Police arrested another union leader of the state-run rail operator on Friday as part of their investigation into an ongoing controversial strike by thousands of unionized workers, which the government calls illegal. With a court-issued warrant, police arrested the union leader of the state-run Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), only identified by his surname Koh, in Daejeon, 150 kilometers south of Seoul, after days of tracking him down.More than 6,500 unionized KORAIL workers walked off the job fo

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2013

New Mexico became the latest state to legalize gay marriage Thursday as its highest court declared it is unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.Justice Edward L. Chavez said in a ruling that none of New Mexico's marriage statutes specifically prohibits same-gender marriages, but the state's laws as a whole have prevented gay and lesbian couples from marrying. The justices said same-sex couples are a discrete group that has been subjected to a history of discriminat

World News Dec. 20, 2013

Less than three years after its creation, the world's newest country is beginning to fracture along ethnic lines in violence that has killed hundreds of people, including three U.N. peacekeepers. What could come next, some warn, is ethnic cleansing.  South Sudan's numerous ethnic groups have battled each other for decades, but for years their animosity was united in hatred of the government in Khartoum, Sudan, the country's former capital. When the south gained independence in 2011, the groups'

World News Dec. 20, 2013

The ceiling of a London theater partially collapsed Thursday night, showering a packed audience with heaps of plaster, wood and dust. More than 80 people were injured _ at least seven seriously _ and several trapped theater-goers had to be rescued, authorities said.The collapse at the Apollo Theatre took place at 8:15 p.m. during a performance of “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time” at the height of the Christmas holiday season.  Plaster from a section of the ceiling tumbled down,

World News Dec. 20, 2013

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, who oversees field operations of American troops, voiced strong concerns Thursday about increased uncertainties surrounding North Korea and the possibility of additional provocations.Hagel stressed that North Korea's execution of Jang Song-thaek, a putative number two official, demonstrates the unpredictability of the communist regime. It is "very concerning to everyone and reality of that uncertainty heightens the tensions," Hagel s

Defense Dec. 20, 2013

The local financial markets reacted well to the impact of the Federal Reserve's decision to taper its stimulus program, the country's top central banker said Friday."Net buying occurred in the local stock and bond markets. The financial markets were well adapting to the Fed's move to reduce quantitative easing," Bank of Korea (BOK) Kim Choong-soo said in a meeting with local bank heads.The governor said that as the size of the tapering largely met market expectations, the yield on 10-year U.S. T

Dec. 20, 2013

North Korea has threatened to strike South Korea in response to conservatives' anti-Pyongyang rallies here on the second death anniversary of its leader Kim Jong-il earlier this week, a senior military official said Friday. The North's powerful National Defense Commission on Thursday sent a fax to South Korea's National Security Council through the western coastal military hotline to threaten to strike the South "without notice," the official said.  The latest threat came after several conservat

North Korea Dec. 20, 2013

South Korean stocks turned higher Friday after a weak start as investors stayed on the sidelines amid growing concerns about the yen's descent, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 1.62 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,977.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The KOSPI began 0.13 percent lower at the opening bell. Market behemoth Samsung Electronics lost 0.35 percent, while Hyundai Motor gained 0.5 percent following a steep fall in the previous session, wei

Dec. 20, 2013

K-pop legend Cho Yong-pil was selected as South Korea's best singer of 2013, beating out global star Psy in an annual poll released on Thursday.Cho received the most votes at 17.6 percent in a survey conducted by Gallup Korea on 4,263 people aged 13 or older across the country for three times from July through November.Voters could choose up to three favorite singers among those who were active this year.The 63-year-old singer, dubbed "the king of singers" in South Korea, has made a splash in th

Performance Dec. 19, 2013

Prosecutors on Thursday indicted 12 individuals without detention in connection with an alleged celebrity prostitution ring. The Ansan branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office is reported to have delved into the case after securing related information during a drug-related case in May.Unlike earlier reports, none of the big-name celebrities rumored to be involved were among the three men and nine women indicted. Although the prosecution did not release any names, rumors circulated that a

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2013

The proportion of senior citizens in South Korea has increased to nearly 11 percent in 2010, data showed Thursday, indicating that the country's population is aging at a fast pace. According to the data by Statistics Korea, the proportion of those aged 65 or older accounted for 10.9 percent of the country's total population in 2010. It is higher than 7 percent in 2000 and 8.9 percent in 2005.The agency earlier expected the ratio will continue to rise to 15.7 percent in 2020 and 32.3 percent in 2

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2013