Some 4,000 adults will sit a trial version of a state-run English test Saturday, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Friday. The National English Ability Test, or NEAT, is currently under development to be introduced as early as 2012. The online test is to be divided into three different levels ― one adult level to substitute TOEIC and TOEFL, and two student levels to substitute

A local court on Friday sentenced a 63-year-old man to a two-year suspended jail term for throwing human excrement at the tomb of late former President Roh Moo-hyun.The man, identified only by his surname Jeong, was caught in November last year after pelting a bag of feces at Roh's grave in Bongha Village, Gimhae, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.Roh took his own life in May 2009 by jumping

The government has launched a large-scale investigation into physical assault and other abuses among conscripted police officers, with more than 100 cases reported in Seoul alone. Starting from Wednesday, the National Police Agency is interviewing junior police officers who have been in the service for less than six months in its local branches nationwide. In the first day of the inspection, the p

Airlines are enjoying a sales boom in international flights as travelers take advantage of the five-day Lunar New Year holiday to escape the unrelenting cold spell in Korea, airport officials said Thursday.Incheon International Airport is expecting a five-year record of 588,900 passengers from Feb. 1-6 for the Seollal holiday, an increase of nearly 14 percent from last year’s 517,242.This year’s S

In an apparent dampening of the government’s zeal to tackle human rights abuses in North Korea, the National Human Rights Commission’s budget for the area was slashed by one-third this year, officials said Wednesday. According to the independent organization, the budget allotted for the North Korea human rights section is 200 million won ($17,800), down from last year’s 331 million won. The commis

Five Somali pirates, captured in last week’s military operation that freed a hijacked South Korean freighter, could face up to life in prison if they are brought here and convicted in local courts for committing robbery and wounding sailors under the South Korean law, government officials here said Wednesday.The South Korean Navy commando last Friday killed eight pirates and captured five others d

Korean parents are spending up to 200,000 won ($178) per child on private English education each month, a survey showed on Tuesday. But most are willing to pay this or more for their children’s sakes, indicating that families prioritize English education in their budgets, according to Yoon’s English School, one of the nation’s largest English education franchises. The private English educator surv