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Korea bets on young entrepreneurs to revive rural economies

Facing a deepening demographic crisis and the hollowing out of its rural heartland, Korea is subsidizing the migration of young entrepreneurs to depopulated areas, hoping to convert a growing inventory of abandoned real estate into economic engines. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Monday that it has designated 10 struggling communities as “Youth Villages” for 2026, a strategic gamble to reverse the demographic decline caused by young people flocking to the hypercompetitive orbit of Seoul. By providing seed money to transform abandoned storefronts and idle local spaces into high-tech hubs and cultural centers, officials hope to lure young entrepreneurs away from the crushing costs of the capital and toward a decentralized economy built on boutique manufacturing and digital nomadism. The selections were made from 141 competing teams nationwide. The 10 designated areas are Jung-gu in Daejeon; Cheorwon County in Gangwon Province; Nonsan in South Chungcheong Province; Gimje and Gochang in North Jeolla Province; Gurye in South Jeolla Province; Yeongju and Bonghwa in North Gy

Apr 20, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea bets on young entrepreneurs to revive rural economies

Truck runs into rallygoers in Jinju, killing 1, injuring 2 others

A cargo truck collided with a group of people at a rally in the southern city of Jinju on Monday, leaving one person dead and two others injured, officials said. The 2.5-ton vehicle struck the rally participants near a logistics center at 10:32 a.m., with the collision said to have happened as people tried to stop the vehicle from leaving the area, according to police. Unionized cargo workers had staged the rally to call for joint negotiations with BGF Retail, the operator of the CU convenience store chain. Hours after the collision, a union vehicle rammed into a police barricade near the rally site at 1:33 p.m., leaving one police officer in his 20s with minor injuries. Police have detained the driver and a passenger of the union vehicle and are investigating the incident. Union members and police were locked in a stand-off at the scene following the tragic incident.

Apr 20, 2026By Yonhap
Truck runs into rallygoers in Jinju, killing 1, injuring 2 others

Lee vows to better ensure rights of people with disabilities

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday vowed efforts to better ensure the rights of the disabled in a message to mark the Day of Persons with Disabilities. In a Facebook post, Lee highlighted the difficulties faced by people with disabilities, sharing his own experience of a workplace accident when he was a child laborer that left him with a disabled arm. "(I) will pay careful attention so that your today becomes more comfortable and your tomorrow more free," he wrote. "As someone who acquired a disability from a workplace accident, I feel this reality deeply." He noted that his government is working to establish a comprehensive health care management plan for the disabled while also pushing for legislation to better ensure the rights of people with disabilities. "(I) will fulfill my responsibilities so that disabilities do not determine the possibilities of life in all areas, including care, education, culture and employment."

Apr 20, 2026By Yonhap
Lee vows to better ensure rights of people with disabilities

Remains of centenarian independence fighter to return home this week

The remains of centenarian independence activist Lee Ha-jun, who fought under the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule, will return home this week from the United States to be laid to rest at a national cemetery, the veterans ministry said Monday. Lee, who took part in various independence movements, died at his home in California in February at the age of 104. He was the oldest surviving independence fighter living abroad. His remains will arrive at Incheon International Airport, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday ahead of a repatriation ceremony scheduled to take place at Seoul National Cemetery the following day. His remains will then be laid to rest at Daejeon National Cemetery, alongside his deceased wife. A total of 156 remains of independence fighters, including Lee, have returned home since a project to repatriate independence patriots began in 1946, according to the ministry. Only four surviving independence fighters remain in Korea.

Apr 20, 2026By Yonhap
Remains of centenarian independence fighter to return home this week

Young Koreans flock to Daiso amid high inflation

A Daiso store in Sinchon, western Seoul, was crowded with college students on Wednesday evening. “There’s something fun about shopping at Daiso,” said Song Seung-min, a 26-year-old college student who stopped by to browse the cosmetics section. “It makes me feel rich because I can buy all kinds of things without actually spending much.” Thrift-driven spending grows amid high inflation The rising popularity of Daiso shopping is part of an emerging consumer trend among Koreans in their 20s and 30s called “small indulgences.” Rather than cutting back on spending altogether, the trend refers to a selective pattern of consumption seeking enjoyment and satisfaction at a lower cost. These consumption trends are driven by high inflation, which has persisted since 2022. According to Statistics Korea, the consumer price index rose 5.1 percent that year, marking the start of a sustained period of elevated inflation. At the time, online communities and social media were flooded with content such as the “no-spend challenge,” in which people tried to avoid spending for a set period, a

Apr 20, 2026By Hankookilbo
Young Koreans flock to Daiso amid high inflation

InterviewWhy Korea University is nurturing critical thinkers to prepare for AI era

