South Korea - The Korea Times

Childbirths rise 13.6% in May

The number of babies born in Korea rose 13.6 percent in May from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, in another positive sign amid the country's demographic challenge. A total of 23,160 babies were born in May, up from 20,379 a year earlier, according to findings released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Over the January-May period, the total number of births came to 122,694, up 15.2 percent from the same period in 2025. Korea's birth rate has begun rebounding since 2024, partly driven by a rise of post-pandemic marriages and government efforts to encourage couples to have babies. The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rose by 0.1 from a year earlier to 0.85 in May. The rate still remains well below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration. The number of marriages in May, meanwhile, fell 6.4 percent from a year earlier to 20,368. Divorce numbers also declined 3.9 percent from a year earlier to 7,122. The latest data showed the number of deaths rose 3.8 perc

Jul 29, 2026By Yonhap

Korea sees record number of tropical nights so far this summer

Korea has logged a record number of tropical nights so far this summer as an unrelenting heat wave continues to grip the nation, the state weather agency said Tuesday. The nationwide average number of tropical nights reached 7.8 between June 1 and July 27, marking the highest figure for the period since 1973, when the country established a nationwide weather observation network, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). A tropical night refers to a phenomenon when nighttime temperatures stay above 25 C. During that period, the nation's average daily temperature stood at 24.2 C — the second highest figure since 1973 — only behind last year's 24.8 C. The weather agency attributed the heat wave to hot and humid air flowing into the country under the influence of the North Pacific High pressure system. The KMA warned the country is expected to experience hotter weather, with daytime temperatures to range between 33 and 39 C from Aug. 1 to 7. The southeastern city of Daegu is expected to log 39 C every day during the weeklong period. The city recorded its all-time high tem

Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap

Korea sees record number of tropical nights so far this summer

Act of grace: Catholic nuns pool relief funds for neighbors in need

When government relief funds landed in the accounts of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, the nuns living at the order's historic convent in central Seoul saw an opportunity not for themselves, but for their struggling neighbors. Instead of spending their individual relief stipends on daily expenses, more than 150 nuns quietly pooled their aid to purchase 8.21 million won ($6,000) worth of essential summer goods. On July 16, boxes filled with cooling bed pads, groceries and nutritional drinks were delivered directly to the Myeong-dong Community Service Center to help vulnerable families weather the dual burdens of rising inflation and scorching summer heat. The donation marks the second time the convent has turned public relief programs into acts of civic generosity. Last year, the sisters similarly pooled their government consumer recovery vouchers to buy food for local residents. The initiative grew out of a thoughtful partnership with the neighborhood's civil servants. Recognizing that many elderly nuns faced difficulties navigating bureaucracy, staff from the local community cente

Jul 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan

Act of grace: Catholic nuns pool relief funds for neighbors in need

Seoul deploys chilled water fridges to protect heat-vulnerable residents

As summer temperatures climb across the capital, municipal authorities are turning to a straightforward strategy to keep vulnerable residents and outdoor workers safe from heat-related illness: free, chilled bottles of tap water served at 5 degrees Celsius. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that it launched 18 "Arisu Sharing Refrigerators" across nine key hubs citywide, distributing cold bottled municipal water — branded as Arisu — through Sept. 30. The program targets people facing prolonged exposure to extreme heat, including delivery workers, outdoor laborers, elderly residents and homeless people. The initiative arrives amid a sharp rise in extreme heat events across Korea. Heat illness cases nationwide surged to 4,460 last year, quadrupling over the past five years. In Seoul alone, health authorities logged 378 cases of heat-related illness last summer, with heat exhaustion accounting 48 percent. The vast majority of these incidents occurred outdoors along roads and in public parks. To address the threat where it is most acute, the city deployed six vending-machin

Jul 28, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan

Seoul deploys chilled water fridges to protect heat-vulnerable residents

Yoon Suk Yeol received $1.15 mil. in prison deposits over 1 year, 6.3 times presidential salary

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol received more than 1.7 billion won ($1.15 million) in prison deposits over the past year, more than six times the president's salary this year of 271 million won. According to the office of Rep. Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party, Tuesday, the inmate who received the most prison deposits at the Seoul Detention Center from July 10, 2025 to July 10, 2026 received 1,714,700,137 won. The inmate is reportedly Yoon. Yoon was returned to detention in July last year and received the deposits over 39,829 transactions. The total is about 13 times that of the second-highest recipient at the Seoul Detention Center, who received 131 million won. Yoon withdrew 99.46 percent of the total in 511 transactions. Former first lady Kim Keon Hee, meanwhile, topped the list of prison deposit recipients at the Seoul Nambu Detention Center from Aug. 12 last year to July 10 this year, receiving 171 million won. Kim received prison deposits 8,119 times during the period and withdrew 94.5 percent of the total in 92 transactions. Yoon and Kim are believed to have transferred th

Jul 28, 2026By Park Ung

Yoon Suk Yeol received $1.15 mil. in prison deposits over 1 year, 6.3 times presidential salary

