Located near the serene Bukhansan National Park in northwestern Seoul, the April 19 National Cemetery is home to 199 victims who sacrificed their lives in the April Revolution of 1960. Thousands of students had marched from Korea University to the presidential office on April 19, 1960, calling for the resignation of then-president Syngman Rhee to overthrow the autocratic First Republic of South ...

Household products manufacturer Oxy Reckitt Benckiser allegedly destroyed evidence related to humidifier disinfectant blamed for the loss of some 140 lives, when the prosecution launched a probe in late February, prosecutors said Wednesday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office said that the firm is suspected of deleting a number of materials and safety data sheets written from 2001 to ...

Prosecutors said Sunday that they would specifically investigate a professor at Seoul National University for allegedly receiving money from a disinfectant maker in exchange for overlooking toxicity test results. According to a group of researchers from SNU who were summoned for questioning earlier this month, several researchers had opposed the product test request by Oxy Reckitt Benckinser, cl...

The final voter turnout for the parliamentary election hit 58 percent, slightly lower than the originally anticipated 60 percent mark, but the highest since 1996, with a noticeable jump among 20- and 30-somethings. The National Election Commission said 24.4 million out of 42.1 million eligible Korean voters cast their ballots, the highest in 20 years when 63.9 percent of voters turned out. It wa...

More than 24 million of 42.1 million eligible voters headed out to pick the country’s 20th National Assembly at some 14,000 voting stations across the nation Wednesday. Worried that bad weather in the morning may influence voter turnout, public officials drove cars attached with speakers around communities to air announcements from the National Election Commissions to encourage voting. “To remi...

Well-known faces such as hallyu star Lee Young-ae and veteran singer Tae Jin-ah joined last-minute campaign efforts this week for Wednesday’s general election, drawing mixed reactions from voters. On Monday, actress Lee Young-ae, known for her role in the famous TV drama “Dae Jang Geum,” took part in ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Chung Jin-seok’s canvassing in South Chungcheong Province. Rep. Chun...

Officer worker Kim Dong-min, 34, who tied the knot in January, had long dreamed of mornings with his wife. He imagined that she would wake him up with a cup of coffee, prepare breakfast and pack him a box of fruits for a snack. In reality, his wife wakes up, grabs juice from the refrigerator and rushes to the office while touching up her makeup on the subway. “I think it would be too boring to s...

The Central Government Complex in downtown Seoul, which recently came under fire for allowing a civilian break-in due to lax security, is facing further backlash as the government allegedly destroyed related evidence and covered up the disgraceful incident. According to police authorities, passwords written on a wall -- which a 26-year-old civil servant aspirant used to sneak into the office -- ...

The government vowed Thursday to overhaul the entire security system at government complexes in the wake of multiple break-ins by a civilian last month. The Interior Ministry announced it will fortify security levels by forming four separate task forces -- for security management, security personnel, computer security and service measures -- joined by private security experts. It also immediate...

International schools in South Korea will face suspensions in enrollment if they are caught illegally admitting Korean students four times, the Education Ministry said Thursday. The Education Ministry released revised regulations aimed to strengthen the control of illegal admissions at international schools here. There are currently 43 schools and three international kindergartens nationwide. T...

A sulfuric acid attack against Seoul police earlier this week exposed the lax supervision of harmful acids by the Environment Ministry. A police officer at Gwanak Police Station was attacked Monday with highly corrosive sulfuric acid by a women surnamed Jeon, who was at the station to file a complaint with the Cyber Investigation Team. Jeon reportedly told the police that she had purchased the ...

“I managed to get the last batch of tickets,” said 29-year-old Tina Hsing, a Chinese student here, standing in front of the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in downtown Seoul after sunset. She said she really did not want to miss the chance to experience Korea’s royal palaces under the moonlight. “I heard tickets (to enter Gyeongbokgung Palace during night hours) are sold out in minutes for do...

One thing that surprised Tyler Kim when he joined a South Korean company last year after nine years of working in the U.S. was that his coworkers called him “chaekimnim,” a direct translation of his job title, manager. “It was a bit awkward at first,” he said, since it was the first time he was not called by his name at work. Hierarchy has been a key aspect of corporate governance worldwide. Bu...

Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office will investigate the safety data sheet of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, one of the toxic humidifier disinfectant makers blamed for the loss of 140 lives, on suspicions that it has fabricated the document. According to the special probe team, the prosecution summoned last week analysts from Seoul National University and Hoseo University -- who created Oxy humid...

The prosecution said Sunday it will summon four humidifier disinfectant makers later this month, on suspicion that their products triggered lung damages which resulted in the loss of 143 lives. The four humidifier disinfectant makers include a leading household manufacturer Oxy Ssak Ssak, Cefu, local supermarket chain Homeplus, and Lotte Mart’s in-house brand Wiselect. Their products contained ...