my timesThe Korea Times
South KoreaSociety

Society

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
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.

EXPLAINER Who counts as employer in Korea under new law?

Korea has drawn a new line on who qualifies as an employer. In the first decision under the pro-labor “yellow envelope law” last week, a regional labor commission ruled that state-run institutions that oversee safety management and staffing for subcontracted workers can be treated as employers and be required to come to the bargaining table. The government says the decision appears to reflect a finding of “substantive and concrete control” based on the specific facts of the case, while businesses worry that this could mark the start of a flood of bargaining demands from subcontractor unions. The South Chungcheong office of the National Labor Relations Commission, which serves as the primary forum for determining “employer” status in practice, ordered four organizations, including the Korea Asset Management Corporation, to respond to a request from a union that represents subcontracted cleaners, security guards and facility workers. The office said it found that work contracts and testimonies of the workers verified that the public institutions exerted substantial influence o

Apr 6, 2026By Jung Min-ho
[EXPLAINER] Who counts as employer in Korea under new law?

Korea, France launch language assistant exchange to deepen education ties

Korea and France will begin exchanging youth language assistants as early as the second half of this year, placing Korean instructors in French secondary schools and French instructors in Korean classrooms under a new bilateral education program. The agreement was signed during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Seoul, Thursday, commemorating the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The Ministry of Education said the two sides signed a letter of intent — a preliminary agreement expressing willingness to cooperate. Under the program, aimed at strengthening educational ties between the two nations, Korea will send young Korean language assistants to France while France dispatches French language assistants to Korea. The assistants will support regular teachers in foreign language classes but will not lead classes independently or assess students. In its first year, the program will begin with one assistant exchanged in each direction with plans to gradually expand the number of participants. Korean language assistants dispatched to France will be

Apr 5, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Korea, France launch language assistant exchange to deepen education ties

PHOTO Cherry blossoms peak in Seoul

People walk on a road lined with cherry blossom trees in full bloom during the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival in southern Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District, Sunday. The iconic spring blossoms were at their peak across the city this past weekend. Yonhap

Apr 5, 2026By Jung Da-hyunphoto
[PHOTO] Cherry blossoms peak in Seoul

Fake document probe fuels concerns over local university misconduct

An investigation into a local university is expanding beyond visa irregularities, raising questions over broader systemic failures in student oversight and possible admissions-related misconduct, after more than 100 Chinese students were found to have submitted falsified degrees. Initially framed as an issue tied to immigration paperwork, the case is now prompting scrutiny over whether the university may have knowingly overlooked the problem to boost its international student intake. Honam University in Gwangju is under investigation after the apostilled academic documents of 112 Chinese students on D-2 visas were found to be falsified. The students began studying there in August last year. According to the Ministry of Justice, the U.S. university that the students claimed had issued their degrees either lost accreditation in the mid-to-late 2000s or were never accredited. The Ministry of Education explained that the case primarily concerns immigration-related documents and is currently under investigation by the justice ministry, with further audits or measures to follow depending on t

Apr 5, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Fake document probe fuels concerns over local university misconduct
  • Visas revoked for over 100 Chinese students at local university over falsified academic documents

New gov't app to allow victims to monitor stalkers' locations

A new mobile application will allow stalking victims to track their stalkers' whereabouts, the justice ministry said Sunday, as authorities seek to bolster protection for victims following the killing of a young woman last month. The app, set to launch in June after a trial, will allow victims to check the location of a stalker wearing an ankle monitor when the person comes within a certain distance. The move comes after authorities faced criticism following the killing of a woman in her 20s by her stalker last month. The stalker, who was wearing an ankle monitor and was subject to multiple restraining orders, killed the victim, even though she was wearing a smartwatch as a subject of police protection. The ministry is currently working to integrate its location-tracking system with the police reporting system so that police officers can respond swiftly to cases involving stalking victims and their harassers. The country recorded 13,533 stalking cases in 2024, up 12.3 percent from the previous year, with 54.2 percent of stalking crimes involving current or former intimate partners, accord

Apr 5, 2026By Yonhap
New gov't app to allow victims to monitor stalkers' locations

Rallies in Seoul commemorate, oppose ex-President Yoon's ouster on 1st anniversary

