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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.

'Korea should stand on Iranian people's side'

Amid intensifying and often deadly crackdowns on anti-government demonstrations in Tehran and around Iran, some Iranian residents in Korea are pleading for both Korean government and citizen support for the Iranian people. For Niusha, an Iranian national who has lived in Korea for six years, the current crisis has sparked questions about Korea's role in international affairs. “I chose Korea because I believed in its commitment to human dignity,” Niusha told The Korea Times in a written interview. “But it is shocking to see a G7-level democracy remain silent while our people are being massacred.” She pointed to the stark contrast between Seoul’s caution and the substantive diplomatic actions taken by other major democracies, including Canada, France and Germany, and urged Korea to cut ties with the current regime. “Korea is a country that won democracy through sacrifice,” said Sarah, another Iranian who has lived here for eight years, who asked to be identified using an alias. “For that very reason, I sincerely hope it will neither remain silent nor stand by as a spectator

Jan 14, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
'Korea should stand on Iranian people's side'

Seoul expands alternative transport services as bus strike enters 2nd day

The longest-ever strike by Seoul's intracity bus workers entered its second day Wednesday, prompting the city government to implement emergency transportation measures, including increasing subway and chartered bus services. The unionized bus workers in the capital launched their first strike in two years Tuesday after wage talks with the management broke down. As of early Wednesday morning, only 562, or 8 percent, of the city's 7,018 intracity buses were in operation, causing enormous disruption and inconvenience to commuters. The city government said it increased the number of additional subway services during rush hour from 172 on Tuesday to 203 on Wednesday. The peak commuter train service hours were also expanded by two hours Wednesday, compared with one hour Tuesday. In addition, the authorities tried to alleviate platform congestion by sending empty trains to heavily congested subway stations during rush hour and increased safety personnel to more than twice the usual level at 86 major stations. The city government said it mobilized 677 chartered buses on 134 routes throughout the

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul expands alternative transport services as bus strike enters 2nd day

Train passengers reach record high of 172.2 mil. in 2025

The total number of Korea's railway passengers hit a record high last year, driven by growing demand for high-speed train services, the transport ministry said Wednesday. A total of 172.2 million people traveled by train in 2025, up 0.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The country's two high-speed rail services — KTX and SRT — carried a record 118.7 million passengers last year, up 2.6 percent from a year ago. About 93 million people used KTX, averaging 254,000 riders per day, while some 26 million traveled on SRT, with a daily average of 71,000. However, the number of conventional train passengers fell 3.6 percent on-year to 53 million last year. The Seoul-Busan line was the busiest route, with 83.6 million railway travelers, including 61.4 million on high-speed trains. Seoul Station was the busiest train station last year, handling 43.9 million passengers, followed by Busan train station with 26.1 million and Dongdaegu train station with 20.5 million.

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
Train passengers reach record high of 172.2 mil. in 2025

AI-assisted cheating could impact universities' global standings: QS

A series of artificial intelligence (AI)-related cheating scandals at Korean universities could carry long term risks for their global rankings, potentially weighing negatively on their reputation scores. While Korea's top universities face growing pressure to adapt to AI, most institutions have yet to translate that urgency into concrete action. QS, the global higher education analytics firm that publishes widely cited university rankings, said AI-related academic misconduct controversies could affect how universities are ranked. In response to a query from The Korea Times, QS said such incidents are not assessed directly, but could be reflected indirectly in academic and employer reputation scores — indicators that carry significant weight in their global rankings. “History shows that sustained reputational damage from governance failures to academic misconduct can, over time, shape how institutions are viewed by global academic and employer communities,” said Simona Bizzozero, QS communications director. She added that the firm's reputation surveys, which are perception-based, la

Jan 14, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
AI-assisted cheating could impact universities' global standings: QS

Korea adds 193,000 jobs in 2025 amid sluggish manufacturing, construction

Korea maintained year-on-year employment growth at the 100,000 level for the second consecutive year in 2025, as job losses continued in the manufacturing and construction sectors and youth employment remained sluggish, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people increased 193,000, or 0.7 percent, from a year earlier to 28.77 million last year, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Job creation had been more robust in the immediate post-pandemic period, with 816,000 new positions added in 2022, marking the largest year-on-year increase in 22 years. However, the pace slowed to 327,000 in 2023 and weakened further in 2024, when only 159,000 jobs were added. By sector, the construction industry shed 125,000 jobs in 2025 amid a prolonged downturn, marking the largest decline since the revision of industrial classifications in 2013. The manufacturing sector, considered the backbone of the economy, lost 73,000 jobs, its largest year-on-year decline since 2019, when 81,000 positions were cut. The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector shed 107,000 jobs. In co

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
Korea adds 193,000 jobs in 2025 amid sluggish manufacturing, construction

Can gov't raise reservist pay beyond $64?

