On prostitution... Prostitution should not be legalized because it won’t protect prostitutes’ rights, but the rights of the owners of brothels. If you look at Germany, where prostitution is legalized, the lives of prostitutes have not changed after legalization. In order to gain full access to the workers’ rights, the prostitutes must state that they are prostitutes, and that record remains on t...

Long-standing ban on plural unions at company level to be lifted Friday Following is the first in a two-part series featuring multiple labor unions that will be introduced in Korea on Friday. ― Ed. After 13 years of hesitation, Korea is finally easing its iron-fisted labor union policy to allow more than one trade union at a single workplace, a move widely expected to open a new page in the cou...

With typhoon Maeri fizzling out, sparing the Korean Peninsula from predicted damage, two more typhoons may hit here this season, according to the state’s weather agency on Monday. The Korea Meteorological Administration predicts that 23 typhoons will form this year, following the yearly average of 23.3 typhoons during the season, between June and December. Of those predicted, one or two typhoon...

Six out of 10 Korean teens would rather “go abroad” About six out of 10 Korean teenagers said they would go abroad in case of another war, suggesting the lack of patriotism among students. Korea Advanced Youth Association and Teengora media conducted research on about 2,500 Korean teenagers from 400 middle and high schools, finding out that only 19.5 percents replied they would fight. Meanwhil...

Children with both older and younger siblings have a higher chance of becoming bullies, according to research. Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex and the University of Warwick conducted the study covering some 40,000 British households. It was traditionally assumed that the oldest child is likely to dominate or use violence against his or her siblings. Howeve...

Police officers have taken collective action against a revised bill on the investigative rights of the police and the prosecution, signaling a bumpy road ahead for the compromise reached a week ago. Top government officials including Presidential Chief of Staff Yim Tae-hee, Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam and National Police Agency chief Cho Hyun-oh agreed on a compromise draft last Monday to let t...

The Samhwa Mutual Savings Bank, one of the local banks troubled with capital shortages, was declared bankrupt Friday. The savings bank filed for bankruptcy on May 19. In January, the Financial Services Commission suspended the bank for six months during moves to weed out unviable banks that failed to meet regulatory capital requirements. The ill-fated bank has been criticized for its allegedly ...

Medication passes safety, quality tests Korea will approve the world’s first stem-cell medication as early as this month, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The state-run drug regulator said Friday that Hearticellgram-AMI, a stem-cell medication for treating heart attack victims, passed all the required safety and quality tests early this week. It will be the world’s first the...