District courts on Wednesday turned down prosecutors’ request for arrest warrants for eight railway union leaders pending trial over the three-week strike heldlast month.Some 8,700 laborers of Korea Railroad Corp. went on strike on Dec. 9 in protest of the government’s plan to set up an affiliate under the company, a move that the union believes is aimed at rail privatization. The walkout is the longest on record.While the government and KORAIL remained steadfast in their pursuit of key figures

Local courts have rejected arrest warrants for eight rail union leaders, court officials said Wednesday, in a blow to a police probe into the nation's longest rail strike.On Saturday, police requested warrants to formally detain eight executives of provincial offices of the state rail company's union. All are alleged to have played major roles in the recently-ended strike and are awaiting trial.But courts, including the Seoul Western District Court and the Daejeon District Court, turned down all

The number of subway crimes sharply increased last year, led by sexual crimes and thefts, despite the South Korean government’s efforts to prevent them, police data showed Tuesday. According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, a total of 412 crimes occurred in the Gyeonggi Province on the subway last year, which is nearly double the number in 2012. Sex crimes accounted for the most with 147 cases, followed by 105 thefts. Other crimes included physical violence with 56 cases and taking lost

Two men have been arrested for allegedly smuggling and attempting to sell more than one kilogram of methamphetamine, prosecutors said Tuesday.The two, identified only by their surnames Jang and Park, were indicted and detained pending trial on charges of violating drug laws, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said.Both had permanent residency in the United States before they were convicted and deported from the country for their involvement in narcotics violations and other crimes, th

Leeteuk, member of K-pop boy group Super Junior, mourned Tuesday the death of his father and grandparents after arriving at a hospital in Seoul where their funerals will be held.His family members were found dead at his home in Sindaebang-dong, southwestern Seoul, on Monday morning. Police are investigating the cause of death while some media outlets have speculated that his father killed his parents and then committed suicide.Leeteuk’s father has been reportedly had a difficult life while takin

Prosecutors said Tuesday they have sought an arrest warrant for the head of embattled Tong Yang Group for fraud and malpractice in issuing and selling financial products.The 65-year-old Chairman Hyun Jae-hyun is accused of leading the issuance of fraudulent corporate bonds and commercial paper worth over 2 trillion won ($1.86 billion) since around 2007 and deliberately filing for court receivership of its five affiliates last October, inflicting heavy losses on investors and firms.From July to S

Ninety-three earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or above hit the Korean Peninsula last year, the most since seismic monitoring began in 1978, the weather office said Monday.The figure is also more than double the annual average of 44.5 recorded since 1999 when the observation system was first digitalized.Also last year, 17 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or above struck the peninsula, with 15 of them felt by people, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.By region, there were 52 quakes in the West

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will expand the operation of low-floor buses to provide better transportation accessibility for the disabled, the elderly and mothers with children, officials said Friday.A low-floor bus has no steps by the doors, allowing easier access for disabled passengers and those with children. The city currently has 2,225 low-floor buses, accounting for 30 percent of the total. The city plans to increase this proportion to 55 percent by 2017. The city also plans to opera

Court officials on Friday accepted tape-recorded conversations of the so-called Revolutionary Organization as evidence in the trial of group members for intent to destroy important government buildings in case of a North Korean invasion.Justices at the Suwon District Court chose to admit 32 of the 47 tape recordings presented as evidence by the prosecution. The tape recordings reportedly documented RO members vehemently proposing the destruction of government buildings under the leadership of th