A disgraced former vice justice minister has been booked without physical detention on charges of raping several women during a lavish party organized by a local construction contractor, police said Thursday.Wrapping up a four-month investigation into a massive illegal lobbying scandal, the National Police Agency (NPA) also referred the 52-year-old contractor named Yoon Jung-cheon and 16 others to the prosecution, recommending that they be indicted on multiple charges including rape and drug use

The Defense Ministry said Thursday it would abolish its controversial promotion squad of celebrity conscripts following a series of cases of indiscipline that have undermined troop morale and public trust.The squad has been under criticism since a TV program showed several stars-turned-soldiers drinking, leaving their designated accommodation without notice, and visiting an adult massage parlor after performing in a provincial concert last month.The incident reignited controversy over slack disc

Rescue workers have retrieved the bodies of all six workers who went missing at a flooded underground waterworks construction site in Seoul, firefighting authorities said Thursday.The authorities said they found bodies of one of the six missing workers early Wednesday and the remaining five late Wednesday night. Half of the six were South Koreans with the remainder Chinese.On Monday night, water from the swollen Han River swamped the construction site, killing one worker and leaving six others u

South Korean stocks spiked 1.13 percent Wednesday as investors' sentiment was heightened by upbeat economic data from China, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 21.13 points to close at 1,887.49. Trading volume was moderate at 378.4 million shares worth 3.97 trillion won ($3.54 billion) with gainers outpacing losers 498 to 296.Analysts said the rise came as foreign direct investment to China rose 20.12 perc

The financial regulator said Wednesday it has found that NongHyup Bank extended loans to its largest shareholder at excessively lower interest rates as a favor. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) discovered through an inspection into the bank that it extended a loan worth 6.35 trillion won (US$5.67 billion) to National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, or NongHyup, in March last year. NongHyup Bank also took the liberty of lowering the interest rate for its controlling stakeholder, the F

South Korean stocks traded higher late Wednesday morning on gains in carmakers and insurers, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 9.84 points to 1,876.20 as of 11:20 a.m.Automakers led the market gain, with Hyundai Motor adding 1.17 percent and its affiliate Kia Motors climbing 1.02 percent. Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis gained 1.38 percent.Insurance companies also traded higher, with Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance rising 1.42 percent and Hanwha Life

Rescue workers on Wednesday retrieved the body of one of the six workers who went missing at a flooded underground waterworks construction site in Seoul two days ago, firefighting authorities said.The body was identified as that of a 48-year-old Chinese worker named Park Myeong-chun and was moved to a nearby hospital, they said.On Monday night, water from the swollen Han River swamped the construction site, killing one worker and leaving six others unaccounted for. Torrential monsoon rains have

South and North Korea opened their fourth round of working-level talks Wednesday on the resumption of a shuttered joint factory park, a major symbol of inter-Korean rapprochement.During their first round of talks in early July, the two countries agreed to work toward reopening the joint economic project in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong, forged after the landmark inter-Korean summit in 2000. Operations at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, one of only a few inter-Korean exchange programs