InterviewSeoul's new Arisu head aims to export trust in tap water

Kwon Min, the new head of Arisu, a city agency overseeing Seoul's tap water system, wants the capital’s expertise in safe tap water to travel well beyond borders, helping cities overseas build reliable water systems while further deepening trust at home. Kwon, who assumed the position earlier this month, said the city is committed to sharing its technology and know-how with partner cities where simply turning on the faucet can still be a health risk. His remarks come as trust in Seoul’s tap water reaches a record high: A recent survey found that 75 percent of residents now drink straight from the tap — a level of trust officials say reflects many years of investment in water quality and pipe replacement. But safe tap water is still a distant goal in many parts of the world, which is why Kwon wants Arisu’s hard-won trust to become an exportable asset, bringing trust to places like Laos and Tanzania. “If any city needs our technology and our know-how, we should help wherever our capacity allows,” he said in an interview with The Korea Times, adding that drinking water is more

Jul 28, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Seoul's new Arisu head aims to export trust in tap water

Serious heat wave warning issued for 17 southern areas

The state weather service issued its highest-level heat wave warning for 17 areas in southern Korea on Monday, saying extreme heat is expected there. The serious heat wave warning had been issued as of 11 a.m. in Daegu, nine South Gyeongsang Province areas, including Gimhae, Miryang, Yangsan, Uiryeong, Jinju and Changwon; six North Gyeongsang Province areas, including Gyeongsan, Pohang and Gyeongju, and Gwangyang of South Jeolla Province, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The serious heat wave warning is the highest warning level established 18 years after the heat wave advisory system was introduced in 2008. It is issued when the highest perceived temperature reaches 38 C or higher, or the maximum daily temperature reaches 39 C or higher, levels considered life-threatening. The highest perceived temperatures rose to 37.4 C in Yangsan, 37.3 C in Gwangyang, 36.9 C in Uiryeong and 36.6 C in northern Daegu as of 1 p.m., the KMA said, adding the mercury will rise even further in the late afternoon. The season's first serious heat wave warning was issued in Yangsan an

Jul 27, 2026By Yonhap

Serious heat wave warning issued for 17 southern areas

Korean men drinking less, women 30 and up drinking more

High-risk drinking rates among Korean men declined overall across all age groups while those among women aged 30 and older rose, highlighting a growing divergence in the country's drinking habits. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) released an analysis Monday, aiming to raise awareness of excessive drinking during the summer vacation season. The findings are based on the 2025 Community Health Survey, an annual survey of about 230,000 adults aged 19 and older that tracks health behavior and chronic disease prevalence. The KDCA defines high-risk drinking as consuming seven or more shots of soju or five or more cans of beer in a single sitting for men. For women, the threshold is five or more shots of soju or three or more cans of beer. Both apply to drinking at least twice a week over the past year. Monthly binge drinking refers to the same amounts consumed at least once a month, while monthly drinking refers to drinking at least once a month over the past year. In Korea, 57.1 percent of adults drank at least once a month, 33.7 percent binge drank and 12 percent engaged

Jul 27, 2026By Park Ung

Korean men drinking less, women 30 and up drinking more

Police officers' decadeslong community ties fuel calls for wider rotation

About 17,000 police officers have worked at the same station for more than 10 years, amid a government push to expand its police rotation policy over concerns about local cronyism. According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Lee Sang-sik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 5,209 senior inspectors, 8,697 inspectors, 3,211 assistant inspectors and 13 senior patrol officers had worked at the same station for over 10 years as of this month. At the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, 8.4 percent of 31,302 officers at the rank of senior inspector or below had worked at the same station for over 10 years. The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency in North Jeolla Province posted 23.8 percent of 5,136 officers, and the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency in North Chungcheong Province posted 21.7 percent of 3,954 officers. Senior inspectors and inspectors, the two ranks that lead frontline operations, made up 18 percent and 24.2 percent of their ranks nationwide, giving officers local familiarity that aids community policing but could also breed collusion between officers and lo

Jul 27, 2026By Park Ung

Police officers' decadeslong community ties fuel calls for wider rotation

Highest-level heat warnings issued for southeastern Korea

The weather agency on Sunday issued grave heat wave warnings for Daegu and other southeastern parts of Korea as temperatures climbed well above 30 degrees Celsius. The highest-level heat warnings took effect for southwestern parts of Daegu, and the nearby city of Gyeongsan and the county of Cheongdo, both in North Gyeongsang Province, at 11 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The southeastern cities of Pohang and Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, had already been placed under the highest-level heat warnings earlier in the day. As of 1 p.m., temperatures had reached 38.4 degrees in Gyeongju, 35.4 degrees in Daegu and 32.1 degrees in Pohang. The KMA said as of 3:10 p.m., the maximum apparent temperatures for Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, and Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, had risen to 38.3 degrees. It marked the latest issuance of the highest heat warnings since the weather agency adopted a new heat warning system on June 1 to alert the public to extreme heat. A highest-level heat warning is issued when the daily high is forecast to reach 39 degrees

Jul 26, 2026By Yonhap

Society

Society

Childbirths rise 13.6% in May

Korea sees record number of tropical nights so far this summer

Act of grace: Catholic nuns pool relief funds for neighbors in need

Seoul deploys chilled water fridges to protect heat-vulnerable residents

Yoon Suk Yeol received $1.15 mil. in prison deposits over 1 year, 6.3 times presidential salary

InterviewSeoul's new Arisu head aims to export trust in tap water

Serious heat wave warning issued for 17 southern areas

Korean men drinking less, women 30 and up drinking more

Police officers' decadeslong community ties fuel calls for wider rotation

Highest-level heat warnings issued for southeastern Korea

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