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  • Society

    Behind bars in Cheonan, foreign inmate weighs past and future

    CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province — Joe, identified by a pseudonym, is serving an 18-month sentence at Cheonan Correctional Institution, Korea's only prison tasked with handling foreign inmates. His name, age and nationality are being withheld at his request. “I caused a car accident while out with friends and entered prison last August,” Joe told The Korea Times. “I'm very sorry to my parents and the victim, who suffered great pain and harm because of me.” Inside the prison, his days follow a strict routine. He wakes up at 6 a.m., prepares for inspection, eats breakfast and waits for the next inspection. He spends his time studying English and religion, drawing and writing letters to friends. “At first it was hard to adjust, but the correctional officers helped a lot, so I haven't had any difficulties. I'm also adjusting to the culture here. Before coming to prison, I was too busy working to pick much up, but now I've been attending a prison program called 'Good Morning Korea,' learning about Korean culture.” Culture is one thing, but sharing a cell with strangers is ano

    2 MIN READBy Park Ung
    Behind bars in Cheonan, foreign inmate weighs past and future
  • South Korea

    To guard borderlands, Korea opts to screen foreign land purchases on 353 islands

    2 MIN READBy Lee Kyung-min
    To guard borderlands, Korea opts to screen foreign land purchases on 353 islands
  • Politics

    Lee to discuss pan-government drive to eradicate corruption

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee to discuss pan-government drive to eradicate corruption
  • Defense

    S. Korea-US combined exercise to conclude ahead of schedule after Trump order

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    S. Korea-US combined exercise to conclude ahead of schedule after Trump order
  • Society

    WEEKENDER Inside Korea's only prison tasked with handling foreign inmates

    4 MIN READBy Park Ung
    [WEEKENDER] Inside Korea's only prison tasked with handling foreign inmates
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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

Seoul faces highest heat alert for 1st time Tuesday

An intense heat wave gripping the Korean Peninsula is shifting westward, with the greater Seoul area bracing for conditions even hotter than in past weeks and authorities rolling out measures to protect vulnerable residents. A heat wave emergency warning, the highest alert level, will take effect at 11 a.m. Tuesday in southeastern and southwestern Seoul, Osan, Hanam and western Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province and Jangseong and northern Gokseong in South Jeolla Province, marking the first time the warning will have been issued in the greater Seoul area since the new alert system was introduced in June. The warning is issued when a region that has already had a perceived temperature of 35 degrees Celsius or higher for at least two consecutive days is expected to reach a perceived temperature of 38 degrees or higher, or an actual temperature of 39 degrees or higher, for at least one more day. It serves as a strong signal urging even healthy people to take extra precautions and halt outdoor work such as farming. As of 10 p.m. Monday, the day's highest temperature nationwide reached 41.2 degrees C

Aug 3, 2026By Park Ung
Seoul faces highest heat alert for 1st time Tuesday
Politics

Lee's approval hits new low amid housing, stock market turmoil

President Lee Jae Myung convened a meeting on the housing and stock markets immediately after returning from an 11-day diplomatic trip Monday, scrambling to address domestic economic concerns that built up while he was away. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the closed-door meeting was attended by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, as well as relevant Cabinet ministers and senior presidential aides. The session focused on follow-up measures from the public real estate policy forum Lee chaired on July 23 — the day before departing on his overseas trip — where he voiced concern over what he called outsized investments in real estate. Before departing, Lee left the ministries to work out tax, financial and housing supply measures based on feedback from that forum, only returning to the issue himself on the day he landed. Participants at Monday's meeting reviewed those measures, along with the effectiveness of supplementary regulations introduced by financial authorities on July 31 to curb risks tied to single-stock leveraged exchange-tr

Aug 3, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Lee's approval hits new low amid housing, stock market turmoil
Defense

