A Seoul appellate court upheld a lower court's prison terms on Friday for three former medical students for sexually harassing an inebriated female schoolmate during a trip. The Seoul High Court's ruling confirmed the previous court's two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a 24-year-old man surname

Rep. Lee Sang-deuk, elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak, said Thursday that 700 million won ($626,000) in his secretary’s bank account belongs to him. The six-term lawmaker denied that the money was a slush fund or political kickback, claiming it to be his personal property. Still, he is likely to be questioned over the money.According to Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Lee submitted a document purporting to prove his ownership of the money to prosecutors investigating a bribery

Many workers prefer fatter paychecks to more leisure time The government’s latest drive to reduce working hours is facing reluctance from workers who fear an impact on their paychecks. Yet, experts see it as inevitable that the country tackles the ingrained culture of long hours to boost productivity, improve workers’ quality of life and create new jobs. “Long working hours have prevailed in Korea under consent of three parties ― management, labor and government, with the management bent on redu

A growing number of spouses from international marriages are seeking jobs here, taking advantage of the South Korean government’s active job placement support for them, data showed Thursday.According to the data compiled by the labor ministry, a total of 11,724 foreigners who settled here after being married to South Koreans applied for employment via the government’s job network, called “Worknet,” up nearly six-fold in two years.“Some 80 percent of the foreign spouses landed a job in the manufa

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it will raise public transit fares by 150 won ($0.13) late this month to reduce mounting deficits in the public transportation system.The minimum bus and subway fare will rise from 900 won to 1,050 won for adults from Feb. 25. Fares for children and teenagers will remain unchanged.The decision to allow the fare hike was taken to lower deficits stemming from energy costs, fee discounts and some free rides, among other factors, officials said. It is

Rep. Lee Sang-deuk denies bribery, but faces interrogationRep. Lee Sang-deuk, elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak, said Thursday that 700 million won ($626,000) in his secretary’s bank account belongs to him. The six-term lawmaker denied that the money was a slush fund or political kickback, claiming it to be his personal property. Still, he is likely to be questioned over the money.According to Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Lee submitted a document purporting to prove his own

Kim Myung-ho, a former Sungkyunkwan University professor made famous for attacking a judge with a crossbow, filed a complaint with the prosecution against Judge Lee Sang-ho on Tuesday, accusing him of unlawful detention and abuse of authority, prosecutors said Wednesday.Lee was the presiding judge in the case that found former Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Bong-ju guilty of spreading false information about President Lee Myung-bak. Chung was jailed for one year in relation to his claims about

Two judges who posted disparaging comments on social networking services about President Lee Myung-bak are facing disciplinary measures and possible dismissal.Judge Seo Ki-ho of the Seoul Northern District Court has been included on the list of judges deemed unfit for reappointment. Seo caused controversy when he used derogatory expressions about the president. He was reportedly informed through an e-mail that his performance record was too poor for him to continue serving as a judge. Since 1988

The nation’s most popular podcast’s hosts have come under fire for encouraging their fans to make racy actions to save one of its imprisoned colleagues. Several female supporters took pictures of themselves dressed in bikinis with a slogan written on their breasts, saying “let’s save Chung Bong-ju,” and posted them on a website created to rally support for a drive to free the former Democratic Party lawmaker. Feminists and opponents are demanding the show hosts apologize and drop the plan. Chung

Employers in financial services, retail, restaurants and a dozen other industries will likely be banned from having their staff work in excess of the 52-hours-a-week limit, according to a decision Tuesday by a tripartite panel of workers, employers and the government. The Korea Tripartite Commission reached an agreement to scale back exemptions from the statutory limit on weekly hours currently in effect for 26 industries to 10. The 16 sectors to be stripped of exemption include saunas, hair and

Branksome Hall Asia, the first overseas campus of a premier all-girls independent school in North America, will hold an admissions information session at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the Orchid Room at Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas Hotel. According to the school’s PR representative KPR, Branksome Hall Asia, which opens in Jeju Global Education city in October, is accepting boys and girls for preschool to grade 3, and only girls for grades 4 through 12. For its foundation year, admission