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes classrooms and research, universities are being called to redefine their role — not as passive adopters of technology, but as institutions that cultivate individuals capable of using AI as a tool while safeguarding human dignity and intellectual autonomy. Korea University unveiled “Next Intelligence” as its core vision to mark its 120th anniversary last year and has continued to advance the concept since. It frames intelligence as a partnership between humans and AI, working together to enhance and extend each other’s capabilities rather than compete for dominance. “The core mission of university education is no longer simply to deliver knowledge,” Korea University President Kim Dong-one told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “It is to fulfill the role of a Next Intelligence University — one that teaches what AI cannot replace: how to ask meaningful questions and how to choose values.” He emphasized that the rise of AI presents both new opportunities and fundamental challenges for universities. “The current moment

Apr 20, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Why Korea University is nurturing critical thinkers to prepare for AI era

8 in 10 workers say Korea unwelcoming to employees with disabilities: survey

Nearly 8 in 10 workers say Korea is unwelcoming to workers with disabilities, a survey by a civic labor group found, underscoring a gap between steadily rising employment figures and the reality faced by many workers with disabilities. According to the poll released Sunday by nonprofit advocacy group Gapjil 119, 76.7 percent of 1,000 respondents aged 19 or older said Korea is not a society where people with disabilities can work comfortably. The sentiment was strongest at small private firms with fewer than five employees, at 85.7 percent, compared to 70.3 percent at larger companies with 300 or more employees, and 69.9 percent at public institutions. Women were more likely to say that workplaces were unwelcoming, with 81.2 percent agreeing that it was a problem, compared to 72.5 percent of men. Nearly half of respondents — 46.2 percent — said their workplace harbors bias or a discriminatory atmosphere toward hiring people with disabilities, while 51 percent said their workplace lacks barrier-free spaces. Derogatory or mocking language toward people with disabilities was also a reali

Apr 19, 2026By Park Ung
8 in 10 workers say Korea unwelcoming to employees with disabilities: survey

Court says military service-based promotion track is gender discrimination

Granting higher starting grades and faster promotion tracks to employees with military service experience amounts to gender discrimination, the Seoul Administrative Court has ruled. The decision issued on Sunday renews a long-standing debate over how much society should reward military service, which all able-bodied Korean men are required to undergo for at least 18 months. In 2024, an unnamed plaintiff filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, alleging that an incorporated association’s hiring policy gave college graduates with military service record a higher starting grade and salary step, placing those without such experience at a disadvantage in both pay and promotion opportunities. The commission rejected the complaint in February last year, concluding that the company’s policy did not amount to unjustifiable discrimination against women. The employee eventually took the case to court. Judges found that giving employees with military service experience two extra salary steps was permissible under the Support for Veterans Act as compensation for econo

Apr 19, 2026By Park Ung
Court says military service-based promotion track is gender discrimination

Sabuk Incident survivors renew demands for apology, fulfillment of TRC recommendations as third commission begins work

Dressed in their old helmets and uniforms, elderly former coal miners gathered in front of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, April 14, joined by families of their deceased former co-workers. They called for the president and the government to immediately apologize to survivors of state violence. They also demanded the prompt implementation of measures for restoration of honor and support for commemorative projects, as laid out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) nonbinding recommendations. The gathered people, now in their 70s and 80s, are survivors of an incident in Sabuk, a mountainous mining town in Gangwon Province, that saw a labor union standoff turn violent in April 1980. Ahead of the 46th anniversary of the incident, known among participants as the Sabuk Uprising, calls are being renewed for remedies that both promote the process of healing and directly reckon with the damage inflicted by state violence in suppressing the miners’ struggle and in its subsequent investigation. The Sabuk Incident was centered on the Sabuk Mining Office of the Dongwon Coal Company in

Apr 18, 2026By Jack Greenberg
Sabuk Incident survivors renew demands for apology, fulfillment of TRC recommendations as third commission begins work

Semiconductor programs overtake medical schools in Korea's college admissions race

Semiconductor programs at Korean universities have overtaken medical schools in admissions competition, highlighting the rapid rise of employment-guaranteed programs as a preferred path for top-performing students. According to Jongro Academy, one of Korea’s largest college preparatory institutes, contract-based semiconductor programs affiliated with major firms such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix posted an average competition rate of 7.16 to 1 in the 2026 regular admissions cycle. By institution, Yonsei University’s System Semiconductor Engineering program, tied to Samsung Electronics, drew 187 applicants for 32 slots, yielding a competition rate of 5.84 to 1. Sungkyunkwan University’s Semiconductor Systems Engineering Division, also partnered with Samsung Electronics, recorded 80 applicants for 15 places, or 5.33 to 1. Programs linked to SK hynix saw even stronger demand. Hanyang University’s Department of Semiconductor Engineering topped the list with a competition rate of 11.8 to 1, followed by Sogang University’s System Semiconductor Engineering program at 9 to 1 and

Apr 18, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Semiconductor programs overtake medical schools in Korea's college admissions race
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