Prosecutors on Tuesday indicted a woman who killed her two daughters at the urging of a supposed member of a non-existent cult. The 38-year-old woman, identified only by her surname Kwon, drowned her 10-year-old daughter in a bathtub and suffocated her 6-year-old daughter with a pillow in a motel on March 8, according to Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office.Kwon was following the directions of a 32-year-old woman, surnamed Yang, who lied about being a member of a pseudo-religion called “the Syste

Suicide was the No. 1 cause of death among Korean youths, outranking illnesses and traffic accidents, a civic group revealed Tuesday. According to the Center for Freedom of Information and Transparent Society’s analysis of cause of death among those aged 24 years old or younger between 2007 and 2009, suicide topped the list followed by traffic accidents, illness and criminal acts. “Most of those who committed suicide had problems related to academics, including which university they should atten

The government said Tuesday it will tighten regulations on the use of asbestos by examining levels of the carcinogenic construction material in public buildings and other sites.Asbestos exposure becomes a health concern when high concentrations of asbestos fibers are inhaled over time, causing asthma, respiratory disease or even lung cancer. South Korea has banned the material’s use in new construction projects since the late 1990s for health and safety reasons.At a weekly Cabinet meeting presid

It was in the mid-2000s when South Korean plastic surgeon Joo Kwon noticed a trickle of Chinese women walking into his clinic, even though he hadn’t advertised overseas. “They somehow found a way to the clinic ... and nearly all of them said they want the face of Lee Young-ae,” Joo said, referring to a top South Korean actress who starred in the pan-Asian hit drama “Jewel in the Palace.”The trickle has now turned into a flood of Chinese packing Joo’s JK Plastic Surgery Center ― one of the countr

Fire broke out at Mount Halla National Park Tuesday, according to local fire department.Jeju Island Provincial office said they deployed helicopters along with 4,000 civil servants to battle the flames.From news report <관련 한글 기사>한라산에 불..진화 헬기 등 총동원24일 낮 12시께 세계자연유산인 한라산국립공원 어리목 인근의 해발 1천450m 사제비오름에 발생한 산불이 오후 2시께 대부분 진압됐 다.한라산국립공원사무소에 따르면 발화지점은 사제비오름 약수터 근처이며, 이 불 로 인근지역 1.6㏊가량이 소실됐다.산불은 바람을 타고 발화

Kwak Seung-jun, chief of the Presidential Council for Future and Vision, on Tuesday denied allegations that he had received entertainment from CJ chairman Lee Jay-hyun in 2009 in return for business favors.“I met Lee because we have been friends for 30 years. It was not business related and we enjoyed each other’s company. There was no inappropriate third party involved,” said Kwak, one of President Lee Myung-bak’s right-hand men. The Seoul Shinmun newspaper reported that Kwak met the chairman o

Prosecutors on Tuesday indicted a woman who killed her two daughters at the urging of a supposed member of a non-existent cult. The 38-year-old woman, identified only by her surname Kwon, drowned her 10-year-old daughter in a bathtub and suffocated her 6-year-old daughter with a pillow in a motel on March 8, according to Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office.Kwon was following the direction of a 32-year-old woman, surnamed Yang, who lied about being a member of a pseudo-religion called “the System

The government said Monday it will spend more than 6.2 trillion won ($5.44 billion) this year to support women in jobs, through childcare and in other areas that could lead to an overall improvement of their social standing.Under the plan, the government will offer customized job support for women seeking reemployment, women in rural areas, marriage immigrants and other groups. The sum is about 70

The nation’s largest teachers’ group asked the government to give special judicial authority to teachers to curb school violence. In a meeting with the Education Ministry on Monday, the Korean Federation of Teachers Associations also demanded the government extend counseling and therapy and set up more alternative schools.The teachers said it has become even more difficult to control unruly students because of rules on students’ human rights that went into effect in Seoul this year.The governmen

Used diesel car owners in Seoul must install a diesel particulate filter beginning in the latter half of the year under a new regulation to improve air quality, city officials said Monday.Those caught without the device will be fined 200,000 won ($175).Diesel vehicles such as vans, buses and trucks that weigh more than 3.5 tons and have been used more than seven years are subject to the new rule.The vehicles will be monitored through closed circuit television cameras on the streets of the capita

Police are widening an investigation into alleged corruption at a public university after a professor was found to have offered illegal private tutoring to students in exchange for admission. Police requested Sunday an arrest warrant for the 44-year-old contrabass professor of Korea National University of Art. He was charged with offering illegal private tutoring to high school students preparing for the school’s admission test, and giving them undeserved high scores. According to the Seoul Metr