The sweltering heat that has blanketed the country this week is unlikely to ease up any time soon, putting authorities on high alert for casualties and damage. At least six have died of heat stroke and hundreds have been rushed to hospital as of Friday, as the mercury soared to as high as 37 degrees Celsius for the past few days. Power consumption skyrocketed, pulling reserves down to a dangerously low level and prompting authorities to switch to emergency mode. Livestock farmers are battling th

A chief lawmaker of the main opposition party again did not appear before prosecutors on Friday, disobeying the third and possibly final summons for questioning on suspicions of taking bribes from ailing savings banks.Park Jie-won, floor leader of the Democratic United Party, attended a scheduled party meeting at the DUP headquarters instead of showing up at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul as requested at 10 a.m., according to party officials.It marks the third time in a period

Lee Gil-ya was born in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, in May 1932. Her father ran a rice mill to support her family. From 1951-1957, she attended the medical school of Seoul National University. In 1958, she opened an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, starting a life of social service.After passing the U.S. medical license examination in 1964, she departed for the U.S. where she completed an internship at Mary Immaculate Hospital in 1965 and residency at Queen’s Hospital Center in 1968. From 197

A lottery winner killed himself Monday at a public bath in Gwangju, after losing all his money in failed investments.According to the police, the man won 1.8 billion won ($1.65 million) in 2007. As he won the lottery, he quit his job, began his own business and invested in stocks. However, all his investments failed and he was left with nothing. He was suffering depression after divorcing his wife.Police are investigating the man’s family based on the theory that hardships drove him to suicide.(

An embattled nominee to South Korea's top court has withdrawn his nomination amid mounting pressure over his alleged ethical lapses, defusing a looming political standoff between the rival parties.Kim Byung-hwa, one of four Supreme Court justice nominees, said in a statement late Thursday that he was stepping aside because a delay in forming a new bench would cause a problem for the country.Kim ha

A number of local universities have been falsifying graduate employment data to raise funds and attract students, according to a government investigation.The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced Thursday after a two-month investigation that it found 28 universities across the country falsely reported the employment rate for their graduates. The ministry report came as an increasing number of universities in the country face declining student enrollment and tightened budgets. “

The prosecution on Thursday indicted Lee Sang-deuk, elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak, for allegedly receiving kickbacks from the management of ailing savings banks in exchange for granting them business favors through influence-peddling.Lee has been detained since July 10 and will be the first sibling of an incumbent president to stand before the court. According to the special investigation unit at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Lee is suspected of receiving more than 300 million won

The government and the ruling Saenuri Party are to toughen the punishment for sex crimes and expand the disclosure of perpetrators’ identities. The Ministry of Justice will take over the management of sex offenders’ information and increase the number of perpetrators whose personal information is made public. In order to toughen the rules, sexual assaults against minors under 13 years old will be subject to the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and Protection of Victims, which will allow fo

The prosecutors investigating a savings bank scandal said they would take steps to arrest Park Jie-won, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party, if he rejects a third summons issued Wednesday. The prosecution ordered Park to appear on Friday for questioning over suspicions that he had received kickbacks from the management of ailing savings banks. This is the third time the political bigwig has been called in for the investigation related to the scandal which also implicates

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― In a further clarification of its view on a key history issue between South Korea and Japan, the U.S. government said Tuesday that Japan’s trafficking of Korean women for sex services during the World War II is an unassailable “fact.”“These were women who were trafficked for sexual purposes,” a State Department official told Yonhap News Agency.The official stressed that how to characterize the incident is more important than the terminology to describe the victims.“Rat

A women’s group is calling on the United Nations to adopt a strong arms trade control treaty to prevent human rights violations and sexual violence.According to the Women’s Forum for Peace and Diplomacy, the adoption of a strong arms trade treaty is being hampered by a small number of countries that want more freedom in trading arms and ammunition in the run up to the deadline of Friday for completing the treaty. It is an arm of the Ecumenical Campaign for a Strong and Effective Arms Trade Treat