The Korea Herald

S. Korea’s corruption index falls

Dec 6, 2012

South Korea’s transparency ranking has slipped for the second consecutive year, placing the country 45th among 176 nations analyzed by Transparency International.According to the Transparency International, Korea’s Corruption Perceptions Index came in at 56 points out of a possible 100. Last year the country scored 5.4 out of 10 to come in at 43rd. In 2009 and 2010, the country was perceived as the 39th least corrupt country.The fall in South Korea’s ranking is thought to have been caused by cor
Education office candidates stray into politics, ideology

Dec 6, 2012

Ideological divides and political accusations eclipsed policy debate in the first and only televised discussion in the by-election for Seoul education chief Thursday. Five candidates led by conservative former Education Minister Moon Yong-lin and former teachers’ union chief Lee Soo-ho sparred over a range of issues including private education costs, the public education system and students’ and teachers’ rights. The three others are law professor Lee Sang-myun, Seoul education bureaucrat Nam Se
UNHCR holds symposium on Korea’s new refugee act

Dec 6, 2012

The Korean office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the National Assembly Human Rights Forum will hold a symposium next Wednesday to discuss ways to successfully implement the new Refugee Act.The legislation, which was passed by the National Assembly in December 2011, will come into force on July 1, 2013.Experts and officials, including UNHCR Korea Representative Anne Mary Campbell and NAHRF Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, will discuss refugee policies under the new law.This
Heavy snow disrupts air traffic in Korea

Dec 5, 2012

Heavy snowfall that hit the central part of South Korea disrupted dozens of domestic and international flights on Wednesday, the state-run airport operator said. At least 15 international flights and two domestic flights bound for the Incheon International Airport were canceled as the weather agency issued a warning for snow earlier in the day, the Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) said.Heavy snow forced 29 flights bound for Incheon and 66 flights departing from the main gateway to be delayed, it
SNU confirms research fraud

Dec 5, 2012

Seoul National University concluded Wednesday that its professor Kang Soo-kyung, a leading stem cell researcher, fabricated much of her research.The university announced following an ethics committee meeting that Kang, associate professor at the college of veterinary medicine, had fabricated data in 14 papers published in journals from 2010-2012.She admitted earlier that there were some “simple mistakes” in her papers, but claimed that she had no intention of distorting the data.The ethics commi
College student to host massive Christmas Eve matchmaking event

Dec 5, 2012

For many singles, Christmas is not exactly a day to celebrate but to suffer. To save those worrying about spending the romantic day at home, a 26-year-old college student came up with one striking idea.Titled “Solo Battle,” Yoo Tae-hyung, a student at Kwangwoon University said he will host instant matchmaking event at Yeouido Park, central Seoul on Christmas Eve. The event, currently being promoted on Facebook, has already drawn about 35,000 people signing up for the event, including celebrities
South Korea falls to 45th in global corruption awareness ranking

Dec 5, 2012

South Korea dropped two notches in a global corruption awareness ranking to place 45th among 176 nations in 2012, an international watchdog said in its annual report on Wednesday.According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2012 issued by the non-governmental agency Transparency International (TI), South Korea scored 56 out of 100.The index, based on perceived levels of public sector corruption, is an aggregate indicator that combines different sources of information about corruption. It
S. Korean sailors freed by Somali pirates return home

Dec 5, 2012

Four South Korean sailors who were freed last week by Somali pirates after more than 19 months of captivity returned home Wednesday. They were kidnapped by Somali pirates on April 30, 2011 with the tanker MT Gemini and set free on Saturday after the Singapore-based owner of the ship paid an unspecified amount of ransom, according to Seoul officials said.The freed sailors underwent medical checkups at a hospital on the Kenyan island of Mombasa and arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of
Top officials replaced at crisis-ridden prosecution

Dec 5, 2012

The Justice Ministry on Tuesday replaced top-level prosecution officials in the wake of bribery and sex scandals and internal feuds over organizational reform.The reshuffle affected the No. 2 position at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the chief of a powerful investigation arm in charge of high-profile corruption and crime.The shakeup followed the resignation of Prosecutor-General Han Sang-dae Friday.Kim Jin-tae, chief of Seoul High Public Prosecutors’ Office was appointed as deputy prosecut
Seoul toughens smoking ban in restaurants

Dec 4, 2012

Smoking will be prohibited in restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and bars with a surface area of 150 square meters or larger nationwide starting from Dec. 8, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday. Indoor as well as outdoor areas of public buildings such as hospitals, libraries, day-care centers, government offices and commercial complexes will also be designated as smoke-free zones, the ministry said. The amendment to the National Health Promotion Act was endorsed at the Cabinet meeti
Prosecution makes efforts to regain public trust

Dec 4, 2012

The prosecution picks up the pace in rebuilding its tarnished reputation and cutting the Gordian knot of corruption inside the prosecutorial body. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that it will fire trainee prosecutor Jeon Jae-mong who was involved in a sex scandal.Jon was accused of having sex allegedly in return for favors with a female suspect whom he was interrogating.Choi Jaek-kyung, the head of the SPO’s Central Investigation Unit, on the same day was acquitted of accusations he
Food poisoning suspected at top five-star hotel

Dec 4, 2012

The Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Hotel in Samseong-dong, Seoul, is in hot water after a group of guests who dined at a private function there fell ill. This is the third time this year that the five-star hotel has been involved in an incident concerning food safety.On Nov. 27, more than 80 people attended a private dinner where, according to participants, at least 10 of them fell ill during or after the event. One of those taken ill was a Korea Herald reporter. “I had sashimi, red wine, c
Hundreds of cardholders under hacking attack

Dec 4, 2012

Police said Tuesday they have launched an investigation into the hacking of a widely-used online payment service operated by two major South Korean credit card firms.The so-called Internet Secure Payment (ISP) is a password-encrypted service used when making credit card payments online of less than 300,000 won ($276). The system is managed by KB Kookmin Card Co. and BC Card Co.The investigation comes after 199 cardholders who use the service had their accounts hacked, which resulted in losses es
Another prosecutor implicated in corruption case

Dec 3, 2012

Internal inspectors at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office are investigating another corruption case involving a prosecutor who allegedly introduced a suspect he was investigating to a law firm where his brother-in-law worked.The inspectors raided the prosecutor’s office Monday and are looking into whether he took any illegal benefits in exchange for favorable treatment of the suspect, they said.“The SPO is currently investigating a prosecutor suspected to have been involved in influence peddling,”
Sailors describe 19 months of ‘animal-like’ life in cage

Dec 3, 2012

South Korean sailors who were recently freed by Somali pirates said on Monday that they were locked up in cages and treated like animals for nearly two years. Park Hyun-yeol, captain of the MT Gemini, a tanker highjacked by Somali pirates on April 30, 2011, said he and his three Korean crewmates survived 582 days by filtering bugs and worms from rain water with their undershirts. “We were put in a cage and lived like animals. The only human thing we were allowed to do was use the toilet,” he sai