Most Popular
-
1
Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
-
2
Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
-
3
[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
-
4
Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
-
5
Medical reform committee kicks off despite boycott from doctors
-
6
Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
-
7
SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
-
8
Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
-
9
Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
-
10
SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
-
Number of foreign workers soars in rural areas: report
The number of foreign workers in South Korea's farming and fishing sector jumped 3.5-fold in 2012 from three years earlier, data showed Tuesday.According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the number of immigrant workers in the country's farming and fishing sector came to 4,863 last year, compared to 1,390 tallied in 2009.Local households employing foreign workers also jumped more than four-fold to reach 2,677 units over the cited period, the data also s
Aug. 20, 2013
-
S. Korea, China discuss ways on denuclearizing N. Korea
Former senior officials and academics from South Korea and China held a forum on Tuesday to discuss ways to bolster cooperation to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program and restart talks with Pyongyang, an official said.Scores of leaders and professors from the two nations, including former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung and Xu Jialu, former vice chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress, attended the one-day, closed-door forum at the Diaoyutai State Gues
Aug. 20, 2013
-
Army cadets to be punished for drinking, massage parlor visit in Thailand
Nine military academy cadets will face disciplinary actions for drinking or visiting a massage parlor while conducting volunteer work in Thailand earlier this month, Army officials said Tuesday. A total of 173 cadets of the Korea Military Academy visited Thailand from Aug. 5-12 to meet Thai veterans who fought in the Korean War as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the three-year conflict. During their stay in Bangkok, four cadets were caught drinking at a local bar and five were
Aug. 20, 2013
-
Ex-President Chun's in-law detained over shady land deal
A brother-in-law of former President Chun Doo-hwan was formally detained Monday to undergo further questioning over allegations that he evaded taxes in a land transaction to let Chun's children gain a profit.Lee Chang-seok was put under detention immediately after the Seoul Central District Court approved the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant. The 62-year-old is alleged to have played a crucial role in illegally transferring wealth from Chun to his two sons. It marks the first time tha
Aug. 20, 2013
-
Campaign draws support for mandatory history test for college
More than 100,000 people have signed up in support of plans to enhance history education at schools, including making the subject test compulsory for college admission, reports said.Sungshin Women’s University professor Seo Kyoung-duk first launched a petition campaign in June, urging the government to require all students take Korean history on the national College Scholastic Ability Test. Seo, who has actively promoted Korea overseas on many issues, including Dokdo and comfort women, said the
Aug. 19, 2013
-
Seoul City to conduct taxi service survey
Seoul will conduct a taxi satisfaction survey with consumer groups for the first time in September, targeting 4,500 residents including 500 foreigners, a city official said on Monday. While the city government has carried out a cab service survey annually, this is the first time for it to be organized with a civic group, as part of efforts to increase objectivity and reflect passengers’ requests more accurately.The survey will cover driver etiquette, the standard of driving, cabs’ cleanness and
Aug. 19, 2013
-
Prosecution moves to summon Chun’s children
The children of former President Chun Doo-hwan are likely to be summoned by the prosecution soon, after a court issued a warrant for the arrest their uncle who is suspected of assisting in the illegal inheritance of Chun’s fortune.Seoul Central District Court on Monday reviewed the prosecution’s request to arrest Lee Chang-seok, Chun’s brother-in-law, on charges of evading taxes. He is suspected of evading about 13 billion won in taxes while making a shady business deal with Chun’s second son Ja
Aug. 19, 2013
-
Candlelight vigil nothing more than pastime: columnist
South Korean political columnist and film critic Heo Ji-woong on Monday found himself at the center of heated debate after he criticized participants of recent candlelight vigils that berated the National Intelligence Agency for allegedly interfering in last year’s presidential election.“I cannot imagine any justification for candlelight vigils that recently took place, other than them being a simple pastime,” Heo wrote on Twitter Sunday. The recent vigils, led mainly by the main opposition Demo
Aug. 19, 2013
-
Seoul approves N. Korean youths' visit for U.N. event
South Korea has decided to allow a group of North Koreans to visit the southern city of Gwangju this week to attend a United Nations event for international youths, the unification ministry said Monday.The decision came amid signs of a thaw in relations between the two Koreas after months of high tensions earlier this year. Last week, the two sides reached a breakthrough deal to reopen a joint industrial complex. They are also scheduled to hold talks this week on setting up family reunions.Earli
Aug. 19, 2013
-
N. Korean media stress importance of improving inter-Korean relations
