Most Popular
-
1
Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
-
2
[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
-
3
Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
-
4
Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
-
5
Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
-
6
Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
-
7
Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
-
8
Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
-
9
'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
-
10
Speaker floats dual citizenship as solution to falling births
-
Salvation Army keeps red kettle on
The red collection kettles so familiar in Korea at this time of year each have a red shield inscribed with “Gusegun,” Salvation Army in Korean.The Salvation Army, a charity organization, was founded by William Booth who preached in slum areas in London in 1865 to the poor and labor workers who were excluded from churches at the time. First called the Christian Mission, the charity organization was given its current name in 1878. The SA did not only evangelize to the marginalized such as thieves,
Dec. 7, 2012
-
Commander hopes to see a Korean become general
Park Man-hee, Korea’s territorial commander and commissioner of the Salvation Army, has dedicated his life to serving those in need since the late 1960s when he first attended an Army church.With less than a year left to his retirement and the expiration of his three-year command post, Park’s remaining wishes are to see a younger commander carry on the Korean Army’s long-term plan under God, and one day see a Korean voted general of the Salvation Army, which is based in London and administers an
Dec. 7, 2012
-
Rate of drinking ‘poktanju’ highest among those in 20s
Almost one-third of Koreans aged 15 and above have drunk “poktanju” ― a mixture of spirits and beer ― this year, with nearly half of those in their 20s having done so.According to the survey conducted by the Korean Food Drug Agency 626 of 2,066 respondents, or 30.3 percent, said they had more than one glass of the Korean boilermaker. The rate of people drinking poktanju was highest among those in their 20s, with 49.2 percent, followed by people in their 30s and 40s with 34.9 percent and 32 perce
Dec. 7, 2012
-
Senior prosecutor indicted on bribery charges
Kim Kwang-jun, a senior prosecutor in Seoul, was indicted Friday on bribery and influence-peddling charges in the largest-ever corruption case involving an incumbent prosecutor. The 51-year-old official of Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office is accused of receiving money and entertainment worth over 1 billion won ($922,934) from several people, including a fugitive con artist, in return for favors, a special prosecutor investigating the case said. Kim has been under arrest since mid-November. “We’re
Dec. 7, 2012
-
Wife-killer doctor gets 20-yr sentence in retrial
A medical doctor was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a retrial on Friday for murdering his pregnant wife.The 32-year-old doctor surnamed Baek initially received the same jail sentence by a district court and an appeals court for strangling his nine-month pregnant wife to death during an early-morning quarrel early last year.The Supreme Court, however, overturned an appeals court's conviction and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court for reconsideration, citing a lack of objective evidenc
Dec. 7, 2012
-
S. Korea issues power shortage alert
South Korea's state-run electricity distributor issued a power shortage alert Friday due to a surge in electricity consumption caused by cold temperatures.The Korea Power Exchange issued the "watch" warning, the fourth-highest level, at 11:25 a.m. as the country's electricity reserve dropped below 4 million kilowatts for more than 20 minutes.The company's "attention," the third-highest level, comes when the reserve level drops to between 2 million and 3 million kilowatts. The second-highest warn
Dec. 7, 2012
-
Female suspect in sex scandal sues Internet users for leaking photo
A female criminal suspect, accused of offering sex to a prosecutor questioning her in return for leniency, sued three people for circulating her photo on the Internet, the woman's lawyer said Thursday.A photo of the 42-year-old woman began to spread on the Internet when the sex scandal was reported by news media in late November. More photos of her were later put online.The woman asked the police to investigate those who had leaked and circulated her photo on Nov. 28 for the first time, the lawy
Dec. 6, 2012
-
Prosecutors find evidence in fake Iran trade case
Korean prosecutors’ inquiry into suspicions that a Korean firm carried out fake intermediary trade with Iran is expected to move forward with the emergence of circumstantial evidence.There is a big gap between the amount of money the firm received from Iran for its marble exports last year and the amount Tehran appears to have actually paid, according to Yonhap News.Some observers suspect that the Islamic republic used the Korean firm to launder money deposited in the Iranian central bank’s won-
Dec. 6, 2012
-
Parents in nerve-wracking battle to grab spots in kindergartens
It’s been one hectic and nerve-wrecking morning for Hwang Jin-ah. Four of her family ― Hwang with her 3-year-old daughter, husband, and her 71-year-old mother ― were mobilized to take part in three lotteries on Wednesday morning, taking place at different locations between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. They briefed each other through cell phones about the size of the crowd gathered and how the draw was processing. “Thankfully, my husband picked the lucky number in a draw that he attended. We are so reliev
Dec. 6, 2012
-
S. Korea’s corruption index falls
