Privately run child care centers across the nation are expected to close for a week starting Monday in a collective action to demand a rise in government subsidies. “We decided to go on a six-day strike, beginning Feb. 27 until March 3. It has become impossible for us to run our centers because of the unrealistic fees and excessive restrictions set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare,” the Private Preschool Association said in a statement released Friday. “We chose a strike as a last resort,”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will create a 1 trillion won ($886 million) investment fund to support its new economic projects, officials said on Thursday.The projects cover wide ranging fields including finance, tourism, biomedical technology and fashion.The fund the capital city government plans to start will take the form of a fund of funds, or FOF that invests in some collective investment funds like a mutual or hedge fund rather than a fund directly investing in individual securities. A

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will introduce a freestyle travel program for foreign tourists who wish to visit provincial areas without an organized tour, according to officials. The package, which provides transportation and accommodation, will take tourists to destinations and let them travel according to their own schedule, according to officials. “When I worked for a private travel agent for 20 years, I got to know that many foreigners prefer traveling on their own to package tours,” sai

Gangnam Boulevard, one of the most bustling spots in Seoul, will be designated as a no-smoking zone as part of citywide anti-smoking efforts, the Gangnam district office said Tuesday. Smoking on the 1 km boulevard from Sinnonhyeon subway station to Gangnam station will be prohibited from April along both sides of the street and those caught smoking will be fined 100,000 won ($90) from July. For three months starting in April, district officials plan to promote the policy without imposing fines.T

Schools will be able to set their own student conduct rules without interference by their superintendents, education ministry officials said Monday. The Education Ministry is expected to issue an advance legislative notice Tuesday on the revision to the primary and secondary education law that will allow schools to set their own conduct guidelines on dress code, hairstyles, carrying cellphones and other issues. The revision came after the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education proclaimed an ordi

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will impose a 100,000 won ($90) fine on those caught smoking at bus stops in the capital from March. Smoking at 339 major bus stops, including at Seoul Station and Gangnam will be completely banned. The city government designated public bus stops as non-smoking areas in December as part of efforts to protect citizens from second-hand smoke, but has campaigned for three months without imposing fines.Officials said it will remind citizens of the smo

More than a thousand teachers who scored poorly in evaluations last year will undergo teacher training and development programs starting next month, the Education Ministry said Sunday. Out of 343,725 teachers in primary and secondary schools, as well as special education schools nationwide, 1,119 teachers have been selected for the training session.Until August, 64 teachers evaluated as “unsatisfactory” by both students and coworkers will attend either online or offline courses for up to 210 hou

The police tackling school gangs across the country are blacklisting students engaged in school violence or likely to commit violent acts, causing concerns about what areas in which the police should be active.According to the Korean National Police Agency, they expanded the category of perpetrators subject to their investigation from school gangs to unruly students involved in or likely to be involved in school violence.The agency recently ordered its units throughout the country to profile the

Sookmyung disguises donated funds as money from foundationConflict is deepening at two universities between their foundation boards and faculties. Sookmyung Women’s University based in Seoul is mired in internal conflict over school funds. Inha University, a prominent school in Incheon, is in dispute over its newly elected president. Some Inha faculty members and Incheon-based civic groups say that a graduate of the same high school as board chairman Cho Yang-ho was elected as the new president