The Korea Communications Commission said Thursday that it will consider putting a stop to the system that checks Internet users’ private information and also prohibit the collection of resident registration numbers online. In a briefing on next year’s policies to President Lee Myung-bak, the st

Special prosecutors investigating a former prosecutor’s bribery case said on Wednesday that a Busan judge accepted 1.7 million won ($1,470) worth of entertainment and bribes from a local lawyer in return for favorable rulings.However, he failed to find structural corruption in the court and an inappropriate relationship between lawyers and judges. Special prosecutor Lee Chang-jae, who was assigned to investigate if a lawyer surnamed Choi bribed local judges and prosecutors in the form of enterta

A Supreme Court ruling Wednesday found the perpetrators of school violence, their guardians and the school all liable in a high school bullying case from 2008.The top court upheld a lower court ruling in which seven students, their parents and the local government in charge of the school where the bullying took place were ordered to compensate the victim.The previous ruling ordered those involved to compensate 22-year-old Kim, who is disabled, the combined sum of 57 million won ($49,000).The lat

A local court has come under fire for showing leniency to a group of high school students charged with gang-raping a girl with a mental disability. Civic groups said the court went against the public calls for stricter rulings on those who commit sexual assault against the disabled.On Tuesday, the Daejeon District Court’s Family Division handed down 40 hours of community service and probation to 16 high school students who were accused of raping a 16-year-old girl who is grade 3 mentally disable

A recent spate of student suicides has drawn attention to school bullying, with some cases hushed up to save schools’ reputations, leading victims to distrust their schools and teachers. Reported cases of bullying at schools sharply increased last year from 5,606 in 2009 to 7,823 last year, although the number had fallen by about 3,000 between 2008 and 2009, according to a national survey. According to the Teenage Violence Prevention Center, 14,939 students have asked for help with bullying this

Police chief calls meeting to discuss stance and degree of protestThe controversial presidential decree on the enforcement of the Criminal Procedure Act, which defines investigative rights of the police and the prosecution was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday.The decree, drawn up by the Prime Minister’s Office in November, has been strongly criticized by members of the police force. Following the cabinet’s decision, National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh called a meeting of hi

From as early as next year, foreign patients visiting Korea for medical services will be able to buy prescription drugs at hospitals or clinics, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said. A relevant bill revision draft was approved at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Currently, all prescriptions written by doctors and can only be filled at pharmacies. Medical institutions are banned from selling drugs to individual patients.“Foreigners have a hard time understanding the system. Furthermore, because

The nation experienced more earthquakes than the yearly average this year, said the state’s weather agency Tuesday, causing concerns after Koreans witnessed a massive quake ravage its neighbor Japan earlier this year.According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, 51 earthquakes higher than a magnitude of 2 shook Korea this year, which is higher than the 10-year average.However the KMA added that the magnitudes of the quakes were low. A 2.0 magnitude earthquake in Gongju, South Chungcheong

Police chief calls meeting to discuss stance and degree of protestThe controversial presidential decree on the enforcement of the Criminal Procedure Act, which defines investigative rights of the police and the prosecution was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday.The decree, drawn up by the Prime Minister’s Office in November, has been strongly criticized by members of the police force. Following the cabinet’s decision, National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh called a meeting of hi

The government plans to expand cash incentives for companies that extend their retirement age as part of measures to cope with the looming mass retirement of baby boomers, and more broadly, the rapidly aging workforce, officials said Tuesday. The Ministry of Employment and Labor unveiled its five-year master plan, which includes more incentives to encourage employers to adopt a peak salary system, defer the retirement age and hire more senior workers. The 2012-2016 plan, which was approved by th

The government plans to check the environmental safety of all kindergartens and other facilities for children by 2016 and set guidelines on the use of phthalates and four other materials in infant feeding bottles and other baby products. Also it will require builders to notify of any use of housing materials that contain atopy-causing substances. These are the highlights of the Ministry of Environment’s 2012 plans reported to President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday. “In order to minimize potential he

A recent spate of student suicides has drawn attention to school bullying, with some cases hushed up to save schools’ reputations, leading victims to distrust their schools and teachers. Reported cases of bullying at schools sharply increased last year from 5,606 in 2009 to 7,823 last year, although the number had fallen by about 3,000 between 2008 and 2009, according to a national survey. According to the Teenage Violence Prevention Center, 14,939 students have asked for help with bullying this

Ministry measures call for dispatch of counselors, strengthening monitorsThe recent suicides of school bullying victims in Daegu have shocked the nation, especially since their parents and teachers didn’t even know what they had been going through. Criticism has mounted over schools’ negligence, and parents and education experts have called for measures to prevent school violence. A 14-year-old, who leapt to his death last week, left a suicide note detailing the abuse he suffered. The boy surnam