The Korean government is moving to overhaul the compensation structure for its millions of military reservists, following years of criticism that mandatory service pay has failed to keep pace with the nation’s rising cost of living. Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, directed the Ministry of National Defense earlier this week to modernize the reserve training system and explore raising mobilization pay to at least the minimum wage. The directive comes as the disparity between military stipends and civilian earnings reaches a breaking point for young men forced to balance careers with national defense obligations. For Kim Dong-young, 28, the gap between duty and compensation is a matter of simple math. Last year, Kim spent four days commuting between his home in Hwaseong and a training site in Pyeongtaek — a grueling daily round trip. He said the stipend barely paid for the fuel used to get there. “I carpooled with a friend, spending about two hours a day commuting round trip,” Kim said. For his four days of service, he received 72,000 won ($48). Had he worked those s

Jan 14, 2026By Park Ung
Can gov't raise reservist pay beyond $64?
  • Back to training in South Korea's reserve forces

Sungkyunkwan University, Wando County sign MOU on offshore marine plant research

Sungkyunkwan University said Monday it signed a memorandum of understanding with Wando County in South Jeolla Province to jointly advance marine research and develop an offshore seaweed farming testbed aimed at expanding Korea’s blue carbon capacity. Under the agreement signed on Jan. 6, the two sides will establish and operate an offshore experimental marine plant farm near Cheongsan Island, aiming to strengthen research infrastructure and accelerate commercialization. The marine plant biomass production research group, in which the university participates, was established under a Korea–U.S. joint initiative led by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to develop technologies for seaweed biomass production. The five-year project aims to lay the groundwork for carbon neutrality by advancing the scientific use and industrialization of the carbon absorbed and stored by marine ecosystems, known as blue carbon. More than 30 domestic institutions, including Sungkyunkwan University, are participating, with total funding reaching 41 billion won ($27.9 million). The research group will establ

Jan 14, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Sungkyunkwan University, Wando County sign MOU on offshore marine plant research

Striking Seoul bus union to resume negotiations with management

Striking unionized intracity bus drivers in Seoul will resume negotiations with the management, officials said, after launching an indefinite strike Tuesday over wages that suspended all services and caused major traffic disruptions. All intracity bus services were suspended starting from the first service at 4 a.m. after wage negotiations between union officials and the management broke down Monday. Many traffic disruptions were reported across the capital during the morning rush hour, with subway stations crowded with commuters and some opting to walk to work in sub-zero temperatures. Union officials and the management will hold a new round of negotiations at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the request of the Seoul branch of the National Labor Relations Commission, commission officials said. The management had offered a wage increase of 10.3 percent in line with a Supreme Court ruling that regular bonuses should become part of an employee's regular wage. To reduce the burden of the added cost, however, it proposed establishing a new wage system that includes bonuses in the base pay. The union rejec

Jan 13, 2026By Yonhap
Striking Seoul bus union to resume negotiations with management

Seoul commute disrupted by bus strike despite extra subway, shuttle service

Seoul’s bus union brought much of the city’s road transit to a standstill on Tuesday, leaving commuters facing severe disruptions across the capital during the morning rush hour. At bus stops around the city, many people waited in the cold, staring at signs showing buses “waiting to be dispatched” or looking at their phones, hoping to squeeze onto the few buses still operating — many at intervals of 30 to 40 minutes or longer. In the early morning near a bus stop by Gupabal Station in northwestern Seoul, electronic information boards showed many buses that normally arrive in quick succession during rush hour were not yet in service. Some commuters eventually gave up and walked toward the nearest subway station instead. One office worker surnamed Kim, who was heading to Jung District in central Seoul, said the subway was “much more crowded than usual.” “My home is a bit far from the subway station, so I normally take a bus, but today I had no choice but to walk all the way despite the cold,” Kim told The Korea Times. Subway stations quickly turned into bottlenecks as bus

Jan 13, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Seoul commute disrupted by bus strike despite extra subway, shuttle service

Grade 1 enrollment falls below 300,000 for 1st time as Korea's population shrinks

For the first time, fewer than 300,000 children are expected to enter first grade in Korea this year, underscoring the effects of the country’s persistently low birthrate on its education system. According to the Ministry of Education’s revised projection report, released Tuesday, an estimated 298,178 children are expected to start first grade this year. The ministry had earlier projected that first grade enrollment would fall below 300,000 in 2027. But officials said that recent shifts in birthrates and school attendance as well as overall population decline now make it likely that the threshold will be crossed this year. The rapid decline in the number of first graders reflects the steep drop in school-age population over the past two decades. Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) data shows that the number of first graders dropped below 700,000 in 2000, down from 713,500 in 1999. The figure fell even faster after 2008, plummeting from 534,816 in 2008 to 468,233 a year later. In recent years, the pace of decline has accelerated again from 401,752 in 2023 to 353,713 in 202

Jan 13, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Grade 1 enrollment falls below 300,000 for 1st time as Korea's population shrinks
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