South Korea had unusually warm autumn weather this year, as the average November temperature hit the highest level on record, due mainly to warmer sea currents approaching the coastlines, the weather agency said Tuesday. The average temperature for November reached 11 C, the highest figure since the agency began compiling data in 1973, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. The November weather was also milder than a year earlier, when the average temperature was 7.1 C. The average temper

More than half of Korean college students believe it is difficult, if not impossible, for them to achieve success in life through their own efforts alone, a recent survey showed.In the survey of 423 students, conducted by Albamon, a job portal website, 58 percent of respondents said self-made success is hard or impossible to accomplish in Korean society.About 40 percent cited luck as a key factor for success, while 26.5 percent and 16.1 percent replied effort and ability are needed to succeed. N

Korean workers turned out to be most vulnerable to an economic crisis compared with their counterparts in other OECD countries, due to the country’s extraordinarily low levels of unemployment benefits, a report showed Tuesday.Local labor authorities provided unemployed workers with financial aid worth about 30.4 percent of their previous full-time wages for one year upon being laid off as of 2009, according to the OECD report titled “Employment Outlook 2011.”The level of unemployment benefits la

A son of former Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Ra Eung-chan has been indicted without detention on charges of fraud.According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Ra’s son, identified only by his surname, was indicted for swindling billions of won from investors in a redevelopment project in Seoul.The 44-year-old is accused of having taken 3 billion won ($2.7 million), that two investors identified by the surname Hwang, who are father and son, invested in two development projects

Migrant workers are flocking to the southeastern city of Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, looking for jobs at small and mid-sized firms. According to the city government, 16,053 foreigners reside there as of October, up 15 percent from last year. Migrant workers account for 90.3 percent, mostly from Southeast Asian countries. The rest are foreign spouses and students. The number of foreign residents in Gimhae has almost tripled since 2005, when just 5,779 foreigners lived there. The greatest n

Judge says link between lung cancer and cigarette smoking ‘weak’A local court on Tuesday ruled against a bereaved family who sought damages from the government and state-run tobacco company KT&G over the death of a police officer who died of cancer.There has never been a successful damages suit against a tobacco firm in Korea. Judge Han Kyu-hyun of the Seoul Central District Court said that the link between tobacco and lung cancer prevalence is weak. He also dismissed the plaintiff’s claim that

The police investigation into the election-day cyber attack against the national election watchdog has implicated another aide of a Grand National Party lawmaker, dealing a further blow to the conservative ruling party. Police sources said Tuesday that investigators plan to summon for questioning an aide of Rep. Park Hee-tae, the National Assembly speaker and GNP member, as part of their inquiry into the hacking attack against the National Elections Committee’s website during the vote for Seoul

South Korea's Coast Guard said Monday that they have rescued four men from a small fishing boat that sank off the country's southwest coast.The 4.7-ton drift-net boat capsized after sending out a distress message at around 8 p.m., local authorities said. The boat was located 4.7 miles northeast of M

A former female prosecutor embroiled in a corruption scandal was arrested on Monday to be questioned over allegations that she received a luxury sedan and a designer handbag in return for peddling her influence, prosecutors dealing with the case said.The Busan prosecutors took the 36-year-old woman surnamed Lee into custody on Monday morning and were interrogating her, they said. “An arrest warrant was issued on grounds that there were concerns she may disobey a summons (if not for the arrest) .

Asylum seekers here will be able to avail of accommodation and other support at a new shelter, a support group said Monday.Nancen said it has begun running a shelter which will offer refuge during office hours and provide temporary housing through contracted low-income apartments.Situated at a leased former precinct station building in Garibong-dong, Guro-gu, the shelter offers a kitchen, bathroom and counseling room. Those who have filed for refugee status may use the facility’s computers throu

Seoul will hold a foreign investment forum Tuesday to promote the city’s foreign investment policies and its efforts to improve regulations that limit foreign businesses and further investment here. The forum, to be held at 11 a.m. at the foreign press room of the Korea Press Center, will be conducted in English and the question-and-answer session will be assisted with interpretation, a city official said. The city will promote foreign investment policies and strategies as well as current projec

Three men were arrested on Monday on suspicions of aggravated robbery and assault against foreigners.According to Jinju Police Station in South Gyeongsang Province, Kim, his brother and a friend, also surnamed Kim, were arrested on suspicions of specifically targeting foreigners for aggravated robbery and assault.The police believe Kim and his accomplices are responsible for beating a 35-year-old Filipino outside of a supermarket in Jinju on the night of Nov. 27. The 35-year-old was on his way h

Three English villages in Seoul ― the Pungnap, Suyu and Gwanak campuses ― will offer a variety of English camps to elementary and middle school students during the winter break, with different levels and purposes of English study. A total of 18 programs at three campuses will be available to 4,010 students from Dec. 23 to Feb. 4 next year, city officials said. Named “Smart up immersion camp,” the Pungnap campus program features some customized curricula in relation to subjects like math and scie