Adult males in Gangwon Province showed the highest smoking and drinking rates while those in the Jeolla provinces stayed the most sober and smoke-free, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The more stable a region’s economy, the more likely its residents will refrain from an unhealthy lifestyle, the institute said.According to its research based on data collected fro

Japan was expected to repeat its territorial claims over South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo in its annual diplomatic report, sources said Friday, just two days after Tokyo approved a series of textbooks claiming the islets as its territory.Japan's Cabinet planned to approve the "Diplomatic Blue Paper" report for 2011 that was expected to carry the same territorial descriptions of Dokdo as i

Heliport repair under way, to be completed in May: government sourceWhile cautious not to provoke too much tension as Japan continues to suffer from the aftermath of a powerful quake, South Korea is quietly carrying out projects aimed at countering the neighboring state’s continued claims over its islets of Dokdo, sources here said Thursday. Japan strengthened its claims over South Korea’s eastern

The Ministry of Employment and Labor will help foreign spouses here find jobs through a set of programs in April. During the month, the candidates can receive subsidies for job training fees up to 3 million won ($2,600) and tailored job consultations. Successful candidates will then be able to work at social enterprises, as care-givers, factory workers and more.The applicants should visit their lo

A student of KAIST was found dead Tuesday in a suspected suicide, the third this year at the nation’s top university in science and technology, raising questions about the competitive environment there.According to police, a 25-year-old KAIST senior surnamed Jang was found in a parking lot of an apartment complex in Jamwon-dong, southern Seoul. He appeared to have fallen from the building. He was

Starting in April, all vehicle passengers on expressways here will be required to wear seatbelts, said the National Police Agency on Thursday.Under a revised traffic law, drivers on expressways including Olympic and Gangbyeon Expressway risk being fined 30,000 won ($27) when carrying passengers not buckled in.The law originally stated that only front-seat passengers of private vehicles and all pas

   A compulsory seat belt-wearing law for all passengers on motorways nationwide will take effect on Friday, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday.   Under the new law, all passengers of vehicles, including those sitting in the back seats, must put on seat belts when they are on a motorway, a measure aimed to reduce casualties in traffic accidents, said the NPA.   NPA officials said offen

 South Korea said Thursday it has allowed civilian groups to resume humanitarian aid to North Korea for the first time since last November when the North bombarded a South Korean island.   The Unification Ministry approved requests by three relief groups to send aid to the North, an official here told reporters amid reports of dire food shortages in the communist country.<한글뉴스>민간단체 北취약계층 지원재개 허용연평