Two violent incidents took place during the Lunar New Year holiday as feuds between neighbors over noise left two people dead and several others injured.Two brothers in their 30s were stabbed to death in a dispute with a neighbor over noise complaints during their visit to their parents’ apartment in Myeonmok-dong in northeast Seoul on Saturday, police said.The 45-year-old suspect, surnamed Kim, who was visiting his girlfriend’s house, which sits directly below the apartment of the victims’ pare

President Lee Myung-bak’s plan to reduce greenhouse below emissions to 30 percent below projected levels by 2020, one of his flagship green growth initiatives, may fail to reach its target, according to the latest plan for electricity supply and demand issued by the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy. Critics say that the outgoing president’s “pipe dream” goals could receive backlash from the international community and damage the credibility of the nation. The ministry rolled out the sixth maste

A Seoul appellant court ruled Saturday that the government should grant refugee status to a Myanmarese applicant who campaigned against his government in Korea.It upheld a lower court ruling that the Justice Ministry made an inappropriate decision in 2011 when it rejected his application for asylum though he could face political persecution back home.“He did not leave his nation due to fears of persecution, but it is justifiable to accept his application for refugee status if he faces fears of p

The average growth rate of Korean wages last year rose by 4.7 percent on-year, a slower rise than in the previous year, the government said on Monday.According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, a total of 6,814 businesses that hired more than 100 employees and completed wage bargaining last year gave a 4.7 percent pay raise on average, slightly lower than 5.1 percent in 2011.Big firms that pay more than 1,000 workers, in particular, increased wages by only 4.6 percent, lower than small an

Two North Korean defectors will receive doctorates in North Korean studies this month, according to their universities.Kim Young-hui, who works at the state-run Korea Finance Corporation in Seoul, will receive her degree from Dongguk University for her thesis on dwarfism in North Korea. Kim asserts that dwarfism is not solely due to a lack of resources, but the people’s general sentiment of austerity enforced by the government.Lee Hye-kyong will receive a doctorate from the University of North K

South Korea's financial authority said Monday it has uncovered a large-scale hacking scheme that resulted in the theft of personal financial transaction information of hundreds of bank clients. According to the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute (KFTC), a group of hackers allegedly stole a total of 461 authenticated certificates, in an apparent bid to withdraw cash from victims' bank accounts.The KFTC, which settles financial transactions among individuals, said it report

A growing number of female elementary students are searching for boyfriends through mobile messengers, touching off concerns among Korean parents. Using anonymity on the Internet, Korean children are posting specific requirements they want from a boyfriend in online communities. Online posts such as “Looking for a long-term relationship boyfriend, over 162 cm tall and age 13-15 is fine” are commonly spotted on Internet portal communities. These websites are targeted at users between 11 and 13.Af

Offices of the country’s largest discount chain E-Mart were raided by labor authorities Thursday on suspicions that the company violated labor laws to prevent employees from joining a labor union.“It was confirmed that there were a number of problems regarding issues uncovered in the recent special labor audit,” an official at the Seoul office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor said. In a labor audit conducted last month, evidence emerged that Shinsegae Group’s discount store placed workers

Mental health survey conducted on 6.7 million students nationwide

More than a third of young North Korean defectors here feel discriminated against and want to live in another country, a survey showed Thursday. The poll was conducted by Kim Shin-hee, a researcher at the Korean Educational Development Institute, on 287 middle school students from August through September last year. The study showed that 36.9 percent, or 106, of the respondents wanted to live in another country due mainly to the discrimination and difficulties they experience here. Of those defe

The Seoul city government plans to provide a cash reward to anyone who reports on overcharging by taxi drivers. The ordinance passed a deliberative council at the city government on Wednesday. Under the new law, tipsters can receive a reward of 500,000 won ($500). “Either Koreans who have learned of rip-off cases against foreigners or the foreign travelers themselves can call ‘120’ to the Dasan 120 Seoul Call Center and report the unfair treatment,” said Kim Soo-jung, an official from the city t

A nominations committee for the next prosecutor general picked three candidates on Thursday. They are Kim Jin-tae, deputy general prosecutor at the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office, So Byung-chul, chief public prosecutor at the Daegu High Prosecutors’ Office, and Chae Dong-wook, prosecutor general at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office. “The committee screened the candidates based on their integrity and competence and looked through their financial assets and military duty,” said an official fr