• Asiana admitted to flying ‘uncertified’ aircraft

    Asiana Airlines said Wednesday it has reported to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs that it flew an uncertified aircraft on international routes. The A321 passenger plane which had not been certified by the Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS) went between Gimhae and Saipan from Jan. 11…

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  • Society

    Organ donation by brain dead patients increasing

    The number of people declared brain dead whose organs were donated increased 37.3 percent to 368 last year from 2010, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare Thursday. A ministry official attributed the rise to an improved reporting system. The system has encouraged medical institutions to notify the Organ…

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  • Healthcare professional warns of traveling journalists’ risks

    BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) — A travel medicine expert on Tuesday warned that journalists’ frequent travel has brought an increasing threat to their health. “The risks to journalists’ well-being aren’t confined to the hazards of reporting from hostile environments, but often extend to medical issues that prove fatal and commonly…

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  • SocietyDrought feared to worsen food shortages in N. Korea

    Drought feared to worsen food shortages in N. Korea

    Experts predict that the dry spell in North Korea will worsen food shortages by affecting cereal and vegetable crop production in the already poverty-stricken nation. They said the corn that was planted between mid-April to early May will be one of the crops most severely affected by the lack of…

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  • SocietyTaxi drivers stage massive strike

    Taxi drivers stage massive strike

    Cabbies threaten additional action in latter half About nine out of 10 taxis were at a standstill Wednesday, as drivers staged a massive strike, calling for a pay rise and recognition of taxis as public transportation. The drivers threatened to launch additional action in the latter half of the year…

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  • Society

    ‘1965 treaty didn’t settle all issues’

    Japan’s accountability for occupation remains outstanding This is the third of a series of interviews regarding how Japan should take responsibility for its colonial rule in Korea; and the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations between Republic of Korea and Japan ― ED. A Japanese expert on Korea-Japan relations said Tokyo’s…

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  • Society

    Taxi Drivers Go On Strike In South Korea

    Some 20,000 taxi drivers stage a rally against the government in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 20, 2012. Hundreds of thousands of taxi drivers staged a one-day, nationwide strike Wednesday, demanding the government cut fuel prices and hike fares.<AP/NEWSis> news@theasian.asia

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  • No plan to raise retirement age in China

    BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said Wednesday that there is no immediate plan to raise the retirement age. The ministry has conducted studies on raising the retirement age and submitted proposals to central authorities, but these studies do not mean that an…

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  • Society

    Asian scholars discuss ways to enhance exchange

    YANTAI – The 2nd International Conference on Social Development in East Asian Countries was held at Shandong University of Business and Technolgy (SUBT) here on June 15-17 amid attendance of about 30 noted sociologists from South Korea, Japan and China. Yantai is a port city in Shandong Peninsula, eastern China,…

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  • Society

    Governors call for tiny cars specially designed for elderly drivers

    FUKUOKA — An association consisting mainly of 36 governors is supporting the development of extra small two-seat vehicles designed for the aged. The governors represent prefectures with areas where the lack of fully developed mass transit systems means that elderly people need to drive. The association, established in May 2009…

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