Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn called Thursday for enhancing the competitiveness of the country's service sector as part of a broader country-wide effort to prop-up the sluggish economy.The premier said that the service sector has good growth potential but has made a relatively small impact on exports. He pointed out that the local service sector's contribution to the national economy lags far behind those of the world's advanced industrialized countries. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)The t

May 12, 2016

The siblings being accused of murdering their 76-year-old father on Parents’ Day have spoken up about the victim’s abuse of their deceased mother.  During police interrogation, the 43-year-old brother claimed that his father had sexually abused and hit his mother who had dementia and a physical disability after being in a traffic accident in 1990. The father had allegedly spent his wife’s government subsidies on another woman, and did not attend his wife’s funeral in 2009.  (Yonhap)The 47-year-o

Social Affairs May 12, 2016

A 31-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for the attempted murder of his friend who allegedly spoke ill of him to his girlfriend. According to Hongseong Police in the South Chungcheong Province, the man is being accused of carrying a weapon to his friend’s house and stabbing the latter in the abdomen and hand.  (123RF)The man testified that he had suspected the friend to have spoken ill of him to his girlfriend and that had resulted in a fight which escalated to the stabbings. The police plan

Social Affairs May 12, 2016

A primary school teacher was dismissed from his position after inappropriately touching four female colleagues at an after-work party, Wednesday. Korean office dinners often involve heavy drinking.   (Yonhap)According to the school in North Chungcheong Province, the teacher had repeated his offence by indecently touching two female teachers at a pub in September 2015 and two others at a karaoke salon in February 2016.The case was belatedly filed by a person acquainted with one of the victims. By

Social Affairs May 12, 2016

Residents of the apartment complex where a dead man’s body was found in the tank they got their water from are reporting symptoms of trauma. A number of residents who preferred to remain anonymous have revealed their distress“The thought of it sickens me to the core,” one said. “I keep feeling like I’ll throw up.” Another said, “My children drank from the tap. I’m worried they may develop health problems.” (123RF)On Monday at an apartment in the city of Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, a decompo

Social Affairs May 12, 2016

연애초기 너무 자상한 남자는 되려 여성의 반감을 산다는 학계의 연구 결과가 뒤늦은 파장을 일으키고 있다. 이스라엘 구릿 번봄 (Gurit Birnbaum) 교수가 2014년 발표한 연구 결과에 따르면 여성들은 흔히 말하는 ‘나쁜 남자’에게 더 끌린다는데. (123RF)번봄 교수는 20살에서 30살 사이의 대학생 112명을 대상으로 처음 만난 상대와 30분간 데이트를 하는 실험을 했다. 이 연구 결과에 참여한 여성들은 특이하게도 자신에게 관심이 없는 듯 구는 남성에게 더욱 호감을 느꼈다고 한다. 사랑은 소통이라는 공식과 상이하게도, 여성들은 연애초기 자신에게 즉각적으로 반응해오는 남성을 부정적으로 받아들인다고 한다. 이유는 이들에게 ‘불순한 목적’이 있거나 상황 주도력이 부족하다고 여긴다는 것. 이와 반대로 남성들은 이야기를 잘 들어주고 자상하게 관심 가져주는 ‘착한 여자’를 선호한다고 했다. 미국 로체스터 대학 (University of Rochester) 에서 진행된 유사한 실험에

한국어판 May 12, 2016

A 5-year-old boy died of injuries from a suspected fall early Wednesday at an apartment complex in the city of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.  (Yonhap)A resident found him in bloodied state on the road in front of the apartment at around 2 a.m. and reported the situation to the police. The boy was taken to the hospital but did not survive. The police found no direct signs of abuse on the boy’s body. They suspect that he accidentally fell from the 12th floor, where he lived with his mother

Social Affairs May 11, 2016

미국 과학 웹사이트 ‘라이브사이언스 (Live Science)’에서 미래를 바꿀 신기술 10가지를 소개했다. 그 내용을 여기 함께 나눈다. 10) 수소(123RF)물이 석유를 대체할 날이 다가오고 있다. 시시때때로 변동하는 유가에 쩔쩔맬 게 아니라 물에서 수소를 얻어 대체에너지로 쓰는 것이 어떨지. 수소를 연소할 때 생기는 부산물은 바로 또다시 물이다. 이처럼 환경 친화적인 에너지원이라니. 물론 이것은 앞으로 석유를 대신하게 될 여러 대체에너지원 중 하나일 뿐이다.9) 클론(123RF)공상과학 소설에선 이따금 ‘클론’의 궁극적 목적이 똑같이 생긴 사람들을 찍어내는 것인 듯 소개된다. 하지만, 이 같은 복제기술은 본디 특정 신체기관을 재생산하려는 것이다. 복제기술이 완성된다면 암 환자 치료가 쉬워진다. 암세포에 노출된 기관들을 거부 반응 걱정 없이 이식할 수 있다. 8) 반도체(123RF)반도체 제조사 인텔의 공동창업자 고든 무어 (Gordon Moore)는 1965년 컴퓨터의 수가

한국어판 May 11, 2016

진행자: 원호정, Paul Kerry1. 대부도 토막살인사건 피의자 신상공개 논란기사요약: 주말간 영장실질심사를 위해 경찰서를 나선 대부도 토막살인사건 피의자 조성호씨의 얼굴 및 신상이 공개되어 화제다. 범행의 잔인함을 미루어 보아 국민의 알 권리가 신상보호보다 앞섰다고 경찰은 발표했지만, 일관성 없는 신상공개에 대한 지적을 받고 있다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638Daebudo murder suspect’s full identity made public [1] Police on Saturday arrested Jo Sung-ho, the suspect in a case involving a mutilated body found on Daebudo Island at Gyeon

Podcast May 11, 2016

South Korea's jobless rate fell in April as more people were hired in the accommodation and retail sectors, but the unemployment rate for young people still remained high, a government report showed Wednesday.The unemployment rate sank to 3.9 percent in April, from 4.3 percent in March. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate also dropped to 3.7 percent from 3.8 percent over the cited period, according to the report by Statistics Korea. Job fair in Seoul (Yonhap)But job creation decreased from the

May 11, 2016

A foreign national who drove under the influence of alcohol was fined 7 million won ($6,000) on Tuesday for refusing to take a sobriety test. (123RF)According to the Jeonju District Court, the 48-year-old man hit a median strip in Gimje City, North Jeolla Province in October 2015. He created a disturbance by threatening to “kill anyone who touches him” while refusing to oblige a police officer’s request to take a breathalyzer test. Korea heightened regulations against drunk driving since April 2

Social Affairs May 10, 2016

A 47-year-old woman and her 43-year-old brother are suspected of murdering their 78-year-old father on May 8, which is Parents’ Day in Korea, in what appears to be a premeditated crime. The two are exercising their right to remain silent. During a police interrogation on Tuesday at Gwangju Bukbu police station, they refused to wear masks in front of the press claiming they had nothing to hide as they are innocent. The police were forced to cover their faces for them. (Yonhap)In Korea, disclosure

Social Affairs May 10, 2016

A jury will participate in the trial of a 24-year-old man who murdered his girlfriend and her friend, a Daegu court announced Tuesday. The jury’s decision will not be legally binding, but the judge will consider their voice in making the official ruling. The man is accused of stabbing his 27-year-old girlfriend after she broke off their relationship. The murder took place at a flat in Jukdo-dong in Pohang City, North Gyeongsang Province, on March 30. He is also accused of murdering the victim’s

Social Affairs May 10, 2016