The government decided to increase next year’s quota for foreign workers by 19 percent, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Thursday. According to the plan, approved by the Cabinet, the Ministry will give work permits to 57,000 foreigners in 2012, up from 48,000 in 2011. The quota is only for those applying for E-9 visas. The increase comes as nearly 67,000 migrant workers under the employment permit system are expected to leave the country next year due to expiration of their visa. That n

Entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo has recently met with several experts on a variety of issues, including North Korea and the economy, adding to speculation that he may have begun preparations for next year’s presidential election.Ahn, who has grabbed the media spotlight as one of the strongest presidential contenders on the back of strong popularity particularly from young voters, has yet to clarify whether he will enter politics.Local media speculated that the dean of Seoul National

The Foreign Ministry said it will administer the first admission test for the tentatively named Korea National Diplomat Academy in early 2013 to secure a pool of trained diplomats who can serve from 2014.As the current written exam for recruiting diplomats will be scrapped soon, the government is to select about 60 trainees through the admission test and choose 40 of them to work at the Foreign Ministry.The government’s move came as it believes the new system of diplomat recruitment will help ma

Trace amounts of chemicals in Camp Carroll do not indicate defoliant’s presenceA joint Korea-U.S. investigation team found no definitive evidence that a toxic defoliant was buried at one of the U.S. military camps in Korea, officials said Thursday.According to the official results of the investigation, the team has “found no definitive evidence that confirms the burial of Agent Orange at Camp Carroll at any time in the past.The investigation took place to verify a claim by U.S. veteran Steve Hou

One out of three Koreans are likely to be diagnosed with cancer once in their lifetime mainly due to changes in diet and increased longevity the National Cancer Center said Thursday. According to its annual report on cancer, 192,561 people were newly registered as cancer patients in 2009, up about 90.6 percent from 101,032 in 1999. The growth of cancer prevalence was greater among women, marking annual growth rate of 5.5 percent, much higher than 1.6 percent for males. The total number of people

The National Assembly pushed to wrap up long-delayed issues such as the trade-related bills and the budget before the end of the year.In its second-to-last plenary session on Thursday, the parliament passed a series of subordinate bills to the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.The list included a trade procedure bill which enhances the assembly’s authority to monitor inter-government trade pacts.The bill to preserve profit for farmers was, however, delayed to Friday’s session, as lawmakers demande

The government said it began issuing special subway passes on Wednesday for foreign tourists in efforts to facilitate their use of public transportation.With the new services, travelers can buy passes available for a certain period of time ― one, two, three, five or seven days ― at tourism information centers at Incheon airport. Prices range from 10,000 won ($8.60) for a one-day ticket to 59,500 won for week-long use, plus a 5,000 won refundable deposit. Each of the passes is limited to 20 rides

BEIRUT (AP) ― Tens of thousands of defiant Syrian protesters thronged the streets of Homs Tuesday, calling for the execution of President Bashar Assad shortly after his army pulled its tanks back and allowed Arab League monitors in for the first time to the city at the heart of the anti-government uprising.The pullback was the first sign the regime was complying with the League’s plan to end the 9-month-old crackdown on mostly unarmed and peaceful protesters.Yet amateur video released by activis

Special prosecutors investigating a former prosecutor’s bribery case said on Wednesday that a Busan judge accepted 1.7 million won ($1,470) worth of entertainment and bribes from a local lawyer in return for favorable rulings.However, he failed to find structural corruption in the court and an inappropriate relationship between lawyers and judges. Special prosecutor Lee Chang-jae, who was assigned to investigate if a lawyer surnamed Choi bribed local judges and prosecutors in the form of enterta