Society

Wildfires reach southeast coast

Stars rush to donate to support wildfire relief efforts

Korean celebrities have come forward to support wildfire relief efforts by making donations, showing solidarity with communities devastated by the wildfires in the southeastern regions. According to the Korea Disaster Relief Association on Wednesday, singer-actress Bae Suzy, better known as Suzy, and singer Lee Chan-won, who hails from Ulju, one of the affected areas, each donated 100 million won ($68,000) to the agency. "The Frog" star Go Min-si and comedian and show host Yoo Jae-suk also donated 50 million won each, with both expressing hopes that their contributions would assist residents who suddenly lost their homes. "The Atypical Family" star Chun Woo-hee, actor Im Si-wan, K-pop singer Kim Jin-woo of WINNER, and comedian Lee Seung-yoon also made donations to aid the relief efforts. Actress So Yoo-jin donated 30 million won to the Korean Red Cross to help wildfire victims. Actress Park Bo-young, known for her roles in "Concrete Utopia" and "Melo Drama," donated 50 million won to support firefighters. At least 18 people have been killed so far by a series of wildfires sweeping through

Seoul's transit systems don't accept international payment cards despite tourism push

Despite the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s ambitious goal to attract 30 million international tourists annually, many foreign visitors still face difficulties when trying to pay for public transportation in the city. At Seoul Station, the city’s largest transportation hub serving four subway lines, the high-speed KTX service and regular trains, many international visitors still face challenges paying for transportation with foreign-issued credit or debit cards. When a Korea Times reporter visited the station on Wednesday, 20 kiosks were available for purchasing KTX tickets, but only two accepted foreign credit cards. One of those machines was out of service. The situation is even more limited for the subway, where foreign cards are not accepted as a means of payment. Tourists must either buy a rechargeable T-money card or the city’s unlimited transit pass, the Climate Card, from stations or convenience stores. Alternatively, they can use cash to purchase single-journey subway tickets. A convenience store inside Seoul Station, however, had a sign stating that it does not carry Clim

Pilot killed as firefighting helicopter crashes in Uiseong

A firefighting helicopter with one pilot crashed Wednesday while battling a large wildfire in the southeastern county of Uiseong, killing the pilot, authorities said. The helicopter went down on a mountain in Uiseong, located about 180 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 12:54 p.m., according to the Korea Forest Service. The 73-year-old pilot was declared dead at the scene. Built in 1995, the S-76 helicopter is capable of carrying 1,200 liters of water and had been in service for about 30 years. The Korea Forest Service grounded all firefighting helicopters soon after the crash but resumed their operations starting at 3:30 p.m., as the fire continued to spread in Uiseong. The agency said it first began dispatching helicopters except for the S-76 model and only sent pilots who consented to flying them. According to the Korea Forest Service, 23 other S-76 helicopters remain available, and it plans to put them back in operation if they pass safety tests. About 80 firefighting helicopters were deployed in the region on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Hahoe Folk Village braces for approaching wildfires

Tensions are rising around Hahoe Folk Village in the southeastern city of Andong on Wednesday, as wildfires that started in nearby Uiseong County last week are approaching the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Hahoe, about 190 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is one of the most famous and popular folk villages in South Korea and was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 2010. It preserves houses and traditions from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The forest fire broke out in Uiseong's Ansa district, about 7 kilometers away from Hahoe, and smoke has flowed into the village along the direction of the wind. The village's 200 or so residents have been evacuated to a safe place since early Wednesday morning, and the village itself is currently deserted. Smoke began to slowly flow into the village at around 10 a.m., and the concentration thickened after noon, according to firefighters. The village was covered with thick gray smoke, and the smell was so pungent that it was difficult to breathe without a mask, they said. Authorities mobilized 14 firefighting vehicles and 98 personnel to