North Korean media outlets stressed Monday the importance of improving inter-Korean relations and the need to resolve all outstanding issues in the spirit of self-determination.Articles carried by the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, and Uriminzokkiri, the communist country's main Internet-based media and propaganda website, called for ending confrontation and mistrust that has plagued South-North Korean relations in the past.The reports come as cross-border relatio
Aug. 19, 2013
-
Korean worker in Saudi Arabia tests negative for MERS
The body of a Korean man suspected to have died from a new coronavirus in Saudi Arabia on Aug. 11 has tested negative for the deadly virus, health authorities here said Monday.The Korea Centers for Disease Control said it received notification from a center in the Middle Eastern country that collaborates with the World Health Organization that the man did not carry the virus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.The 53-year-old man, who worked at an aluminum factory construction site, die
Aug. 19, 2013
-
Sharp rise in suppliers of illegal psychoactive drugs: prosecution
SEOUL -- South Korea saw crimes of supplying illegal psychoactive drugs increase by over 33 percent in the first half of this year from a year ago as an increasing number of foreigners used the country as a route to circulate illegal drugs, prosecutors said Sunday.The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said they caught 4,601 people using or circulating locally banned psychoactive drugs, including methamphetamines and marijuana, in the first six months of this year. The number marks a 4.8 percent increa
Aug. 18, 2013
-
Prosecution aims to collect W160b from Chun
Prosecutors said Friday they aim to collect most of unpaid fines amounting to 167.2 billion won ($149.6 million) from former President Chun Doo-hwan, who was convicted for taking bribes while in office in the 1980s.Chun was ordered by the nation’s top court in 1997 to return to state coffers some 220 billion won he illegally accumulated through bribery from big businesses during his military rule in 1980-88. So far, the former dictator has paid only a quarter of the total, with some 167.2 billio
Aug. 16, 2013
-
Actor found dead, apparently drowned
Actor and theater director Baek Won-gil was found dead Friday in an apparent drowning accident, fire officials said. Gangwon Fire Headquarters said they found Baek’s body in meter-deep water at Namdae Stream in Gangneung, Gangwon Province at 9 a.m. Rescuers had been conducting a search operation after Baek’s friend reported him missing Thursday. Police officials think Baek drowned while on a fishing trip. According to local news reports, Baek had recently moved to Yangyang County and had spent t
Aug. 16, 2013
-
Ex-Seoul police chief refuses to swear at parliamentary hearing
A former Seoul police chief accused of meddling in last year's presidential election refused to take an oath at a parliamentary hearing Friday, citing an ongoing trial on the case.Kim Yong-pan is one of two key witnesses in a parliamentary probe into allegations that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) conducted an online smear campaign to sway public opinion in favor of the ruling Saenuri Party ahead of December's presidential election.Kim, the then Seoul police chief, has been accused of r
Aug. 16, 2013
-
[Graphic News] Minimum cost of living
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has raised its assessment of the minimum monthly cost of living for four-member families for 2014 by 5.5 percent year-on-year to 1.638 million won. The increase, the third-highest since 2000, would lead to more government spending on subsidies for poor households in line with the Park Geun-hye administration’s policy of boosting welfare.
Aug. 15, 2013
-
Hundreds detained for street protests
About 300 people were detained on Thursday as police and protesters clashed in several Seoul areas after a mass rally to mark the 68th Liberation Day. Thousands of activists and politicians took to the streets demanding President Park Geun-hye apologize for the National Intelligence Service’s alleged interference in last year’s presidential election, and engage North Korea more actively.Police fired water cannons to disperse demonstrators who illegally occupied roads while marching through the c
Aug. 15, 2013
-
KEPCO senior executive arrested in nuclear plant graft probe
A court in Busan on Thursday issued an arrest warrant against Lee Jong-chan, the senior executive vice president of the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. implicated in a snowballing corruption scandal. The court issued the warrant out of concerns that the suspect could destroy evidence or flee, officials said. The prosecution on Tuesday detained the 53-year-old executive and requested a warrant against him.Lee, who heads KEPCO’s overseas business division, allegedly conspired with parts suppl
Aug. 15, 2013
-
Ministry streamlines funding for graduate students
The Ministry of Education has slimmed down its funding program for graduate students, concentrating support on promising researchers. The ministry said on Thursday it finalized the recipients of the Brain Korea 21 grants aimed at enhancing graduate schools. Over the next seven years, it will provide financial support totaling 252.6 billion won ($226 million) per year to more than 18,000 students in 64 graduate schools. Graduate students from the schools will receive research scholarships of 600,
Aug. 15, 2013
-
Climate change may affect birth weight: study
An ongoing rise in global average temperatures may be causing a decrease in birth weight, a study showed Thursday.According to a study by Lee Seung-jae, a graduate school student at Sogang University in Seoul, the average weight of newborns decreased 0.46 grams when their mothers were exposed to hotter temperatures during the second trimester. “With average temperatures increasing 1 degree Celsius during the second trimester, birth weight decreased 0.46 grams on average,” wrote Lee in his study.
Aug. 15, 2013