The Korea Herald

Police take action against investigative rights bill

Jun 26, 2011

Police officers have taken collective action against a revised bill on the investigative rights of the police and the prosecution, signaling a bumpy road ahead for the compromise reached a week ago.Top government officials including Presidential Chief of Staff Yim Tae-hee, Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam and National Police Agency chief Cho Hyun-oh agreed on a compromise draft last Monday to let the
Hurdles remain for Korean adoption

Jun 26, 2011

Red tape means many de-facto adoptions not included in official figuresFor 46-year-old housewife Yoo Hyun-mi, mornings are a nightmare. Her three daughters, Cha Hye-in, Cha Hye-seon and Cha Hye-ju quarrel over clothes, hairstyles and other trivial matters before going to elementary school. Yoo always has to mediate to make them go to school on time. “Sometimes I don’t have time to breathe,” Yoo sa
High college tuition fee drives student thefts

Jun 26, 2011

A college student on a leave of absence to raise college funds worked a part-time job by day and allegedly committed thefts by night has been arrested, according to Yonhap News.The student, surnamed Lee, 22, faces charges of breaking into shopping malls and offices to rob them late at night. Lee allegedly stole fourteen times recently, by sneaking into offices and arcades around Jinyeong, Gimhae c
Samhwa Mutual Savings Bank declared bankrupt

Jun 24, 2011

The Samhwa Mutual Savings Bank, one of the local banks troubled with capital shortages, was declared bankrupt Friday.The savings bank filed for bankruptcy on May 19. In January, the Financial Services Commission suspended the bank for six months during moves to weed out unviable banks that failed to meet regulatory capital requirements.The ill-fated bank has been criticized for its allegedly illic
Korea set to approve world’s first stem-cell drug

Jun 24, 2011

Medication passes safety, quality testsKorea will approve the world’s first stem-cell medication as early as this month, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The state-run drug regulator said Friday that Hearticellgram-AMI, a stem-cell medication for treating heart attack victims, passed all the required safety and quality tests early this week. It will be the world’s first therapeu
Seoul wins U.N. public service awards again

Jun 24, 2011

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that it has won the United Nations Public Service Awards for the fourth consecutive year.This year, Seoul won two United Nations awards in recognition of its efforts to help troubled teenage girls and establish an open tax appeals system for citizens, the municipal government said. Park Kyo-ok (left), deputy director general for complaints analysis of
Prosecutors snub GNP probe demand

Jun 24, 2011

Refuse to reinvestigate illegal deposit withdrawal, say found nothing to look intoThe prosecution seemed to refuse Friday to reinvestigate suspected illegal deposit withdrawals from a corruption-ridden savings bank despite demands from the ruling Grand National Party. “If we have dug up a mine and found nothing, we have to move to another mine. That’s the position of the prosecutor-general and the
Police clear marathoners of doping allegations

Jun 23, 2011

CHUNCHEON, South Korea, June 23 (Yonhap) -- Police said Thursday that they have cleared a marathon coach and his athletes of doping allegations, wrapping up their probe two months before South Korea hosts the world athletic championships.The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency said it has examined records from a rehabilitation hospital where 19 athletes were treated, and found no evidence that they h
Court orders compensation for Samsung employees who died of leukemia

Jun 23, 2011

SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court ordered compensation for the families of two young Samsung Electronics employees who died of leukemia, recognizing for the first time a link between leukemia and working in a computer chip-making line.The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the families, who requested the court annul the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Services' 2009 decision
GNP proposes 30% tuition cuts

Jun 23, 2011

The government and the Grand National Party announced Thursday a new college tuition plan, which aims to cut fees by 30 percent by 2014.A total of 6.8 trillion won ($6.3 billion) from the national budget and 1.5 trillion won from school scholarship programs will be set aside for tuition cuts in the coming years, said GNP floor leader Hwang Woo-yea. In order to reduce tuition fees by 15 percent nex
Minister touches off debate on allowing Koreans into casinos

Jun 23, 2011

Casino gamblers sit around a gaming table. The government is seeking to allow more casinos to admit Korean nationals. (The Korea Herald)The government plans to review whether to allow foreigner-only casinos to admit Korean nationals, citing the lack of casinos as one of the main reasons for the country’s unfavorable trade balances in tourism.Currently, only one casino, Kangwon Land in Gangwon Prov
Children with foreign parents exceed 150,000

Jun 23, 2011

The number of children in South Korea with at least one foreign parent nearly tripled over the past four years, as international marriages continued to increase, statistics showed. According to data released by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security on Thursday, there were 151,154 such children registered as of Jan. 1, surpassing the 150,000 mark for the first time. This year’s figure
S. Korea has less forest per capita than OECD average

Jun 23, 2011

South Korea had one of smallest per-capita forest areas among major economies, an international report said Thursday, indicating the country’s dense population.The nation’s forest area was 1.3 square kilometers per every 1,000 people as of 2008, the “Toward Green Growth” report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed.The reading marks the seventh-lowest level among thos
Electronic ID card plan hits resistance

Jun 23, 2011

A controversial government plan to introduce electronic personal identification cards is unlikely to be realized as scheduled in 2013, faced with strong opposition from those fearing human rights infringements and a waste of taxpayers’ money.A related government bill has yet to be submitted to a parliamentary committee for deliberation although a committee session was held recently, the Ministry o
Bill to support livelihood of freelance artists

Jun 23, 2011

From as early as next year, screen playwrights and other freelance artists in film, performance and publishing industries may be insured against unemployment or industrial disasters like salaried workers.According to a bill submitted to parliament this month, the government will draw up policies to guarantee the social and legal status of artists. It also calls for the government to fund a finance