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Lee reiterates resolve to stabilize housing prices

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday stepped up his resolve to stabilize home prices, saying that people suffering from a jump in housing prices should get more consideration than owners of multiple homes. In recent weeks, Lee has delivered almost daily messages on his social media platform to cool home prices, as the government is set to end an exemption from heavy capital gains tax for multi-homeowners in May. In the latest message, Lee shared on X a link to a newspaper editorial highlighting the difficulties faced by multi-homeowners seeking to sell their properties before May 9, when the tax breaks are set to expire. Pointing out that the temporary exemption has been expected to expire each year since its introduction in 2022, Lee said responsibility for any resulting tax burden rests with multiple homeowners who failed to prepare for the possibility that the exemption would end. "People struggling with soaring housing prices deserve greater attention than multiple homeowners who unfairly expect that (the exemption) will be extended again while engaging in speculative real estate inv

Feb 4, 2026By Yonhap
Lee reiterates resolve to stabilize housing prices

Dubai chewy cookies have Koreans lining up once more

On a freezing January morning in Seoul, Jung Ha-ru stood shivering outside a bakery. She had been there since 8 a.m., all for a chance to snag a Dubai chewy cookie. “I saw it on Reels,” the 17-year-old said. “I had to see what the hype was about.” She wasn’t alone. By 8:55 a.m., the shop had already distributed all 75 waiting tickets to a diverse crowd ranging from students in padded jackets to middle-aged couples and retirees, all united by the same mission. The Dubai chewy cookie — a pistachio cream and kadayif-stuffed pastry wrapped in chewy marshmallow — has become a nationwide obsession, sparking a frenzy that defies logic. Dessert crazes are nothing new in Korea. From honey butter chips to tanghulu, the country has a track record of explosive, short-lived consumption crazes. In each instance, Koreans have shown a relentless dedication to the trend, braving hourslong “open run” lines and scouring the nation for the treats. But the Dubai cookie craze has reached unprecedented heights. Online users even crowdsourced a real-time Dubai chewy cookie map, updating which cafe

Feb 4, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Dubai chewy cookies have Koreans lining up once more

Lee to meet business leaders to discuss youth hiring, regional investment

President Lee Jae Myung will hold a meeting with major business leaders this week to discuss ways to expand youth employment and boost corporate investment outside the capital region, the presidential office said Tuesday. The meeting will take place Wednesday at Cheong Wa Dae, and will be attended by the heads and senior executives of Korea's top 10 conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, as well as executives from SK, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Group. Lee is expected to urge domestic companies to play a more active role in creating jobs for young people and increasing investment in regional production facilities, according to the presidential office. The gathering follows a similar meeting held last week when Lee invited leaders of foreign business chambers to Cheong Wa Dae and called for expanded youth hiring and greater investment in noncapital regions.

Feb 3, 2026By Yonhap
Lee to meet business leaders to discuss youth hiring, regional investment

Vietnam to recognize Korea’s official language exam in university admissions

Vietnam will begin recognizing the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) in its university admissions process this year, expanding the reach of the Korean government’s official language certification in international higher education. The Southeast Asian country is the second overseas jurisdiction after Hong Kong to adopt TOPIK as part of its university admissions process. The approval was granted through a ministerial decision issued on Jan. 12 by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, according to Korea’s Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education on Tuesday. Vietnam’s university admissions system is centered on a nationwide high school graduation exam, much like Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test. Students are required to take exams in mathematics and Vietnamese, along with two additional subjects chosen from a pool of nine — including foreign languages and history — for a total of four. Under the new policy, TOPIK scores can replace the foreign language section of the high school graduation exam. Students who earn Level 3 or

Feb 3, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Vietnam to recognize Korea’s official language exam in university admissions

Woman gives birth in ambulance after 7 hospitals turn her away

A woman in her 34th week of pregnancy gave birth inside an ambulance in South Korea after being turned away by seven hospitals, underscoring ongoing strains on regional obstetric care. According to the Chungbuk Fire Department, a 119 emergency call was received at 8:23 a.m. Monday from a woman in her 20s reporting that her water had broken. Emergency dispatchers assessed that labor was imminent and contacted seven hospitals, including facilities with obstetrics departments in the region. All declined to accept the patient, citing a lack of available beds and other reasons. She gave birth inside the ambulance at 9:44 a.m., approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes after the initial emergency call. She and the newborn were then transported at 10:11 a.m. to a hospital in Wonju, a neighboring city in Gangwon Province. Both the mother and child are in stable condition, according to authorities. This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

