Most Popular
-
1
[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
-
2
[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
-
3
Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
-
4
Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
-
5
Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
-
6
[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
-
7
[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
-
8
S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions
-
9
North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles into sea: JCS
-
10
S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
-
Pregnant health staff face discrimination
Lack of child care facilities another burden after their return to workA growing number of hospital workers including nurses, doctors and assistant medical staff are women, but their working environment is still difficult for balancing career and family.In a desperate bid to keep their career ongoing in the male-centered system, they take turns being pregnant, curtail their maternity leave “voluntarily,” and some even give up having children completely. According to a Korean Medical Women’s Asso
Jan. 31, 2012
-
Charity sees donation reach all-time high
Community Chest of Korea has seen its year-end and New Year’s donations reach an all-time high as it celebrated the end of its donation campaign on Tuesday. The CCK said it raised a total of 254.1 billion won ($225 million) as of Jan. 30, surpassing its two-month goal of 218 billion won and breaking its 2010 record of 224.2 billion won.The nationwide charity network conducts the annual donation drive named “Hope Sharing Campaign” from December to January. The CCK’s giant “Thermometer of Love” pe
Jan. 31, 2012
-
U.S. army probes military base passes
The U.S. military will interview all Koreans who have been granted passes onto U.S. military bases here, amid an investigation by police into two men for illegal issuing of passes.The Stars and Stripes reports that the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command said it has made “internal changes” to how it issues passes through the U.S. Forces Korea’s Good Neighbor program.The 8th Army’s logistic support arm said all civilians who have required passes through the Good Neighbor Program will be interv
Jan. 31, 2012
-
MBC workers strike for resignation of station chief
Protest president’s alleged unilateral decision-making and political biasUnionized workers of the nation’s second-largest terrestrial broadcaster MBC staged a general strike on Monday, demanding their president Kim Jae-chul resign over his alleged political bias and unilateral decision-making style.
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Hallyu to be discussed at 55th anniversary of Korea Society
The Korea Foundation said it will open a forum on hallyu, or the Korean Wave, at the foundation’s cultural center in Seoul on Tuesday to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Korea Society, a private, non-profit, New York-based organization that promotes understanding between the U.S. and Korea.Under the theme, “Riding the Wave: Korea’s Growing Cultural Reach,” the discussion will start at 2 p.m. with moderator Stephen Noerper, vice president of the Korea Society.Panelists include Alexandra Munr
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Prosecutors raid Foreign Ministry
CNK head in Cameroon pressured to return home for questioningProsecutors raided the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday for evidence that its disgraced energy envoy was involved in stock-rigging. Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office dispatched investigators to confiscate computer hard disks and documents at the office of Kim Eun-seok, who was a senior diplomat in charge of energy and resource diplomacy. It was the first time prosecutors raided the Foreign Ministry. Kim’s home,
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Seoul women’s centers report counseling cases double
The number of victims seeking counseling at women’s support centers has seen a large increase over the years, but some centers have closed because of funding problems.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday, the number of women seeking counseling for domestic violence and sexual assault has doubled from 40,208 in 2005 to 90,197 in 2010.While those seeking counseling for sexual violence rose from 19,065 to 23,956. Domestic violence counseling has rocketed over the same period fro
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Seoul to invest W27 billion for Korean studies
The Education Ministry announced it will invest 27.3 billion won ($24 million) in the promotion of Korean studies this year. The project, launched in 2007, aims to foster research on Korea, highlighting the significance of Korean studies at home and abroad as well as continuing to strengthen the basis for research by supporting major institutions and scholars in the field.Korean studies focus on a broad range of topics related to Korea including its history, culture, anthropology, society, polit
Jan. 30, 2012
-
MBC workers strike for resignation of station chief
Unionized workers of the nation’s second-largest terrestrial broadcaster, MBC, staged a general strike on Monday, demanding their president Kim Jae-chul resign because of his alleged political bias and unilateral decision-making.The walkout is expected to halt nearly all programs at the station except for dramas and programs produced through outsourcing.The union said that out of 1,010 members, 83.4 percent participated in the vote and 69.4 percent of them supported the strike. From 6:30 a.m. Mo
