• Gamblers exempted from repaying borrowed money

    The Seoul Central District Court rejected a private moneylender’s demand to order repayments of 11 million won lent to a gambler at Kangwon Land Casino. Presiding Judge Shim Chang-seop said in his ruling that moneylenders’ loans requiring “abnormally high” interest rates have a negative effect of promoting gambling and causing…

    Read More »

  • 1 in 10 female patients feel sexually abused

    One in 10 female patients felt they were sexually humiliated during medical procedures, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), 118 of 1,000 females who received medical services in the past five years said they experienced sexual humiliation or offense while going…

    Read More »

  • Foreign law firms take big bite of Korean M&A market

    Multinational law firms are rapidly catching up with the dominant player Kim & Chang in the local merger and acquisition (M&A) legal advisory market, Bloomberg’s quarterly review showed Monday. The New York-based Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP ranked second on Bloomberg’s M&A legal advisory league table in terms of volume…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Language exchange gathering in vogue

    As one walks into a language-exchange meeting at a hip coffee shop in southern Seoul, the youthful energy of people talking resembles the ambience of a high school classroom without a teacher. Language-exchange gatherings are springing up across the country, bringing Koreans and foreigners together in multicultural friendships. Language enthusiasts…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Guy Sorman’s Special Lecture on “Philanthropy and Welfare” for IGE

    On April 03, the distinguished French scholar delivered a special lecture on “Philanthropy and Welfare” as part of IGE’s Distinguished Lecture Forum. The following is an excerpt prepared by the Institute of Global Economy(IGE, Sakong Il). The Asia N postes the excerpt with some revisions. Thanks owed to IGE. -Editor’s…

    Read More »

  • Memorial hall to be built for late priest

    A memorial hall will be built in memory of the late Catholic priest John Lee Tae-seok in Seo-gu, Busan. The hall, along with other facilities including a memorial park, will surround the Songdo Catholic Church, where Father Lee spent his childhood. The hall will be located close to Father Lee’s…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Ashley Madison, extramarital dating site launched in Korea

    Noel Biderman, the founder of extramarital dating site Ashley Madison, admitted that he is concerned about the Korean law that punishes married people from having extramarital sex. But as the website begins its Korean services, the country’s allegedly outdated laws might prove to be less of a challenge than the…

    Read More »

  • Adult shops in Korea make products lighter

    As colorful as candy store Two female customers walk arm in arm, reading the instructions on the back of each item displayed inside a small adult shop that resembles a candy store. “After I visited the store out of curiosity last year, I became a patron,” said Kim Su-jin, one…

    Read More »
  • South East Asia

    Satellite TV channels boom in Bangladesh

    While a satellite TV broadcasting policy is under consideration by the government, the private satellite television sector in Bangladesh has been flourishing day by day. These TV channels were established with the primary aim to transmit news and entertainment, and the network of channels has been expanding with a continuous…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    S. Korea blasts Japan for history distortion at UN debate

    South Korea blasted Japan’s distorted view of history at a U.N. Security Council open debate on “War, its lessons, and the search for a permanent peace,” on Jan 29. 2014. China and North Korea also voiced criticism over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. Below…

    Read More »