A Seoul court on Wednesday extended the suspension of imprisonment of disgraced Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn by another four months, citing his poor health, court officials said.The custody suspension of Kim, who has been staying at a Seoul hospital after being temporarily released from prison in January, will be extended until Feb. 28, said the officials at the Seoul High Court.The 61-year-old tycoon, who is charged with embezzlement, will stand a retrial without physical detention, the

Police on Tuesday booked Min Young-jin, president and CEO of KT&G, the nation’s largest tobacco maker, and five other senior executives, on charges of breach of trust in connection with a real estate development project. They are suspected of overpaying a subcontractor hired last year, inflicting financial damage on their own company. The National Police Agency sent the case to the prosecution recommending indictment without detention.The contractor, identified by the initial N, was commissioned

The labor union at one of the largest general hospitals in Seoul reached a tentative collective agreement with the management on Monday, ending a 12-day strike.Union officials of the Seoul National University (SNU) Hospital said that the agreement, among other things, calls for a 1.3 percent wage raise and a transition of 100 nonregular workers to regular employees by 2014. The deal requires approval from union members.The trade union said all striking workers will return to work at 5 a.m. Tuesd

South Korea's health authorities said Monday that high blood pressure and diabetes are among the most common diseases affecting South Korean adults.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said one out of every four people aged 30 or older suffered from high blood pressure as of last year, while one out of every 10 people had diabetes.The findings are based on a survey of 3,840 households across the country in 2012, according to the KCDC.Diseases caused by high blood pressure

State prosecutors questioned several executives of telecom giant KT Corp. as part of their ongoing corruption probe into the company's chairman, prosecution officials said Monday. Chairman Lee Suk-chae, who tendered his resignation Sunday, is under suspicion of inflicting huge losses to KT, the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, through poor investments and dubious business deals, they said.The executives, including the firm's official handling employee welfare only iden

State prosecutors on Friday raided the offices of KT Corp., the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, as part of their ongoing corruption probe into its chairman.A team of prosecutors and investigators obtained computer hard drives and confidential documents, including accounting books, from the company's three offices and houses of several executives to corroborate the charges, prosecutors said.The raid comes just 10 days after the prosecution office first swooped down on

A Seoul court ruled Thursday that local civic groups are not liable for damages the state allegedly suffered during massive street rallies against imports of U.S. beef in 2008.The former Lee Myung-bak administration, seeking to advance the bilateral free trade agreement process with the United States, resumed American beef imports in April 2008. The decision sparked weeks of massive anti-government street protests, the so called “candlelight movement,” as many people viewed it as a hasty decisio

Seoul City was ranked as the sixth-most competitive city for the second consecutive year in a survey by the Mori Memorial Foundation of Japan.According to the 2013 Global Power City Index, Seoul showed general improvements in all categories, especially in economy in which it jumped from 13th to 8th, the Japanese urban studies research center said. It has annually rated 40 cities since 2008 in the six categories: economy, research & development, cultural interaction, livability, environment and t

Actor Song Sae-byeok is to tie the knot with actress Ha Ji-hye on Saturday on Jeju Island, said Song’s agency on Thursday. 　“The couple has been preparing for a small wedding to celebrate quietly,” Wellmade STARM said. They started dating in 2010 after working for a stage drama together in Seoul. The groom-to-be has publically expressed his affection toward Ha. 　Song built his fame on the big screen with a supporting role in the film “Mother” in 2009. He also gained popularity through his roles

Police have blacklisted and inspected 16 civilians simply because they are deemed threats to the President, an opposition lawmaker claimed Thursday."A police blacklist that I recently acquired had personal information such as specific people's names, dates of birth and whether they are members of certain organizations just because they pose threats to escorting the president," Rep. Kim Hyun of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said during a news conference at the national assembly.The do

A Seoul court ruled Thursday that local civic groups are not liable for damages the state allegedly suffered during massive street rallies against imports of U.S. beef in 2008.The former Lee Myung-bak administration, seeking to advance the bilateral free trade agreement process with the United States, resumed American beef imports in April 2008. The decision sparked weeks of massive anti-government street protests, the so called "candlelight movement," as many people viewed it as a hasty decisio