A U.S. soldier stationed here will serve a 10-year prison term for the rape of a young Korean woman after an appellate court upheld the initial ruling on Thursday.The Seoul High Court rejected the appeal from the 21-year-old U.S. Army private of the 2nd Infantry Division and stood behind the heaviest sentence given to a U.S. soldier here in ten years.In 1992, a U.S. private was jailed for 15 years in a high-profile rape and murder case.“It is acknowledged that the private was under the influence

Seoul City plans to dismiss teachers who are caught physically or verbally abusing people with disabilities in any of its rehabilitation homes. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, they plan to protect the human rights of people with disabilities and prevent incidents with thorough surveys by experts and constant monitoring.The capital prepared the guidelines after a recent box-office hit that sparked widespread public outrage against sex crimes and light punishment for offenders.Acco

The United Arab Emirates will give Korea priority in supplying crude oil under circumstances that destabilize Korea’s oil supply.According to sources, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan told Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik that the UAE will give Korea priority in its oil exports if Korea experiences oil supply problems during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.Kim met the crown prince on the last leg of his 7-day trip of the Middle East, and requested UAE’s cooperation in dealing with the possible

Starting next year, all families with children aged 3-4 who are going to kindergarten or a daycare center will receive 220,000 won ($190) every month as a childcare subsidy.A kindergarten and child care support program, unveiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday, will also allow state support for all children aged 5 or under to increase to 200,000 won next year from this year.According to the ministry, the subsidy will be given in the form of kindergarten or daycare center fees

Expanding preventive education program to parents working at private companiesThe Education Ministry announced Wednesday that it would conduct a nationwide school violence survey of all students from fourth grade in elementary school up to high school seniors.The survey will ask about 5.58 million students across the country about the forms of school violence they have experienced during the past year, places where it took place, whether there are school gangs and other various questions.“The mi

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- Kim Jong-il, the late North Korean leader, told officials two months before his sudden death in December to respect and follow his youngest son and heir apparent Kim Jong-un, the North's state media reported Wednesday.Kim told officials on Oct. 8 they need to follow Kim Jo

It is discriminatory to deny service based on a customer’s ethnicity, the state’s human rights watchdog said Tuesday.The ruling by the National Human Rights Commission came after a bathhouse in Busan denied service to a naturalized Korean last year.The NHRC recommended the bathhouse cease denying service to non-ethnic Koreans and foreigners in the November 25, 2011 ruling.It also recommended the Busan Metropolitan Government and the Dong District Office where the bathhouse is located implement m

It is discriminatory to deny service based on a customer’s ethnicity, the state’s human rights watchdog said Tuesday.The ruling by the National Human Rights Commission came after a bathhouse in Busan denied service to a naturalized Korean last year.The NHRC recommended the bathhouse cease denying service to non-ethnic Koreans and foreigners in the November 25, 2011 ruling.It also recommended the Busan Metropolitan Government and the Dong District Office where the bathhouse is located implement m

Primary school students believe reports make their problems worseOne out of four of Seoul’s fourth through sixth graders in elementary school has experienced bullying, but half of the victims haven’t sought help, a children’s organization poll showed Tuesday. ChildFund, an international child sponsorship group, found that 25 percent of elementary school students in Seoul between the fourth and sixth grades have encountered bullying in school. The poll of 1,377 fourth through sixth graders from S

Nine out of 10 people in Korea say the low birthrate is serious, but are reluctant to have children due to financial problems, a survey by the Health Ministry showed Tuesday. The majority of the respondents supported the government’s pro-birth campaigns but said society was not yet ready to support child rearing. According to the nationwide survey of 2,000 adults, 86.6 percent said the falling birthrate was serious, and 91.1 percent said Korea advancement into an aging society was a critical sit

Police plan to seek an arrest warrant Tuesday for a former expat who returned to Korea to confess the murder of his girlfriend.According to Yongsan Police Station, the 38-year-old Canadian confessed Saturday to the murder of his Korean girlfriend three years ago, which was initially ruled a suicide.Police said the expat confessed he had suffered from paranoia believing that his girlfriend was planning to have him murdered after the couple began to fight over religious differences and marriage is

Voters and non-governmental organizations will be able to openly criticize or praise policies of the government and political parties during the official campaign period, National Election Commission’s guidelines showed Tuesday.Under the guidelines, which were sent out to the 16 regional election watchdogs, individual voters and NGOs are able to publicly criticize government and party policies during the 180 days before the election.However, voters will continue to be restricted from mentioning

Ewha Womans University held an old-fashioned essay contest to counter student’s growing dependency on electronic devices, officials said Tuesday.The Seoul university said it held its first ever book report writing contest Monday banning the use of computers, cellphones and other electronic devices in an effort to “unplug” the students.In one of the most wired countries in the world, the contest was a new experience for most.“I initially applied because I thought it would be fun, but actually sit