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Global Community

Justice ministry launches new team to protect foreign workers' rights

The Ministry of Justice said Monday it has established a new team dedicated to preventing human rights violations against foreign workers and strengthening protections for them. The team, established within the Korea Immigration Service, is tasked with providing education and information to immigrant workers, supporting counseling and reporting, conducting on-site investigations into human rights violations and offering relief to victims, the ministry said. In case of clear human rights violations, such as the recent air gun attack on a migrant worker and the assault of foreign workers at a textile factory in Incheon, west of Seoul, the team will establish a rapid response system and strengthen victim protection, it said. In addition, the ministry said it will establish an integrated support system to ensure that the human rights of foreign workers are protected throughout the entire migration process, from pre-entry procedures, such as visa applications, to residence, employment and community integration in Korea. The ministry said it will also cooperate with the labor ministry, local g

Jun 1, 2026By Yonhap
Justice ministry launches new team to protect foreign workers' rights
South Korea

Lee's approval rating inches down to 59.1%: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell slightly from a week earlier partly due to negative sentiment over the deadly collapse of an overpass in central Seoul last week, a survey showed Monday. In the poll commissioned by EKN newspaper and conducted by Realmeter, the positive assessment of Lee's job performance slipped 0.2 percentage point from a week before to 59.1 percent. The weekly survey was conducted on 2,008 people aged 18 and older from Tuesday through Friday. The negative assessment rose 0.7 percentage point to 36.8 percent. Lee's approval rating stood at 60.5 percent in the second week of May before falling to 59.3 percent the following week and further to 59.1 percent in the latest poll. Realmeter said the partial collapse of the Seosomun Overpass in central Seoul last Tuesday overshadowed positive economic developments, including the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index hitting a record high. The overpass collapsed during an on-site safety inspection while undergoing demolition, killing three people and injuring three others. The pollster said former President Par

Jun 1, 2026By Yonhap
Lee's approval rating inches down to 59.1%: poll
Society

Roundtable9 opinion leaders stress importance of dialogue for peace on Korean Peninsula

Experts and religious leaders gathered for a Korea Times Roundtable on Tuesday, emphasizing the urgent need for dialogue and mutual respect as essential foundations for achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula. At the event held in Seoul, participants discussed South Korea’s role in global peacemaking, shifting generational attitudes toward North Korea and recent incidents that have exposed social divisions. Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, opened the discussion by describing peace as a shared global responsibility that requires persistent communication across borders. “Many people around the world are worried because of wars and conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and Iran and the Middle East,” Lee said. “In times like this, I believe the most important thing we need is peace. We must respect one another and work together to create a peaceful future. This cannot be achieved by one nation alone — it requires cooperation, understanding and sincere communication among all countries.” The roundtable, moderated by Oh Young-jin, president and publisher of

Jun 1, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
9 opinion leaders stress importance of dialogue for peace on Korean Peninsula
2026 local elections

Foreign voters in Guro seek economic revival but lack candidate awareness

Ahead of the June 3 local elections, Kim Bun-ok, an ethnic Korean from China and permanent resident living in southwestern Seoul's Guro District, has a lot on her mind. “I'm not sure who to vote for, but I definitely plan to vote,” the 66-year-old side dish shop owner told The Korea Times, Wednesday. Kim is among a fast-growing pool of foreign eligible voters, a number that has tripled from 48,428 in 2014 to 151,532 this year, according to the National Election Commission. Unlike presidential and parliamentary elections, foreign residents aged 18 or older are eligible to vote in local elections three years after obtaining an F-5 permanent residency visa. Among all 25 districts in Seoul, Guro District leads with 6,736 eligible foreign voters, reflecting its large population of Chinese nationals and ethnic Koreans from China. On the ground, however, foreign voters The Korea Times spoke with last week knew little about the district chief candidates and their platforms. However, they were united in calling for the revival of the regional economy, which in part is a national-level issue r

Jun 1, 2026By Park Ung
Foreign voters in Guro seek economic revival but lack candidate awareness
Global Community

Solas sunrise walk shines light on mental health awareness

In four cities across Korea, more than 200 people participated in the annual Solas sunrise walk on Saturday, bringing local and international communities together for the third time in a nationwide show of solidarity for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Organized by the Irish Association of Korea (IAK), the early morning walk events were held simultaneously in Seoul and Busan, on Jeju Island and, for the first time, in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, aimed at spreading awareness of mental health and well-being, while also raising funds to support mental health counseling services in Korea. In Seoul, about 100 people gathered near Yeouinaru Station on Seoul Metro Line 5 at 4 a.m. wearing green T-shirts for the annual 5-kilometer community walk known as Solas, from the Irish word for "light.” The organizers stressed that the event was about connection, reminding each other that even in difficult times, there is comfort in community and strength in togetherness. “There’s an Irish saying: 'Ní neart go cur le chéile,' there is no strength without unity," Warren Neiland,

