South Korea’s first alternative elementary school for children from multicultural families will open in Seoul next year with flexible programs centered on cultural and language courses, the local education office said Tuesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it has approved the license for the School of Global Sarang, founded by Rev. Kim Hae-sung, who has worked with migrant workers in South Korea over the last two decades. “Sarang” means love in Korean.The school, set to open in

South Korea’s health watchdog said Tuesday it has certified a new stem cell research institute to help the country expand its knowhow in the cutting-edge scientific field.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the Stem Cell Research Center at Jeju National University has been authorized to conduct tests on somatic embryos.Headed by bioengineering professor and renowned stem cell researcher Park Se-pill, the center is the sixth institute to be given permission to carry out crit

SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was attacked by a 62-year-old woman Tuesday during a civil defense exercise in a subway station but was not hurt, witnesses said.The woman, only identified by her last name Park, hit the mayor on the neck while the liberal mayor was watching a pub

SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- Disgraced comedian-turned-director Shim Hyung-rae was indicted without physical detention Tuesday on charges of not paying workers of his own movie production house, prosecutors said.Shim, the head of Younggu-Art Entertainment, was accused of failing to pay 891 million won

South Korea's first alternative elementary school for children from multicultural families will open in Seoul next year with flexible programs centered on cultural and language courses, the local education office said Tuesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it has approved the licens

The adult obesity rate stood at 30.8 percent of all people over 19 in 2010 as people consumed more food and exercised less, a government report showed Monday.The report by the Ministry of Health and Welfare said 36.3 percent of all men were obese last year, compared to 24.8 percent of women. Obesity was high among men in their 30s and 40s, with numbers for women going up in their 60s and 70s.“Roughly 42 percent and 41 percent of men in their 30s and 40s are obese, while 43 percent women in their

Seoul Plaza Skating Rink will include a curling rink this year to celebrate Korea’s successful bid for the Winter Olympics.The rink, one of the city’s most sought-out winter holiday attractions and an eight-year tradition, will open Dec. 16, city officials said.Running till Feb. 12, Seoul will charge 1,000 won ($0.89) per hour, unchanged since the ice skating rink first opened in 2004.This year the plaza will be home to three separate rinks, which will be used for ice skating and curling lessons

Victims said they used disinfectants throughout winter or while sleeping in enclosed spacesPatients believed to have fallen ill because of humidifier-sterilizers had used the agents excessively over a long period of time, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. According to its latest report, 18 patients who have been treated for lung inflammation at Asan Medical Center said they used an average of 820 milliliters of sterilizers every month. The amount is equivalent to

A local court denied an arrest warrant for Kim Jin-suk, a female labor activist who staged a 309-day sit-in atop a tower crane at a shipyard in Busan, court officials said Monday.Judge Nam Sung-woo of the Busan District Court rejected the police’s request for warrants to arrest Kim and three others who staged the crane-top rally to protest layoffs at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Police had sought to arrest them on charges of trespassing and obstruction of business. “The decision (n

A regional court refused to issue an arrest warrant for a female labor activist, whose marathon protest atop a tower crane helped settle an 11-month-long labor dispute at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction's shipyard in Busan.The Busan District Court dismissed the police's request for the warran

A new vaccine to control endemic cholera and large-scale outbreaks around the world, received approval by the World Health Organization, according to the Seoul-based International Vaccine Institute, which developed the vaccine. Developed by the IVI, the vaccine is produced by Shanta Biotechnics, an Indian biotechnology company, with financial support from Gates Foundation, and the governments of Korea and Sweden. The IVI said that the vaccine will help facilitate large-scale immunization since i