Most Popular
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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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Food tycoon Paik Jong-won's Theborn Korea pushes toward IPO
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Samsung tightens its belt amid crisis winds
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North Korean trash balloons cross border day after Seoul military parade
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Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
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Prosecution closes 'Dior bag' case amid opposition uproar
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K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again
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Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
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35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
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Youth employment fund draws 1.92b won in donation
A youth employment fund proposed by President Park Geun-hye drew 1.92 billion won (US$1.62 million) from about 50,000 people in the first five days after its creation on Sept. 21, the presidential office said Wednesday. Park proposed to establish a private fund that helps create jobs for young people to supplement state programs as youth unemployment has become a serious social problem in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Park donated 20 million won and promised to give 3.2 million won, or 20 perce
Social AffairsSept. 30, 2015
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Civil group presses for N.K. Human Rights Act
A leading international human rights organization Wednesday called for the prompt passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act, a bill stalled at the National Assembly since 2005.The Human Rights Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in New York, organized a delegation of democracy advocates to speak at a conference at the Seoul Press Center.“The North Korean government is unquestionably the worst oppressive and tyrannical regime in the world, having purged millions of its own citizens thro
North KoreaSept. 30, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Fashion mogul Ralph Lauren steps down
Ralph Lauren is handing off his title as CEO of the fashion and home decor empire that he founded nearly 50 years ago.The New York-based company announced Tuesday that Stefan Larsson, the global president of Gap’s thriving low-price Old Navy chain, will take on the role. The change will be effective in November, and Larsson will report to Lauren who will continue to drive the company’s vision and strategy as executive chairman and chief creative officer.Designer Ralph Lauren. (AFP-Yonhap)As glob
World NewsSept. 30, 2015
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YEOL lecture to explain Buddhist sculpture
The YEOL Society for Korean Cultural Heritage will host a talk on Korean Buddhist sculpture in Seoul on Monday.The talk will be given by Kim Lena, a professor emerita of Hongik University specializing in Buddhist imagery.Making comparisons to Buddhist depictions from India, China and Japan, Kim will talk about how Korean sculpture was influenced by Tang China and later Liao and Sung China, before Tibetan influences made their mark in the late Goryeo period.She will then talk about how, after the
Expat LivingSept. 30, 2015
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Expat mag joins Ulsan music fest with concert
Expat-run art magazine Angle will take part in Ulsan’s Cheoyong Festival with its biggest-ever music show.The Ulsan-based online magazine will present seven acts in a showcase of what the southern part of the country has to offer as part of the international music festival.Magazine founder Philip Brett said that the show came about after a coordinator for the festival visited Big Day South, a showcase event organized by the magazine in April featuring artists and performers from across the south
Expat LivingSept. 30, 2015
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Gwangju center runs tour to Gochang, Seonunsa
Gwangju International Center will be running a tour to Gochang, North Jeolla Province, this month that covers the gamut of Korean history, from prehistoric times to the Joseon era.The first stop will be at Seonunsa Temple, a seventh-century temple nestled in its own provincial park, famous for its camellia flowers.After lunch, which will be grilled eels and eel stew, the tour will look at the Gochang Dolmen Site, which is registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The area is famous for its c
Expat LivingSept. 30, 2015
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Busan expats invited to Korean speech contest
Busan Foundation of International Activities is accepting entrants for its annual Korean speech contest for foreign nationals in November.The event, which the center says it holds to encourage the city’s foreign residents to learn Korean, will feature contests for the best speech on any topic and for the best group skit by 2-5 people. The contest itself will be held from 3-5 p.m. at Lotte Mall in Gwangbok on Nov. 06.Applications can be made by submitting a form, available from bfia.or.kr, by Oct
Expat LivingSept. 30, 2015
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English teachers gear up for international conference
Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages will hold its annual international conference next week, drawing speakers from across the world. The conference hosted by KOTESOL, a professional organization for teachers of English, will provide hundreds of lectures, workshops and presentations for teachers who want to improve their skills. This year’s focus will be on the switch from information-based to inquiry-based teaching, according to KOTESOL International Conference chair Carl Du
Expat LivingSept. 30, 2015
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Senior Japanese defense official to visit Seoul
Japan plans to dispatch a senior defense official to a military athlete competition scheduled to kick off this week in Korea and is expected to discuss security cooperation with policymakers here, sources said Wednesday. The three-day trip from Thursday by Parliamentary Vice Defense Minister Kenji Harada came after Tokyo shelved its initial plan to send Minister Gen. Nakatani. The visit was chiefly designed for the Military World Games in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, but had boosted ant
