A special police team of 63 officers has been formed to help with criminal cases involving South Koreans in the Philippines as a bilateral effort to better protect Korean citizens there, officials said Tuesday.The National Police Agency said the special team, comprised of police officers and forensic experts, would be sent to Manila whenever Koreans are victims of crimes such as murder, kidnapping, robbery or rape. All are capable of speaking English, the authorities said.Public concerns have es

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2015

A South Korean law firm said Tuesday it would request a U.S. university look into whether Volkswagen diesel vehicles installed with new engines here used software to rig emissions tests. Law firm Barun said it will ask West Virginia University to examine if the defeat device software was used in Volkswagen cars equipped with the new EA 288 engine. Researchers from the school had initially studied the emissions rigging that led U.S. environmental authorities to launch a probe.“We are requesting t

National Dec. 1, 2015

A famous South Korean female novelist has been sued over defamation by a former Catholic priest, police said Friday.The suit against Kong Jee-young, the author of "Go Alone Like a Rhino Horn" stemmed from a message posted on her Facebook page in July, in which she claimed that the former priest did not give the money he collected for a shelter to his diocese and used funds raised separately for the disable for personal purposes.The former priest has filed the suit against Kong, arguing that the

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2015

President Park Geun-hye plans to support the planned launch of a new deal on combating climate change, an official said Friday ahead of the president's trip to France to attend a crucial U.N. conference on the issue.Park is scheduled to leave for Paris on Sunday for the conference meant to produce political momentum for the negotiations on a new legally binding deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions.Park is set to present South Korea's plans to help developing countries improve their capabilities

Politics Nov. 27, 2015

Seoul City is recruiting dozens of foreign student interns who will participate in the city’s administrative and volunteer work, officials said. Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would pick 30 foreign students for Seoul City’s global internship next month.The city government has run the global internship program twice a year since 2008 to offer opportunities for foreign students to work for the city.Students will be dispatched to Seoul City Hall or affiliated organizations and support admini

Social Affairs Nov. 25, 2015

The Transport Ministry on Wednesday approved Seoul City’s plan to tear down the outdated overpass near Seoul Station and alter routes for smoother traffic flow.The ministry, however, said it was not a consent to the city’s controversial plan to create a pedestrian park on the 1-kilometer flyover, and that the approval was only given as new traffic routes submitted by the city did not pose any problems.“This means we are approving a detour from the Seoul Station overpass, it does not mean that th

Social Affairs Nov. 25, 2015

The U.S. military has launched a probe into a helicopter crash that left two American soldiers dead, officials said Tuesday. An AH-64 Apache helicopter from the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division crashed onto a mountain road late Monday near Wonju, Gangwon Province, some 100 kilometers east of Seoul. The accident took place 20 minutes after the attack helicopter departed from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The crew members were on their routine night low-fly training mission, the U

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2015

A Korean civic group has sued German carmaker Volkswagen over an emissions-rigging scandal, claiming that it affected public health rights, the organization said Thursday. A total of 22 members of civic group Countermeasure Committee for Public Livelihood said they filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen Korea CEO Thomas Kuehl for allegedly taking massive financial advantage by violating rules, and causing environment problems, thereby affecting the public health. This is the first time that a third

Social Affairs Nov. 19, 2015

Seoul City will repair worn-out braille blocks and install more on the streets to improve the walking environment for the blind by next year, officials said Wednesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would repair 40 percent of the blocks embossed with bumps that help the blind find their way. Braille blocks currently span 1,381 kilometers of the city.The city has earmarked about 29 billion won ($24.7 million) for the project. The city had conducted on-site inspections with blind residen

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2015

Seoul City vowed to actively utilize social media as an administrative tool to better communicate with the public and boost civic participation, officials said. For instance, disaster and safety alerts will be sent through Seoul City’s official social media accounts, including Twitter and Facebook, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.This is part of the city’s “Social Metropolitan City Seoul” project that is based on how about 30 million Koreans use social networking services across the count

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2015