The government said it will ban foreign nationals engaged in sex trade activities involving Korean women from entering the country.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it prohibited a 50-year-old Korean-Australian, who has been advertising the sex trade on a Korean information leaflet in Australia, from entering Korea on Tuesday.It is the first time that the government imposed an entry ban on a foreign national for this reason. Korean immigration law allows the government to prohibit e

The number of foreign nationals in Korea hit an all-time high this year, making up 3 percent of the country’s total population. According to statistics from the Justice Ministry on Friday, 1.41 million foreign nationals were present in the nation as of September this year, with Chinese taking the lion’s share.“The increase has to do with the economic recovery since last year to first half of this year,” said Gwak Jae-seok, director of the Migration and Diaspora Research Institute.About 600,000 o

The North Korean currency has recently gained 20 percent against the Chinese yuan, a rare development blamed on rumors of the North’s counterfeiting, a source familiar with the issue said Friday.The North Korean won was traded at 1,000 won to 1 Chinese yuan a week ago, but 1 yuan is now worth only 800 won in the country’s major northeastern city of Chongjin.The source said, on condition of anonymity, that the demand for foreign currencies has surged on rumors a week ago that a lot of North Korea

The chairman of SK Group will be summoned next week for interrogation over allegations that he embezzled a massive amount of company funds in collusion with his younger brother, prosecutors said Friday. Prosecutors have given notice to Chairman Chey Tae-won to appear at the prosecutors’ office in southern Seoul around 9:30 a.m. on Monday for questioning, they said.Chey had initially been scheduled to undergo interrogation last week, but prosecutors postponed the summons so they could better prep

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- The number of foreign residents living in South Korea reached an all-time high this year, accounting for 3 percent of the country's total population, with Chinese residents forming the largest group, government data showed Friday. According to the statistics compiled by th

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- The chairman of SK Group will be summoned next week for interrogation over allegations that he embezzled a massive amount of company funds in collusion with his younger brother, prosecutors said Friday. Prosecutors have given notice to Chairman Chey Tae-won to appear at th

South Korea's Coast Guard said Thursday it has formally arrested the Chinese fishing boat captain accused of murdering a law enforcement officer earlier in the week.Authorities said the Incheon District Court issued a formal warrant of arrest for the captain, who has been in custody since Monday. Th

South Korean school meals have been exempted from the World Trade Organization's (WTO) landmark public sector procurement liberalization pact, the country's diplomatic mission here said Thursday.Seoul's Permanent Mission to the UN Secretariat and International Organizations said other member countri

Eight out of 10 South Koreans whose families were divided by the 1950-53 Korean War are over 70, indicating that time is fast running out for them to meet their families in the North, a government report showed Thursday.According to the Unification Ministry’s first-ever report on separated families, the government confirmed 66,611 survivors out of the 81,800 separated families registered with the ministry since 1999 through visits to their houses, phone calls and visits to their workplaces.Out o

A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced the adoptive mother of an infant to seven years in prison for frequently beating the baby girl, causing brain death.The 28-year-old mother, identified only by her surname Lee, was indicted in September on charges of habitually beating her three-month-old daughter after illegally adopting her. The girl is now brain dead.Lee, who had worked for a nursery school, decided to adopt the baby in August upon an impulsive desire to raise a daughter as she had two biolo

The recently deceased founder and honorary chairman of South Korea’s top steelmaker POSCO will be buried in the national cemetery in Seoul, a commission in charge of the funeral said Thursday.The remains of Park Tae-joon will be laid to rest at Seoul National Cemetery in the southern part of the South Korean capital in recognition of his contribution to the country and the society, according to the commission.Park Tae-joon died Tuesday of lung disease at the age of 84.Park was regarded as the go

Prosecutors raid GNP lawmaker’s office as speaker’s aide emerges as suspectThe prosecution on Thursday raided the office of ruling Grand National Party lawmaker Choi Gu-sik to investigate whether he had been involved in the National Election Commission website hacking on Oct. 26 when by-elections for Seoul mayor and other offices took place. The raid came a day after the prosecutors said they found evidence suggesting a former aide to National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae may have been involved

SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced the adoptive mother of an infant to seven years in prison for frequently beating the baby girl, causing brain death.The 28-year-old mother, identified only by her surname Lee, was indicted in September on charges of habitually beating he

A gay man who avoided military service became the first South Korean to be granted asylum abroad on grounds of conscientious objection in 2009, a military human rights group belatedly announced on Thursday.According to the group, Canadian immigration officials granted asylum to Kim Kyung-hwan in 200