Most Popular
-
1
Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
-
2
What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
-
3
Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
-
4
Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
-
5
N. Korea slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
-
6
‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
-
7
N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
-
8
[Robert J. Fouser] Social attitudes toward language proficiency
-
9
[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?
-
10
Korean firms target EV charging market in US
-
Park: Korea credit rating may be downgraded if reform fails
President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that South Korea's sovereign credit rating may be downgraded if structural reforms falter.Park described global rating agency Moody's recent upgrade of South Korea's sovereign credit rating as "a message of warning" that it could be downgraded if Seoul fails to make structural reforms."We will lose the trust of the international community" if South Korea fails to deliver innovation and reform, Park said in a Cabinet meeting.Three days ago Moody's upgraded Sou
PoliticsDec. 22, 2015
-
Korea to hike support for 'comfort women' by 21% in 2016
Government support for Korean women who were forced to become sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II will increase 21 percent in 2016 from this year, the finance ministry said Tuesday.The increase will allow each of the 46 surviving victims to receive 1.26 million won ($1,070) in living subsidies per month, up from a little over 1.04 million won this year."The decision to sharply increase support comes as the average age of the victims, who were euphemistically called 'comfort women'
PoliticsDec. 22, 2015
-
Cancer patient survival rate hits 69.4% in 2013: data
The survival rate of cancer patients reached 69.4 percent in 2013, with the total number of people being treated dipping slightly from the year before, government data showed Tuesday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare report showed that from 2009 to 2013, two out of three people diagnosed with cancer lived more than five years, up 15.6 percentage points from 53.8 percent tallied for the 2001-2005 period.The survival rate for stomach cancer reached 73.1 percent, with numbers for colorectal and pr
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2015
-
Korea to intensify passenger pre-screening prior to flying
South Korea said Tuesday it will ban potential terrorists or other dangerous passengers from boarding any plane bound for the Asian country at the point of departure.The Ministry of Justice said it will analyze passenger information before airlines issue boarding passes to restrict inappropriate ones, such as terrorists, from flying into South Korea.The move will take effect in January. South Korea is also pushing for an anti-terrorism bill following the deadly attacks in Paris that killed more
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2015
-
'Dokdo School' opens in Shanghai
A school dedicated to teaching the history of South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo has opened in Shanghai, a South Korean professor leading the program said Tuesday.The so-called "Dokdo School" is aimed at raising awareness of the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea, the subject of a territorial dispute with Japan.Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Seoul's Sungshin Women's University, said he set up the school in Shanghai following one in New York as part of efforts to expand education about Dok
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2015
-
Korea, China hold first talks on EEZs in 7 years
South Korea and China opened the first talks Tuesday on their overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in seven years but skepticism is rampant over an early deal.Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin began the negotiations here in an amicable mood as they cited good relations between Seoul and Beijing these days.Cho said the two sides are bracing for "difficult and lengthy" talks due to legal and technical issues."The negotiations are very difficult and im
Foreign AffairsDec. 22, 2015
-
Moderate earthquake hits southwestern Korea
A magnitude-3.5 quake jolted South Korea's southwest on Tuesday, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.The predawn quake hit Iksan, some 250 kilometers south of Seoul, and was also felt in Seoul and the second-largest city of Busan, according to the Gwangju Regional Meteorological Administration."The house windows shook hard for seven to 10 seconds and I heard banging sounds," a 58-year-old resident in Iksan told Yonhap News Agency, requesting not to be named.It was the s
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2015
-
N. Korea, China sign accord on sports exchanges for next year
North Korea and China have signed an accord on sports exchanges for next year, a Chinese state-run media reported on Monday, in a sign that the allies push ahead with exchanges despite canceled concerts by an all-female North Korean band. The accord was signed between Son Kwang-ho, vice minister of North Korea‘s sports ministry, and Yang Shuan, deputy secretary of the General Administration of Sports of China, in Beijing on Sunday, according to the report by a newspaper published by the Chinese
North KoreaDec. 21, 2015
-
[Profile] Lee Joon-sik, Education Ministry
Lee Joon-sik, a former professor at Seoul National University’s School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, was appointed to be the new education minister and deputy prime minister for social affairs. As an expert in mechanical engineering, he started teaching at his Alma mater, SNU, in 1985, and took various positions at the school including vice president of research, dean of research affairs and director of the micro thermal system research center.The 63-year-old educator and researcher is
PoliticsDec. 21, 2015
-
[Profile] Kang Eun-hee, Gender Equality and Family Ministry
