Articles by Suk Gee-hyun
Suk Gee-hyun
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Smartphones can be deadly distraction
It came as a stark reminder of the seriousness of the country’s smartphone addiction: A college student was killed on campus because she was distracted by her phone.The 23-year-old student was run over by a shuttle bus on Korea University campus in 2011 while walking with her head down, eyes fixed and fingers tapping.The tragic incident is just one of hundreds of traffic accidents here that occur every year because people have their eyes glued to their smartphones. Korea’s pride in high-tech pro
Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2014
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Anti-waste campaign for holiday gifts misses the mark
Extravagantly wrapped gift sets are weighing down the shelves of department stores ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, despite government efforts to crack down on the overuse of packaging.Amid growing public attention toward environmental protection, the Ministry of Environment pledged to discourage excessive packaging on gift sets for two weeks before the Lunar New Year holiday begins on Jan. 30. Some consumers say that the practice can be excused during the holiday season, because it shows th
National Jan. 20, 2014
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[Graphic News] More doctors file for bankruptcy
About 40 percent of people who applied for individual rehabilitation in Seoul and Gangwon Province were doctors, a report concluded.According to data by the Seoul High Court, 449 doctors including dentists and oriental medical doctors filed for personal bankruptcy under the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act between 2009 and 2013. The number of hospitals that closed down also jumped by 17.6 percent, from 2,857 to 3,359 in the same period, largely due to fierce market competition and less i
Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2014
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Herald awards writing contest winners
The award ceremony for the third Seoul National University of Education-Korea Herald English Contest, or SKEC, was held at the British ambassador’s residence in Seoul on Friday.Top prizes were given to 16 students in categories divided by age and the period of time entrants spent living overseas. Other awards, including the second-highest gold prizes, were presented to some 300 applicants.The competition was hosted by Herald Corp. and SNUE, and was sponsored by the British Embassy. More than 1,5
National Jan. 19, 2014
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Seoul to set up more courts for sex crimes
The Seoul Central District Court is pushing plans to set up more courts that deal with sex offenses, according to court officials on Thursday. Under the plan, three divisions each consisting of three judges will handle sex crime cases, the court said. Currently, there are two divisions in charge of sex crimes. The measure is part of the court system’s efforts to strengthen the criminal justice system for sex offenders and bring them to justice.“The court has faced sweeping changes in the system
Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2014
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Alleged deals with celebrity raise questions about prosecution
A corruption scandal surrounding a prosecutor is putting a fresh spotlight on the problems facing South Korea’s prosecution. An arrest warrant was issued for a prosecutor identified by his last name Jeon on Wednesday for allegedly making unlawful deals with a defendant in a drug abuse case in 2011. The latest scandal marks another major setback for the powerful organization after its chief’s resignation over accusations he had a love child and a string of bribery cases damaged its public image.O
Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2014
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Ministry cancels state English test
A state-administered English exam for high school students will not be held this year, Ministry of Education officials said Wednesday.The ministry has canceled the level 2 and 3 administration of the National English Ability Test, or NEAT, citing high operational costs and low demand from colleges to use it for their admission procedures. While the level 2 and 3 exams, targeted at high school students, have been canceled, the level 1 exam for adults will be held as planned. “Demand for NEAT has
National Jan. 15, 2014
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Korean researchers identify cause of lung cancer
South Korean researchers have identified one of the causes of squamous-cell carcinoma, which makes up 30 percent of all lung cancers. The research team led by Park Keun-chil, professor at the Samsung Medical Center, analyzed the genomes of 104 patients suffering from the disease, of whom 99 had smoked for more than 20 years.The result demonstrated that FGFR3-TACC3 gene fusion is expressed when smoking takes place for a long period of time, the researchers said. The fusion of the two genes is kno
Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2014
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Stay-at-home moms more stressed: report
Working mothers are healthier and less depressed than those who stay at home with children, a poll showed on Friday.Stay-at-home moms showed a higher level of stress and higher negative sentiment index, according to the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education’s study of 1,863 moms with babies under 18 months old.Stay-at-home moms averaged 3.66 points in self-efficacy and 3.46 points in self-esteem on a scale of five. Those who worked full-time averaged 3.78 points and 3.58 points, respective
Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2014
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Ewha Womans University to allow male president
Ewha Womans University, one of the country’s top women’s universities, is planning to revise its rules to allow male candidates to run for the position of school president, officials said on Friday.The boards of directors at Ewha Womans University unanimously decided to discard its women-only president system starting this year. It plans to hold an election this year as the current president Kim Sun-uk ends her term in July. Ewha is the last remaining school in the country to do away with the wo
National Jan. 10, 2014
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Korea shivers on coldest day of season
A cold spell swept through the center of the country on Thursday, with the mercury dipping to the lowest levels reported this winter, according to the state weather agency. The first cold wave watches of the season were issued in central regions including Seoul and Incheon and Gyeonggi, Gangwon and North Chungcheong provinces, as the morning low reached minus 10.4 degrees Celsius in the morning, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.The cold snap will be the worst on Friday, when temperat
Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2014
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Railway strife continues with major rally planned
District courts on Wednesday turned down prosecutors’ request for arrest warrants for eight railway union leaders pending trial over the three-week strike heldlast month.Some 8,700 laborers of Korea Railroad Corp. went on strike on Dec. 9 in protest of the government’s plan to set up an affiliate under the company, a move that the union believes is aimed at rail privatization. The walkout is the longest on record.While the government and KORAIL remained steadfast in their pursuit of key figures
Social Affairs Jan. 8, 2014
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Quake count rises on Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula was hit by 93 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or stronger last year, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.A report by the KMA said the latest figure is the highest since the center began to compile data in 1978, and almost double the average of 44.5 quakes a year monitored between 1999 and 2012.No deadly quakes were observed, but a string of minor tremors suggest that the country, known as being relatively safe from earthquakes, needs a comprehensive study on the
National Jan. 6, 2014
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Infectious diseases on the rise in Korea
The number of infectious diseases in South Korea surged last year, reflecting the steady rise in the average temperatures on the Korean Peninsula, and raising concerns about a change in broader disease patterns. A total of 77,215 Koreans came down with infectious diseases in 2013, up about 50 percent from the previous year, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Tick-borne infections took a bigger share, as their habitats moved north as the average temperatures went up. “The
Technology Jan. 5, 2014
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KORAIL plans gradual return to normal service
The state-run train operator is expected to bring KTX and freight train operations back to normal by Jan. 14, as political parties agreed to form a parliamentary subcommittee to assure there would be no privatization of the firm. The labor union of Korea Railroad Corp. returned to work on Tuesday after ending its 22-day strike in protest of the government’s plan to set up an affiliate to run a new bullet train service. The union claims the plan is a step toward privatization of the firm that cou
Politics Jan. 2, 2014
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