Fireworks for the “Freedom 250” show light up the night sky over Yeouido Hangang Park in western Seoul on Sept. 4, the eve of the Seoul World Fireworks Festival 2026.YONHAP
I hope that you’re having a fun and/or relaxing Saturday! In this weekend’s longer reads, we’ll look at why the gender minister pick is polarizing both the left and right; how Sherpas are taking part in search and rescue efforts in Nepal, where nine Koreans remain missing following the floods; what, exactly, makes K-beauty Korean; how a Jeju police officer already embroiled in controversy reportedly erased or omitted registry records in missing persons cases involving children and people with disabilities; and Korea’s fact-checkers.
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Too feminist, or not feminist enough? Gender equality minister nominee polarizes all sides.
How feminist do you have to be to lead the Gender Ministry?
Yong Hye-in, the president's new pick to head the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, is finding out the answer the hard way. Since her nomination on Sunday, the twice-elected, 36-year-old lawmaker leading the minor progressive Basic Income Party has been the talk of the town, with critics across party lines and ideologies questioning whether she truly deserves the post.
The most debated backlash stems from her refusal to give up her parliamentary seat if she is confirmed for the Cabinet position. Though not illegal, it breaks precedent, and she is accused of trying to have it both ways. But a less procedural and more combustible fight is about Yong's feminist agenda.
Conservatives flag her as a divisive character who leans too far left, citing her legislative history of sponsoring pro-abortion, marriage-adjacent legal protections for same-sex couples and antidiscrimination bills that would protect the LGBTQ+ community.
Not all heroes wear capes: Sherpas trade summits for mud-filled tunnels to rescue flood victims
They were supposed to be heading up the Himalayas. Instead, Sherpas who make their living guiding climbers to some of the world’s highest peaks put their climbing season aside to descend into mud-filled tunnels in a desperate search for people trapped after catastrophic floods swept through Nepal.
Among them is Jenjen Lama, who has summited Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), seven times.
On Tuesday, he searched the Mailung Khola area, home to the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower plant under construction by Korea South-East Power and Doosan Enerbility.
Nine missing Koreans were working at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project construction site in Bagmati when the floods hit. Six are Doosan Enerbility employees, and the other three are from Korea South-East Power. The missing workers have been out of contact since the flood struck on Aug. 26.
What makes K-beauty Korean? The answer is getting complicated.
K-pop has long since found a home outside of Korea, embracing foreign artists, producers and sounds under an increasingly global umbrella. Now K-beauty is undergoing a similar transformation, as brands born thousands of miles from Seoul embrace Korean names, ingredients and formulas — and the “K-beauty” moniker.
Yepoda, hwarang’, Ondo and MiiN, and the list goes on and on.
Embattled Jeju officer deleted records in cases of missing children, people with disabilities, police say
The police officer who prematurely closed missing persons cases in Jeju Island also erased or omitted case registry records of not only adults but also missing children and people with disabilities, police said on Wednesday.
The officer, surnamed Bu, deleted or failed to enter 63 records from the missing persons profiling system's case registry list. Several of these were confirmed to involve protected persons under the Act on the Protection and Support of Missing Children, according to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Police Agency.
Correcting mistakes about Korea, one error at a time
What does the world still get wrong about Korea?
A number of things, from straightforward facts like South Korea’s official name, which is the Republic of Korea, to more sensitive historical or territorial issues, such as the East Sea naming dispute.
Such mistakes are not simply overlooked — for over a decade, volunteers have flagged, documented and reported them to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for correction.