Feb 3, 2026By Hankookilbo
Woman gives birth in ambulance after 7 hospitals turn her away

Seoul to deploy robots to improve disaster management

Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on Monday that it will use robots and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) more proactively to address problems and improve its emergency response system. A key initiative under the plan is to expand the number of traditional markets covered by its fire patrol robots from two to four. These robots will autonomously patrol during late-night hours, using thermal sensors to detect high-temperature objects and send real time alerts. If their video analysis system determines that a fire has broken out, they report it to the local fire station and activate built-in dry chemical extinguishers to put it out. It will also deploy four-legged robots in dangerous underground spaces, such as tunnels that contain power lines, water pipes and gas lines, where toxic gases or smoke make human access difficult or unsafe. Equipped with LiDAR — a technology that uses laser light to build a detailed 3D image of the environment — and gas detectors, these robots can monitor hazards and search for people in real time. The city gov

Feb 3, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Seoul to deploy robots to improve disaster management

As towns shrink, municipalities compete to host new nuclear plants

As Korea’s rural towns empty out, an unexpected competition is emerging among struggling local governments vying to host new nuclear power plants. Once seen as dangerous and unwanted, nuclear facilities are now viewed as a last-ditch way to stem population decline and revive local economies. On Friday, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), a subsidiary of the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp., posted a notice inviting applications for new nuclear sites. It is inviting bids to host two large nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 2.8 gigawatts and a 0.7‑gigawatt small modular reactor (SMR). Municipalities that wish to participate are required to submit an application, including a consent resolution from their local councils, by March 30. The announcement follows the Lee Jae Myung administration’s decision to move ahead with additional nuclear construction to support the age of artificial intelligence (AI), which relies on energy‑hungry data centers and other power‑intensive infrastructure. In Ulsan’s Ulju County, some residents began campaigning even before the KHNP no

Feb 3, 2026By Jung Min-ho
As towns shrink, municipalities compete to host new nuclear plants

Korean adoptees welcome fresh inquiry into rights violations in adoption process

Overseas adoptees welcomed the government’s plan to resume and expand investigations into suspected misconduct in Korea's overseas adoption system that sent roughly 200,000 Korean children to Western countries, mostly between the 1960s and 1980s. The work will be carried out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), an independent government body tasked with probing human rights abuses and mass killings committed by or involving the state during the 1950‑53 Korean War and under postwar authoritarian regimes. The third TRC is scheduled to launch on Feb. 26, following revisions to the Framework Act on Settling the Past for Truth and Reconciliation, passed by the National Assembly last Thursday. The changes paved the way for the new commission. "By establishing TRC3, this parliament has chosen truth over silence, and justice over denial," Peter Moller, an adoptee from Denmark and co-founder of the Danish Korean Rights Group, told The Korea Times. "For those affected by institutionalization and adoption, truth-finding is not only about past wrongdoing, but about restoring identit

Feb 3, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Korean adoptees welcome fresh inquiry into rights violations in adoption process

Public shaming of a child over ice cream ends in fine

In a public shaming case in which the owner of an unmanned shop posted blurred images of an elementary school student accused of taking an ice cream without paying, a South Korean appeals court has imposed a fine on the owner. The Incheon District Court’s Criminal Appeals Division 5-3 overturned a lower court ruling and imposed a fine of 2 million won ($1,500) on the 46-year-old shop owner, identified only by the surname Z. The court found Z guilty of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act as well as defamation. The case stemmed from an incident on April 23, 2023, when an 8-year-old boy took a single ice cream from an unmanned store in Incheon without payment. In response, Z displayed four still images captured from closed-circuit television footage inside the shop. The images, with the child’s face blurred, were accompanied by messages urging customers to “be people with a conscience,” according to court records. The posting came to the child’s attention after another customer recognized him and asked whether the images depicted him. The boy then informed his parents, who pai

Feb 2, 2026By Hankookilbo
Public shaming of a child over ice cream ends in fine
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