Nearly 60,000 drunk drivers have been caught during morning hours over the last four years, a lawmaker’s report showed Wednesday.According to Rep. Kang Gi-yun of the Saenuri Party, about 59,400 drunk drivers were caught between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. from 2011 to 2014. Of these, some 33,000 went over the 0.1 percent blood alcohol level to have their driver’s license revoked.The rest had their driver’s license suspended as the blood-alcohol level recorded between 0.05 and 0.09 percent. Driving the mo

Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2015

The South Korean government Tuesday denied local rumors that toxic chemicals from the Tianjin blast in China may affect the peninsula.Unidentified online rumors have spread in the country that the toxic substance allegedly leaked from the Chinese blast site last week would likely affect the peninsula. The postings included those who claimed the U.S. Embassy in China had warned people to avoid exposure to the rain as sodium cyanide has leaked into the air. On Sunday, Beijing news outlets reported

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2015

South Korea urged Japan on Saturday to take concrete steps showing its commitment to previous governments' apologies for Tokyo's imperialist past, saying it hopes to open a new future with the neighboring nation.Marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday the position "articulated by the previous Cabinets will remain unshakable into the future." He did not offer a fresh apology of his own, saying "Japan has repeatedly expressed the feel

Politics Aug. 15, 2015

North Korea set itself a new time zone Saturday in a move expected to complicate relations with South Korea.North Korea's time zone is now 30 minutes behind that of the South."The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK decided to set the standard time of the Republic with 127 degrees 30 minutes east longitude as a standard and to apply it from August 15," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch, referring to the country's rubberstamp parliament.DPRK is

North Korea Aug. 15, 2015

President Park Geun-hye warned Saturday of retaliation against North Korea for its possible provocations amid heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula.South Korea "will sternly deal with any North Korean provocations," Park said in a televised speech marking the 70th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japanese colonial rule.Liberation Day, which falls on Saturday, is one of the major holidays in both Koreas.She said provocations and threats will only result in isolation and destruction.P

Politics Aug. 15, 2015

A Japanese cabinet minister Saturday visited Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in a move likely to anger China and South Korea which see it as a symbol of the country's militarist past.An AFP reporter saw Haruko Arimura, minister in charge of women's empowerment, enter the gates of the leafy shrine dedicated to millions who died in conflicts -- but also including more than a dozen war criminals.Other politicians walked down the shrine's stone path Sat

World News Aug. 15, 2015

North Korea denounced Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's war anniversary statement Saturday, saying he failed to acknowledge and apologize for his country's wartime deeds.An unnamed spokesman for the North's foreign ministry issued a statement hours after the Japanese premier read out his speech in Tokyo to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II."Japan is talking about future and responsibility and contribution in the international community, without making an apology and reflect

North Korea Aug. 15, 2015

North Korea threatened Saturday to carry out "indiscriminate strikes" on South Korea unless Seoul halts anti-Pyongyang broadcasts along their border.In an "open warning" issued by the North Korean military's front-line command, the country demanded South Korea remove all means of psychological warfare or face "all-out military action.""If they turn down the demand of the DPRK, it would start an all-out military action of justice to blow up all means for 'anti-north psychological warfare in all a

North Korea Aug. 15, 2015

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hopes that Japan and its neighbors will work together for peace and prosperity based on "reflection and understanding of history," his spokesman said Friday.The remark came in response to a statement that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued earlier Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in which the nationalist leader failed to offer a clear apology of his own for the country's wartime wrongdoings."The secretary-general has taken

World News Aug. 15, 2015

Late last month, a homeless foreigner who called himself “Thomas” died of biliary tract cancer in a public hospital in northern Seoul. He was brought to the hospital after experiencing severe pain and constantly shaking his hands. Thomas had claimed that he was an Israeli in his 60s who came to Seoul to run an English education-related business, according to city officials. He had added that he ended up on the streets after the business failed.Upon his death, the Seoul Metropolitan Government fa

Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2015

A group of doctors Friday recommended foreign residents in South Korea to get vaccinated against five infectious diseases in an effort to better prevent the possible spread of contagious illnesses. The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases encouraged foreigners to receive five vaccines -- Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A, MMR, chicken pox and DTaP, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. This is the first time Korean doctors have released a list of recommended vaccines f

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2015

South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday voiced regret over a report on the Japanese prime minister's upcoming statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, saying that the contents are "not at all" helpful for improving Seoul-Tokyo relations. Earlier on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was delivered a report by a group of experts from Japan on their opinion on what should be included in the premier's statement to be released next week. The report cited acknowl

Foreign Affairs Aug. 6, 2015

South Korea's health authorities on Thursday issued a nationwide warning against the spread of encephalitis for the second time this year, advising the public to pay attention to personal hygiene and to get vaccinated if necessary. The virus of Japanese encephalitis, which can cause an acute inflammation of the brain in humans, was found in mosquito samples collected from the southern port city of Busan, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The center cautioned that

Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2015

The construction of skyscrapers and a new subway line highly attributed to the lake leak that recently took place in the southern capital, Seoul officials said Thursday.  According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, large-scale constructions of Lotte World Tower, Subway Line No. 9 and eight other skyscrapers in Songpa-gu contributed to the decrease in the water level of the Seokchon Lake by over 0.5 meters over just a few years.The city government launched a probe after the lake level dropped

Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2015