Foreign teachers should receive severance, annual leave stipends: top court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a private academy in Seoul to pay severance pay and stipends for unused leave to foreign teachers.The top court upheld the high court’s decision and concluded expat teachers are regular employees according to the Labor Standards Act, and so eligible for wage benefits guaranteed by law, including pay for severance and for working on public holidays.  The top court remanded the case to the lower court, ordering recalculation of payments due to the pl

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2019

Moon vows strong education, prosecution reform for fairness in aftermath of Cho Kuk case

President Moon Jae-in pledged a strong push Tuesday for the far-reaching reform of South Korea's education and prosecution systems amid no let-up in public criticism over his short-lived justice minister and calls for curbing prosecutorial power abuse.In his budget speech at the National Assembly, Moon stressed the importance of promoting fairness to achieve the key policy goals of innovative, inclusive and peace-based growth."'Fairness' should be established anew in not just the economy bu

PoliticsOct. 22, 2019

Trailblazing game engine expands its reach

Technologies used to build games are now being used across different sectors.Unity Technologies, whose software Unity is used to program mobile games including augmented reality game Pokemon Go, is aggressively expanding to the automotive, architecture, engineering and construction, and virtual shopping sectors, as well as media and entertainment. Unity is used by about 7,000 companies worldwide. Disney’s “Lion King” movie this year also used the program to create the hype

IndustryOct. 22, 2019

Court rapped for giving child porn site operator slap on wrist

A South Korean court is under fire for sentencing the operator of one of the world’s largest child pornography websites to a year and six months in prison.US and UK authorities announced last week that 337 individuals had been arrested in 38 countries and accused of crimes related to use of the site. They included the US, the UK, Ireland, South Korea, Germany, Spain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic and Canada.Last year, a 23-year-old South Korean named Son Jong-w

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2019

Japan emperor formally proclaims enthronement

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan's new Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday completed his ascension to the ancient Chrysanthemum throne in a solemn, ritual-bound ceremony performed before hundreds of dignitaries in the Imperial Palace."I hereby declare my enthronement at home and abroad," Naruhito said from inside an elaborately adorned structure housing his throne, with his wife Empress Masako alongside him standing before her own throne.A powerful typhoon that hit Japan earlier this month, killing dozens

World NewsOct. 22, 2019

US wins ownership of seized North Korean vessel

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States was awarded ownership of a North Korean cargo ship that was seized for violating international sanctions, the US Justice Department said.The Wise Honest -- the first North Korean vessel to be seized by the US for sanctions violation -- was caught carrying a $3 million shipment of coal in Indonesian waters last year and later handed over to the US.The latest ruling by the Southern District of New York finalises the US government's seizure of the North Korean

North KoreaOct. 22, 2019

Russian military aircraft intrude into S. Korea's air defense zone

A military aircraft believed to be from Russia violated South Korea's air defense identification zone over the East Sea on Tuesday, prompting the Air Force to scramble fighter jets to turn it back, a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said.The plane entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone earlier in the day without prior notice, the officer said, adding that F-15K fighter jets were scrambled to the area to force the plane to retreat.Other details, including the type of the plane, its fligh

DefenseOct. 22, 2019

National college entrance exam to take place Nov. 14

The annual national college entrance exam is scheduled to take place Nov. 14, the education ministry said Tuesday, with public transportation and working hours at government offices to be affected.More than 540,000 people are expected to sit for this year's College Scholastic Aptitude Test, also known as "suneung" here. The exam will take place from 8:40 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. at 1,185 schools across the country, according to the Ministry of Education. The CSAT, held only once a year, is co

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2019

Son Heung-min nominated for 2019 Ballon d'Or

South Korean football star Son Heung-min has been nominated for the world's top player award for 2019.Son was the only Asian player on the list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or Award, presented by "France Football" magazine to recognize the top footballer each year. The list was announced in Paris on Monday (local time). Son scored some key goals to lift Tottenham Hotspur to their first UEFA Champions League final this year, and he ranked second on the team behind Harry Kane with 12

SoccerOct. 22, 2019

Court to review arrest warrant of ex-minister's wife

A Seoul court is expected to decide whether to arrest the wife of ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk this week over charges related to her daughter's college admission and a private equity fund investment.The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to review the arrest warrant request made by the prosecution Wednesday morning.Prosecutors have been investigating Cho's wife, Chung Kyung-sim, for two months regarding the college admission process and a 1 billion-won ($850 million) PEF investment.The Seo

