https://www.scmp.com/rss/523680/feed The latest news and top stories on Korea University. A South Korea-based private research university, Korea University is dedicated to fostering talent, research excellence and social development. Its main areas of focus include diverse programs in liberal arts, business, law and engineering. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Korea Times The Korea Times The Korea Times is hosting its third Korean Language Speaking Contest, offering participants a chance to showcase their Korean language skills and compete for prizes worth a total of 12 million won (US$8,150). The contest, which runs until May 7, drew about 1,800 applicants last year, reflecting growing global interest in Korean language and culture, according to The Korea Times. This year, one award recipient currently enrolled in a Korean university or graduate school will be offered a summer... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3345659/korean-language-speaking-contest-offers-prizes-and-internship-non-native-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3345659/korean-language-speaking-contest-offers-prizes-and-internship-non-native-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 David D. Lee David D. Lee It has been just over a month since Lee Hyun-jun* was discharged from his mandatory military service, but the 22-year-old college student already feels he has hit an invisible wall regarding his future. “Whenever I search for jobs, internships or fellowship programmes on online platforms, they always ask for the name of your university,” Lee told This Week in Asia. “Looking at the comments section, people are saying most places prioritise which school you graduated from. They say you might as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341877/south-korea-fights-academic-pedigree-hiring-bias-turns-everyone-losers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341877/south-korea-fights-academic-pedigree-hiring-bias-turns-everyone-losers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa Yerin Ha may not be the “diamond of the season” in the upcoming highly anticipated fourth instalment of Netflix’s hit regency era series Bridgerton, but the Australian actress’ role as the mysterious “lady in silver”, aka Sophie Baek, has piqued the interest of long-time fans of the show. Online snoopers have already figured out that the 28-year-old actress comes from a family of actors – in fact, her maternal grandmother is award-winning veteran actress Son Sook who starred in The Glory... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3341620/who-son-sook-bridgerton-star-yerin-has-grandmother-and-award-winning-actress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3341620/who-son-sook-bridgerton-star-yerin-has-grandmother-and-award-winning-actress?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:00:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo’s conviction and unexpectedly harsh prison sentence have sent shock waves through the political establishment and darkened the outlook for impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, who faces his own insurrection verdict next month. Analysts say the ruling dismantles Yoon’s legal narrative that his short-lived martial law decree was a legitimate exercise of presidential authority and signals that the courts are prepared to impose heavy penalties for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340769/fate-south-koreas-yoon-almost-foregone-conclusion-after-hans-shock-prison-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340769/fate-south-koreas-yoon-almost-foregone-conclusion-after-hans-shock-prison-term?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 04:00:18 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Prosecutors on Friday demanded a 10-year prison sentence for former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol in the first of four trials linked to his failed attempt to impose martial law, as a potential ruling against Yoon next month could keep him behind bars even before his most serious case is concluded. This first case focuses on Yoon’s actions before and after the martial law decree was issued on December 3 last year, including obstructing his arrest, bypassing Cabinet procedures and forging... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337790/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-faces-10-year-jail-over-first-4-failed-coup-trials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337790/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-faces-10-year-jail-over-first-4-failed-coup-trials?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 07:08:07 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Once South Korea’s top prosecutor and head of state, Yoon Suk-yeol now faces the courtroom reckoning of a lifetime, as successive rulings brand his failed attempt to impose martial law “unconstitutional and unlawful”, setting the stage for a verdict that could carry the death penalty. In one of the most consequential legal findings since the country’s return to democracy in 1987, the 21st Criminal Court of Seoul Central District Court on Monday declared that the 2024 martial law decree... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336740/south-korean-court-rules-yoons-martial-law-illegal-walls-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336740/south-korean-court-rules-yoons-martial-law-illegal-walls-close?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 07:02:56 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A year after former president Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is pushing ahead with a bill to create a separate court dedicated to handling cases linked to the decree, in response to widespread public distrust of what critics describe as a “biased” judiciary. President Lee Jae-myung warned on social media ahead of the December 3 anniversary of the decree: “If we leave hidden acts of insurrection as they are, insurrection will certainly... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334859/south-korea-proposes-separate-court-tackle-martial-law-decree-cases-after-cries-bias?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334859/south-korea-proposes-separate-court-tackle-martial-law-decree-cases-after-cries-bias?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea is watching with mounting alarm as tensions between China and Japan escalate over the Taiwan Strait, a development that threatens to test Seoul’s pragmatic diplomacy and its balancing act between Beijing and Washington, observers warn. The dispute is unfolding just as Seoul has worked to stabilise long-strained relations with both regional powers, raising fears that renewed rivalry could force South Korea into unwelcome geopolitical crossfire, they add. Analysts say the flare-up is... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333739/china-japan-row-escalates-south-korea-fears-being-dragged-unwanted-flare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333739/china-japan-row-escalates-south-korea-fears-being-dragged-unwanted-flare?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 02:30:16 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s conservative opposition party is facing mounting backlash over a proposed bill that aims to tighten restrictions on Chinese nationals, with critics accusing it of stoking xenophobia to galvanise support ahead of next year’s local elections. The People Power Party (PPP) has unveiled legislation – dubbed the “Three Shopping Prevention Law” – targeted at Chinese citizens, claiming that they had been abusing the country’s national health insurance system and making speculative property... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328830/south-koreas-opposition-ppp-slammed-targeting-chinese-through-xenophobic-bill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328830/south-koreas-opposition-ppp-slammed-targeting-chinese-through-xenophobic-bill?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:12 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A new set of university rankings released in South Korea aims to provide prospective international students with clearer guidance on study options, as the country’s institutes of higher learning expand their efforts to attract global talent amid a shifting academic landscape. The K-universities Global Excellence Rankings, developed by The Korea Times and released on Wednesday, are described as the country’s most internationalisation-focused assessment to date, with more than 60 per cent of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3326703/new-south-korea-university-rankings-reflect-goal-drawing-more-international-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3326703/new-south-korea-university-rankings-reflect-goal-drawing-more-international-students?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 10:18:16 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has slammed as “submissive” the notion that Seoul cannot defend itself without American troops, in a message aimed at both Washington and domestic audiences. The remarks come as Seoul and Washington remain deadlocked over tariff talks and cost-sharing for United States forces, with the White House reportedly pressing for US$350 billion in South Korean investments and wider shouldering of the defence burden. In a social media post written before departing for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326431/south-koreas-lee-pans-submissive-reliance-us-troops-comments-aimed-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326431/south-koreas-lee-pans-submissive-reliance-us-troops-comments-aimed-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 01:30:13 +0000