The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday gave jail terms of a maximum of five years to seven people for attacking the server of the National Election Commission website during the Oct. 26 by-election. Judge Lee Won-beom ordered 28-year-old Gong, a former secretary of former ruling party lawmaker Choi Ku-sik, and Kim, a former secretary of National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae, to spend five years each in prison for orchestrating and commanding the distributed denial of service attack on the

The government on Tuesday decided to expand the issuance of multiple visas and visa waivers for Chinese visitors to Korea from Aug. 1.Aiming to attract more than 1 million Chinese tourists to the country this summer, authorities also decided to streamline the visa application process and increase the provision of financial and hospitality conveniences.“Such plans are expected to boost tourism in Korea when we are hosting international events such as Yeosu Expo,” Minister of Strategy and Finance

The prosecution has reportedly questioned the daughter and the widow of the late President Roh Moo-hyun on suspicion of violating the Foreign Exchange Control Law and creating a slush fund to buy pricy real estate in the U.S.The two are likely to be called in as both have reportedly denied the allegations. According to the central investigation team of the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office, former first lady Kwon Yang-sook and Roh Jeong-yeon turned in their written answers on Monday, detailing R

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Amore Pacific, the country’s largest cosmetics firm, for cooperation on student education.Under the agreement, Amore Pacific will hold regular “beauty” classes at schools across the country, and invite students to its farm on Jeju Island for summer and winter vacation camps.(569story@heraldm.com)

Government officials and experts in legislative affairs from Asia will discuss ways to boost cooperation and improve legal systems for social and economic development during a forum this week near Seoul, organizers said. The Ministry of Government Legislation is hosting the 2nd Asian Forum of Legislative Information Affairs at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province from Wednesday to Friday.The gathering is expected to draw about 1,500 participants from more than 30 countries including six ministers

Disappointment was palpable among participants of a U.N. environmental meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Friday as the three-day summit ended with no tangible outcomes on how to further global action.Yet, the grim reality is a reason for Korea to push harder with its green-growth drive and promote it overseas, the country’s environmental minister said.“Not all countries came to embrace the con

The government said Saturday it is pouring manpower, emergency equipment and allocating relief funds into countering the worst drought the country has faced in decades.The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said 1,413 workers and 810 pieces of equipment, such as water pumps have been dispatched to help residents and farms in the worst hit areas of the country.It said 45.6 billion won ($39.3 million) in relief funds have been sent to Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong and South Jeoll

The prosecution has detected some 130 Korean-Chinese who falsified their identities and reentered Korea after being deported for having committed crimes or overstaying their visas.It detained and indicted 11 of them while indicting 15 others without detention, officials at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Sunday. The office has put another four on its wanted list. The rest were released after investigation for reasons that the investigators did not specify.Prosecutors have inc

The state-run Overseas Koreans Foundation plans to provide training for some 520 Korean-language teachers around the world to help them adopt more modern, practical and effective teaching methods. About 520 people from China, Russia and other countries will participate in sessions here for Korean language, linguistics, teaching methods and, Korean culture until mid-August, the Seoul-based organization said. “Instructors’ greater capabilities mean better help for young generations living overseas

The prosecution has detected some 130 Korean-Chinese who falsified their identities and reentered Korea after being deported for having committed crimes or overstaying their visas.It detained and indicted 11 of them while indicting 15 others without detention, officials at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Sunday. The office has put another four on the wanted list.The rest were released after investigation for reasons that the investigators did not specify.Prosecutors have incr

SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- The government said Saturday it is pouring manpower, emergency equipment and allocating relief funds into countering the worst drought the country has faced in decades.The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said 1,413 workers and 810 pieces of equipment, such as water pumps have been dispatched to help residents and farms in the worst hit areas of the

A lower court on Friday ruled that local governments’ forcing of large discount stores to shut on Sundays to protect small-sized retailers is illegal.Following the ruling, large stores in Gangdong and Songpa of Seoul will be able to operate from this Sunday. Judge Oh Seok-jun of Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of five large mega-retailers in Songpa and Gangdong that claimed that local administrations’ new ordinance forcing them to close on every second and fourth Sunday is illegal. The