Korea's childbirths rise for 7th month straight in January

The number of babies born in Korea increased for the seventh consecutive month in January, data showed Wednesday, in a positive sign for a country struggling with a demographic crisis. A total of 23,947 babies were born in January, up 11.6 percent from the 21,461 newborns a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The figure has been on an upward trend since July 2024, and the latest reading marks the steepest on-year increase for any January since the agency began compiling related data in 1981. It also marks the first time since 2015 that the number of births has risen in January. "The population of people in their early 30s, a key childbearing age group, has increased," said Kang Hyun-young, an agency official. She also attributed the rise in childbirths to more positive perceptions of marriage and parenthood among the younger population in recent years. The increase is also attributed to the base effect, as the figure for January 2024 had marked the lowest on-year increase. Korea has been grappling with a persistent decline in its birth rate, as an increasing n

Police tow away tractor near anti-Yoon protesters in Seoul

Police on Wednesday towed away a tractor near a location in downtown Seoul where protesters who support impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol were gathered. Police suspect the tractor was involved in the protest led by the farmers' group that called for Yoon's impeachment the previous day, which then made a detour to reach downtown Seoul overnight. Some protesters who support Yoon's impeachment fiercely protested the move as police tried to tow the tractor away. On Tuesday, the Korean Peasants League members drove their trucks, carrying tractors, to Namtaeryeong pass and attempted to march toward downtown Seoul for a rally in the evening but were stopped by police at the southern gateway to the capital. The rally, which lasted all night, was mostly dispersed by 7 a.m., according to officials. (Yonhap)

Biz groups join relief efforts in wildfire-hit areas

Korea's major business groups have stepped up to support relief and recovery efforts for residents affected by recent wildfires in the country's southeastern region, they said Wednesday. Samsung Group, the largest business group in Korea by asset, has announced a 3 billion-won ($2 million) donation, with contributions from its eight affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display and Samsung Life Insurance. The donation will be given to the Korean Red Cross to support recovery efforts in the areas hit by large-scale wildfires, including Sancheong in South Gyeongsang Province, Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province and Ulju in Ulsan. Additionally, Samsung will provide 1,000 rescue packages for those who have lost their homes and 600 tents for displaced residents. Hyundai Motor Group has donated 2 billion won ($1.26 million) to aid the recovery efforts in wildfire-hit areas. The group has also dispatched six emergency support vehicles, including laundry and disinfection trucks, to offer sanitary assistance, along with two mobile office buses to provide rest areas for displaced resi

Ancient temple destroyed; citizens in Andong advised to evacuate as wildfires spread

Wildfires ravaging Korea's southeastern region forced more residents to evacuate Tuesday, as firefighting authorities struggled to contain the rapidly spreading blazes that destroyed a centuries-old temple. The fires that began in Sancheong County in the southeast on Friday have spread to nearby Uiseong, and were advancing to neighboring Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, in the central area of North Gyeongsang Province, firefighting officials said. The engulfing flames destroyed Gounsa Temple in Uiseong, an ancient temple built in A.D. 681 during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). National treasures stored in the temple had been relocated to other locations. Authorities said the UNESCO-listed Hahoe Folk Village in Andong was at risk of being engulfed by the fires and were mobilizing all resources to protect it from destruction. Acting President Han Duck-soo instructed regional governments to mobilize "all available administrative resources" to evacuate residents from wildfire-hit areas to safe locations. He ordered relevant authorities to deploy all equipment and personnel t

Seoul’s new foreign nanny program criticized for bypassing labor protections

A new pilot program launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Justice to employ foreign residents as domestic workers is facing strong backlash from labor groups, who argue that the initiative sidesteps minimum wage laws and creates “ghost workers” with no basic labor protections. Under the program, foreign nationals legally residing in Seoul, including international students, graduates, marriage migrants’ family members and spouses of foreign workers, can now work in household and childcare roles through private contracts with individual employers. Because these jobs fall under the legal category of “domestic service,” workers are not guaranteed minimum wage or protections under the Labor Standards Act. Labor groups say the program effectively revives exploitative practices in the caregiving sector that Korea had only recently started to address. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said the pilot “produces migrant and informal care workers excluded from protection under labor laws like the Labor Standards Act and Minimum Wage Act.” “This is a