The rainy season officially started Wednesday, with up to 150 milliliters of rainfall expected to hit the central part of the peninsula through Thursday. The state weather agency forecast that the country would be under the rainy spell until the end of July, with up to 20 percent more precipitation than previous years. Over the weekend, typhoon Meari, which is heading north from the Philippines, i

Attention is being drawn to the code of conduct for civil servants as a recent string of corruption cases involving public officials has upset the public, seriously tarnishimg the government’s vision of a “fair society.”Critics argue that while the intention of the code that prohibits officials from receiving expensive meals and other pricy entertainment services from people they meet on official

The National Election Commission is to carry out a mock election June 30 at 158 polling stations in 108 countries, as a final dry run for the overseas voting system set to take effect next year.Among the 5,484 who registered themselves as voters, 4,708 had their residence in Korea and the remaining 776 were permanent residents in overseas countries, according to the NEC.All voters are required to

Some 30,000 Koreans believed to have been drafted for construction work in SakhalinThe Korean government will launch its first official investigation into the deaths of Koreans forced to labor under the Japanese colonial rule in Sakhalin, an island in Russia’s Far East, a Seoul fact-finding panel said Wednesday. The investigation will be carried out in July and August at a public graveyard in Yuzh

Meth floods Yanji, Jilin province fueled by border transients: NewsweekWhile cautious not to make the case official for the sake of ties with its longstanding ally, China is becoming impatient with the increasing amount of illegal drugs flowing in from North Korea, according to a U.S. weekly magazine. Over the past decade, methamphetamine ― also known as crystal meth or ice because of its flaky cr

On indirect corporal punishment...The role of schools in society is to give children knowledge and to prepare them to succeed in adult life. Indirect corporal punishment teaches children that their choices have consequences, just like in the real world. It also helps maintain class discipline, which is essential to creating an environment where learning can flourish. As long as it is carried out r

Sales of smartphones running Google Inc.’s Android software surpassed the 10 million mark in Korea this week, according to data from the country’s mobile carriers Wednesday.The country’s largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom Co., had 6.18 million subscribers using Android smartphones as of Monday, while runner-up KT Corp. had 2.06 million, they said. Smallest player LG Uplus Corp. lured in 1.86 milli

Creditors of Korea Express Co. are expected to select a preferred bidder for a major stake in the country’s top logistics company next week as they move to complete the sale as early as August, industry sources said Wednesday.Creditors led by Korea Development Bank agreed to close the bidding for a 37.6 percent stake in Korea Express on June 27 and notified the three preliminary bidders ― POSCO, C

Korean exports are expected to surpass the $500 billion mark for the first time ever this year, helped by the steady pace of global economic growth, a private think tank said Wednesday.The Samsung Economic Research Institute report said South Korea is expected to ship out a total of $555.7 billion worth of goods this year, up 19.2 percent from $466.4 billion worth of products exported in 2010.It s

GS Caltex Corp., the nation’s No.2 oil refiner, on Wednesday said it has borrowed 870,000 barrels of diesel oil from reserves kept by the Korea National Oil Corp. This marks the first time in three years that the refiner has dipped into government fuel reserves.The borrowed fuel is expected to be released at local gas stations next week. GS Caltex has recently been unable to properly provide to ga