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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.

PHOTO Marking 76th anniversary of Korean War

A Korean family from the United States visits the graves of relatives killed during the 1950-53 Korean War at Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Wednesday, the day before the 76th anniversary of the war's outbreak. Korea Times photo by Yoon Ki-hoon

Jun 24, 2026By Park Ungphoto
[PHOTO] Marking 76th anniversary of Korean War

Seoul city council passes ordinance on free bus rides for people aged over 70

The Seoul Metropolitan Council passed an ordinance Wednesday calling for the introduction of free bus rides for citizens aged 70 and over. The proposal, which calls for subsidizing all or part of city and community bus fares for the senior citizens based on criteria set by the mayor, passed a plenary council session by a 69-1 vote, with five abstentions. Details, such as the extent of the subsidy and its implementation method, will be decided by the city government at a later date. The city government has also been looking to raise the eligible age for free subway rides from the current 65 to 70. The introduction of free bus rides for senior citizens was a campaign pledge of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon during the June 3 local elections. It aims to expand public transport services for people living in areas without a subway station. The city government has said, however, that to minimize the financial burden the number of free rides could be capped at 14 per month. According to its estimate, providing that many free rides will cost approximately 52.5 billion won ($34 million) a year, but would be

Jun 24, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul city council passes ordinance on free bus rides for people aged over 70

Severed leg found in recycling center: Doctor says there was more to the story

A practicing physician has spoken out about a controversial case in which a nursing hospital in Incheon amputated the leg of an elderly patient and later disposed of it improperly, saying the medical staff had tried to save a patient with nowhere else to turn, rather than providing negligent care. The case gained national attention after the severed leg, which had been mistakenly discarded as recyclable waste instead of medical waste by a volunteer worker, was discovered at a recycling facility. While the disposal error sparked outrage, the physician argued that the medical staff's efforts to treat the patient should also be taken into account. 'In a hospital room, with scissors instead of a scalpel?' Yang Sung-gwan, an author and family medicine specialist at Uijeongbu Paik Hospital, said in a Facebook post Monday that he initially found the reports difficult to believe. "When I first heard about the nursing hospital leg amputation case, I could hardly believe it myself," Yang said. "How could a leg be amputated in a hospital room rather than an operating room and with scissors rather t

Jun 24, 2026By Hankookilbo
Severed leg found in recycling center: Doctor says there was more to the story

98% of parents support restricting minors' smartphone use, survey finds

Nearly all parents of school-aged children in Korea support restricting minors' smartphone use, with a large majority willing to switch to a dedicated device that blocks harmful features. According to a survey by Rep. Kim Young-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, released Wednesday, 98.1 percent of approximately 52,000 parents of elementary, middle and high school students in Seoul, Incheon and South Gyeongsang Province said certain limits on minors' smartphone use were necessary. Respondents also cited a range of other concerns, with 97.5 percent saying smartphones could increase the risk of exposure to harmful or inappropriate content. The majority flagged interference with studying at 96 percent, difficulty controlling screen time at 93.9 percent and family conflict at 90.4 percent. Most parents said they would consider a safer alternative. When asked if they would prioritize a restricted device that still met their child's essential needs, 92.2 percent answered yes. The top reason was prevention of harmful content exposure at 78.6 percent, followed by communication and safety featur

Jun 24, 2026By Park Ung
98% of parents support restricting minors' smartphone use, survey finds

Population mobility falls to 52-year low in May amid housing supply decline

The number of Koreans relocating to new regions fell 1.5 percent in May from a year earlier to the lowest level in 52 years, data showed Wednesday, amid a recent decline in housing supply. Around 466,000 people changed residences in May, down 7,000 from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the lowest figure for any May month since 415,000 tallied in 1974. The population mobility rate — which refers to the number of people relocating per 100 residents — fell 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier to 10.8 percent. The ministry attributed the decline to a decrease in the number of new homes on the market. The number of completed housing units in March and April fell 41.5 percent from a year earlier, although the number of homes traded during the period rose 6.8 percent. By region, Seoul posted a net outflow of 4,221 residents, while Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital, recorded a net inflow of 2,433 residents. South Chungcheong Province and Incheon, west of Seoul, added 1,284 and 1,237 residents, respectively.