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2019

UN grants sanctions waivers for Red Cross assistance efforts in N. Korea

The UN Security Council has granted sanctions waivers for an international Red Cross organization project to provide clean water and better sanitation in North Korea, the UN website showed Tuesday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies received sanctions exemptions on materials "urgently required for lifesaving humanitarian assistance" in providing access to clean drinking water and improving sanitation, according to the website.A total of 11 items worth

North KoreaOct. 22, 2019

Chile orders new curfew as violent protests rage

SANTIAGO (AFP) -- Chile ordered an overnight curfew on Monday for the third day in a row as violent protests and looting that left 11 people dead over the weekend raged on into the working week.Protests originally against a hike in metro fares have turned into anger at the military and President Sebastian Pinera, who on Monday night proposed a "social agreement" to meet the demands of demonstrators.Army general Javier Iturriaga, charged with security in the capital, said the 8:00 pm to

World NewsOct. 22, 2019

Gay marriage, abortion laws liberalised in N. Ireland

BELFAST (AFP) -- Same-sex marriage and abortion laws in Northern Ireland were liberalised on Monday in a landmark shift for the province aimed at bringing it into line with mainland Britain but which has stoked resentment.The relaxtion of the UK-ruled territory's restrictive laws on the issues occurred at midnight (2300 GMT), after a deadline elapsed for local lawmakers to stop the changes imposed by MPs in Westminster. British lawmakers in July approved decriminalising abortion and creating law

World NewsOct. 22, 2019

Trump says 'lot of things going on' regarding NK, raises prospects of 'major rebuild'

US President Donald Trump said Monday that "a lot of things are going on" regarding North Korea, as doubts over the regime's will to denuclearize rose after the breakdown of nuclear talks with Pyongyang earlier this month.  During a Cabinet meeting, Trump also mentioned the prospects of a "major rebuild" while touting his engagement with the North, with a renewed claim that if somebody else became president, "you'd, right now, be in a big war.""Something i

North KoreaOct. 22, 2019

SoftBank Seeks Majority Stake in WeWork With Bailout Deal

SoftBank Group Corp. offered to take a majority stake in WeWork, one of two rescue packages that the board of the troubled company is weighing, according to people familiar with the matter.The deal from SoftBank is currently in the lead among some directors, according to a person familiar with the board’s thinking. A decision is likely to be made Monday night, though the process is fluid, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. JPMorgan Chase &

World BusinessOct. 22, 2019

S. Korean PM leaves for Japan to attend emperor's enthronement event, meet Abe

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon left for Japan on Tuesday to attend the Japanese emperor's enthronement ceremony amid frayed ties between South Korea and Japan over the issue of Tokyo's wartime forced labor.Lee embarked on a three-day trip to Tokyo, whose itinerary includes a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday.In his official first schedule, Lee will attend Emperor Naruhito's enthronement event set for 1 p.m. at the palace. A banquet dinner is also scheduled for later in the

Foreign AffairsOct. 22, 2019

NK media slams S. Korea over missile tests, weapons development plans

North Korean propaganda outlets slammed South Korea on Tuesday over its plans to conduct missile tests and develop new weapons, calling such moves "outright provocations" that will have consequences.The criticism came after a top South Korean military officer said earlier this month that the military has conducted test-firings of some of its Hyunmoo missiles this year and plans to routinely conduct such live drills.South Korea's Navy said recently that it is operating a task force on t

North KoreaOct. 22, 2019

S. Korea to host 7th Asian Legislative Experts Symposium

The Ministry of Government Legislation and the Korea Legislation Research Institute will jointly hold the Asian Legislative Experts Symposium in Seoul on Oct. 30. Organized by the ministry since 2013, the conference brings together government officials and experts from Southeast Asian counties, including Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, to introduce their legislation to tackle common issues. Under the theme “Legislative Modification Strategies for Smart City Development,” the parti

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2019

Draft of letter for Japanese PM Abe sent to Cheong Wa Dae for review: foreign ministry

South Korea‘s foreign ministry said Monday it has sent a draft of a letter that will be sent to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the presidential office for review ahead of Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s planned visit to Tokyo this week.Lee will visit Japan from Tuesday to Thursday to attend the Japanese emperor‘s enthronement event amid frayed ties between South Korea and Japan over the issue of Tokyo’s wartime forced labor. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who declin

Foreign AffairsOct. 21, 2019