News reports said a subway car running from Bojeong Station to Jukjeon Station on Bundang Line derailed at Jukjeon Station at around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, forcing more than 40 passengers to get off on the rail and walk to the platform of Jukjeon Station to get on another subway car.There was no injury on passengers, multiple reports said.As of 3:30 p.m., the Bundang Line was in operation only be

Four people were killed and one was injured in a highway traffic accident on Saturday, police said.The accident took place around 7 a.m. when a truck ran into the rear of a cab on a highway in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, police officials said.The taxi's driver was severely injured and moved to a nearby hospital, but four passengers in the cab were killed instantly, they said.Pol

State inspectors called for the defense ministry to sack the head of a state-run defense research institute over allegations of taking bribes, according to the Board of Audit and Inspection on Saturday.Kim Koo-sub, the head of the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, is accused of receiving 2 million won ($1,850) from an Army colonel, who is identified only by his surname Cho,for promoting him in

A 42-year-old judge resigned after being accused of harassing a woman on the subway, officials at the Supreme Court said Friday.The incumbent judge at the Seoul High Court, surnamed Hwang, was investigated by police on charges of harassing a woman in her 20s on a crowded subway during Thursday morning rush hour, according to police.Hwang was caught in the very act by a patrol police officer who fo

A South Korean container vessel which escaped an apparent hijack by pirates off Somalia on Thursday is back to normal sailing, owners Hanjin Shipping Co. said Friday.“The Hanjin Tianjin began to sail Thursday night, escorted by the South Korean destroyer Choi Young, right after its crew had been rescued,” a Hanjin Shipping official said. “It is speeding up to reach its next port in Singapore becau

Korean history will become a required subject at every school from 2012 and teachers should pass a history exam to be appointed.The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology on Friday unveiled a plan to strengthen history education.“In new schoolbooks, Japan renewed its sovereignty claim over Dokdo and distorted historic facts regarding Korea. Now is a very critical time for Koreans to have a

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley agreed Thursday to increase investment and trade opportunities between Seoul and Maryland, city officials said Friday.The two leaders signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday when Oh visited Maryland. The state is well known for its bio cluster of about 500 institutions, the largest of its kind in the U.S. Oh has emphasized the bio

Korea citizens will be exempted from face-to-face interviews at U.S. airports upon entering the country from as early as the latter half of this year.The Justice Ministry and the United States Department of Homeland Security have signed a joint declaration to allow citizens of both countries to pass through the automated immigration control desk at airports, ministry officials said Thursday.Korea

Regulator assures glitch is minor, no radiation dangersThe government will order a safety inspection of the Gori-1 reactor, which was temporarily shut down following a technical glitch last week, officials said Thursday. “It is a welcome decision, risking financial loss,” said Kim Chang-kyung, second vice minister of education, science and technology, in a news conference on Thursday. “The reactor

New schools or those that consider reconstruction will be required to build “see-through” fences that can be seen through in order to protect students from sexual and other violent crimes, officials said Thursday. In a meeting with school facility officials nationwide on Thursday, the Ministry of Education, Technology and Science asked schools to install 1.8-meter-high transparent fences. “The mea

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon hinted at his bid for the presidency next year on an official visit to the U.S. this week. “Korea is facing a very critical moment now. Considering the flexible political environment, I feel a strong responsibility (for the presidency),” Oh said Monday after delivering a lecture at Harvard University. It was the first time the mayor has made public his intention to run for t

The National Assembly and the prosecution are clashing as the latter has officially refused to abolish the controversial Central Investigation Department as requested by the parliamentary legislation reform committee.The parliamentary committee demanded on Monday that the prosecution abolish the CID and submit a revised ordinance by 5 p.m. Tuesday.The prosecutor’s office, however, immediately stru