DefenseSept. 30, 2015
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Labor, finance holding back Korea: WEF
The World Economic Forum, commonly known as “Davos Forum,” called for improvements in Korea’s financial and labor sectors Wednesday, leaving the country’s global competitiveness ranking unchanged. In this year’s “Global Competitiveness Report,” Korea rated 26th in the overall rankings of 140 member economies, the same place as last year. To serve as a reference point for investors worldwide, the report assigns rankings based on a total of 114 items divided unevenly into 12 categories. Among the
Sept. 30, 2015
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Korea to lag emerging markets in growth
Korea will likely be ranked 11th among 13 major emerging economies in terms of economic growth this year, according to projections by research institutes at home and aboard.Citing analysis from investment banks, some local economists on Wednesday forecast that Korea’s 2015 gross domestic product growth will likely stay below 2.5 percent. This could the lowest after Brazil and Russia, both of which are projected to post a negative growth.India is estimated to see on-year growth of 7.4 percent, fo
Sept. 30, 2015
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Ministry to enhance crackdown on discrimination against pregnant workers
The Employment and Labor Ministry said Wednesday that it will fortify its crackdown on businesses giving unfair treatment to pregnant workers or those on parental leave by sharing relevant information with the Welfare Ministry.The Labor Ministry will receive health insurance data on pregnancies and childbirths from the Health and Welfare Ministry to use them in managing and checking businesses that wrongfully dismiss such employees or refuse to grant parental leave.The information sharing betwee
Social AffairsSept. 30, 2015
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General hospitals to report child abuse cases
Medical staff and workers at general hospitals and welfare facilities for children will start to receive education on reporting cases of child abuse, the Seoul government said Wednesday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that a revised Child Welfare Act has been endorsed by the Cabinet to obligate all such medical and welfare facilities to educate their employees on relevant regulations and other procedures in cases of child abuse.A facility that fails to meet the requirement will be penali
Social AffairsSept. 30, 2015
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Blood reserves for type B, AB, strongest
The blood reserves for type B and AB were the strongest in the country with type O being the least well-stocked, the Korean Red Cross said Tuesday.Based on the statistics gathered by the Red Cross over the past three years of blood reserves from donors, it was shown that type B had enough reserves to last 7.7 days as of August this year.It was followed by type AB with 6.6 days, A with 5.4 days and O with 4.2 days.The number of days refer to the period that the blood reserves can supply medical f
Social AffairsSept. 30, 2015
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[Editorial] Good accord?
It looked good on the surface -- the leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties getting together during the Chuseok holidays to strike a deal on knotty political issues like setting new rules for the next parliamentary elections. The meeting between Kim Moo-sung and Moon Jae-in led to an agreement to adopt a form of open primaries to select candidates for the elections next April. Kim, leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, and Moon, head of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, also ag
EditorialSept. 30, 2015
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Bridging cultures, one classroom at a time
Moroccan student Amine Ammor regularly visits Korean schools once a week. Every time he explains the exotic Moroccan culture to teenage students, he sees the eyes of the students beaming with anticipation and curiosity. “At the end of the class, students give me sweet notes saying that they wish to visit Morocco someday or that they want study English better,” said the 25-year-old. Studying computer science and film at a Korean university, Ammor initially started his volunteering to raise the un
Social AffairsSept. 30, 2015
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[Editorial] Volkswagen’s crisis
The “dieselgate” scandal involving German carmaker Volkswagen has some implications for Korea, especially government policy on environment protection and the auto industry. First of all, the dishonest practice perpetrated by the world’s leading automaker confirms that we never should trust those whose goal is to make money. In recent times, we have witnessed similar cases involving unethical enterprises like Enron and Lehman Brothers. The Volkswagen case is all the more disappointing because it
EditorialSept. 30, 2015
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[Shin Yong-bae] Volkswagen’s malfeasance
The emission-rigging scandal involving German carmaker Volkswagen is sending shockwaves through the global economy on the heels of a U.S. move on a Fed rate hike and China’s sudden devaluation of its currency.It was not simple corporate fraud. The case appears to now pose a grave threat not only to the auto giant, but also the healthy German economy, which has played a lead role in salvaging Europe from the eurozone debt crisis. The stocks of Volkswagen, the world’s top carmaker with about 270,0
ViewpointsSept. 30, 2015
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[Kim Myong-sik] Unsightly masks in appearance-first society
The 2015 Andong International Mask Dance Festival is now underway until Oct. 4 at Hahoe Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. Throughout the year, a mask dance troupe performs at the famous folk village for tourists. The paulownia wood masks that exaggerate the funny expressions of the characters in the Joseon-era satirical song and dance stage are preserved as “important cultural properties.” A “yangban” noble, a monk, a butcher, old and young women and ot
ViewpointsSept. 30, 2015