South Korea’s transparency ranking has slipped for the second consecutive year, placing the country 45th among 176 nations analyzed by Transparency International.According to the Transparency International, Korea’s Corruption Perceptions Index came in at 56 points out of a possible 100. Last year the country scored 5.4 out of 10 to come in at 43rd. In 2009 and 2010, the country was perceived as the 39th least corrupt country.The fall in South Korea’s ranking is thought to have been caused by cor
Dec. 6, 2012
-
Education office candidates stray into politics, ideology
Ideological divides and political accusations eclipsed policy debate in the first and only televised discussion in the by-election for Seoul education chief Thursday. Five candidates led by conservative former Education Minister Moon Yong-lin and former teachers’ union chief Lee Soo-ho sparred over a range of issues including private education costs, the public education system and students’ and teachers’ rights. The three others are law professor Lee Sang-myun, Seoul education bureaucrat Nam Se
Dec. 6, 2012
-
UNHCR holds symposium on Korea’s new refugee act
The Korean office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the National Assembly Human Rights Forum will hold a symposium next Wednesday to discuss ways to successfully implement the new Refugee Act.The legislation, which was passed by the National Assembly in December 2011, will come into force on July 1, 2013.Experts and officials, including UNHCR Korea Representative Anne Mary Campbell and NAHRF Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, will discuss refugee policies under the new law.This
Dec. 6, 2012
-
Heavy snow disrupts air traffic in Korea
Heavy snowfall that hit the central part of South Korea disrupted dozens of domestic and international flights on Wednesday, the state-run airport operator said. At least 15 international flights and two domestic flights bound for the Incheon International Airport were canceled as the weather agency issued a warning for snow earlier in the day, the Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) said.Heavy snow forced 29 flights bound for Incheon and 66 flights departing from the main gateway to be delayed, it
Dec. 5, 2012
-
SNU confirms research fraud
Seoul National University concluded Wednesday that its professor Kang Soo-kyung, a leading stem cell researcher, fabricated much of her research.The university announced following an ethics committee meeting that Kang, associate professor at the college of veterinary medicine, had fabricated data in 14 papers published in journals from 2010-2012.She admitted earlier that there were some “simple mistakes” in her papers, but claimed that she had no intention of distorting the data.The ethics commi
Dec. 5, 2012
-
College student to host massive Christmas Eve matchmaking event
For many singles, Christmas is not exactly a day to celebrate but to suffer. To save those worrying about spending the romantic day at home, a 26-year-old college student came up with one striking idea.Titled “Solo Battle,” Yoo Tae-hyung, a student at Kwangwoon University said he will host instant matchmaking event at Yeouido Park, central Seoul on Christmas Eve. The event, currently being promoted on Facebook, has already drawn about 35,000 people signing up for the event, including celebrities
Dec. 5, 2012
-
South Korea falls to 45th in global corruption awareness ranking
South Korea dropped two notches in a global corruption awareness ranking to place 45th among 176 nations in 2012, an international watchdog said in its annual report on Wednesday.According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2012 issued by the non-governmental agency Transparency International (TI), South Korea scored 56 out of 100.The index, based on perceived levels of public sector corruption, is an aggregate indicator that combines different sources of information about corruption. It
Dec. 5, 2012
-
S. Korean sailors freed by Somali pirates return home
Four South Korean sailors who were freed last week by Somali pirates after more than 19 months of captivity returned home Wednesday. They were kidnapped by Somali pirates on April 30, 2011 with the tanker MT Gemini and set free on Saturday after the Singapore-based owner of the ship paid an unspecified amount of ransom, according to Seoul officials said.The freed sailors underwent medical checkups at a hospital on the Kenyan island of Mombasa and arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of
Dec. 5, 2012
-
Top officials replaced at crisis-ridden prosecution
The Justice Ministry on Tuesday replaced top-level prosecution officials in the wake of bribery and sex scandals and internal feuds over organizational reform.The reshuffle affected the No. 2 position at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the chief of a powerful investigation arm in charge of high-profile corruption and crime.The shakeup followed the resignation of Prosecutor-General Han Sang-dae Friday.Kim Jin-tae, chief of Seoul High Public Prosecutors’ Office was appointed as deputy prosecut
Dec. 5, 2012
-
Seoul toughens smoking ban in restaurants
Smoking will be prohibited in restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and bars with a surface area of 150 square meters or larger nationwide starting from Dec. 8, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday. Indoor as well as outdoor areas of public buildings such as hospitals, libraries, day-care centers, government offices and commercial complexes will also be designated as smoke-free zones, the ministry said. The amendment to the National Health Promotion Act was endorsed at the Cabinet meeti
Dec. 4, 2012
-
Prosecution makes efforts to regain public trust
The prosecution picks up the pace in rebuilding its tarnished reputation and cutting the Gordian knot of corruption inside the prosecutorial body. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that it will fire trainee prosecutor Jeon Jae-mong who was involved in a sex scandal.Jon was accused of having sex allegedly in return for favors with a female suspect whom he was interrogating.Choi Jaek-kyung, the head of the SPO’s Central Investigation Unit, on the same day was acquitted of accusations he
Dec. 4, 2012