The amount spent on by-elections over the past three years totaled 61.6 billion won ($54.4 million) and is to exceed 100 billion won with the Oct. 26 elections.According to the state inspection data submitted by the National Election Commission to Rep. Yoon Sang-il of the minority Future Hope Allian

Few overseas missions have been properly secured, according to the data submitted by the Foreign Ministry to Rep. Jungwook Hong of the ruling Grand National Party.Among the 166 offices, 53 were classified as dangerous, lacking sensors or devices to respond to terrorist attacks.More than half have no basic metal detector, making it possible for people to enter the premises with weapons or explosives.Also, 24.6 percent of the offices lacked sensors to detect trespassers, according to the data.Blas

Na expected to announce bid around Thursday; DP starts nomination raceThe ruling Grand National Party is racking its brain over who would be its best shot at the forthcoming Seoul mayoral by-election, after a lawyer it wooed as its candidate against a powerful opposition contender turned out not so

Large corporations have been caught making downscaled reports of their workers’ salaries to evade national pension premiums. Workplaces are mandated to cover half of their workers’ national pension premiums. They have reduced more than 100 billion won ($92.5 million) every year, the Board of Audit a

Seoul city government is offering free Korean and computer lessons in the nation’s biggest Central Asian town in Gwanghui-dong, Jung-gu, where foreigners from Russia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan have gathered and formed their own community since 1990.The classes take place at the Gwanghui-dong residents

The number of Korean students studying abroad has jumped more than 32 percent over the past five years, data unveiled by a lawmaker showed Monday.A total of 251,887 students were reported to have studied overseas in 2010, up from 190,364 in 2006, according to the Education Ministry figures submitted

Defense minister says working-level talks under way to extend ballistic missile rangeSouth Korea and the U.S. have agreed to complete the establishment of an operational plan to jointly respond to North Korea’s localized provocations by the end of this year, the Defense Ministry said Monday.The plan

The state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. is facing fresh criticism as reports found on Monday that the utility and its subsidiaries doled out hefty salary increases for employees last year despite their multi-trillion won debt.According to a report submitted by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy for

The Fair Trade Commission on Monday issued warnings against Lotte Engineering and Construction and LS Cable and System for unfair business practices with subcontractors. In January 2009, Lotte delayed writing a contract for six months even after its subcontracting company started construction work.

The Fair Trade Commission plans to investigate commission fees at the nation’s top three department stores next month, an official said Monday. The investigation is allegedly aimed at Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai department stores that have given favors to foreign luxury brands with lower fees, the

Korea’s three major economic pillars ― the public sector, households and corporations ― have incurred 3,300 trillion won ($2.96 trillion) in financial debt as of June, threatening to undermine efforts to fuel Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The record amount of financial loans shouldered by key playe

South Korea’s government is coming under pressure to adjust its 2011 growth forecast in the face of mounting downside risks caused by the sluggish global economy, sources said.The prediction comes as the finance ministry cut this year’s growth estimate from 5.0 percent to 4.5 percent in June and fol

Hana SK Card said the personal information of about 200 of its customers has been compromised by a telemarketer, the latest in a series of data leaks at financial institutions.The Financial Supervisory Service, however, said the leak would be of a far larger scale than reported by the credit card co