South Korea spends relatively less than other countries facing similar security situations in terms of its defense budget to gross domestic product ratio, data showed Monday, as the government is making a case for more money to be allocated to cope with heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. According to the data compiled by the defense ministry for a promotional magazine, South Korea spent $36.4 billion last year, which was equal to 2.42 percent of its annual GDP. The ratio stayed relativ

One out of every five elementary schools in the country has less than 10 new students this year due to a decrease in the number of children, education ministry-related data showed Monday.According to the school information website under the ministry-affiliated Korea Education and Research Information Service, 1,395 elementary schools in the country accepted less than 10 first year students. This is equal to 22 percent of the 6,218 elementary schools checked. The drop is attributed to the low bir

A South Korean presidential panel said Monday it has requested the country's law enforcement authorities to punish a local radiographic inspection firm for violating a law on nuclear safety.An employee at the firm's subcontractor was exposed to radiation in December while conducting a nondestructive radiation test alone at a chemical factory construction site in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, according to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.The man in his 20s, identified only by his surname

The number of blood donors in South Korea jumped nearly 20 percent over the past four years on the back of the rising participation of teenagers and twenty-somethings, the health ministry said Monday.About 3.08 million people donated blood last year, up 17.8 percent from 2.61 million tallied in 2011, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.Out of the total contributors, 1.33 million people, or 43 percent, were in their 20s and 1.05 million, or 34 percent, were teens.Those in their 30s ac

North Korea has been showing some signs of a rudimentary market economy in its education market as an increasing number of people pay for off-campus tutoring to have their children advance to higher schools, a report said Monday."We know that North Korea's education is based on equality and offered free of charge. But in reality, it appears in a different way," said the report by state-run think tank Korea Development Institute (KDI). "We can find some clues that the education market has been sl

The USS Mississippi (SSN-782), a nuclear reactor-powered United States submarine, entered the port of Busan on Monday as part of the vessel’s maiden voyage to the Asian region, the U.S. military said Monday.The 7,800-ton Virginia-class attack submarine is one of the U.S. Navy's newest vessels, having started its mission with the U.S. Pacific Fleet in June 2012. "With a crew of approximately 141 sailors, the Mississippi will conduct a multitude of missions while maintaining proficiency of the lat

A major South Korean aid organization has begun constructing a research center in Myanmar dedicated to studying "post-harvest" techniques as the country is seeking to improve its relatively low productivity in the farming industry.The ground broke for the Post-Harvest Research Institute on June 6 in a small town located in Myanmar's capital city of Naypyidaw. Construction is expected to be completed within 12-14 months, according to the Korea International Cooperation Agency.The institute will b

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo will visit France this week as part of an ongoing effort by Seoul to increase pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, the defense ministry said Monday.Han will travel to France from Tuesday to Thursday to meet his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in order to discuss the two countries' joint efforts to pressure the North as well as ways to expand bilateral defense cooperation measures, the ministry said.Both South Korea and Fr

"The Jungle Book," an American film, ascended to the top of the domestic box office on its debut weekend, data showed Monday.Disney's adventure drama amassed 771,793 viewers on June 10-12, according to computerized box office figures from the Korean Film Council.Based on British author Rudyard Kipling's timeless namesake story, the film cost $175 million to produce."Warcraft: The Beginning," adapted from the video game of the same name, came in second place with 555,356 in attendance.The America

South Korea has imposed fines on seven members of a local civic group for their unauthorized contact with North Koreans in China last month, officials said Monday.Without the government's approval, they held a meeting with their North Korean counterparts in Shenyang in late May to discuss how to hold a joint summit event designed to commemorate the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000.Seoul's unification ministry earlier rejected the group's request for approval of their contact, citing the grav