A Seoul court on Tuesday ordered a temporary suspension of imprisonment of Hanwha Group chairman Kim Seung-youn, citing his poor health. “There seem to be considerable reasons to allow Kim the suspension of imprisonment, given that his health has deteriorated to a serious condition,” Seoul Central District Court said. The decision follows a request from the Seoul Southern Correction Service where the 61-year-old tycoon was placed following a conviction in August last year on charges including em

Four out of 10 high school students are willing to risk imprisonment for 1 billion won ($942,000) and seven out of 10 do not feel guilty for plagiarizing homework, according to a survey released Monday.Young Korean Academy, a youth movement group, unveiled its poll of about 6,000 primary and secondary school students that highlighted their deteriorating sense of ethics and growing leaning toward material values. The researchers attributed the trend to their exposure to greed, fraud and irrespons

A Seoul court has imposed 15 million won (14,136) in fines on a 28-year-old man for spreading a false rumor that the battery of a smartphone made by the country’s major handset maker exploded, court officials said Monday.The defendant, only identified by his surname Kim, was indicted for defaming the local handset maker LG Electronics Inc. by repeatedly writing on the Internet in 2011 that its Optimus 3D smartphone’s battery had exploded, they said.Kim also distributed fliers containing the fals

The government said Monday it will double the number of counselors at primary and secondary schools nationwide this year as part of its effort to stop the increase in school violence and bullying.The education ministry said it will recruit 500 counselors in charge of helping both school bullies and victims by March, and dispatch them to the country’s private primary, middle and high schools deemed prone to in-campus violence.It will also hire 500 additional counselors through the annual teachers

South Korea could see the younger population aged between 9-24 decrease by more than 50 percent from now in 2060 if the country's low birth rates continue, a government report showed Monday.The nation's youth population reached its peak at 14 million in 1980, but it has since steadily declined to 10.2 million last year, accounting for 20.4 percent of the total population, census data by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed.The number of young people aged 9-24 is expected to dwindle

The U.S. military in South Korea said Friday it will again be unable this year to normalize tours of its troops here where more troops will be accompanied by their family members.The U.S. military has been trying since 2008 to increase the number of troops on “normal” or family-accompanied tours to about half of its 28,500 soldiers stationed in South Korea by 2020, but it has been unable to begin the process largely due to lack of funds.The U.S. Forces Korea said in a statement that its commande