A group of shipowners has sponsored overseas trips for a dozen lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, sparking speculation about illicit lobbying. The Korea Shipowners’ Association, which is now under investigation over the sunken ferry Sewol, is accused of attempting to influence politicians by paying for five overseas trips.The lawmakers, however, denied any wrongdoing, and said they did not do any political favors for the KSA, adding that their trips were not recreational. In Marc

Working over 13 hours a day may double the risk of having a brain hemorrhage, a research paper published in the International Journal of Stroke showed Wednesday. According to a study conducted by neurology professor Kim Beom-joon at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, those who worked for more than 13 hours a day had a 94 percent higher chance of having a cerebral hemorrhage than those working for four hours a day.Kim analyzed the occupational types, workin

A reporter for an online news outlet was booked Monday without detention for defaming the family of a high school student missing in the ferry accident, Daegu police said. The 47-year-old man, identified only by his surname Seo, on his Facebook page on April 19 harshly criticized an interview with the mother of a missing Danwon High School student, in which she blamed the government and president for their sloppy response to the disaster. He called the mother “insane” and the interview “a play o

Rival political parties wrangled Wednesday over whether President Park Geun-hye's apology over the Sewol ferry disaster was sincere enough after families of victims dismissed the remarks as "informal."Park apologized during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying the government failed to prevent the disaster and bungled its response to the sinking. She also said she was "sorry to the people and heavy hearted that many precious lives were lost."The apology came 13 days after the 6,825-ton Sewol sank

The state auditor has launched a preliminary probe into government agencies related to the deadly sinking of the ferry Sewol over their safety management and disaster responses, its officials said Wednesday.The Board of Audit and Inspection on Tuesday began looking into whether the four government agencies -- the ministries of maritime affairs and public safety as well as the Coast Guard and the Korea Maritime and Port Administration – were appropriate in overseeing safety practices and in their

South Korea, China and Japan have agreed to step up efforts to reduce ultrafine pollutants as part of their cooperation on environmental issues.The announcement came after a two-day meeting of the three countries’ environment ministers in Daegu, Korea, where they discussed a range of environmental threats. It was the first ministerial meeting held by the three countries to come up with solutions to protect public health.“The ministers shared the concerns of the risks posed by air pollution on hu

Rescue workers retrieved 12more bodies from a sunken ferry late Tuesday in desperate search operations against rising tides and strong currents for nearly 100 passengers still missing.The bodies were recovered from the sunken ferry Sewol on Tuesday afternoon, raising the death toll to 205 according to the Coast Guard. Still, 97passengers remain unaccounted for.After recovering four bodies in their overnight job, Coast Guard, Navy and civilian divers have been struggling to re-enter the ill-fated