South Korea - The Korea Times

Viral ex-civil servant known as Chungju Man earns YouTube gold button in 3 days

Former municipal worker Kim Seon-tae amassed 1 million subscribers on his newly launched independent YouTube channel in just three days, drawing a flood of sponsorship offers from major corporations and state-run agencies. Kim, who revolutionized local government public relations under the moniker Chungju Man, surpassed 1 million subscribers Thursday evening. Reaching this number qualifies the channel for a YouTube Gold Button. He launched the channel Monday following his departure from the Chungju municipal government. Kim joined the city as an entry-level worker in 2016. He turned the official Chungju City YouTube channel into a nationwide success model using bold, self-deprecating humor, earning a fast-track promotion to a midlevel official in just seven years. He resigned on Feb. 13 after posting a video titled "Farewell" on the city's official channel. "After leaving public service, I received direct and indirect offers from various places, but I wanted to try it freely," Kim said. "I also had a desire to earn more money. I am 40 now, but I wanted to realize my full potential befor

Mar 6, 2026By Hankookilbo

Viral ex-civil servant known as Chungju Man earns YouTube gold button in 3 days

Suspected Seoul serial killer ordered $90 worth of food after drugging victim

A suspect accused of killing two men in a series of attacks at a Seoul motel made a large food delivery order shortly after drugging one of the victims and later took the food home, according to police and investigative records. Kim, a woman in her 20s identified only by her surname, is accused of administering beverages containing a benzodiazepine-based sedative to three men between December and February. Two of the victims died and another survived with injuries. Interviews and investigative records reviewed by the Hankook Ilbo show that the suspect ordered 22 food items delivered immediately after the second killing. She briefly left the crime scene with food, leading police to suspect that one of her motives for luring men into the motel had been obtaining food. According to order records from a local fried chicken restaurant, a large delivery order was placed at 9:23 p.m. on Feb. 9. The order, totaling 22 items, included two fried chickens in four flavors along with chewy rice cakes, cheese balls, cheese sticks, spicy simmered rice cakes, rice, fries, bottles of cola and extra sauce

Mar 6, 2026By Hankookilbo

Suspected Seoul serial killer ordered $90 worth of food after drugging victim

Illegal employment of foreign workers surges in delivery sector

Korea’s delivery sector is rapidly becoming a major channel for the illegal employment of foreign workers, according to the Ministry of Justice. The trend has also raised concerns about safety because of inadequate checks on licenses and insurance, while domestic delivery riders say the growing competition is making it harder to secure delivery calls. The ministry reported that the number of foreigners caught working illegally in the delivery and courier sector surged from 117 in 2023 to 486 last year. Under current regulations, delivery work is permitted only for foreigners holding certain residency statuses, including the F-2 resident visa, F-5 permanent resident visa and F-6 marriage visa. However, cases continue to emerge of foreigners working as delivery riders while on nonprofessional employment visas like E-9 or student visas like D-2. Many foreign riders circumvent restrictions by using accounts registered under Korean citizens’ names. Delivery agencies reportedly secure multiple accounts under Korean identities and rent them to foreign riders for monthly fees of 200,000 to 3

Mar 6, 2026By Jung Da-hyun

Illegal employment of foreign workers surges in delivery sector

South Korea court convicts woman of murder in abortion case

A South Korean court has given a suspended prison sentence to a woman convicted in connection with a 36-week abortion case that resulted in the death of a viable fetus. The court also noted that the outcome might have been different if the state had made greater efforts to improve the economic and social conditions that hinder pregnancy, childbirth and child-rearing. Court finds evidence of intent The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday found the woman, identified only by her surname Kwon, guilty of murder and sentenced her to three years in prison, suspended for five years. Two doctors involved in the procedure were also convicted of murder. The fetus was delivered by cesarean section when the pregnancy was between 34 and 36 weeks, after which it was placed in a freezer. They were also accused of falsifying a stillbirth certificate after a video posted by Kwon showing the procedure drew widespread public attention. The hospital director was sentenced to six years in prison, along with a fine of 1.5 million won ($1,000) and a forfeiture order of 1.15 billion won, while the operating

Mar 5, 2026By Hankookilbo

South Korea court convicts woman of murder in abortion case

Human rights body approves foundation supporting transgender people after nearly 2 years

Korea's human rights watchdog on Thursday approved the establishment of a foundation advocating for the rights of transgender people following nearly two years of deliberations. The National Human Rights Commission gave the nod to the non-profit Byun Hee-soo Foundation, named after a late transgender soldier who was forcibly discharged from service, after a civic group filed the application in May 2024. While decisions on such matters are typically made within 20 days, proceedings were delayed as the move faced opposition from a conservative member of the watchdog's three standing commissioners. The delay prompted the foundation's preparatory committee to take legal action against the watchdog, with the Seoul Administrative Court ruling last December that the delayed proceedings were illegal. Along with the ruling, the standing commissioner who had voiced opposition to the envisioned foundation left office last month, leading to Thursday's decision. "I apologize to the preparatory committee for the approval's delay due to unreasonable reasons, such as a certain member's continued oppositi

