungkyunkwan University puts global impact at center of leadership vision

Sungkyunkwan University is working to redefine global academic leadership — not merely by climbing rankings such as the QS World University Rankings, but by addressing major challenges through pioneering research. As it presses forward with efforts to boost global competitiveness, the university is also calling attention to broader challenges — advocating for a shift toward quality-driven global engagement and increased support for Korea’s private universities. "When people think of a 'global leader university,' they often equate it with being highly ranked. But that is a superficial measure," said Sungkyunkwan University President Yoo Ji-beom during a recent interview with The Korea Times. "A true global leader university tackles the grand challenges that humanity faces through impactful research and technology innovation, while also shaping cultural and social disclosure that leads the spirit of the times." Yoo made it clear that rankings are not the destination, but a stepping stone toward a broader mission: delivering lasting global impact and fulfilling the university’s soci

Jul 6, 2025By Jung Da-hyun

Sungkyunkwan University puts global impact at center of leadership vision

When fans become critics: What a Korean singer’s engagement reveals about celebrity scrutiny in the digital age

After Koyote member Shinji and singer Moon Won announced their plans to marry, online communities in South Korea have been ablaze with speculation, criticism and concern. The couple, who met through a radio program and recently revealed their engagement, likely hoped for congratulations — but instead, they’ve faced a wave of public opposition. Questions such as “Is Moon Won sincere?” and “Was Shinji cautious enough?” are dominating the discourse. The backlash has gone beyond personal preferences, evolving into what some describe as an overheated collective judgment. Many netizens have cited concern for Shinji’s well-being as justification, but the situation calls for a level-headed evaluation based on facts — not emotional reactions. Since the announcement, unverified information about Moon Won’s past statements, character, and financial status has spread rapidly across online forums and social media. Even baseless rumors are being consumed as supposed evidence of questionable motives. Not all criticism is irrational, however. Some fans have raised legitimate concerns

Jul 5, 2025By Hankookilbo

When fans become critics: What a Korean singer’s engagement reveals about celebrity scrutiny in the digital age

Korea to begin cash handouts to all citizens July 21

Korea will begin distributing cash handouts to all citizens July 21 as part of a government initiative aimed at stimulating domestic consumption, officials said Saturday. The move follows the Cabinet's approval of a 31.8 trillion-won ($23.3 billion) supplementary budget, passed by the National Assembly Friday. The handout program is a key part of the first supplementary budget of the Lee Jae Myung administration. Under the plan, all South Korean citizens residing in the country as of June 18 will receive a one-time payment of 150,000 won. The government said the broad disbursement is intended to boost consumer spending nationwide. Additional targeted assistance will be provided based on income levels. Individuals in near-poverty households and single-parent families will receive 300,000 won, while recipients of the basic living allowance will get 400,000 won. To promote balanced regional development, residents outside the greater Seoul area, including Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, will receive an extra 30,000 won. Those living in 84 designated rural and fishing communities facing populat

Jul 5, 2025By Yonhap

Korea to begin cash handouts to all citizens July 21

Back-to-back fire tragedies prompt gov't review of fire safety rules

The presidential office on Friday ordered a thorough review of practical fire safety measures in residential buildings after the deaths of two girls in a Busan apartment fire on Wednesday ― mirroring a similar tragedy just a week ago. “In relation to the tragic incidents in which children lost their lives due to a series of fires in Busan, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told the head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC) to take sincere follow-up measures,” Kang Yu-jung, spokeswoman for President Lee Jae Myung, said at the office’s press briefing room. High-level officials and staff were dispatched to Busan to comfort the bereaved family and to assess the “structural causes” behind the recurrence of such accidents, she added. The two sisters, aged 8 and 6, were found dead after a fire that broke out at 10:58 p.m. on the building’s sixth floor in Gijang, a district in northeastern Busan. The results of autopsies on Friday showed that their deaths were caused by inhalation of toxic gases. The fire happened just 20 minutes after their parents went o

Jul 4, 2025By Jung Min-ho

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