Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Tuesday that he would spend reserve funds to continue the city’s projects that have been suspended due to the opposition of the city council.The announcement comes after a series of talks between Oh and the Seoul City Council ended without reaching any agreement by Monday. “(The city government) has decided not to neglect any more citizens’ inconvenience and suspended s

Social Affairs Feb. 15, 2011

Another round of heavy snow hit the nation’s east coastal area Monday, which had already received a record snowfall of more than 100 centimeters over the weekend. While officials and local residents were busy clearing streets and vehicles, the weather agency expected more snow of up to 50 centimeters in Gangwon Province until Monday evening. On Friday alone, Gangneung, a major city in the region,

Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2011

A record snowfall almost paralyzed city life on Korea’s east coast over the weekend, as officials and soldiers struggled to restore normal life. As of Sunday morning, some 1,280 residents of 640 households were stranded in their homes in major cities including Gangneung, Donghae and Samcheok, the emergency management agency in Gangwon Province said. Damage caused by the snow was estimated to surpa

Social Affairs Feb. 13, 2011

The new leader of the nation’s largest umbrella labor union pledged Thursday that the group will head toward a hard-line stance if no revision is made to the labor union law. “My predecessor, who saw labor-management relations stabilized, had worked in a way to be helpful to the Korean economy. However, there is no room for us to do so,” said Lee Yong-deuk, chairman of the Federation of Korean Tra

Social Affairs Feb. 10, 2011

CHICAGO (AP) ― Many breast cancer patients can skip aggressive lymph node surgery without increasing their chances of a recurrence or death if their disease shows limited spread, according to a study that has prompted changes in practice.Under current guidelines, the often-debilitating surgery is done if the cancer has spread outside the breast to any lymph nodes.In the study, rates of survival an

Arts & Design Feb. 10, 2011

Allergic rhinitis, or AR, is a common disease that is often considered a trivial and temporary illness less severe than asthma. However, the disease can bring dramatic changes in the quality of life of the patients, affecting their daily activities. It also results in relatively high medical expenses and financial burden. According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, 4.1 million people s

Arts & Design Feb. 10, 2011

Wearing uncomfortable high heels can lead to host of problemsWalking for 30 minutes a day has a variety health benefits such as reducing the chances of cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression.In its new health guidelines published last week, the World Health Organization advised people to engage in “moderate” physical exercise such as walking to reduce the risk of breast and

Arts & Design Feb. 10, 2011

Unlike other Gangnam mothers, Park Sung-hee, 43, does not believe in the effectiveness of studying abroad at an early age.“My children have no problem studying English to prepare for the college entrance exam. Among other things, there are many highly-qualified teachers and private institutes in Seoul too,” said Park, a mother of two residing in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul. “I’m sure that the blind

Social Affairs Feb. 10, 2011

Founder Park says Koreans are not stingy but lack system for monitoring charitiesPark Won-soon, then a human rights lawyer, was surprised to drop in to an Oxfam charity shop in London back in 1991. In the early 1990s, Korea’s tradition of sharing had weakened over the years of rapid modernization and democratization. There was almost no culture of giving in Korea.For Park, who spent a year in the

Social Affairs Feb. 1, 2011