A boy who committed suicide last year in Otsu, Japan may have been forced to do so by school bullies, Japan’s The Mainichi reported Wednesday.A school survey conducted after the 13-year-old boy killed himself last October found that he had been coerced into "practicing suicide" every day."(The deceased boy) had sent an e-mail to the bullies, saying ‘I will die’ or ‘I will give my life to a friend with cancer,’" said some of the students who participated in the survey. Out of 320 students surveye

Prosecutors plan to summon Rep. Chung Doo-un of the ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday for questioning over his alleged involvement in a snowballing bank-lobbying scandal, officials said Tuesday.Chung is alleged to have received 30 million won ($26,385) from Lim Suk, the chairman of Solomon Savings Bank, after introducing him to Lee Sang-deuk, President Lee Myung-bak’s elder brother.Chung has denied the allegations.The elder Lee was questioned on Tuesday on suspicion that he took some 500 million

Lee Sang-deuk, President Lee Myung-bak’s elder brother and former ruling party lawmaker, was questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday over allegations he received more than 700 million won ($599,000) from businessmen in exchange for his influence. He is one of many prominent figures in the ruling and opposition parties allegedly involved in savings bank bribery.Lee, once the most influential figure in the ruling party, showed up at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul around 10 a.m.When

A team of Korean and U.S. researchers have invented a new technology that will allow electronic materials to stretch like rubber while maintaining conductivity. The finding published in the online journal Nature Communications marks major progress in developing wearable computers and flexible display devices. Current technologies in the field are limited to produce only thin sheets of materials. Also, one of the key remaining technical challenges is to find materials that can endure the repeated

Lee Sang-yup, professor of bioengineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, has been selected to receive the 2012 Charles Thom Award, the university announced on Tuesday.The Charles Thom Award is one of the most prestigious awards for microbiologists. The Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology each year selects a recipient who has made an outstanding research contribution to the field.Lee is the first Korean to receive the award since its establishment in

 Mayor says Seoul will set up city management research centerSeoul City is to embark on a project to spread its urban development and management know-how overseas, especially to developing countries.The metropolitan government plans to establish a new institution in charge of cooperation with foreign cities in areas including environment, transport, infrastructure and information technology-based governance. The globalization program is also aimed at helping developing countries boost the compet

After a decade of controversy, a new administrative city officially opened in South Chungcheong Province on Monday. Government officials and lawmakers, including Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, attended the event to celebrate the birth of Sejong City. But President Lee Myung-bak was absent from the ceremony.Spanning over 465 square kilometers of land, about 75 percent the size of Seoul, Sejong City will be home to 36 central government offices, including nine ministries and 16 state-run organizati

Critics bolster campaign against head of National Human Rights CommissionOpposition parties and civic activists are up in arms against the government’s attempt to grant a second term to Hyun Byung-chul, the controversial chief of the National Human Rights Commission. They cited his past record of racist remarks, ignorance of minorities in politically sensitive situations and violation of public servant rules.While Hyun awaits the National Assembly’s approval through the first-ever confirmation h

The number of females in South Korea is expected to exceed that of males starting in 2015 due mainly to the country’s rapidly aging population, government data showed Sunday.According to the data by Statistics Korea, the number of women in South Korea will likely reach 25.31 million in 2015, slightly surpassing the male population of 25.30 million.The female population is projected to continue to outnumber that of males and reach 26.26 million in 2031, with the number of men likely to decline af