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  • Environment & Animals

    Wild boar sightings in Seoul surge 137%

    A video of firefighters struggling to subdue a wild boar in an apartment building in Seoul’s Mapo District went viral, April 27. The footage shows four firefighters wrestling with the animal before it was eventually killed. Six days earlier, Ewha Womans University put up an unusual notice for dormitory residents, warning them about wild boars on campus and advising them not to walk alone at night, or make any sudden or provocative movements if they encounter one. The university said it had increased patrols while spraying repellent, but failed to spot or capture any animal. The number of wild boar sightings has been on the rise over the past few years. The incidents reflect a broader trend. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of wild boars reported in the city rose137 percent, from 205 in 2022 to 486 in 2024. Eunpyeong District recorded the most cases at 158, followed by Dobong District with 126 and Seongbuk District with 79. Fire department callouts related to wild boars in Seoul reached 589 in 2024, up 55.4 percent from 2022, with 290 cases already logged in th

    2 MIN READBy Park Ji-won
    Wild boar sightings in Seoul surge 137%
  • Society

    Too many trainers: Seoul’s Pokemon event canceled due to large crowd

    2 MIN READBy Park Ji-won
    Too many trainers: Seoul’s Pokemon event canceled due to large crowd
  • Society

    6 out of 10 Koreans back raising senior age threshold to 70

    2 MIN READBy Baek Byung-yeul
    6 out of 10 Koreans back raising senior age threshold to 70
  • Health

    Teacher’s ‘melon seed’ comment sparks backlash — health experts say eating them is actually beneficial

    2 MIN READBy Kormedi.com
    Teacher’s ‘melon seed’ comment sparks backlash — health experts say eating them is actually beneficial
  • Society

    'Child nearly dies from mosquito bite': comedian Lee Soo-ji’s kindergarten satire sequel draws explosive response

    2 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    'Child nearly dies from mosquito bite': comedian Lee Soo-ji’s kindergarten satire sequel draws explosive response
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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.

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Society

Prosecutors indict Unification Church official on illegal political donations

Prosecutors decided Wednesday to indict a Unification Church official for allegedly delivering illegal political donations to lawmakers, while requesting additional investigation into other figures involved, including the leader. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it has indicted Song Gwang-seok, a former head of the Universal Peace Foundation affiliated with the church, amid an ongoing investigation into the religious group's illegal political donations to both ruling and opposition parties. Song allegedly delivered church funds worth 13 million won ($8,960) to 11 lawmakers in 2019. On the previous day, the police transferred Han Hak-ja, the church leader, and three other officials, including Song, to prosecutors. Han is currently in custody on a separate bribery charge involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Prosecutors, meanwhile, requested the police to conduct an additional investigation into Han and two other officials. The four are accused of making illegal donations to both ruling and opposition politicians in an organized manner in early 2019. Police believe chur

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
Prosecutors indict Unification Church official on illegal political donations
Society

PHOTO Year of the Horse

Jeju horses, designated as a Natural Monument of Korea, roam in a pasture of the Jeju Livestock and Life Science Research Institute on Jeju Island, Dec. 19. In Korean tradition, the Year of the Horse is associated with strength, speed, passion and daring spirit. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Dec 31, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
[PHOTO] Year of the Horse
Defense

Operation control of Marine divisions to be restored to Marine Corps in military overhaul

The operational control of two Marine divisions, now governed by the Army, will be restored to the Marine Corps for the first time in 50 years as part of a military overhaul, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The move is designed to ensure the independence of the Marine Corps by fully restoring its operational control over its military units. Under the plan, the operational control of the 1st Marine Division and the 2nd Marine Division will be returned to the Marine Corps by the end of 2026 and 2028, respectively. The operation control of the 1st Marine Division currently lies with the Army's commander of the 2nd Operation Command, while that of the 2nd Marine Division is subject to control of the Army's Capital Corps. "The Marine Corps will remain under the Navy as it is now, but its independence will be ensured by granting the Marine Corps commander command and oversight authority on par with that of the chiefs of staff of each service," Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said during a briefing. The defense minister also vowed to review the possibility of promoting Marines to four-star ge

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
Operation control of Marine divisions to be restored to Marine Corps in military overhaul
Law & Crime

Regulator says Coupang should come up with compensation acceptable for victims of data leak

The head of Korea's data protection regulator said Wednesday that Coupang should come up with compensation acceptable for victims of its massive data leak amid strong backlash against the online retailer's offer of vouchers and discounts. Song Kyung-hee, head of the Personal Information Protection Commission, made the call during a parliamentary hearing over the company's data breach that affected 33.7 million users — around two-thirds of Korea's population. "It is very important to establish a compensation plan that makes victims feel they have been remedied. The burden of proof lies with the company," said Song when asked about Coupang's plan to offer 50,000 won ($35) worth of coupons and discounts to each of the affected users. The plan, unveiled Monday, has drawn criticism because each customer is allowed to spend only 5,000 won at the online retailer's main platform, while the remaining vouchers worth 45,000 won have to be used at other commerce platforms, including one for luxury goods. Critics say such measures may be aimed at prompting customers to spend more at Coupang's other

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
Regulator says Coupang should come up with compensation acceptable for victims of data leak
Defense

PM encourages soldiers at front-line Army unit

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited a front-line Army unit near the inter-Korean border on Wednesday to inspect defense readiness and encourage troops, officials said. Kim paid a visit to the Army's 9th infantry division of Baekma (White Horse), in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, according to his office. Kim expressed gratitude for service members protecting the country, saying that people's daily lives can continue because of their efforts. "We, the government, will work harder to set this country on a firmer footing and encourage soldiers to nurture the strong sense of duty to the nation and to dream for your future work in society after your service," Kim said. Kim also climbed a guard post to observe North Korea and walked along the barbed wire fence in the border with the North to review military readiness posture, his office added.

