By Lee Woo-young Higher education degrees will be recognized in Asia-Pacific countries including Korea, Japan, China, Australia and Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia, the Education Ministry said Sunday. The UNESCO ministerial-level meeting on Nov. 25-26 with delegations from 28 countries attending in Tokyo has adopted the revised legal agreement of the UNESCO’s convention on the recognition of qualification in higher education in Asia-Pacific region

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon became the host for an online broadcast Thursday in an effort to listen to citizens on city policies and open doors for them to express their opinions.“You see I kept my promise when I said during my mayoral campaign that I will visit citizens even after I get elected,” said Park during the live online broadcast from his office. The broadcast started at 2 p.m. on two online TV channels, Afreeca TV and Olleh On-Air, and consisted of three parts ― Seoul city government ne

Lifelong learning participation has increased from 29.8 percent in 2007 to 32.4 percent in 2011, but remains short of the OECD average of 40.2 percent, a survey showed Tuesday. Participation in adult education was higher among women, younger people and persons of high income, but remained otherwise, according to the Education Ministry survey. The survey asked 5,000 people between the ages of 25 and 64 to find out patterns and achievements in education and training in terms of lifelong learning s

Four out of 10 elderly people in Seoul feel alienated and depressed, a survey on quality of life among senior citizens in Seoul showed Monday. The Seoul Welfare Foundation surveyed 1,590 people age 60 or older currently living in Seoul, and suggested the Seoul city government reflect the research in formulating its welfare policies for the aged, officials said. According to the survey, 41.1 percent of respondents raised concerns about being alienated in society. Regarding their health, 23.7 perc

Reported sex crimes among school students in Seoul surged from nine in 2009 to 23 in 2011, leading to calls to strengthen sex education.According to data released by city councilor Yoon Myung-hwa, of the 53 cases from 2009-2011, 36 were committed by middle school students, the number increasing from two to 18 over the period. The latest case involved a second grade middle school student who stripped his classmate’s pants, took photos of his genitals and made jokes, according to Yoon. Another cas

Seoul will show China that it has more than K-pop by holding a Korean fashion convention in Hangzhou and Xian, two of the biggest fashion markets in China, city officials said. A total of 12 Korean fashion brands will participate in the event from Nov. 21-26 in the two commercial cities, and expect to utilize the opportunity as a platform to enter the Chinese market and appeal to its consumers.The participants include medium-sized brands such as Linayun, LeeDongWoo Collection, Bengal Vintage and

A new vaccine to control endemic cholera and large-scale outbreaks around the world, received approval by the World Health Organization, according to the Seoul-based International Vaccine Institute, which developed the vaccine. Developed by the IVI, the vaccine is produced by Shanta Biotechnics, an Indian biotechnology company, with financial support from Gates Foundation, and the governments of Korea and Sweden. The IVI said that the vaccine will help facilitate large-scale immunization since i

The Seoul City government will invite foreign residents in Seoul to local Korean homes to help them better understand Korean culture. The city government plans to select 100 foreigners and let them visit local Korean families to experience culture and customs and enhance understanding of Korean people by having dinner together and playing traditional games on Dec. 4, officials said. Those who want to take part should fill application forms available on the website of the Seoul Global Center (glo

The morning rush hour and public transportation schedule will be adjusted Thursday for the annual state-run examination for college admission.The College Scholastic Ability Test, a key decider of college entrance, will take place throughout the nation on Thursday.Government offices and companies with over 50 employees advised their employees on Wednesday to come to work one hour late to alleviate traffic for students heading to test sites, government officials said.And more subways trains and bu