The Korea Herald

Alternative labor bank fills ‘working mom gap’

Feb 24, 2011

Ministry creates temp system to provide maternity cover for public sector workersReturning from a three-month maternity leave after the birth of her first child, Yun Yeo-jin, 32, is just three weeks back into her job as an official at the public service department of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.Unlike her friends working for private companies who felt guilty about offloading
Maritime police helicopter missing with 5 crew on board

Feb 24, 2011

A maritime police helicopter went missing Wednesday as it flew over waters off South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju on a medical evacuation mission, officials said.The AW-139 helicopter took off from Jeju International Airport at 8:20 p.m. and picked up a female police officer who needed emergency medical assistance from a patrol ship stationed in waters west of the island. (Yonhap News)
Collapse of iron mould leaves 8 injured, one missing

Feb 23, 2011

An iron concrete mould collapsed Wednesday at a construction site in South Korea, leaving eight people injured and one missing, police said.The accident happened at around 3.25 p.m. in Gwangju, south of Seoul, when the mould fell on the fourth floor of a building under construction. Nine people working on the rooftop also fell down during the collapse. Eight of them were rescued and transported
Construction resumed for curved bridge

Feb 23, 2011

A 21-meter-high arch was placed on the Yanghwa Bridge on Wednesday, signaling the resumption of suspended construction work.The currently curved bridge, which has prompted safety concerns among drivers, will be reshaped into a straight line within eight days of engineering work, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. “Opening to traffic could be possible by early May after related works are compl
‘7 in 10 workers want to migrate’

Feb 23, 2011

Seven out of every 10 salaried workers here want to move to another country to live in, mainly because of the “poor” welfare policies in Korea, a survey showed Wednesday. JobKorea, an online recruiting agency, recently surveyed 932 salaried workers online and found 76.1 percent would leave Korea for another country if circumstances allowed. The main reason for wanting to migrate was an unsatisfact
One in 10 workers suffers workplace violence

Feb 23, 2011

One out of every 10 office workers has been assaulted at work, according to a recent survey. SaramIn, an online recruiting agency, asked 1,951 members who are office workers and found 12.2 percent had been assaulted in their office. Immediate bosses were the largest portion of assailants at 66 percent, followed by CEOs and other executives (20.2 percent), seniors (16.8 percent) and those of equal
Report warns against aging teaching workforce

Feb 23, 2011

An annual education report warned Friday that the nation’s teaching workforce was getting older. According to the Korean Educational Development Institute, the teaching workforce here has gotten older ― by up to three years ― compared to 10 years ago. Last year, the average ages of teachers at kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools were 31.8, 39.7, 41.3 and 41.5, respectively. Compared
Arrest warrant sought again for doctor suspected of murdering pregnant wife

Feb 22, 2011

The prosecution asked a local court Tuesday to issue an arrest warrant for a 32-year-old doctor, who is suspected of killing his nine-month-pregnant wife, after an initial rejection earlier this month. The prosecution and the accused husband are now confronting one another over what people labeled the “Korean O.J. Simpson case.” The case dates back to Jan. 14, when police officers visited a studio
Free school meals to cost 13 trillion won over 5 years

Feb 22, 2011

Free lunch for every student will cost more than 13 trillion won ($11 billion) for five years, a report by the National Assembly’s budgetary committee found Tuesday. A total of 13.44 trillion won, including 2.77 trillion won this year, will be needed in the coming five years to offer free meals at all schools, according to the report disclosed by Rep. Kim Dong-sung of the ruling Grand National Par
Teens on closer terms with maternal relatives: survey

Feb 22, 2011

South Korean middle and high school students feel closer to relatives on their mother's side than to those on their father's, showing a tendency to shift to a maternal society, a survey said Tuesday. (The Korea Herald) According to the poll on 6,979 students from middle and high schools nationwide conducted in June and July last year by the National Youth Policy Institute, 83.4 percent answere
SNU professor embroiled in accusations

Feb 22, 2011

Kim accused of physical, verbal abuse, demanding favors, misuse of college facilitiesSeoul National University’s musical professor and acclaimed soprano Kim In-hei has been accused of abusing her students. The university is considering terminating her position while a slew of allegations about her having “taken advantage” of her students’ talents for private occasions have enraged the public.SNU s
Sales of lottery tickets rise

Feb 21, 2011

On his way home from work, Oh Jong-seok stops twice a week at a corner convenience store in southern Seoul where he usually buys a pack of cigarettes and sometimes takes care of “important” business: buying national lottery tickets.The 34-year-old office worker is one of many regular customers of the store that’s abuzz selling tickets to people hoping to get rich quick by winning first prize in a
‘Mistreatment of minorities likely to foment terrorism’

Feb 21, 2011

A terrorism expert Monday raised the possibility of home-grown terrorist attacks in Korea where social minorities struggle with prevalent discrimination against them. “Migrant workers, children of married immigrants and North Korean defectors who may experience disgrace and discrimination against them here are more likely to vent their anger through terror attacks,” Lee Man-jong, professor of law
Three men found dead in apparent suicide pact

Feb 21, 2011

Three men were found dead in an apartment in what police speculate may have been a group suicide in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, on Monday.The bodies of the three were found in a villa. The men have been identified only by their family names, ages and places of residence: 26-year-old Park of Chungju, 27-year-old Kwon from Busan and 21-year-old Kim from Daejeon.Coal ash was found on top of
Colleges under fire for handling of foreign students

Feb 20, 2011

More foreigners are coming to Korea to study, but their universities seem incapable of managing them properly, the government said Sunday. Many schools did not monitor student attendance and even awarded diplomas to students who had not qualified for them.The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology investigated 29 universities nationwide from December through January and found that all of th