Korea, US launch joint underwater search for Korean War aircraft wreckage

More than seven decades after the guns fell silent along the Korean Peninsula, Korea and the United States have embarked on a joint underwater expedition off the nation’s eastern coast to hunt for the submerged wreckage of American military aircraft downed during the 1950–53 Korean War. The Ministry of National Defense's Military Killed in Action Recovery and Identification Agency (MAKRIA) said Monday that the survey will run through Aug. 25 off the coastal counties of Yangyang and Gangneung in Gangwon Province. The operation marks the latest chapter in a long-standing bilateral effort to resolve one of the war's most lingering human tragedies: accounting for service members missing in action. The expedition unites roughly 40 personnel from MAKRIA, the Republic of Korea Navy's 1st Fleet, the Air Force's 18th Fighter Wing and the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) — the Pentagon entity tasked with recovering lost personnel worldwide. Among the American contingent are specialized underwater archaeologists, mission planners and more than 10 U.S. Navy divers and support te

Aug 3, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea, US launch joint underwater search for Korean War aircraft wreckage
Politics

PPP speeds up disciplinary process for 3 lawmakers amid internal feud

The ethics committee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said Monday it will hold a meeting this week to review possible disciplinary measures against three lawmakers over allegations of misconduct. The committee is expected to draft written inquiries to be sent to the lawmakers at the meeting, as it was recently restored to a seven-member panel after a series of resignations amid internal disputes. The panel plans to hear from the lawmakers as early as mid-August before deciding whether to take disciplinary measures, according to the party. Among the lawmakers is six-term Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae who is accused of making phone calls to lawmakers of other parties to try to prevent Rep. Park Duk-hyum from being elected as deputy National Assembly speaker. Rep. Jin Jong-oh, a first-term lawmaker, was referred to the committee for allegedly supporting independent candidate Han Dong-hoon for a parliamentary seat in the southeastern city of Busan ahead of the June 3 local elections for which the PPP had its own candidate. Rep. Kwon Young-jin, meanwhile, has come under fire for allegedly

Aug 3, 2026By Yonhap
PPP speeds up disciplinary process for 3 lawmakers amid internal feud
Defense

US drone mix-up caused by communication error at working level: official

Last week's mix-up between South Korean and U.S. militaries over a U.S. drone flight occurred due to a communication error at the working level, a South Korean military official said Monday. The incident came after South Korean forces detected the U.S. spy drone flying over the inter-Korean border area Thursday, mistaking it for an enemy threat and almost preparing to shoot it down. The unmanned flying vehicle was with a U.S. Marine Corps taking part in a routine combined exercise with the South Korean Marines at a U.S. training site in Paju, north of Seoul. The South's military conducted an inspection of the Army's 1st Corp, which has jurisdiction over the firing range. "The inspection confirmed that the incident occurred due to a communication error between working-level personnel regarding on-site airspace control procedures," an official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told reporters. "The command reporting system did not function properly, and it was also due to a customary practice of failing to comply with official flight authorization procedures," the JCS official said. The in

Aug 3, 2026By Yonhap
US drone mix-up caused by communication error at working level: official
Defense

Army's 1st Corps commander relieved of duty over unloaded weapons directive: military

The Army's 1st Corps commander was relieved of duty Monday over a string of controversies related to his order for troops to conduct guard duty without live ammunition loaded and the recent mix-up over a U.S. drone flying over the inter-Korean border, the defense ministry said. The 1st Corps was found to have instructed soldiers to use unloaded K6 heavy machine guns and K4 automatic grenade launchers and leave live ammunition next to the firearms while on guard duty. The case has sparked concerns over lax military readiness and security posture at front-line units. In a notice to the press, the ministry said Lt. Gen. Han Ki-sung, the commander of the 1st Corps, responsible for the western front, has been excluded from duty starting Monday with regard to the ongoing investigation into the case. The corps commander is known to have issued the guidelines at his discretion, although soldiers at front-line units are required to have their firearms loaded in principle. The Army Ground Operations Command has launched an inspection of all five corps under its command to determine whether any oth

Aug 3, 2026By Yonhap
Army's 1st Corps commander relieved of duty over unloaded weapons directive: military
Defense