Rep. Kang Eun-hee of the ruling Saenuri Party, a former IT businesswoman, has been appointed as the new Gender Equality and Family Minister.A graduate of Kyungpook University’s physics education program, Kang worked as a school teacher before founding her IT venture Winitech in Daegu in 2000. Prior to winning a National Assembly seat in 2012 as a proportional representative, the 51-year-old served as the chairwoman of the Korea IT Business Women’s Association and deputy floor leader for the Saen
Social AffairsDec. 21, 2015
-
[Profile] Sung Young-hoon, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission
Sung Young-hoon, 55, a legal expert whose 30-year career has encompassed stints as a district prosecutor, special investigator and attorney, was named to chair the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.He started his career as a public prosecutor for Busan District Office in 1986, and also worked as chief prosecutor of the Gwangju District Office, deputy minister for legal affairs at the Ministry of Justice and chief prosecutor of the Criminal Trial and Civil Litigation Department. During
PoliticsDec. 21, 2015
-
[Profile] Hong Yoon-sik, Interior Ministry
Hong Yoon-sik, a former vice minister at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, has been named interior minister.Hong, 59, is known as a veteran in state affairs, having served various key posts during his 30-year career in the prime minister’s office. Born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, the nominee received his bachelor’s degree in law from Seoul National University and master’s degree in policy from the University of Michigan in the U.S. He passed the state civil service exam in 1985
PoliticsDec. 21, 2015
-
Postnatal care center sued for TB infection in South Korea
Choi Young-doo, a father of two children, received an abrupt phone call from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August. He was told that his second child, born in June, may have been exposed to tuberculosis while staying at a Seoul-based postpartum center for the first two weeks of his life. “It was just really absurd,” Choi told The Korea Herald. “I thought no one ever got TB in our country anymore.” Choi is one of 150 parents whose newborns were exposed to the virus by a n
Social AffairsDec. 21, 2015
-
Ahn reveals new party plan
Former opposition presidential candidate Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on Monday announced his plan to form a new party by early February and pledged to build a robust opposition bloc to eventually form the next administration. “I have so far failed to meet the people’s expectations to change politics and the nation,” said Ahn in a televised press conference. “I owe it to the people and my supporters. The only way to repay the debt is to achieve a change of government and practice new politics that transf
PoliticsDec. 21, 2015
-
Korea to increase public sector part-time jobs
The South Korean government Monday mapped out a plan to expand its part-time work scheme in the public sector by 2018, which would increase the public workforce by more than 1 percent. Under the plan, it will offer government-backed part-time jobs for women in a bid to help them return to work after childbirth and boost the country’s low birthrate. The Ministry of Employment and Labor, along with relevant ministries, announced these and other plans in a meeting.Unlike part-time jobs generated by
Social AffairsDec. 21, 2015
-
Multiple choice testing can ‘smother creativity’
On Nov. 12, over 600,000 Korean students took the college entrance exam, known here as the “Suneung” and widely referred to as “the most important test of their lives.” But Lee Won-key, the vice president of Seoul National University of Education, said the exam papers comprised of multiple-choice questions represents what is wrong with the English education in Korea. The multiple-choice questions restrict the students’ thinking to prearranged options, depriving them of a chance to think creative
Social AffairsDec. 21, 2015
-
Korea limits tuition fee hikes
The Education Ministry on Sunday announced that it has capped college tuition hikes for next year at 1.7 percent, down from 2.4 percent this year.It marked the fourth straight fall of the maximum tuition increase rate. Ministry officials said the rate took into consideration recent inflation rates. The tuition increase cap is restricted by law to 1.5 times the average inflation rate of the previous three years. The average inflation rate for 2013-2015 marked 1.1 percent. The government is planni
Social AffairsDec. 21, 2015
-
California schools to teach about Japan’s WWII sex slavery
Students who attend public high schools in California in the U.S. will learn about Japan’s sex slavery during World War II starting 2017, according to Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun and the California Department of Education. A public document released online by the CDE on Dec. 17 stipulated that “students can learn about the on-the-ground realities of fighting on the Pacific front by learning about ... the intense brutality of fighting due to racialized understandings that Japanese had toward A
Social AffairsDec. 21, 2015
-
Saenuri lawmaker Yoo tapped as finance minister
President Park Geun-hye tapped Saenuri Party Rep. Yoo Il-ho to lead the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and double as deputy prime minister in charge of economic affairs, in a Cabinet reshuffle that affected six high-level posts, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.Park also named Lee Joon-sik, former vice president of Seoul National University, as the education minister and deputy prime minister in charge of social affairs.Yoo Il-ho, Lee Joon-sik (Yonhap)For the post of the interior minister, the presid
Foreign AffairsDec. 21, 2015
-
Police sent to Manila over murder case
Seoul police dispatched a group of investigators to the Philippines to join a probe into the murder of a Korean for the first time amid growing security concerns for Korean citizens in the country, officials said Monday. A 57-year-old man surnamed Cho was shot dead by four strangers who broke into his house early Sunday in Malvar, Batangas. The suspects ran away after stealing money and valuables, Manila authorities said. The Korean National Police Agency said it sent three police officers and o
Social AffairsDec. 21, 2015