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'Who would want to work here?': Scientists at Nobel-aspirant institute blast poor cafeteria food

The Institute for Basic Science (IBS), a state-run facility aimed at producing Nobel-caliber research, is facing a backlash after researchers exposed poor-quality cafeteria meals they say hurt their productivity. Established in 2011 and modeled after Germany's Max Planck Institute, the IBS has set its sights on world-class research. However, a viral photograph of a 5,000 won ($3.30) lunch featuring yellowed rice, pickled radish and three pieces of fish sausage revealed a stark disconnect between the institute's lofty ambitions and its basic administrative support. Koo Bon-kyoung, director of the IBS Center for Genome Engineering, publicly criticized the meals on Facebook last month. Koo said the poor food disrupts their work and drives researchers outside the institute, where a single lunch easily costs more than 10,000 won. "The issue with the cafeteria at the IBS headquarters is no longer a simple welfare complaint," Koo said. "This is a matter of the research environment, a matter of productivity and a matter of the community." While scientists engage in painstaking work, many are left

Apr 2, 2026By Hankookilbo
'Who would want to work here?': Scientists at Nobel-aspirant institute blast poor cafeteria food

Auto unions demand job security in AI transition

Union leaders at Korea’s carmakers are raising concerns about what companies and the government hail as a next-generation technology push, saying the artificial intelligence (AI) transition is racing ahead without a plan to protect workers' jobs. Speaking at a press conference near Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul Thursday, the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) and leaders of the unions of Hyundai, Kia and GM Korea demanded the creation of a government-industry consultative body on “supply chain and job protection,” warning that the rapid push for humanoid robots and unmanned factories risks turning the AI transition into a sweeping restructuring program rather than a shared productivity gain. “Earlier this year, Hyundai Motor announced that it would deploy a physical AI robot called Atlas for parts sequencing work starting in 2028 and for vehicle assembly work in 2030, replacing human labor and operating an unmanned factory that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even with the lights off,” said Lee Jong-cheol, head of the KMWU’s Hyundai Motor branch. “In Hyundai’s vision

Apr 2, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Auto unions demand job security in AI transition

Labor board to rule on status of principal contractors for 1st time since new labor law enactment

A labor relations board will rule for the first time Thursday on the "employer status" of principal contractors since the enforcement of a new labor law aimed at broadening workers' bargaining rights. The Yellow Envelope Act took effect last month, making prime contractors more accountable for subcontracted workers by expanding the definition of "employer" to a company that substantially controls working conditions even if it does not directly hire workers. The Chungnam National Labor Relations Commission will review cases involving the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, the Korea Asset Management, and the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science. The four have not posted notices of negotiation requests from subcontractor unions despite the new law requiring principal contractors to put them up for seven days from the day they receive them. The contractors have argued the notices were not posted as the unions did not outline the agenda items or working conditions they want to negotiate, which they say is required in order to determine

Apr 2, 2026By Yonhap
Labor board to rule on status of principal contractors for 1st time since new labor law enactment

Korean prank videos using Kanye West masks go viral, sparking racism debate

In an Instagram reel that has garnered more than 8.9 million views, a middle-aged Korean woman grips the door to keep someone out while screaming, “Call the police!” The face staring back at her is U.S. rapper Kanye West's. Videos of Koreans wearing face masks — most often portraying Black celebrities such as West — to startle those around them have recently gone viral, with some posts drawing tens of millions of views. The trend has ignited a debate over race and the ethics of viral content. The format is consistent across videos: A creator conceals who they are with long sleeves, a hood or cap, and a mask depicting a Black person, then knocks on a door. When an elderly parent or grandparent answers, their shock, panic and screams become the content. Reactions have been divided. While many viewers engage with the videos as entertainment, Korean commenters have largely called the prank out of line for targeting elderly and vulnerable family members. Many foreign users have also condemned the trend as racist. “We as Black people already go through a lot of stereotyping and hate a

Apr 2, 2026By Park Ung
Korean prank videos using Kanye West masks go viral, sparking racism debate

Police seek arrest warrants for couple for abandoning mother's body in suitcase

Police on Wednesday sought warrants to detain a couple in their 20s on charges of placing the wife's mother's body in a suitcase and abandoning it in a stream in southeastern Daegu. The Daegu Bukbu Police Station, which is investigating the case, charged the husband with killing a family member and disposing of a body, while the wife faces charges of disposing of a body. The couple were urgently detained Tuesday night after confessing during police interrogation that they put the body in a suitcase at their home in central Daegu, 250 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on March 18, then walked to the nearby Sincheon Stream and left it there. The interrogation took place after residents reported the suitcase floating in the stream and the police confirmed through CCTV analysis that the couple were seen leaving their home dragging the same bag. The male suspect reportedly told police that he attacked his mother-in-law, in her 50s, because she was "usually noisy and did not organize her belongings." Authorities said the wife accompanied him while transporting the body to the stream. A preliminary

Apr 1, 2026By Yonhap
Police seek arrest warrants for couple for abandoning mother's body in suitcase

