Most Popular
-
1
Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
-
2
Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
-
3
Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
-
4
S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
-
5
Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
-
6
Is NewJeans headed for a long 'break'?
-
7
[KH Explains] Hyundai-backed Motional’s struggles deepen as Tesla eyes August robotaxi debut
-
8
Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
-
9
Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
-
10
New Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief vows full-fledged probe into first lady
-
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
Dec. 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
Dec. 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
Dec. 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
Dec. 21, 2015
-
Korea to dispatch police to Philippines for Korean national's murder case
Police said Monday they will send four officials to the Philippines to investigate a recent shooting death of a South Korean man, the first move to probe into overseas crimes targeting Korean nationals.A 57-year-old South Korean, identified only by his surname Cho, was shot to death by four unidentified armed assailants on Sunday at his house in Batangas, some 100km south of Manila, according to the police.Cho, who had been engaged in the construction business in the Philippines for about two de
Dec. 21, 2015
-
Asia Culture Center holds free tours for visitors
Asia's largest cultural center in the southwestern city of Gwangju said Monday it has scheduled three tours daily to introduce its vast space to visitors.The Asia Culture Center opened last month in a government project to nurture Gwangju as the cultural center of Asia.ACC said it runs tours at 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily to guide visitors through the old South Jeolla provincial office remodeled for the center.Among the areas available to visit is the Library Park, which is a combination
Dec. 21, 2015
-
S. Koreans outlive N. Koreans by 12 years
South Koreans on average outlive North Koreans by some 12 years, partly because North Korea’s high infant mortality rate is about seven times higher than the South’s, according to South Korean government data. Data released by Statistics Korea placed this year’s life expectancy rate for South Koreans at 78.2 years for men and 85 years for women. In comparison, the rate for North Korean men was 66 years and 72.7 years for women. The infant mortality rate, one of the biggest reasons behind the li
Dec. 20, 2015
-
Does Cheong Wa Dae fear the people?
On the afternoon of Nov. 14, Cheong Wa Dae and its surrounding areas were empty, quiet and serene, blockaded by police buses. The scene was in stark contrast to the violent clashes between protesters and riot police less than 2 kilometers away.The eerie comparison appeared to illustrate the growing distance between the president and the public in a country where the openness of Cheongwadae-ro 1 is a microcosm of the history of democratization. Some blamed the police for stoking violence by block
Dec. 20, 2015
-
Third anti-government rally turns playful
On Saturday afternoon, Gwanghwamun Square, which was shut down by police bus barricades to stop protesters a month ago, turned into a playground for antigovernment demonstrators blowing horns and shaking tambourines.Under a “noisy” and “uproarious” theme, an estimated crowd of 2,500 gathered in the square in central Seoul to signify their opposition to the sedition charge leveled against an umbrella union leader and the government’s push for controversial labor, trade and education polices. The
Dec. 20, 2015
-
Ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff chief indicted for bribery
Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Choi Yoon-hee has been indicted over suspicions of bribery, state investigators said Sunday, in the latest in a series of corruption cases exposed in the country's defense industry. Choi is believed to have ordered his subordinates to write a favorable performance evaluation of an untested AW159 Wildcat, which the Navy adopted in 2013, an official with the country's anti-corruption task force said. Investigators believe Choi had a special relationship with
Dec. 20, 2015
-
Thai ‘con woman’ arrested in Korea, sent back to Bangkok
A Thai woman accused of swindling more than 50 women out of thousands of baht with promises of well-paid jobs at massage spas overseas was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday night after being deported from South Korea.Police then received court permission for an initial period of detention.Methiya Jaenprachakorn, 25, who was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court, reportedly confessed to police that she and some friends were duped in the same manner in 2012 - so she
Dec. 20, 2015
-
S. Korean fishing boat rescued after being stranded in Antarctic sea
