올해 1월 담뱃값 인상을 전후로 1인당 1보루인 면세담배를 초과해 반입했다가 세관에 적발된 사례가 급증한 것으로 나타났다. (123rf)19일 관세청에 따르면 인천공항과 국제여객선터미널 등에서 면세담배 허용 기준인 1인당 1보루를 초과해 반입하다가 적발된 사례가 지난해 12월 3천265건에 달했다.이는 전달(1천402건)과 비교해 132% 늘어난 수치다. 담뱃값 2천원 인상을 앞두고 면세담배 사재기가 극성을 부린 결과로 풀이된다. 담뱃값 인상 직후인 1월 적발건수도 2천868건에 달했다. 지난해 같은 달(716건)과 비교하면 4배로 증가한 것이다.올해 적발건수는 지난 6월에 756건을 기록하는 등 상반기에는 매월 1천건을 넘지 않았으나, 담뱃값 인상 논의가 무르익은 지난 7월부터 1천건을 돌파하면서 상승세를 보였다. 면세담배 초과 반입 적발은 주로 이용객이 많은 인천공항에서 이뤄졌다.관세청 관계자는 "여행객 1명이 2∼3보루를 반입하다가 적발된 게 대부분"이라며 "하반기부터 증가세를

한국어판 Feb. 19, 2015

The National Assembly on Monday confirmed Lee Wan-koo’s nomination as prime minister, despite attempts by the main opposition party to stall the controversial appointment.Lee received 148 of the 281 votes in Monday’s plenary session. Legislators in Lee’s governing Saenuri Party are likely to have supported him in the secret ballot. The New Politics Alliance for Democracy likely opposed Lee, who is suspected of multiple ethical lapses in his 40-year political career. National Assembly Speaker Rep

Politics Feb. 16, 2015

Embattled Prime Minister nominee Rep. Lee Wan-koo denied allegations against him made by opposition lawmakers on Tuesday, as his two-day confirmation hearing began.Lee, the former floor leader of the governing Saenuri Party, was nominated by President Park Geun-hye to the Prime Minister’s Office last month. But accusations that Lee had profited from real estate deals and blackmailed reporters have endangered his appointment. Rep. Lee Wan-koo listens to questions during his confirmation hearing a

Politics Feb. 10, 2015

A military court on Tuesday gave the death penalty to an Army sergeant who killed five soldiers and wounded seven more in a shooting rampage at a guard post near the inter-Korean border last year.The 23-year-old soldier surnamed Lim was charged with murder for the shooting in June 2014 at his unit in the 22nd Army Division in Goseong, Gangwon Province. He was also found guilty of defecting from his unit with weapons and killing a superior officer.A soldier who kills a superior officer can be sen

Defense Feb. 3, 2015

The suspect in a recent bomb threat involving the presidential office arrived in Korea on Tuesday. He was residing in Europe.The 20-something man was taken into custody for questioning, according to Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency. The suspect was confirmed Monday to be the son of a former aide to National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa. Police said he called Cheong Wa Dae’s civil affairs office Sunday around 2:39 a.m. and threatened to bomb it. Tourists take photographs with Cheong Wa Dae in t

Social Affairs Jan. 27, 2015

The government plans to introduce a state-run qualification examination for day care workers amid rising concerns over the state’s lax monitoring of the child care system. The new measure was announced Tuesday after public outrage escalated over several child abuse cases in preschool facilities. Currently, anyone who completes over 65 credits of courses at a college-affiliated academy can work as a day care teacher. As of this month, more than 86,000 people have been certified, with some 22,000

Social Affairs Jan. 27, 2015

수면마취제 프로포폴을 불법 투약한 혐의로 기소돼 집행유예를 선고받은 이승연(47)씨가 광고주에게 1억원을 물어주게 됐다.서울중앙지법 민사합의35부(이성구 부장판사)는 주식회사 동양이 이씨와 이씨의 소속사 대표를 상대로 낸 손해배상 소송에서 "1억원을 배상하라"며 원고 일부 승소로 판결했다고 22일 밝혔다. (연합)동양은 2012년 패션잡화브랜드를 런칭하면서 모델료 4억5천만원을 주고 이씨와 광고모델 출연계약을 맺었다.계약 내용에는 법령 위반이나 사회적 물의를 일으켜서는 안 되고, 도덕적으로 비난받을 행동을 하거나 브랜드 이미지를 훼손해서는 안 된다는 조항이 포함돼 있었다.이씨는 이후 2012년 2월부터 12월까지 14차례 홈쇼핑 방송에 출연해 동양의 제품을 광고했다.그러나 2013년 1월 프로포폴 상습투약 혐의로 수사 선상에 오르면서 더 이상 방송 출연이 어려워졌고, 동양 측은 준수사항 위반으로 계약을 해제하고 손해배상 소송을 냈다.재판부는 "이씨가 계약 기간에 프로포폴 투약 혐의로

한국어판 Jan. 22, 2015

미국 일간 뉴욕타임스(NYT)가 21일(현지시간) 김치를 극찬했다. NYT는 이 날짜 요리면에서 "김치는 한국 문화의 기본이고 식사 때마다 열광적으로 찾는 반찬이어서 김치 없는 일상은 상상할 수 없을 정도"라고 소개했다. 그러면서 외국인에게 김치는 독일의 양배추 절임인 사우어크라우트처럼 채소 저장 식품으로 이해될 수 있겠으나, 한국인에게 김치는 '소울푸드'라고 말했다.  (연합)NYT는 김치가 고기요리부터 소박한 상차림에까지 한국의 식탁에 빠짐없이 곁들여지지만, 김치가 국, 찌개, 국수, 볶음밥 등에 다양하게 첨가돼 새로운 맛을 만들어 내기도 한다면서 그 레시피를 실었다. 특히 김치찌개는 김치와 돼지고기를 뭉근히 끓이는 게 맛내기의 포인트이지만, 채식주의자라면 돼지고기 대신 버터나 올리브유를 사용해도 좋다고 전했다. 나아가 김치찌개에 브라운버터(버터를 가열해 갈색으로 만든 상태)나, 케이퍼(연어요리에 자주 쓰이는 콩알 크기의 향신료)를 넣는 퓨전 요리법도 시도되고 있다고 전했다. 이

한국어판 Jan. 22, 2015

Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-ah on Monday stood in her first trial hearing on allegations that she had changed flight plans and interfered with a government probe into an on-flight incident she was involved in last month. The eldest daughter of the airline owner Cho Yang-ho was indicted on Jan. 7 for five charges including violence and obstructing the crew duty in the New York-Seoul flight, a month after the so-called “nut rage” row stirred public uproar.  Cho Hyun-ah (center) is escorted a holdi

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2015

A man killed his teenage stepdaughter and her biological father during a five-hour hostage-taking incident Tuesday. The man is being held in police custody. Authorities believe that he carried out the attack because his wife refused to see him, and suspected that his wife was seeing her former husband, the father of her children. The killer and the victim’s mother married in 2007 and is reported to have recently separated.Police officers prepare to storm the property occupied by the suspect in t

Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2015

President Park Geun-hye on Monday apologized for the document leak scandal and reiterated her administration’s economic drive and the need for reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Saying that the country was shaken by social issues in the past year, Park pledged that her administration would develop measures to prevent such incidents from recurring. President Park Geun-hye addresses the nation on Monday. (Yonhap)"My heart is heavy and (I am) sorry for the people who are feeling despondent beca

Politics Jan. 12, 2015