The Korea Herald

[Graphic News] Seoul’s working seniors outnumber youth

Mar 25, 2013

People aged over 55 outnumbered those between 15 and 29 years of age in the working population in Seoul last year, reflecting the aging society and growing youth jobless, the metropolitan government said on Monday.This demographic reversal among the employed is the first since employment statistics began in 1989. The number of working Seoul citizens aged over 55 reached 956,000 in 2012, a 54.4 percent increase from 619,000 in 2002.During the same period, the corresponding number of workers betwe
Police probe online dogfight betting ring

Mar 25, 2013

Police began an investigation Monday into Korea’s first online dogfight betting operation that caused an outcry among citizens and animal rights activists.An animal rights activist posted about the site on an Internet portal last Wednesday, calling for an online petition to punish the website’s operators.As of Monday more than 800 people have signed the petition. The National Police Agency received 60 internet petitions for an investigation.The activist said in the internet post with a video cli
Burglar caught again 2 days after release from jail

Mar 25, 2013

A man was taken into custody for attempted vehicle burglary just two days after he was released from prison.“I was too hungry and did not have anywhere else to go,” the suspect was reported to have said.According to the Ulsan Nambu Police Station, the 27-year-old had lost both of his parents at an early age and had also recently lost his grandmother, with whom he had been living.　The police said he had 10,000 won when he was released. With the money, he bought cigarettes and a piece of bread aft
Radio host Kim Mi-hwa quits in plagiarism scandal

Mar 25, 2013

Comedian-turned-radio host Kim Mi-hwa said Monday she would resign after being accused of plagiarism.Kim has been the target of public debate over the past few days after a local daily reported Saturday that she had plagiarized major portions of her master's thesis in 2011 from various authors.She has been working as the host of a news program on the CBS FM radio channel since November 2011."I will step down as the host of the news program on Monday," Kim wrote on her Twitter account. "I think t
Former spy chief banned from overseas travel: sources

Mar 24, 2013

South Korea’s former government intelligence chief Won Sei-hoon has been barred from leaving the country pending investigation into allegations that he had interfered in domestic politics while in office, government sources said Saturday.Won, who served as the National Intelligence Service chief under the previous government of President Lee Myung-bak, has been sued by several labor and civic groups for interfering in domestic politics by trying to manipulate public opinions ahead of last year’s
Seoul to tackle scams targeting N.K. defectors

Mar 24, 2013

The government is cracking down on a growing number of brokers and scammers who exploit North Korean defectors staying here.The North Korean Refugees Foundation under the Unification Ministry has recently received 41 complaints and petitions from defectors in the month since February, the ministry said Sunday.The ministry of has requested police to investigate the six most serious cases, including one in which a broker coercively tried to collect money from North Korean defectors or cajoled them
Public servants to exceed 1 million

Mar 24, 2013

The number of public servants is expected to surpass 1 million this year as the government seeks to increase police and public security staff. The Ministry of Security and Public Administration announced a revised bill Saturday that raises the upper limit to the number of public servants hired by central administrative offices, by 200,000 to 293,982.The planned increase excludes those working at the National Assembly, the Board of Audit and Inspection, courts, the prosecution, schools and educat
Former spy chief banned from overseas travel: sources

Mar 24, 2013

SEOUL -- South Korea's former government intelligence chief Won Sei-hoon has been barred from leaving the country pending investigation into allegations that he had interfered in domestic politics while in office, government sources said Saturday.Won, who served as the National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief under the previous government of President Lee Myung-bak, has been sued by several labor and civic groups for interfering in domestic politics by trying to manipulate public opinions ahead
Police checking illegal drug use in sex bribery scandal

Mar 23, 2013

Police investigating the possible sex bribery scandal invloving high ranking officials now suspect illegal substances may have been used by those who frequented the villa where the events took place, sources said Saturday. The scandal has forced Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui to step down Thursday, with speculations abounding that other public figures may be implicated, including high ranking police officers. Kim, who claimed his innocence, may have visited the villa located in Wonju 132 k
Mixed acid leaked from LG Siltron plant in Gumi

Mar 23, 2013

Mixed acid has leaked from the LG Siltron plant in Gumi, raising concerns that the agents may have polluted the nearby area, local government authorities said Saturday. The leak of hydrofluoric, nitric and acetic acids that took place late Friday marks the second time this month that the wafer company reported such an incident. The first incident took place on March 2. Investigators at the industrial city located 261 kilometers southeast of Seoul said that event occurred when a pipe used t
Gas leaks at SK hynix's plant, no injuries reported

Mar 22, 2013

A small amount of chlorine gas leaked from a SK hynix Inc. semiconductor plant in central South Korea Friday but no one was injured, fire officials and the company said.The world's No. 2 memory chip maker, however, did not report the leak to authorities immediately, fire officials said.According to fire officials and SK hynix, 0.17 grams chlorine gas leaked from one of the SK hynix factories in Cheongju, about 137 kilometers south of Seoul, around 10:10 a.m.Fire officials said they became aware
Fire breaks out at POSCO's steel mill

Mar 22, 2013

A furnace at POSCO's steel mill in southeastern South Korea caught fire after an apparent explosion on Friday and firefighters were trying to extinguish it, fire officials said.There were no immediate reports of injuries in the fire that broke out around 8:10 p.m. at the Finex furnace at the mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, about 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, they said.A local police officer said an explosion at the furnace appeared to have caused the fire.Fire officials said the
Police consider expanding probe into sex scandal

Mar 22, 2013

Police said Friday they are considering widening their investigation into other high-ranking officials possibly implicated in a burgeoning sex-for-favors scandal that rocked the nation and forced a vice justice minister to resign.“We can investigate other figures if they are considered relevant to the crime. … We secured testimonies of two or three women who claim to be victims,” a police official was quoted as telling Yonhap News.On Thursday, Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui resigned amid his a
Harvard’s first female president visits Ewha

Mar 22, 2013

Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust visited Ewha Womans University Friday to give a lecture under the theme “Educate Women; Change the World.”“A country’s competitiveness depends on how well it educates its women,” the Ivy League school leader emphasized. She pointed out that women were still underrepresented in fields such as business and politics, and encouraged students to expand their role in Korea as future female leaders. At the event, Faust was named Distinguished Honorary Ewha
Rights activist admits sexual remarks

Mar 22, 2013

A renowned human rights activist was found to have sexually harassed a young woman, sending shockwaves through local social networks. Goh Eun-tae, professor of Chungbu University and a member of Amnesty International’s executive committee, allegedly sent the woman several inappropriate texts through mobile messenger “Kakao Talk,” according to the victim’s Twitter posts. The 27-year-old woman claimed that Goh had sent sexual messages including “Send me nude parts of your body” and “I want to kiss