A South Korean fishing boat was safely rescued by the country's icebreaker Saturday, one day after the ship became stranded by ice in the Antarctic sea, the maritime ministry said."The stranded ship has been successfully rescued and is on its way to a safe area," a ministry official said.The 62-ton "Sun Star" sent a distress call late Friday after an 862-ton ship from the same South Korean company failed to pull it out of heavy ice in the polar region, the ministry said earlier.The South Korean
Dec. 19, 2015
-
S. Korean fishing boat stranded in Antarctic sea but help on the way
A South Korean fishing boat has been stranded by ice in the Antarctic sea but no casualties have been reported with help from the country's icebreaker already on the way, the maritime ministry said Saturday.The 62-ton "Sun Star" sent a distress call late Friday after an 862-ton ship from the same company failed to pull the ship out of heavy ice in the polar region, the ministry said.The ship's 39 crewmembers, including seven South Korean sailors, have been ordered to evacuate to the larger compa
Dec. 19, 2015
-
Police press sedition charge against labor group chief
Seoul police leveled an additional charge of sedition against the leader of Korea’s second-largest umbrella trade union on Friday as they handed him over to the prosecution for further investigation into what they called illegal rallies last month.It is the first time in nearly three decades that the rare charge has been pressed. The last sedition case occurred in May 1986 when police clashed with protestors at a massive rally over a constitutional revision in Incheon.Police officials said that
Dec. 18, 2015
-
Korea approves foreign for-profit hospital on Jeju Island
South Korea's government on Friday gave approval for the opening of a foreign-owned for-profit hospital on Jeju Island, which can lead to diversification in the country's medical service sector.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, it approved the request made by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province for the establishment of the Greenland International Hospital.This marks the first time ever that Asia's fourth-largest economy has taken steps to approve the establishment of a for-pr
Dec. 18, 2015
-
Police send labor union leader to prosecution for further probe
Police referred the leader of South Korea's second-largest umbrella labor union to the prosecution for further investigation over last month's violent rallies in downtown Seoul, police officials said Friday.Han Sang-gyun, the head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is accused of orchestrating a massive anti-government protest on Nov. 14 that led to a violent clash with the police.The labor union leader faces nine charges, including disruption of the execution of public duty and damage
Dec. 18, 2015
-
Beijing issues 2nd smog red alert
The Chinese capital city of Beijing issued its second-ever red alert for dangerous acrid smog as it urged citizens to stay indoors, China's state media reported Friday.The red alert, the most serious warning for air pollution, forecast that severe smog will blanket Beijing for three days starting Saturday morning. Beijing, notorious for its severe air pollution, issued its first-ever smog red alert earlier this month, closing schools and curbing production at factories. China regularly sees haza
Dec. 18, 2015
-
Former KT&G chief arrested for alleged graft
The former head of South Korea's sole tobacco maker was arrested Friday on charges of receiving kickbacks from a company subcontractor.Min Young-jin, 57, who headed the KT&G Corp. from 2010 to 2015, was put behind bars after a Seoul court issued a warrant to detain him."The criminal charges have been ascertained, and there is enough reason and need to detain him," Judge Cho Yoon-hee said.Min allegedly received more than 100 million won ($85,830) in bribes from a subcontractor in exchange for bus
Dec. 18, 2015
-
Majority of suicides in Korea take place outside the home: study
The majority of suicides in South Korea take place outside the home, which is in stark contrast to other countries where people opt to die at home, an international study showed on Friday.The report, published in the latest issue of the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology and based on data collected from eight countries, showed 70.1 percent of South Koreans took their own lives outside the home. In contrast, the study that examined official death certificates in 2008 revealed
Dec. 18, 2015
-
Protestant group shows tolerance toward LGBTs
A South Korean church group on Thursday indicated their willingness to show more tolerance of homosexuality, seen as the first such move of a major Protestant organization in the country. “Korean society and churches have been treating homosexuality with hatred, but we will now open a forum to discuss the issue and reflect (on our views),” the National Council of Churches in Korea said in a press conference.The group plans to hold debate sessions on the issue and hear testimonies from the lesbia
Dec. 17, 2015