South Korea has approved CHA University's embryonic stem cell research seven years after it submitted the plan, on condition that it abides by high ethical standards, the government said Monday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it allowed the research team led by Prof. Lee Dong-ryul to use 600 egg cells in the next five years for the purpose of developing rare disease treatments. The ministry said the conditional approval requires the research team to abide by regulations on collection of

Technology July 11, 2016

 South Korea said Monday that it will strengthen punishment against illegal fishing by Chinese boats as part of the nationwide crackdown efforts on the issue during the busy crab season.Chinese fishing boats trespassing into Korean waters and sweeping fisheries have been an outstanding problem during the mid-year season, causing serious damage to the South Korean fishermen's operations around the northern sea border area, called Northern Limit Line, where the Chinese fishermen use hit-and-run ta

Social Affairs July 11, 2016

A 72-year-old women had her leg amputated after it was crushed under the wheels of a bus, Sunday, in a southeastern city of Daegu. The passenger was trying to retrieve her bag after it got caught between the automated doors when the bus departed. The women was immediately transported to hospital. This is a stock image. (123RF)The incident took place around 11:40 a.m. at a bus stop near Banyawol station, Dongho-dong, Dong-gu on Sunday. The police are questioning the bus driver for negligence. By

Social Affairs July 11, 2016

South Korea's government on Monday said it will ban sales and revoke certifications of dozens of Volkswagen models that are suspected to have passed the local authentication process with doctored reports. The Ministry of Environment said it has received an official request for cooperation from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office with a list of over 70 models of the German carmaker that are suspected of obtaining approval from the local authorities with faked reports on noise level, fu

Mobility July 11, 2016

Renault Samsung Motors Co., the local unit of French automaker Renault S.A., has boosted its sales in the first six months of this year by taking advantage of a consumption tax cut program.Renault Samsung said it sold a cumulative 46,916 units at home during the January-June period, up 25.9 percent from a year earlier.It marked the highest rate of sales growth among carmakers in South Korea.GM Korea Co., the local unit of U.S. carmaker General Motors Co., said its cumulative sales at home during

Mobility July 11, 2016

A growing number of salaried workers are making extra money from means other than their main jobs, subjecting them to higher state health insurance payments, statistics from health authorities showed Monday.According to the statistics, 39,143 workers were ordered to pay more insurance money in 2015 because of the income they gained from business operations, dividends, leases and other non-job sources, numbers provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Servic

July 11, 2016

South Korea's central bank is forecast to keep its key rate frozen in July, one month after sending it to a record low level to bolster growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy, a poll showed Monday.In a survey conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency, all 12 economists polled predicted the Bank of Korea to assume a wait-and-see mode, partly to gauge the effect of its latest rate cut but also because of growing household debt."The central bank will likely wait to

July 11, 2016

People living in rural parts of the country have a higher stress level than those in cities, and the level rises as the size of the neighborhood becomes smaller, study results indicated Monday.The rate of obesity and illnesses were also higher in rural regions, according to the study published in the latest academic journal by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.The results are based on an analysis of 196,995 people who were surveyed in 2010. Obesity was measured according to the b

Social Affairs July 11, 2016

The parliament agrees with the government that the current income tax exemptions need to be overhauled to create a stronger tax base, a report said Monday.The report by the National Assembly's committee on budget and accounts assessing the 2015 fiscal year noted how the proportion of non-taxpayers was increasing from broadened exemptions over the past years. According to the report, 48 percent of income earners did not pay taxes in 2015, about the same as the previous year.The non-tax paying pop

July 11, 2016

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Monday reiterated the recent decision by South Korea and the United States to station an advanced antimissile system here is a "self-defense" measure to counter growing military threats from North Korea."The (planned) deployment of (the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) is a self-defense step to safeguard the well-being of the country, the lives of the people and their properties," presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk told reporters.The statement is a

Defense July 11, 2016