Visas revoked for over 100 Chinese students at local university over falsified academic documents

Visas for more than 100 Chinese students scheduled to graduate at a local university here in July have been revoked after authorities found that the academic credentials they had submitted were falsified. It was recently confirmed that the students, all enrolled at Honam University in Gwangju, had their visas canceled by the Gwangju Immigration Office in January during the winter break. Most of them were graduate students and several were undergraduates who transferred from other schools. Most of the students were visiting their home country at the time their visas were canceled, preventing their reentry to Korea. Five more who stayed in Korea during the winter break received departure orders, and four of them have since departed voluntarily. The university said it sent out an urgent notice ahead of the new semester advising the students preparing to return to Korea to delay their entry, warning they could face deportation upon arrival at the airport. The university explained that it relies on internationally recognized certification systems, such as apostilled documents — a form of go

Apr 1, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Visas revoked for over 100 Chinese students at local university over falsified academic documents

Survivors seek inquiry into clergy abuse, forced removals of mixed-race children

"The priest, drunk on alcohol, called the children one by one, grabbed their bodies, and did not let them go." Meeky Woo Flippen, born in 1965 to a Korean mother and a Black American soldier father, recalled the abuse she suffered from 50 years ago. At 13, when her mother died, she was left at the Catholic child protection facility for mixed-race children, "St. Vincent's Home," in Incheon. To escape clergy abuse, she chose adoption abroad. Her new American family, however, did not want her. She had to wake up at 3 a.m. and work in the strawberry fields. With money saved over several years, she returned to Korea as an adult and stood before her mother's grave. The funeral she had been barred from attending, because of her mixed-race appearance, had haunted her for decades. She choked back tears, saying, "I mustered the courage to document the perpetrator who is still called a 'great missionary,' and to inform that overseas adoption was not the answer." TRACE, a coalition for truth and accountability on overseas adoption and children's human rights, filed a request with the Truth and Reconci

Apr 1, 2026By Hankookilbo
Survivors seek inquiry into clergy abuse, forced removals of mixed-race children

Fatal industrial accidents rose last year

The number of workers who died in industrial accidents last year shifted to an increase for the first time in three years since relevant statistics began to be compiled in 2022, the labor ministry said Tuesday. According to the ministry's data, the number of industrial fatalities subject to investigation stood at 605 in 2025, an increase of 16, or 2.7 percent, from 589 in the previous year. The number of fatal industrial accidents also increased 3.6 percent last year from 553 to 573. Statistics on fatal industrial accidents subject to investigation exclude cases where it is clear that the employer did not violate the law in worker death accidents occurring at industrial sites. By industry, fatalities in construction increased by 10, or 3.6 percent, to 286, while other industries saw an increase of 16.7 percent to 161. In comparison, the manufacturing industry recorded a decline of 9.7 percent to 158. The number of worker deaths at workplaces employing less than 50 people increased by 12, or 3.5 percent, to 351 last year, while the number at workplaces employing 50 or more rose by four, or

Mar 31, 2026By Yonhap
Fatal industrial accidents rose last year

Travel demand rebounds to pre-pandemic level in 2025, outbound travel hits new high: data

Both domestic and overseas travel recovered to pre-pandemic levels last year, with the proportion of outbound travelers reaching a record high, data showed Tuesday. According to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, 70.2 percent of Koreans aged 13 and older took at least one domestic trip in 2025, up from 66.7 percent recorded two years earlier. The rate had reached 69.2 percent in 2019 before plunging to 39.8 percent in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion of people who traveled abroad also surged to 31.5 percent in 2025, up from 15.1 percent two years earlier, to reach the highest level on record. The figure stood at 30.4 percent in 2019 before dropping sharply to 1.1 percent in 2021. The findings are part of an annual report that consists of 270 indicators across 12 sectors, designed to enable comprehensive examination of social conditions in Korea. Travel-related data, however, is available biennially.

Mar 31, 2026By Yonhap
Travel demand rebounds to pre-pandemic level in 2025, outbound travel hits new high: data

On April Fools' Day, false terror threats are no joke

Korean police are on alert ahead of April Fools' Day, which falls on Wednesday, keeping a close watch as false emergency reports and online bomb threats have surged in recent years. The growing concern over such threats and reports prompted the enactment of a public intimidation law in March 2025 that carries up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won ($13,041) for those who openly threaten the life or safety of an unspecified or large number of people. According to data submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea by the National Police Agency last August, police dispatches in response to false reports increased from 4,235 to 5,432 between 2022 and 2024, up 28.3 percent. Last year, police logged 177 bomb threat reports targeting various places including department stores, offices, celebrity residences, subway restrooms, schools and aircraft. The threats have a tangible cost, often triggering large-scale mobilization of police resources. Last August, a bomb threat hoax forced the evacuation of roughly 4,000 customers from Shinsegae Department Store's m

Mar 31, 2026By Park Ung
On April Fools' Day, false terror threats are no joke
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