Jun 24, 2026By Yonhap
Population mobility falls to 52-year low in May amid housing supply decline

Childbirths soar to highest level in 7 years in April

The number of babies born in South Korea shot up 18 percent in April from a year earlier, reaching the highest level in seven years, government data showed Wednesday. A total of 24,521 babies were born in April, up from 20,787 a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the highest figure for any April since 26,104 babies were recorded in 2019. Over the January-April period, the total number of births came to 99,534, also the highest in seven years, up a sharp 15.5 percent from a year earlier. The number of births grew at a record rate for both April and the January-April period. The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rose by 0.13 from a year earlier to 0.93 in April. The number of newborns has been on an upward trend since July 2024. Experts attribute the recent growth to an increase in the number of marriages, along with a more positive perception of childbirth. The rate still remains well below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigrati

Jun 24, 2026By Yonhap
Childbirths soar to highest level in 7 years in April

Morning World Cup matches spark row over teacher authority in schools

Korean educators are caught between World Cup fever and academic pressures. On June 12, the day of Korea's 2026 FIFA World Cup group-stage match against the Czech Republic, Choi, a 40-year-old high school teacher in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, condensed his lessons to show the game to his students. "Since the kids were happy, I felt like it was a good idea to show it, but I was nervous because the vice principal was patrolling the hallways during that period," he said. Schools are facing a dilemma as all three of Korea's group-stage matches are scheduled during weekday morning school hours. Since the time of matches overlaps with second to fourth period classes, teachers must choose between hosting watch parties and holding regular classes. The upcoming match against South Africa, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, is a critical game determining whether Korea will advance to the Round of 32, deepening teachers' concerns. Lee, a 42-year-old elementary school teacher in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, showed the recent match during lunch and recess after hearing loud cheering from th

Jun 24, 2026By Hankookilbo
Morning World Cup matches spark row over teacher authority in schools

Gov't to strengthen oversight of meal cards for children in need

The government will strengthen oversight of meal cards issued for children in need, officials said Wednesday, as a series of misuse cases were found, including using the cards to buy cigarettes and alcohol. Meal cards are issued to children of low-income or single-parent families and other needy kids younger than 18 to make sure that they are fed without skipping meals. The cards can be used just like debit cards to pay for food at restaurants, bakeries and convenience stores. The office for government policy coordination and the welfare ministry conducted a joint inspection between November and April to see whether the cards are used as intended, and found a series of problems, such as parents using the cards to buy non-food items like detergent and tissues. In some cases, parents used the cards to buy cigarettes and alcohol, as unlike convenience stores, some small independent grocery stores still do not have a system denying payment with meal cards for such restricted items, officials said. Dozens of parents were also found to have made false payments totaling 170 million won ($110,80

Jun 24, 2026By Yonhap
Gov't to strengthen oversight of meal cards for children in need

4 Korean universities break into global top 20 in THE sustainability rankings

LONDON — Four Korean universities made it to the Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026's top 20, with Hanyang University ranking sixth globally in results that underscore the rising international standing of Korean higher education. According to the rankings released Wednesday, Hanyang University was the highest-ranked Korean institution, followed by Korea University at joint 12th, Pusan National University in Busan at joint 16th and Kyungpook National University in Daegu at joint 20th. Hanyang’s rise was particularly notable, as it climbed from joint 44th last year to the global top 10. The results were announced as part of THE’s newly rebranded Sustainability Impact Ratings, formerly known as the Impact Rankings. The framework evaluates universities’ contributions to all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), assessing areas such as poverty reduction, health, education, gender equality, climate action, innovation and partnerships. Unlike traditional university rankings that focus heavily on research output, citations and instit

Jun 24, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
4 Korean universities break into global top 20 in THE sustainability rankings

New gender-neutral police hiring policy drives surge in female recruits

Korea’s first unified, gender-neutral hiring process for entry-level police officers resulted in women comprising a record 37.8 percent of the selected candidates. The National Police Agency (NPA) announced Monday that women accounted for 1,112 of the 2,941 applicants selected in the final round for the first half of 2026. This marks the first time women exceeded 30 percent of new hires, aligning with their 37.1 percent share of all applicants. Men accounted for 62.9 percent of the applicant pool and 1,829 of the final selections, or 62.2 percent. Under the previous system, the agency enforced strict gender quotas that generally capped female recruits near 20 percent. Under the new process, candidates faced identical written exams, interviews and physical fitness tests. The agency also shifted the physical evaluation from graded metrics to a pass-fail standard. The agency fully implemented the unified process following a recommendation from the Police Reform Committee in 2017, a directive from the NPA Gender Equality Committee in 2020 and a formal resolution by the National Police Com

Jun 23, 2026By Hankookilbo
New gender-neutral police hiring policy drives surge in female recruits
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