Jun 1, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu
Solas sunrise walk shines light on mental health awareness
Defense

Korea seeks to highlight efforts for 'self-reliant' defense at key security forum

SINGAPORE — At a key defense forum in Singapore, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has highlighted South Korea's efforts to strengthen its "self-reliant" defense capabilities amid growing North Korean threats and a volatile security environment shaped in part by the Middle East tensions. Attending the three-day Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, Ahn also stressed that these efforts are being pursued alongside the country's strong commitment to strengthening its alliance with the United States. In his speech during a plenary session Saturday, Ahn cited the North's military buildup and its closer alignment with Russia as a "key variable" in global security, emphasizing that the security on the Korean Peninsula is increasingly linked to the security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. "The Republic of Korea will continue its efforts to strengthen self-reliant defense capabilities in tandem with enhancing the alliance (with the United States)," Ahn said in his speech, calling South Korea by its official name. Ahn introduced South Korea's efforts to build a "smart military

May 31, 2026By Yonhap
Korea seeks to highlight efforts for 'self-reliant' defense at key security forum
Society

Lee vows zero tolerance for those who defame disaster victims

President Lee Jae Myung said Sunday he will not tolerate those who insult victims and bereaved families of social disasters. "I will order authorities to thoroughly investigate and sternly punish" anyone who does so, he said, citing a recent case in which a man in his 50s was arrested for allegedly posting more than 3,000 defamatory messages targeting victims and their families of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush and the 2024 Jeju Air crash. "Why on earth would someone do this?" Lee wrote on X. "He should put himself in their shoes; imagine if his family were among the victims." The man was arrested the previous day for allegedly spreading defamatory content and groundless allegations against victims and their families on major online forums since 2022. The case marked the third case where a suspect was arrested since police established a special investigation team in July, at Lee's direction, to crack down on those who inflict secondary harm on disaster victims and their families.

May 31, 2026By Yonhap
Lee vows zero tolerance for those who defame disaster victims
Politics

Presidential envoy visits Canada to expand ties, back submarine bid

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik departed for Canada on Sunday in his capacity as presidential special envoy for strategic economic cooperation in a visit widely seen as connected to Ottawa's submarine procurement project. "ROK-Canada relations have been rapidly expanding across the economy, energy and high-tech industries," he wrote on his Facebook page. "Amid the prolonged Middle East crisis, I am keenly aware that the two countries' economic and industrial structures are highly complementary and that the potential synergies from cooperation as global middle powers are enormous. "As this marks my second visit in four months as special envoy, I will try my best to yield tangible results this time in expanding strategic cooperation between the two countries in energy, resources, supply chains and high-tech industries," he wrote. Kang is expected to attend a Korea-Canada forum on energy, security and supply chains and to support Korean shipbuilders' efforts to win Ottawa's submarine procurement project worth as much as 60 trillion won ($39.9 billion). Currently, Korea's Hanwha Oc

May 31, 2026By Yonhap
Presidential envoy visits Canada to expand ties, back submarine bid
Global Community

Gov’t denies foreign worker scheme aims to expand cheap labor

The government has rejected concerns that its new foreign worker scheme for depopulated regions is designed to expand access to cheap migrant labor, insisting it is meant to sustain local economies facing structural labor shortages. In written responses sent to The Korea Times recently, the Ministry of Justice said the goal is not “simple cost-cutting through low-paid foreign workers,” but to help solve the “structural labor shortage problem in depopulation areas where hiring Koreans” is very difficult. Announced earlier this month, the “regional vitality special employment scheme for small businesses” allows small businesses and agricultural corporations in designated areas to hire foreigners who hold the F-2-R visa, which lets certain noncitizens live and work long term in designated depopulated areas. Previously, the F-2-R visa could only be used by employers that already had Korean staff on their payroll, a condition officials said was difficult to meet amid worsening labor shortages across the country, excluding major cities. Under the initiative, employers in 89 design

May 31, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Gov’t denies foreign worker scheme aims to expand cheap labor
Defense

Defense minister seeks US congressional support for S. Korea's nuclear-powered sub project

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Sunday sought bipartisan U.S. congressional support for South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine project, as he met with members of the House of Representatives and the Senate at a defense forum, Seoul's defense ministry said. Ahn separately met with congressmen and senators, including Reps. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Michael Baumgartner (R-WA); and Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE), the ministry said in a release. "The minister sought congressional support for key alliance issues, including the transfer of wartime operational control, the pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and cooperation in shipbuilding and maintenance, repair and overhaul," the ministry said in a release. The United States gave backing for Seoul's bid to build nuclear powered subs after an October summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump. South Korea recently unveiled its road map for the program, aiming to domestically build the boats and launch the first one in the mid-2030s. Ahn also stressed the importance of

May 31, 2026By Yonhap
Defense minister seeks US congressional support for S. Korea's nuclear-powered sub project
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