The government will review plans to hire more native-speaking English teachers and introduce video teaching, in a bid to strengthen language education in elementary schools. The Ministry of Education also announced Tuesday the launch of a 19-member consultative body, composed of school teachers, parents and professors, to work with Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation in reviewing such plans and coming up with an improvement proposal by the end of the year.  (Yonhap)While the ministry w

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was elected on Tuesday to chair the executive organ of the Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute, the Foreign Ministry said. Twenty-eight member countries of GGGI, whose mandate is to recommend eco-friendly development solutions for developing countries, elected Ban president of the Assembly and chair of the Council for GGGI. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Yonhap)His began the two-year term immediately, replacing Gemedo Dalle, who

The weather will be warm and clear Tuesday, with high atmospheric pressure moving southeast from the northern part of China, according to the Korean Meteorological Agency. The morning temperatures will be higher than the average of last year, with Seoul to see a low of minus 2 degrees Celsius and a daytime high of 6 C.  (Yonhap)The morning lows will be minus 6 C for Chuncheon, minus 4 C for Suwon and Daejeon, minus 1 C in Daegu and Gwangju, 4 C for Busan and 6 C for Jeju Island. The daytime high

Nearly 6 out of 10 South Korean parents favor their children having high-paying professions such as law or medicine, a report showed Monday. Jobs in art, athletes, media, teachers and technicians follow. According to a report on the private education of infants by Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, 58.7 percent of the 316 mothers and fathers with 2- to 5-year-old children in Seoul surveyed said they preferred their children to enter elite professions.  (Yonhap)The survey showed 10.9 pe

When Silvia, not her real name, finally mustered up the courage to report sexual harassment by her work senior to her company, she expected the problem to be resolved, even if there was some awkwardness. But after a long battle, it was she who quit at STX. As for Katharina, who was a member of a church choir, it was not “insane” to ask her choir director to stop making sexual remarks. But when she raised the issue with Myeongdong Cathedral, it was her who faced opprobrium, for making a big deal

The prosecution’s special investigation team is likely to summon a former Justice Ministry official suspected of sexual misconduct after the Lunar New Year’s holiday, as it speeds up fact-finding efforts into the sexual harassment scandal revealed by a female prosecutor. According to the prosecution Wednesday, the team is looking into data seized in a rare raid at the Justice Ministry conducted the day before. Senior prosecutor and the head of Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor's Office Cho Hee-j

Choi Soon-sil, former President Park Geun-hye’s confidante accused of meddling in state affairs, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday. Seoul Central District Court also ordered Choi to pay a fine of 18 billion won ($16.6 million) and the forfeiture of 7.3 billion won. The ruling came 450 days after she was indicted in 2016. Choi Soon-sil (Yonhap)The court also sentenced Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin to 2 1/2 years in prison and the forfeiture of 7 billion won for giving bribes in exchange

"나는 7년 동안 북에 가지 못하고 있다. 북측 형제들이 여권도 없이 왔다갔다 하는 게 아름답고 좋더라. 한발 짝 이라도 가서 고향 사람들 보고 싶었다. 북한 공연단이 내 딸 같았다. 마지막 가는 길을 바래주고 싶었다. 영영 못 만날까봐 두려움도 들었다.”12일 오전 평창동계올림픽 축하공연을 마치고 북측으로 돌아가던 북한 예술단을 향해 “평양시민”이라고 자신을 소개한 뒤 “집에 빨리 보내달라”라고 외치던 탈북자 김련희(48ㆍ여) 씨, 그는 이날 행사가 끝난 후 코리아헤럴드와 가진 인터뷰에서 이날 파주 도라산 남북출입사무소(CIQ)를 찾은 이유를 이같이 밝혔다. 김련희 (연합뉴스 제공)김 씨는 탈북한 2011년부터 탈북 브로커에게 속아 남측으로 오게 됐다며 북측 송환을 정부에 요구하고 있다. 정부는 그간 김씨의 북송이 불가하다는 입장을 고수해왔다. 김씨가 탈북 당시 남한 국민이 되겠다는 서약서를 스스로 썼다는 것이다. 김씨를 북송할 법적인 근거가 없다는 것도 정부의 설명이다. 이에 대

A North Korean defector, who has long demanded the South Korean government allow her to return to the North, said her hopes are up that she may be able to go back under the liberal Moon Jae-in administration.Kim Ryen-hui caught the South Korean public by surprise Monday morning when ran toward a bus parked at Dorasan Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Office that was to carry a North Korean art troupe back North after two performances to mark the PyeongChang Olympics.  Kim Ryen-hui (Yonhap)Wavi

The center-left opposition People’s Party finalized its decision Sunday to merge with the center-right Bareun Party, calling an end to their party after just two years, ready to start anew.In an all-member vote, which was conducted over three days from Thursday, 73.6 percent of the 53,981 ballots cast supported the proposed merger, while 26 percent opposed, the party’s election committee announced in the party’s last general meeting at the National Assembly. The turnout rate was 20.2 percent.  C

Snow that started in the early hours of Sunday in the North and South Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces and on Jeju Island is to spread to other areas and continue throughout the day, the state weather agency said Sunday. The Korean Meteorological Administration issued heavy snow warnings for South Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province, where 2 to 4 centimeters of snow has accumulated. It said the snow in some areas would continue until the wee hours of Tuesday, Across the country, up to

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said dialogue between North Korea and the United States is “absolutely necessary” and “urgent” so as to avoid any unpredictable and dangerous situations amid rising tension on the Korean Peninsula, during a lecture on Thursday. “I think it’s not a question of possibility. This kind of dialogue is absolutely necessary, and it’s urgent because we need to quickly start to have a serious discussion to avoid the kinds of misunderstanding and escalation that can a

The court ordered government bodies to compensate the family of a public servant who took her own life after suffering from sexual harassment and workplace bullying, according to the prosecution Tuesday.The Seoul High Court ordered the Government Employees Pension Service to compensate the family of the female civil servant in December, saying the organization did not provide proper treatment for the victim even after she reported several incidents.  (Yonhap)The married victim, who was working i