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
PM encourages soldiers at front-line Army unit
Society

Star lecturers charged over illegal college entrance exam question deals

Prosecutors indicted 46 people Monday on charges of illegally trading questions tied to Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), or Suneung, including officials from private tuition companies and teachers. Those charged include prominent private CSAT instructors, math teacher Hyun Woo-jin and English teacher Cho Jung-sik. The two are accused of purchasing test questions from teachers who either wrote textbooks for Korea's public broadcaster, the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), or previously served as CSAT mock exam writers, which are state-run practice tests held six times a year. Prosecutors allege Hyun paid about 400 million won ($276,900) to three teachers between 2020 and 2023 to write and provide test questions. Cho is accused of paying 80 million won over the same period to obtain questions from teachers and other individuals, and of seeking advance access to questions before EBS textbooks were published. Since 2004, CSAT questions have been closely tied to EBS textbooks as a measure to curb private education costs. This year, 50 percent of the exam questions were di

Dec 31, 2025By Park Ung
Star lecturers charged over illegal college entrance exam question deals
Environment & Animals

Heavily criticized bear bile farming to be fully banned next year

Korea is set to fully ban its decades-old controversial practice of bear bile farming next year, according to officials Wednesday, although about 200 bears are still in captivity. Since 1981, Korea has allowed the import and breeding of bears in an effort to boost income for farmers in rural areas. Although bear imports were banned in 1985 amid growing international criticism, bears continued to be held captive for their bile and other body parts used in alternative medicinal treatments. The revision to the Wildlife Protection and Management Act passed in December 2023 to formally outlaw bear farming. This week, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that the breeding of bears and the extraction of bear bile will be prohibited starting Jan. 1 next year. Authorities said 34 bears have been relocated to protection facilities, but 199 bears remain in captivity at 11 farms across the country as negotiations continue between animal rights groups and bear farmers. The ministry said it will grant a six-month grace period, during which the farmers will not be punished for keepi

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
Heavily criticized bear bile farming to be fully banned next year
Law & Crime

FTC slaps fines on 3 construction firms, CJ for unfair internal deals

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Wednesday it has imposed fines totaling 93.5 billion won ($64.8 million) on three construction companies and CJ Group for illegal inter-subsidiary transactions. The FTC said it fined Daebang Construction, JungHeung Construction, Woomi and CJ Group, and referred them to the prosecution following a government investigation into unfair internal deals related to public land development projects. The commission fined Daebang Construction for providing improper support to affiliated companies owned by the chairman's family by transferring the ownership of public housing sites, expected to yield massive development returns. JungHeung was sanctioned for allegedly providing free guarantees worth trillions of won to a company owned by a family member of the chairman. Food-to-entertainment conglomerate CJ Group was accused of illegally injecting funds into a troubled affiliate through derivatives. Woomi, a midsized real estate developer, was slapped with fines for the alleged funneling of large-scale construction projects to its affiliates, including a company ow

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
FTC slaps fines on 3 construction firms, CJ for unfair internal deals
Politics

Lee formally appoints chief state auditor

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday granted a letter of appointment to Kim Ho-cheol, the new chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), Cheong Wa Dae said. A human rights lawyer, Kim previously served as chair of the Korean National Police Commission and as a member of a committee probing suspicious deaths of soldiers. Kim also led Lawyers for a Democratic Society, a liberal-leaning lawyers' group. Lee also gave a letter of appointment to Park Soo-geun, the chair of the National Labor Relations Commission, which mediates and arbitrates labor disputes. Park, a labor law expert, previously served as chair of the commission under the previous Moon Jae-in administration and was reappointed to the post. He officially took office on Dec. 1.

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
Lee formally appoints chief state auditor
Politics

Ruling party shaken by nomination bribery allegations ahead of local elections

Korea’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is scrambling to contain political fallout after allegations surfaced that money may have been exchanged during its candidate nomination process ahead of the 2022 local elections — a controversy that now threatens to complicate preparations for this year’s local polls. The allegations center on claims that during the 2022 local elections, Kim Byung-kee — who served as secretary of the Seoul party nomination committee — was aware that an aide to DPK lawmaker Kang Sun-woo had received 100 million won ($69,200) in cash from Kim Kyung, then a prospective city council candidate, but failed to intervene. The controversy escalated after media reports on Monday disclosed audio recordings related to the case. Kim stepped down from his post the following day. Kim said the growing controversy had reached a point where it risked damaging the party as a whole. “I concluded that remaining in this position would inevitably become a burden on the DPK and on the Lee Jae Myung administration,” Kim said, adding that he could not allow the issue t

Dec 31, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Ruling party shaken by nomination bribery allegations ahead of local elections
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