A man was fined for posting false rumors on the Internet and defaming entertainer Lee Kyung-shil, local court officials said Monday. According to the Seoul Southern District Court, the man surnamed Lee, whose name was not disclosed to the media, was fined 2 million won ($1,693) for uploading false rumors about Lee Kyung-shil’s remarriage. “In light of the degree of falsity of the rumor, the nat...

The number of young Korean students being sent to study abroad is back on the rise, apparently buoyed by recently improved economic conditions, said a government report released on Monday. The report by the Education Ministry and the Korean Educational Development Institute showed that in the 2010 academic year, 18,741 elementary, middle and high school students were sent abroad. The number in ...

Scores of North Korean defectors in China are facing repatriation back to their ironfisted homeland, a South Korean humanitarian group said Monday. According to the Commission to Help North Korean Refugees, a group of 20 North Koreans was rounded up in Shenyang, China, on Sept. 26, along with 10 others in Weihai, Shandong Province, on the same day. Another three were arrested on Sept. 29 and 30 ...

BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― North Korea is expanding travel routes between China and its scenic resort in Mount Geumgang, a source familiar with the North said Monday, indicating Pyongyang’s continued efforts to earn much-needed cash from Chinese tourists. The new routes will include extra flights from Chinese cities to Mount Geumgang on North Korea’s east coast, in addition to trains and expressway...

President Lee Myung-bak on Monday urged Koreans to have confidence in the country’s economy, pointing to reassuring data such as foreign reserves of over $300 billion, a relatively low state deficit and this year’s estimated trade volume of $1 trillion. “I can assure you that the Korean economy is strong enough for our people to have confidence,” Lee said in a biweekly radio and Internet address...

The issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II has been wholly settled, a senior Tokyo official said Monday, restating his government’s rejection of Seoul’s proposal for new talks on the matter. It is an unchanged position of Japan that the issue has been settled under a 1965 bilateral pact, Shinsuke Sugiyama, director general of the foreign ministry Asian and Oceani...

By Bae Hyun-jung While the liberal bloc gathered to select a unified mayoral candidate on Monday, Rep. Na Kyung-won of the ruling Grand National Party focused on communicating directly with voters and promoting her policy blueprints. She pledged efforts to bridge the economic and cultural gap between the poor northern and posh southern districts, especially in terms of housing environment. “I ...

Dozens of North Korean defectors in China were recently arrested and will soon be deported back to their communist homeland, a South Korean humanitarian group said Sunday. In a special bulletin posted on its own website, the Commission to Help North Korean Refugees (CNKR) claimed a group of 20 North Koreans was rounded up in Shenyang, China, on Sept. 26, along with 10 others in Weihai, Shandong ...

The government and the ruling party are reviewing the introduction of a charitable gift annuity program in which donors transfer cash or property to a charity in return for tax deductions and pension contributions. The Grand National Party’s policy committee is looking into both charitable gift annuity and donor-advised funds in a bid to encourage charitable donations, a member of the committee ...

SLS Chairman Lee Kook-chul on Saturday disclosed a record of corporate credit card use amounting to 100 million won ($84,745), which he claims was racked up by former Vice Culture Minister Shin Jae-min. The revelation comes after Shin consistently denied receiving more than 1 billion won from the businessman in exchange for business opportunities and favors. According to Lee, Shin used the comp...

Critics say field commanders have limited authority to handle emergencies The military directive by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin to “act first and report later” is not applicable to air-to-ground operations, officials said Sunday, triggering concerns that this could limit the Air Force’s ability to handle emergency situations. According to military procedure, only the chairman of the Joint Chi...