The Korea Herald

Rep. Koh summoned over vote buying

Jan 6, 2012

The prosecution on Friday asked Rep. Koh Seung-duk of the ruling Grand National Party to show up at the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office Sunday to explain his allegation of vote-buying during party’s past leadership election. Koh’s testimony is expected to shake the ruling party, which is now undergoing major leadership reformation to woo voters ahead of the April 11 general election and Dec. 19 presidential election.According to investigators, the summons came a couple of days after Koh divulg
Seoul to launch inter-agency body against school violence

Jan 6, 2012

Chiefs of four major government organizations in Seoul agreed to launch a permanent consultative committee on Friday as part of recent government efforts to weed out school violence. The anti-school violence efforts come after a string of suicides by school bullying victims that began last month. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, chairman of Seoul Metropolitan Council Hu Kwang-tai, acting superintendent of the city’s education office Lee Dae-young and commissioner of the police agency of the capital Le
Korea to spend $126m to support drug firms

Jan 6, 2012

The government unveiled a set of plans on Friday to nurture 12 globally competitive pharmaceutical companies by 2020.The plans are intended to develop Korea into the seventh-largest power in the industry. Under the arrangement presented by Health and Welfare Minister Rim Che-min to President Lee Myung-bak, 12 firms will develop 10 new drugs, and the country will take up 5.4 percent of the global pharmaceutical export market in eight years. Its current market share is 0.2 percent.The ministry wil
Students in Gwangju bullying case face criminal punishment

Jan 6, 2012

A student accused of beating a 14-year-old boy who later committed suicide in the southwestern city of Gwangju last month is expected to face legal action, as the police have decided to take tougher measures against school violence. The boy is believed to have killed himself after being brutally bullied by his peers.The Gwangju Police said that they will issue an arrest warrant for a 15-year-old middle school student on charges of assaulting the victim and other students and taking money from th
Revised criminal law puts leash on prosecutors

Jan 5, 2012

New regulations will put in place stricter requirements for search warrants issued in criminal investigations to prevent personal and irrelevant information from being leaked by prosecutors, the Supreme Court said Thursday.Taking effect this year, the revised Criminal Procedure Law will include a new article pertaining to the seizure of electronic storage devices, designed to prevent irrelevant information from being seized by prosecutors.“This will compel more care in prosecutors’ searches and
Smartphone app to help users to quit smoking

Jan 5, 2012

The Korean Association of Smoking and Health has released a smartphone application which helps users quit smoking. The program, named “nageumja,” offers a tool to diagnose smoking addiction status, anti-smoking guidelines by the level of addiction, ways to overcome withdrawal symptoms and other tips. “The application does not only encourage smokers into quit puffing but also help them easily over the side effects and other obstacles on the way to giving up smoking,” the organization said in a pr
NK spy indicted after coming to South in disguise as defector

Jan 5, 2012

Prosecutors on Thursday indicted an alleged North Korean spy suspected of impersonating a defector seeking to settle in South Korea.The 47-year-old man surnamed Kim, believed to be a former agent of the North’s military intelligence unit, was charged with entering South Korea in June last year on a mission of pro-North espionage, according to the prosecutors.Kim crossed Tumen River near the northern border of North Korea and traveled to Thailand with 14 other North Korean defectors through a bro
National health insurance in the black in 2011

Jan 5, 2012

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday that the national health insurance fund was 600.8 billion won ($521 million) in the black last year and had 1.56 trillion won in reserves.The National Health Insurance Corp. collected 37.9 trillion won in premiums and spent 37.3 trillion won on insurance coverage.Fund revenue increased by 15 percent due to the 5.9 percent premium raise last year, while insurance coverage rose just 7.4 percent compared to the previous year. Insurance payouts decrea
Korea cautions visitors to China against bird flu

Jan 5, 2012

The Korea Centers for Disease Prevention and Control on Thursday cautioned travelers to China of avian influenza.The move came days after a case of death from bird flu infection was reported last week in Shenzen, southern China. The authorities said a lethal strain of the influenza is unlikely to spread to Korea but they will keep an eye on migratory birds’ movements.“We are banning travelers from visiting farms or places reported in the avian influenza breakout in China. We also advise people t
Law school grads face tough job market

Jan 5, 2012

The first bar exam for law school students scheduled to graduate in February is on the way.While the exam is an important milestone in the country’s efforts to renovate the structure of the legal industry, law school graduates are in for a tough time in finding employment.“To be honest, I chose to go to a law school because I thought it would be a less difficult way to become a lawyer than taking the existing judicial exam,” a law school student said, declining to be named. He added that studyin
Revised criminal law puts leash on prosecutors

Jan 5, 2012

New regulations will put in place stricter requirements for search warrants issued in criminal investigations to prevent personal and irrelevant information from being leaked by prosecutors, the Supreme Court said Thursday.Taking effect this year, the revised Criminal Procedure Law will include a new article pertaining to the seizure of electronic storage devices, designed to prevent irrelevant information from being seized by unrestrained prosecutors.According to the new provision, seizures of
Student rights blamed for bullying spike

Jan 5, 2012

Conservatives, progressives clash over controversial ordinance againThe recent school violence cases have sparked controversy again over the student rights ordinance passed in December, which bans corporal punishment and scraps some aspects of the student dress code.Conservative and progressive teachers have clashed over some issues in the ordinance applicable to all elementary and secondary schools in Seoul, including respect of students’ sexual orientation, pregnancy and childbirth, religion a
Pork beats beef in vitamin B1, non-saturated fat

Jan 5, 2012

‘Boiled or steamed pork better for health than fried or barbecued’Pork is one of the most consumed meats in Korea. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, Koreans consumed 1.37 million tons of pork last year, about 1.3 percent of the global pork consumption. The meat is used in many dishes popular here, from kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), bossam (boiled pork eaten with kimchi) to samgyeopsal gui (grilled pork belly).Pork is known to contain 10 times as much vitamin B1 as beef. Vitamin B1
Elderly stroke patients suffer arrhythmia more

Jan 5, 2012

Stroke patients over 65 years old are likely to suffer arrhythmia, which could be critical, professor Kim Yong-jae of Ewha Womans University Medical Center said Tuesday. Kim and his team studied a total of 869 people who were hospitalized last year to treat cerebral infarction, caused by a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. He found that 198 of them had arrhythmia, or an irregular heart beat. The older the patients were, the more likely they had the heart disorder, Ki
SK chairman indicted without detention on embezzlement charges

Jan 5, 2012

Prosecutors said Thursday they have indicted SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on charges of embezzlement, but he will be allowed to stand trial without physical detention. The indictment came about a week after they arrested the group's vice chairman, Chey's younger brother Jae-won, over the same char