The national human rights watchdog advised President Lee Myung-bak Thursday to take steps to reassure the public they will not be illegally spied on, an activity the government was accused of conducting early on in his term.It is the first time the National Human Rights Commission has made a recommendation to the president since its founding in November 2001.“It is necessary for the government to clearly state the measures it will take against (the illegal surveillance of civilians) so that pres

Suwon City will provide a naming service for newborn babies who are socially disadvantaged.The program aims to support people who are financially challenged, such as people living on minimum wage, the disabled, single mothers and North Korea refugees. Those who wish to sign up for the program should submit basic information, such as the baby’s birth date and parent’s name, to Suwon City by e-mail or mail.Korean names comprised of three characters have different meanings. Many Koreans believe tha

A set of photos and data files depicting a young Korean woman engaged in sexual acts has been spreading fast on Korean file-sharing websites, causing controversy over human rights violation and punishment of the disseminators.The data files were first uploaded to a local online community on Monday, and quickly went viral through social networking services and file-sharing platforms such as torrents.The rapid circulation of the revealing personal files is drawing worries about human rights violat

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it will offer a 500,000 won ($458) reward to anyone with information about taxis ripping off foreign tourists in a bid to stem unfair practices.The municipal government revised its ordinance to provide rewards to people who report taxi drivers overcharging foreign riders, officials said. Foreign passengers being cheated by cabbies can also report the scam to the city government and be rewarded, they added.The move is part of the authority‘s efforts

The morning of Jan. 29 in Seoul, a mother who lost her daughter in a car accident three years ago in Costa Rica gave a tearful testimony in the trial of the suspected killer taking place in the Central American nation.The video-conference trial was the first of its kind since the establishment of the act on international judicial mutual assistance in criminal matters in 1991. The act Korea signed with 73 nations encourages the countries to cooperate in criminal investigations and trials, such as

A district court here on Wednesday gave a U.S. soldier a suspended prison term for using drugs inside his unit.The 23-year-old corporal from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, whose identity was withheld, was found guilty of smoking a new type of narcotics called "Spice," at Camp Casey on Sept. 3. Camp Casey is the name of the base of the 2nd Infantry Division, located close to the border with North Korea.Spice refers to a wide variety of herbal mixtures that, when smoked, give users a marijuana-li

No matter how skilled or experienced motorcyclists are, they have far higher risk of being killed while riding than someone in a car, U.K. researchers say. Jonathan J. Rolison of Queen’s University Belfast and Elizabeth Hellier of the University of Plymouth assessed whether policies designed to safeguard young motorcyclists would be effective given shifts toward high-powered motorcycles.The researchers investigated population-wide motor vehicle driver and motorcyclist casualties, excluding passe

The head of South Korea's third largest conglomerate, SK Group, appealed a lower court ruling Tuesday that sentenced him to four years in jail for embezzling 46.5 billion won ($42.8 million) in company funds.Court officials said lawyers representing Chey Tae-won submitted a request for an appeal at 5 p.m. with the paperwork expected to be forwarded to the Seoul High Court in due time. The 53-year-old businessman was found guilty of embezzling the money from SK Group affiliates and funneling it i

The National Police Agency said Wednesday that its plans to employ and dispatch graduates from law schools as investigators.The NPA signed an agreement with the Korean Association of Law Schools to mutually cooperate to nurture the graduates amid the fast changing law industry. Law schools were introduced in 2007. The schools were opened as part of the government’s efforts to increase diversity among law practitioners and to address the issue of vested interests and exclusivity in the legal comm

Eight foreign nationals have been arrested on suspicion of using forged credit cards to fund lavish shopping sprees in Seoul, police here said Tuesday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, six foreigners, including a Malaysian ringleader identified by the initial M, are accused of using 120 fake credit cards under other people's names to purchase 270 million won (US$248,000) worth of jewelry and electronic goods during their three visits to Seoul, with the first instance taking plac

Korean conscientious objectors are set to step up their petition campaign with the next government and the international community. A lawyer representing the 488 objectors said Monday they will file a petition with the presidential transition team this week to demand that their right to object be observed. In addition, objectors plan to make their case with foreign embassies in Korea and the relevant United Nations institutions. “Korea has ignored the international society’s recommendations on f