Defense ministry launches new counterintelligence headquarters

The Ministry of National Defense on Monday officially launched the Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters, establishing a new military organization responsible for counterintelligence as part of a broader restructuring of the former Defense Counterintelligence Command. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back presided over the inauguration ceremony at the headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, attended by senior military officers, defense officials and personnel assigned to the new organization. “We must uproot the bad practices of the past and rebuild this organization as a professional agency focused solely on its proper mission,” Ahn said during the inauguration ceremony. “Transparency and professionalism must ultimately lead to one thing — public trust.” According to the ministry, the headquarters was formally established on Friday under a presidential decree issued last month. The move follows the dismantling and reorganization of the former Defense Counterintelligence Command, which became embroiled in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration. The min

Aug 3, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Defense ministry launches new counterintelligence headquarters
Society

Seoul offers perks, subsidies for companies willing to hire senior workers

In a rapidly aging society, Korea’s capital is deploying financial incentives to redefine what it means to grow old in the workforce. Municipal officials on Monday opened applications for businesses to participate in the upcoming 2026 Senior Job Fair, offering companies a completely subsidized recruitment platform — alongside direct cash subsidies of up to 5.5 million won ($4,000) per senior hire through its ongoing Senior Internship Program — to actively incentivize local firms to adopt age-inclusive hiring practices. The initiative comes as Korea faces an unprecedented demographic transition, boasting one of the world's fastest-aging populations alongside historically low birthrates. To address shrinking labor pools and keep healthy older adults economically active, municipal policies have pivoted sharply toward creating dignified, sustainable second careers for seniors. The cash subsidies, which cover wage support and employment retention bonuses, apply to Seoul-based businesses with five or more full-time employees that hire workers aged 60 or older, with retroactive coverage

Aug 3, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul offers perks, subsidies for companies willing to hire senior workers
South Korea

Modest rebound in births in Korea's capital offers glimmer of hope

For nearly a decade, Korea has served as the poster child for the global demographic crisis, recording the lowest fertility rate on the planet as young adults postponed marriage and parenthood amid skyrocketing housing costs and intense career pressures. But inside the bustling capital of Korea, long-dormant maternity wards are beginning to tell an encouragingly different story. New figures released Monday by municipal authorities reveal that 4,227 babies were born in Seoul in May, representing a dramatic 17.7 percent jump compared to the same month last year. The surge marks the 26th consecutive month of year-over-year birth growth in the city — a sustained, two-year turnaround that demographers once considered highly improbable given the nationwide trend. The momentum is heavily fueled by a record-setting wave of weddings. Between January and May, marriages in Seoul jumped 11.1 percent compared to the prior year, outpacing all other 17 regions across Korea. In a country where childbirth remains overwhelmingly tied to traditional marriage, the rising number of newlyweds has created

Aug 3, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Modest rebound in births in Korea's capital offers glimmer of hope
Health

7 in 10 Korean students have tried alcohol by high school senior year, survey finds

Smoking and drinking among Korean adolescents rose sharply from sixth grade through the final year of high school, according to new government data highlighting a steady decline in healthy habits as students grow older. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency released findings Monday from its Korean Youth Health Behavior Panel Survey, which has tracked a panel of 5,051 students who were sixth graders in 2019 for a 10-year period through 2028 to study behavioral changes and their contributing factors. Monday's release, covering the 2019-2025 period, drew on 3,756 students and compiled cumulative statistics on smoking, drinking and eating habits. The data showed a sharp rise in tobacco product use as students advanced through school. The share of students who had ever used a tobacco product rose to 11.93 percent by their final year of high school from 0.35 percent in sixth grade, up 11.58 percentage points over six years. The increase was steeper among male students, up 15.47 percentage points to 16.02 percent, than among female students, up 7.5 percentage points to 7.64 percent. Th

Aug 3, 2026By Park Ung
7 in 10 Korean students have tried alcohol by high school senior year, survey finds
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