Thousands of people took to the streets in central Seoul on Saturday, commemorating or opposing the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was convicted of insurrection, on the first anniversary of his removal from office. Nearly 1,000 people gathered in front of the Constitutional Court in central Seoul, holding pickets reading "End insurrection, treason" and calling for "grand social reform." The rally came on the first anniversary of the Constitutional Court granting the ouster of Yoon for illegitimately declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. In February, a district court sentenced him to life in prison, convicting him of insurrection for deploying troops to the National Assembly. Hundreds of protesters also gathered around the National Assembly in western Seoul, calling for prosecution reform related to Yoon, who previously served as the country's top prosecutor. Separately, nearly three thousands of Yoon's supporters staged rallies and marches near the Constitutional Court and the National Assembly and in central Seoul, decrying his ouster and calling for his release. They wav

Apr 4, 2026By Yonhap
Rallies in Seoul commemorate, oppose ex-President Yoon's ouster on 1st anniversary

Korea's new regulation allowing pets in restaurants backfires

Rob Nichols had rarely gone anywhere without his dog Luna — a companion for more than one-third of his 15 years in Korea. “I used to take my dog with me everywhere,” the 44-year-old Briton told The Korea Times. “I would visit perhaps three to five establishments every day with Luna.” Since last month, however, Nichols finds himself increasingly housebound. "I can no longer take her to any of the old establishments because the owners are worried about getting fined," he said. "I don't want to leave Luna alone at home while I go out, so I just stay home." The irony is hard to miss. Nichols' experience is a direct consequence of a new regulation that was meant to make things easier — one meant to formally legalize pet entry into dining and drinking establishments for the first time. Before the rules under the Food Sanitation Act took effect last month, pets were technically banned from such venues, yet many owners quietly looked the other way. Now, faced with formal compliance requirements and penalties of up to a 20-day operations suspension for repeat violations, many have sim

Apr 4, 2026By Park Ung
Korea's new regulation allowing pets in restaurants backfires

'We take the subway for work too': Korean seniors frustrated by talk of rush hour transit limits

Early one morning at Guui and Sindang stations on Seoul Subway Line 2, older passengers streamed through the turnstiles. They were not traveling for leisure. They were heading to low-wage shifts as cleaners, security guards and short-term office workers. Those working seniors are pushing back against remarks by President Lee Jae Myung, who recently suggested reviewing a possible limit on senior citizens’ free subway rides during peak commuting hours. Lee floated the idea as part of efforts to ease rush hour congestion, saying seniors who are not working might consider refraining from travel at those times. For many older commuters, the remarks struck a nerve. They say the proposal paints seniors as idle and unproductive, ignoring the growing number who rely on early-morning subway rides to earn a living. “If they tell me not to use it in the morning, I can’t do my part-time job,” said Park, 72, who commutes by subway six days a week for clerical work. Kim, 84, who leaves home each day for a 7 a.m. cleaning shift, echoed the frustration. “Just because we’re old doesn’t mean

Apr 3, 2026By Hankookilbo
'We take the subway for work too': Korean seniors frustrated by talk of rush hour transit limits

UN finds Korea violated rights of Congolese asylum seeker held 14 months at airport

The UN Human Rights Committee ruled Thursday that Korea violated the rights of a Congolese asylum seeker who spent 14 months in an airport transit zone, concluding that Seoul's refusal to process his refugee claim left him in arbitrary detention and inhumane conditions. In 2020, the man, who is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), arrived at Incheon International Airport as a transit passenger and requested refugee status after fleeing his home country, having been kidnapped by an armed rebel group and accused of membership in it. The authorities refused to process his claim, saying transit passengers who had not cleared immigration were ineligible under the Refugee Act. He remained in the transit area for 14 months until April 2021, enduring conditions the committee described as inhumane — with little privacy and inadequate access to basic necessities — during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Forcing transit passengers, especially those seeking asylum, to stay in a restricted space for an indefinite period, under inhumane conditions, struggling for food, medical

Apr 3, 2026By Park Ung
UN finds Korea violated rights of Congolese asylum seeker held 14 months at airport

Congestion expected in central Seoul Saturday due to rallies, Easter event

Traffic congestion is expected in downtown Seoul this weekend, as major roads will be closed for large-scale rallies and events, police said Friday. Conservative and liberal civic groups plan to hold separate gatherings in Jongno Ward on Saturday, marking the first anniversary of the Constitutional Court's decision to impeach former President Yoon Suk Yeol. A group of Yoon's supporters will hold a rally in the Daehakno area and march to Anguk Station near the court, while liberal activists will meet near Anguk Station, according to the police. An Easter even hosted by the United Christian Churches of Korea will also take place in central Seoul on Saturday, with Sejongdaero (from Gwanghwamun Intersection to Sejong Intersection) closed all day.

Apr 3, 2026By Yonhap
Congestion expected in central Seoul Saturday due to rallies, Easter event
previous page
4647484950
next page

Most Read in South Korea