Mar 5, 2026By Yonhap

Human rights body approves foundation supporting transgender people after nearly 2 years

Koreans' life satisfaction unchanged in 2024; suicide rate up: report

Koreans' average satisfaction with life remained unchanged from a year earlier in 2024, while the suicide rate went up, a government report showed Thursday. The level of life satisfaction came to 6.4 points on a 10-point scale in 2024, remaining unchanged from 2023, according to the annual report on Koreans' quality of life by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Income appeared to have affected life satisfaction, as the life satisfaction score was the lowest among households in the lowest income bracket with a monthly income of less than 1 million won ($681.7), at 5.8 points. In contrast, life satisfaction levels in households that earned 3 million won or more per month ranged from 6.4 to 6.5 points, nearly on par with the average for the entire population, the ministry said. In the report, the ministry cited a separate report published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network to compare Koreans' level of life satisfaction with other member countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation (OECD). Korea ranked 33rd among the 38 OECD countries in terms of a thre

Mar 5, 2026By Yonhap

Koreans' life satisfaction unchanged in 2024; suicide rate up: report

Korea exhibits 2nd-largest gender divide over perceived progress in equality: survey

A new global survey released Thursday found that Korea exhibits the world’s second-widest gap between men and women in their perception of sufficient progress in gender equality. The 2026 International Women’s Day survey, conducted by Ipsos and King’s College London’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, found that 65 percent of Korean men believe gender equality has gone far enough, compared to 42 percent of women — the second-widest gap among 29 countries represented in the survey and more than twice the global average of 11 percentage points. Overall endorsement in Korea of gender equality having “gone far enough” rose to 53 percent from 39 percent in 2019, with increases seen among both men and women. The poll, conducted online from Dec. 24, 2025, to Jan. 9, covered 23,268 adults in 29 countries. Korean men were the least likely in the survey to identify as feminists, with just 13 percent using the label, compared to 28 percent of Korean women; both figures sit well below global averages. Support for women’s leadership among Korean men was the lowest measured: On

Mar 5, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Korea exhibits 2nd-largest gender divide over perceived progress in equality: survey

Japan court dissolves Unification Church; Korea branch could face financial strain

A Japanese court upheld an order to dissolve the Unification Church over its controversial fundraising practices, clearing the way for liquidation proceedings against the religious group years after the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe brought its activities under renewed scrutiny. According to public broadcaster NHK, the Tokyo High Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court decision ordering the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, more widely known as the Unification Church. The court said the group had encouraged its followers to solicit large donations through fundraising methods that could constitute illegal acts, causing substantial financial losses and psychological distress to many people. Judges said it was difficult to expect the organization to establish measures to prevent such illegal acts, adding that dissolution was therefore inevitable. NHK reported that the ruling marks the third instance a Japanese court ordered the dissolution of a religious group of its legal status as a religious corporation, and first time such

Mar 5, 2026By Hankookilbo

Japan court dissolves Unification Church; Korea branch could face financial strain

InterviewMan behind push to abolish ‘academic caste system’

An education reform advocate says a proposed “ban on school‑background discrimination in hiring” bill, which would bar employers from asking job-seekers about their alma mater, is a first step toward dismantling what he describes as Korea’s “academic caste system.” Song In-soo, co-head of Education Spring, a civic group driving the campaign for the bill, said he wants to fix what he sees as a hiring culture that treats school names as a kind of social rank, rather than a measure of ability. “In Korea we treat school names almost like a social caste. One child’s admission to a top university can make neighbors feel as if their own children’s status has been downgraded,” he told The Korea Times. “If we keep throwing our children into this credentialist society, this never‑ending competition, there is no hope.” Song added that the bill is not a blanket ban on considering educational backgrounds in hiring, but a targeted curb on the use of school names in recruitment. “This is not about banning education from hiring decisions,” he said. “It is about banning d

Mar 5, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Man behind push to abolish ‘academic caste system’

Recent fighter jet crash caused by midair collision with another fighter during nighttime training

An F-16C fighter jet crashed near the southeastern city of Yeongju last week after a mid-air collision with another fighter during a nighttime training exercise, the Air Force said Wednesday. The aircraft went down in a mountainous area near Yeongju at about 7:31 p.m. last Wednesday during nighttime training, but the pilot ejected to safety and no civilian damage was reported. The Air Force said the incident, involving two F-16C fighter jets, occurred during the training, when the lead aircraft was conducting a damage check on the trailing jet from behind. The pilot of the lead jet, who was wearing night vision goggles, misjudged the distance between the planes and flew too close. The mid-air collision took place when the leading aircraft's fuel tank struck the right wing of the trailing jet. Pilots are required to wear such night vision goggles during nighttime training to enhance visibility and improve operational capability in low-light conditions. The incident disabled the trailing fighter's head-up display system, which provides critical flight information, including altitude and pos

Mar 4, 2026By Yonhap

Society