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Education office pushes rights rules
Ministry says action violates law guaranteeing schools’ independenceThe Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education ordered schools in the capital to revise their student conduct rules according to the ordinance on the enhancement of students’ rights proclaimed last week, officials said Monday. The SMOE has distributed guidelines to all elementary and secondary schools as a reference to revise their school rules last week, they said. But the Education Ministry, which has opposed to the student right
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Minister reiterates push for shorter working hours
Labor Minister Lee Chae-pil on Monday reiterated his determination to end long working hours in Korea, saying the ministry aimed to revise laws to regulate weekend work. “It is abnormal to have no regulation in place on weekend work,” the minister said. Last week, he said the ministry would push for a revision of labor laws to include weekend and holiday work in calculation of overtime work which is by law capped at 12 hours a week. Currently, it is not illegal to have an employee work on the we
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Women’s centers see counseling cases double in five years
The number of victims seeking counseling at women’s support centers has seen a large increase over the years, but some centers have closed because of funding problems.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday, the number of women seeking counseling for domestic violence and sexual ass
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Gov't to spend 27.3 billion won in 2012 to promote Korean studies
The education ministry announced on Monday that it will earmark 27.3 billion won (US$24.3 million) this year to promote Korean studies both at home and abroad.As an academic discipline focusing on the study of Korea, areas of Korean studies include Korean history, culture, society and economics.The
Jan. 30, 2012
-
Diamond firm probe extends to alleged lobbying with bonds
The prosecution on Sunday said it is tracking 59 accounts thought to have been used for bonds with warrant trading of CNK International, a mineral mining company accused of stock rigging and insider trading. The investigators are now looking into whether the bonds were used by company chief Oh Deok-hyun as a tool to lobby politicians and businessmen. According to Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office, 30-50 people are suspected of holding such bond accounts, suggesting that a large group of people h
Jan. 29, 2012
-
36% of young defectors born outside of N. Korea
More than a third of all children of North Korean defectors here were born in another country. The Korean Educational Development Institute, a Seoul-based think tank, said in a report released Sunday that children born in China or other countries during their parents’ defection into South Korea require educational approaches different to other young North Korean refugees.The study found that 36 percent of 1,681 student defectors in primary and secondary school were born outside of North Korea.Ot
Jan. 29, 2012
-
Ramid chairman summoned over GNP vote-buying scandal
The prosecution has summoned Ramid Group chairman Moon Byong-wook to report to its office Monday to explain whether he provided money for National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae’s cash-for-vote scheme during the Grand National Party’s 2008 leadership race. It also summoned Park’s secretaries, Lee Bong-geon and Koh Myeong-jin, over allegations receiving bribes and distributing them. The summons came as investigators of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday raided the headquarters
Jan. 29, 2012
-
Building trust key to ending school violence
Students, teachers stress more talk and caring atmosphere in schoolsThe following is the last of a series of articles on school violence brought into the public spotlight following recent student suicides. ― Ed.A Seoul-based middle school has seen the number of incidents of school violence fall from five to one last year as a result of a three-year effort to reach out to troubled students ― both bullies and those being bullied. It is a typical public school in Korea, under the same stressful sys
Jan. 29, 2012
-
Police officer relieved of duty over stock manipulation scandal
A senior police officer has been temporarily relieved of his duty for his alleged links with a scandal-ridden company involved in a diamond mining project in Cameroon, officials said Saturday.The officer, whose name was not released, received 100,000 shares of CNK International in 2009 by investing
Jan. 29, 2012
-
Prosecutors raid firm suspected of illegally funding parliamentary speaker
(Yonhap) -- Prosecutors have searched the headquarters of a tourist and leisure business suspected of having provided illegal funds to National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae to help him win a party leadership race in 2008, a prosecution official said Saturday. The raid on the headq
Jan. 28, 2012
-
Ex-GNP lawmaker convicted again
A disgraced former ruling party lawmaker was sentenced to another suspended prison term on Friday for receiving illegal political funds from a troubled savings bank struggling to avoid regulatory penalties.The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Gong Sung-Jin, 59, to a six-month prison term, suspended for one year. The court also ordered the former lawmaker forfeit nearly 172 million won ($153,000) he received from Samhwa Mutual Savings Bank before the bank had its business suspended by the f
Jan. 27, 2012