Automobile workers likely to go on strike this week; may include Hyundai unionAutomobile workers led by the union at Hyundai Motor Co. are gearing up for their first general strike in four years this week, setting the tone for what is expected to be the fiercest season of labor unrest in recent years. The Korean Metal Workers Union, which includes the car industry, will conduct a four-hour walkout on July 13 and 20, demanding improvements in working conditions and wage increases. The largest ind

South Korea's leading potato scientist has been found dead near his office in an apparent suicide, police said Saturday.Joung Hyouk, president of the state-run Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, was found bleeding outside the institute building in Daejeon, 150 kilometers south of Seoul, at 6:37 p.m. Friday, they said.Joung apparently fell to his death from the rooftop of the

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to establish a 10 billion won ($8 million) fund this year to help smaller green businesses that have the technology but lack financial means.The Dream First KU-DSC Green Fund was jointly created by DSC Investment, Korea University, Korea Venture Investment Corp, a private investment firm, and Seoul Business Agency, an agency for small and medium enterprises. It is managed by DSC Investment, a venture capital firm.The city said in a press release that it wi

Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that foreign residents’ biggest concerns appear to be work-related problems such as delayed payment, salary and health insurance.Of more than 3,500 foreign residents who received counseling from the city provided at stations, schools and community centers, around 60 percent were most worried about problems at work. The city has provided counseling since January to foreign workers to help them better adjust.Another 30 percent said their biggest concerns s

The prosecution is facing mounting pressure to expand its probe into the savings bank lobbying scandal involving President Lee Myung-bak’s associates, upon widening suspicion that the kickbacks were used to support Lee during the 2007 presidential election.All eyes are now on Lee Sang-deuk, elder brother of President Lee, who is claimed to have bagged up to 3.8 billion won ($3.3 mil.) in total from several ailing savings banks around 2007, when the younger Lee was campaigning for the presidency.

The Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a lower court’s ruling against the construction of a strategic naval base on Jeju Island, clearing the way for the project to enhance South Korea’s maritime defense. The court returned the case to a Seoul appellate court for a retrial.In June 2011, the court ruled against the controversial construction, saying that the Defense Ministry’s approval for it should be invalidated as it came before a required evaluation of its impact on the environment.The top

The Ministry of Health and Welfare confirmed Thursday that 13 over-the-counter drugs will be sold outside pharmacies, including at 24-hour convenience stores, from Nov. 15.The selected items have been classified as first-aid remedies and will not require a doctor’s prescription for purchase, allowing wider and easier access to the public. The selected items are Tylenol 500mg, Tylenol 160mg, Tylenol 80mg for kids, liquid Tylenol for kids and Brufen syrup for children in the fever remedy and paink

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the construction of a controversial naval base on southern Jeju Island is lawful, giving the military the green light on the project. The Supreme Court overturned an earlier ruling by a lower court that the initial construction plan, approved by the defense ministry in 2009, was invalid because the construction's impact on the environment hadn't been proper

Police said Thursday they arrested 45 gangsters on charges of recruiting teenagers and exploiting them.A 31-year-old gangster surnamed Im and five other suspects were arrested, while the remaining 40 were booked without detention, according to Busan Dongnae Police StationThe suspects allegedly recruited three youngsters, including 19-year-old Hwang, who had just dropped out of high school and forced them to work in the gang’s workplaces without proper wages. However, Hwang is accused of using hi

Police in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, arrested a 40-year-old woman on Thursday on charges of killing her mother-in-law, who sided with her husband in a quarrel.The woman, identified only by her surname Huh, is suspected of strangling her mother-in-law around 3 p.m. at the in-law’s house in Daeseong-dong, Sangdang-gu, Chungju.Huh reportedly told police that she became furious when her mother-in-law only sided with her husband during a visit after the couple fought.<관련 한글 기사>남편 편든 시어머니,

A fourth grader in Gangwon Province is believed to have killed herself Tuesday morning, leaving a letter that read, “Life is too tough.”The police said the 10-year-old was found dead by her mother in the garden of their apartment building where they lived on the 11th floor. “After I received a call from her teacher that she did not come to school, I scolded her on the phone since it was a test day. She did not answer the phone when I called her again. I felt strange and went home to find her,” t

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced on Wednesday that the Kori-1 plant, the country’s oldest nuclear reactor, is safe to continue operation.The nuclear safety governing body announced the decision after a three-month long safety check.The Kori-1 plant, which began operation in 1978 in the northern part of Busan, was shut down on March 12 after one of its two reactors temporarily lost power early this year. The power cut did not lead to any damage, but caused public uproar as the