The obese and smokers are likely to die before their peers, a state-run institute said Tuesday, stressing the importance of staying fit and smoke-free. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said Tuesday that overweight people are likely to die 2.6 years before those of healthy weight, while smokers die 5.6 years earlier on average than non-smokers, based on analysis of the National Hea

Social Affairs March 29, 2011

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Affairs is to recruit a female marriage immigrant in the first such move for a central government agency, officials said Tuesday. The hiring is hoped to bring diversity to the ministry’s policies and eventually into other departments, which are also pushing multiculturalism. The ministry made the announcement of a job opening for an assistant position for

Social Affairs March 29, 2011

Hongik University, one of the leading higher-educational institutes in arts, will establish a campus in California to give its students the opportunity to study abroad and open their eyes to the broader world, the school said Monday. The move follows the recently announced guidelines of the Education Ministry allowing establishment of overseas campuses of educational facilities.Hongik said they ch

Social Affairs March 28, 2011

The National Red Cross has collected a record 20 billion won to aid Japan’s quake victims, the highest sum ever raised here to help victims of a natural disaster.The organization said donations totaled 21.3 billion won ($19.1 million) as of Saturday, breaking the previous record of 19.3 billion won collected for the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. in 2005. The Katrina fund was collected o

Social Affairs March 28, 2011

Mando, the nation’s largest automobile parts maker, has been fined 25 million won ($28,000) for paying extra wages to fulltime unionists, officials said Thursday.The Suwon District Court slapped fines of 15 million won and 10 million won on the company president and another executive in charge of labor affairs, for breaking the “time off” system adopted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor last

Social Affairs March 24, 2011

CHICAGO (AP) ― Sex and exercise can trigger heart attacks in older people who don’t get much of either, a new analysis finds. The risk is low, but it’s a good reminder that slackers should change their exercise habits gradually, especially in middle age.People who exercise regularly have a much smaller risk of having a heart attack immediately after sexual or physical activity, said lead author Dr

Technology March 24, 2011

Seo Min-jung, just admitted into a doctoral program in Japan, decided to leave for the earthquake-hit country despite the concerns of her family. Her course at the University of Tsukuba in a small town near Tokyo commences in April. Even though the repeated reports about the natural disasters and the leakage of radioactivity from a nuclear power plant in Fukushima frighten her and her family from

Social Affairs March 23, 2011

Part-time college lecturers, often referred to as peddlars of academia for their poor job security and salaries, will finally be acknowledged as proper educational staffers.The Cabinet on Tuesday passed a revision bill guaranteeing higher paychecks and welfare to 70,000 part-time lecturers nationwide covering about 40 percent of university classes. According to the bill, the Ministry of Education,

Social Affairs March 22, 2011

More than a dozen pharmacists were indicted Monday for distributing fake Viagra pills.This is the first time pharmacists have been charged with selling the fake drugs, purchased through the back door by men seeking for solution to erectile dysfunction or to enhance their libido. Investigators at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said they have sought a summary indictment for a pharmaci

Social Affairs March 22, 2011

Korea will seek to share meteorological information with Japan or China in case their weather agencies are hit by a natural disaster such as the recent massive quake in Japan, Cho Seok-joon, chief of the Korea Meteorological Administration, said Monday. Talks are underway for a joint study-observation-forecast-alarm system among the three countries, which will enable them to send warnings or advic

Social Affairs March 21, 2011

The National Assembly on Friday gave the green light to the reappointment of Choi See-joong as chairman of Korea Communications Commission despite  fierce denunciation from the opposition parties. The parliamentary committee on culture, broadcasting and telecommunications adopted the ruling Grand National Party's confirmation hearing report on Choi during a meeting which the main opposition Democr

Politics March 18, 2011