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Mount Gwanak becomes Seoul's new viral spring hiking spot

Mount Gwanak, a granite peak that forms the southern ridgeline of Seoul, has quietly watched over the city for centuries. This spring, it is transforming into something else entirely: a viral “energy hotspot” where hikers line up for over an hour at the summit marker, hoping to soak up good fortune along with the skyline views. On recent weekends, the narrow path to Yeonjudae, the clifftop hermitage near the 632-meter summit, has turned into a human queue that can stretch more than 100 meters. Many in their 20s and 30s say they are not just there for the workout. Posing for “proof shots,” visitors post captions that read like whispered prayers: “Let this year go well,” “Please let me get a job,” “Let me come back here with good news.” Among them are Lee and Park, Seoul residents who climbed Mount Gwanak with their friends recently. “In the past I would have gone to a fortune teller, but now I’d rather hike, clear my head and ask the mountain for help,” said Lee, a 31-year-old job seeker who wrote her employment wish in the caption of a summit selfie she posted o

Mar 9, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Mount Gwanak becomes Seoul's new viral spring hiking spot

K-water showcases AI-powered hydro management tech at MWC 2026

Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) showcased its artificial intelligence (AI)-based water management technology at MWC 2026 in Barcelona last week, highlighting its competitiveness in the sector. The initiative reflects the corporation’s strategy under K-water CEO Yun Seog-dae to strengthen water management policies aimed at addressing the climate crisis while expanding overseas, as the state-run utility this year launched a global push for AI-driven water management. K-water aims to expand into the high-value AI and digital markets with three core technologies: water management digital twins that replicate dam operations in a virtual environment, supporting decision-making; AI-powered water treatment plants enabling autonomous operations through algorithm analysis; and Smart Water Network Management (SWNM), which uses Internet of Things technology to reduce leaks and stabilize pipelines. K-water’s SWNM was selected as a winner at this year’s Global Mobile Awards, held during MWC, marking the first time a Korean public institution has received the honor and underscoring i

Mar 9, 2026By Park Ung
K-water showcases AI-powered hydro management tech at MWC 2026

203 Koreans return from Abu Dhabi aboard chartered flight

More than 200 Korean nationals who had been stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict returned home Monday aboard a chartered flight. The Etihad Airways plane, carrying 203 Koreans and three family members of other nationalities, arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, in the early morning, about 8 hours after departing from Abu Dhabi. It marked the first chartered flight organized by Seoul to bring back Korean nationals from the UAE amid the widening conflict that has disrupted air traffic in the region. The foreign ministry estimates about 1,400 Koreans remain in the UAE as short-term travelers. It expects them to gradually return home as commercial flights resume. Families embraced each other as they were reunited at the airport, with a 4-year-old shouting, "Daddy," as he ran to his father, who had been waiting for his arrival. The boy's mother, Kim Bora, who arrived back home with her son, said she was able to book the chartered flight after getting in touch with the foreign ministry the previous day. "While evacuations have be

Mar 9, 2026By Yonhap
203 Koreans return from Abu Dhabi aboard chartered flight

Chartered plane departs from UAE to bring home 203 Koreans: ministry

A chartered plane departed from the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to bring home hundreds of Koreans stranded in the Middle Eastern country amid the escalating conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel, the foreign ministry said. An Etihad Airways chartered flight carrying 203 Koreans and their three foreign spouses departed from Abu Dhabi at 5:35 p.m., according to the ministry. The plane was expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport at around 2 a.m. Monday. Korea has been seeking to bring home some 3,000 nationals stranded in the UAE due to flight disruptions amid escalating tensions in the Middle East after U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran began in late February. Around 1,500 Koreans, including those aboard the chartered plane, have left the UAE since flights heading to and departing from the country resumed. The foreign ministry has dispatched a joint rapid response team to the UAE to assist evacuation operations. The Korean Embassy in the UAE began receiving applications early Saturday from Korean nationals wishing to board the chartered plane.

Mar 8, 2026By Yonhap
Chartered plane departs from UAE to bring home 203 Koreans: ministry

Korea marks Int’l Women’s Day with gender equality rally

Korea marked this year’s International Women’s Day with rallies, awards and renewed political pledges over the weekend, underscoring both the gains women have made and the persistent gender gaps in the country. Korean Women’s Association United hosted the 41st Korean Women’s Rally in central Seoul on Saturday, turning the Gwanghwamun area into a purple-hued sea of celebration and protest ahead of International Women's Day on Sunday. This year’s Women’s Movement of the Year award symbolically went to all women who advocated for gender-equal democracy during the rallies calling for the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, with organizers rolling out a red carpet for participants to pose with bouquets and mock trophies. Women of all ages attended in the event’s dress code of purple, long been used globally as a suffragette color symbolizing justice and dignity. It also became the trademark hue of Korea’s feminist movement in recent years, from annual women’s marches to #MeToo protests. Participants chanted, “Complete the revolution of light!” and “Gender eq

