• Planned papal visit to Kkottongnae prompts protest

    A society of Catholic priests is opposing a planned visit by Pope Francis to Kkottongnae, a community for disabled people, claiming that the pontiff should not associate with the “mafia.” Some 50 members of Little Jesus Society’s House of Joseph, and nuns and monks from the society staged a protest…

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  • Call to lower age limit for boys in public baths

    The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday it is considering lowering the age that boys can accompany their mothers to gender segregated areas in public bath houses. The current law bans boys over the age of five from entering areas used by the opposite sex in public bathhouses. It…

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  • Korea – hackers’ safe haven

    One in five data theft cases in the world occur here This is the first in a series of articles highlighting the recent massive breach of cyber security. ― ED. Around 35 million of Korea’s population of 52 million population use mobile devices. But with this rising connectedness comes increased…

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  • Obama will return royal seals to Korea

    U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to return nine stolen Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) seals to Korea during his Asian trip next week, a source familiar with the situation said Tuesday. They are three state seals, which kings used on diplomatic and other significant documents, and six ceremonial ones, which royal…

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  • Park makes apology to save spy master

    President Park Geun-hye apologized Tuesday for the spy agency forging evidence in an attempt to convict a former Seoul city employee of spying for North Korea. Park’s remarks came on the heels of the apology from National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Nam Jae-joon after Seoul prosecutors indicted two NIS officers,…

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  • Female botanist to head UN agency

    Yim Kyu-ok, a researcher at the state-run Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, has been elected to lead a UN agency overseeing guidelines on the control of disease and pest insects affecting plants. She was elected as the first Asian chair of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), affiliated with the…

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  • East Asia

    Are they really sick?

    Stars suspected of malingering to shun tough military life Are they really sick? Or is it another outrageous case of preferential treatment? People are casting a suspicious eye on K-pop singer Sangchu and actor Kim Moo-yeol, who began their compulsory military service in 2012. They are currently having extraordinarily long…

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  • Samsung may merge building units

    Samsung C&T and Samsung Engineering are likely to be merged in Samsung’s group-wide reorganization, experts said Monday. The group’s two major construction affiliates do not have overlapping functions; and Samsung Engineering suffered losses last year due to rising costs. Samsung Engineering shifted to a net loss of 708.66 billion won…

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  • Salary gap deepening amid slump

    Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun took 6.77 billion won ($6.5 million) in salary last year, according to the company. He topped the paycheck rankings among salaried executives of listed companies, excluding the company owners. Kwon’s salary was 228.7 times higher than that of the average Korean employee in 2012,…

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  • President high popularity may affect local elections

    Will President Park Geun-hye’s popularity help the governing Saenuri Party win the upcoming June 4 local elections for representatives of municipal governments and legislatures? A majority of experts agree that it will but they are split over the extent of influence. “Experiences tell us that local elections are always a…

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