Mar 8, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Korea marks Int’l Women’s Day with gender equality rally

Seoul launches crackdown on lodging violations ahead of BTS concert

City authorities in Seoul have started a crackdown on lodging facilities near Gwanghwamun ahead of K-pop group BTS’ comeback concert on March 21, uncovering a string of violations including hotels operating without posting mandatory room rate information. During its special inspections carried out in central Seoul between Feb. 25 and March 4, 18 hotels and other lodging facilities had violated regulations by failing to display official room rates or business registration certificates, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday. Under the Public Health Control Act, hospitality business owners have to display their business registration certificate inside the premises and post a room rate table at the reception desk. The city’s special judicial police bureau, working in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, will formally book all 18 offending establishments and conduct investigations. Depending on the findings, the violators could face up to six months in prison or fines of up to 5 million won ($3,400). City officials will also ask Jongno and Jung district offices t

Mar 8, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Seoul launches crackdown on lodging violations ahead of BTS concert

Rising Sun flag at WBC Korea-Japan game sparks criticism

The appearance of the Rising Sun flag during a World Baseball Classic (WBC) game between Korea and Japan has sparked criticism after Japanese spectators were seen displaying the controversial symbol at Tokyo Dome. The flag, widely associated with the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, is viewed by many throughout Asia as a symbol of the country’s militaristic colonial past, including its 35-year rule over Korea. The incident occurred during the 2026 WBC match played Saturday. Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University, said he sent a protest email to the tournament’s organizers after reports showed several Japanese fans holding and waving the controversial flags before entering the stadium. “Some Japanese fans were openly displaying the Rising Sun flag and cheering before entering Tokyo Dome,” Seo wrote on social media Saturday, citing footage reported by broadcaster JTBC. “The Rising Sun flag is a symbol of Japan’s militarism and imperialism,” he said. “Using it while cheering denies the history of Japan’s past wars of aggression and reminds many Asians

Mar 8, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Rising Sun flag at WBC Korea-Japan game sparks criticism

Bureaucratic hurdles undermine Korea’s ambitions to attract int’l students

Korea’s drive to attract and retain international students is hitting a roadblock at immigration offices, a place many students now view as a source of fear rather than support. Even as universities expand recruitment and the government pledges to ease visa rules, inconsistent administrative practices and constantly shifting guidelines at immigration offices are emerging as major hurdles to the country’s study-to-settlement pathway for foreign students. All students interviewed by The Korea Times for this article requested that their names not be used. One Iraqi student said she nearly lost an internship due to a delayed decision on her part-time work permission. She received an internship offer from a tech company building apps for foreign communities in Korea and was scheduled to begin work on Jan. 5. She applied for part-time work authorization on Dec. 20 last year, and received a text message six days later stating the application had been “accepted by an appropriate department.” There was no further notice for about a month, until the immigration office informed her on Jan. 2

Mar 8, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Bureaucratic hurdles undermine Korea’s ambitions to attract int’l students

Tablets replace heavy textbooks at universities as e-book sales quadruple

University students in Korea are increasingly swapping heavy printed textbooks for tablets and laptops, as e-book sales of course materials have more than quadrupled in the past four years, data showed Sunday. Kyobo Book Centre said e-books accounted 29.9 percent of its online and offline university textbook sales by value last year, up from just 7.1 percent in 2021. The share has climbed steadily — 8 percent in 2022, 15.2 percent in 2023 and 23.1 percent in 2024 — even though print still generates more than three times the sales of digital textbooks. Considering that e-books remain under 10 percent of overall book sales, the shift in the higher education textbook segment is particularly striking, the retailer noted. Behind the trend are the literal burdens of printed books. One top-selling e-textbook, “Electronic Engineering Experiment 1” from Kyungpook National University Press, runs 602 pages and weighs about 1.5 kilograms. Many students say it's no longer practical to carry several such “brick books” across sprawling campuses. Improved e-book platforms, which offer search

Mar 8, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Tablets replace heavy textbooks at universities as e-book sales quadruple

Gender minister issues apology to former sex work victims near US bases

Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong issued an apology to former sex workers Saturday whose rights were violated in now-defunct brothels built around American military bases, marking the government's first official apology. "As the gender minister dealing with gender equality and women's rights, I offer my sincere apologies to the victims for the state's actions that violated their human rights at the Gijichon," Won said in a message marking International Women's Day, which falls Sunday. "We will make every effort necessary to ensure that the history of human rights violations suffered by the victims is not forgotten and that they live the rest of their lives with dignity and fully restore their damaged honor," she added. The apology came more than three-and-a-half years after the Supreme Court in 2022 ordered the state to pay between 3 million and 7 million won ($2,086-$4,866) in compensation each to a total of 95 former sex workers from brothels at villages around U.S. military bases, known as "base villages" or "Gijichon" in Korean. The victims filed the suit in 2014, claiming the g

Mar 7, 2026By Yonhap
Gender minister issues apology to former sex work victims near US bases
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