Nam Kyung-pilNam Kyung-pil, the Gyeonggi governor-elect, is a seasoned politician and former journalist who was educated at Yale in the U.S. and Yonsei University in Seoul.The five-time lawmaker of the ruling party won one of the toughest races on Wednesday, beating his rival and NPAD candidate Kim Jin-pyo by a margin of less than 1 percent. The former deputy floor leader has been considered one of the few innovative members of the Saenuri Party, along with Won Hee-ryong, the newly elected gover

Politics June 5, 2014

Yoo Jeong-bok, the newly elected mayor of Incheon, is considered one of the closest aides to President Park Geun-hye, having served as the Security Minister under her leadership.The former minister and veteran bureaucrat defeated NPAD’s incumbent mayor Song Young-gil by 1.8 percent on Wednesday. It was another of the toughest races of the elections. Yoo Jeong-bokBorn in 1957 in Incheon, Yoo was educated at Yonsei University, majoring in political science and international relations. In 1979, at

Politics June 5, 2014

Lee Jae-hwanFor those hoping to lose weight, the general recommended caloric intake to lose weight ranges between 1200 to 1500 calories depending on the individual’s basal metabolic rate, with the aim of reducing 300 calories per day (a low-calorie diet), along with regular cardio exercises (at least one hour of fast-paced walking, cycling or swimming for at least five days a week) to expend 200-300 calories each day. This results in a loss of 300 calories from dieting, together with a loss of 3

Technology June 5, 2014

It’s been almost three years since Dr. Song Yoon-hee released her first documentary, “White Jungle.”Dubbed the Korean version of “Sicko,” the low-budget film was an expos on Korea’s health care system, including privatized hospitals that solely focus on profit-making.Since her film debut, Song has done a lot as a filmmaker as well as a physician. She wrote a screenplay for veteran auteur Im Kwon-taek’s latest project, “Hwajang,” while working as an industrial medicine specialist. When “White Jun

Technology June 5, 2014

Voters were more active than ever on social media during this year’s local elections season, generating hilarious parodies and comments about the candidates and anticipated results. Some 11 million tweets about the June 4 local elections were posted from Jan. 1 to June 3, according to Twitter Korea. South Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world. More than 67 percent of local mobile consumers had smartphones in 2012, far exceeding the global average of 14.8.The nation first allowed

Politics June 4, 2014

The hallway of Seoul Gyeongun School, a polling station in central Seoul, was packed with voters Wednesday afternoon. The majority were senior citizens in their 60s and 70s, some in wheelchairs, as well as young women in their 20s.Among the voters were mothers with their young children, young couples holding hands, and a restaurant worker wearing an apron, having just left work. Benches were provided for voters to sit on while waiting. Many fanned themselves with papers, trying to keep cool in t

Politics June 4, 2014

The number of elderly parents living separately from their children has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, according to a report released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Services.The report says the number of senior citizens who live alone with their spouse increased from 26.8 percent in 1994 to 48.6 percent in 2011. The number who live with their children, on the other hand, decreased from 54.7 percent in 1994 to 27.3 percent in 2011.The number of seniors who live alone

Technology June 3, 2014

Just a day after his daughter publicly spoke out against his candidacy, leading Seoul education chief candidate Koh Seung-duk argued on Sunday that the POSCO family, in which his ex-wife is a member, and his rival Moon Yong-rin are using his daughter politically. “My ex-wife and I had different ideas about how to raise our children. I wanted to raise them in Korea, while she wanted to raise them in the U.S. as U.S. citizens,” Koh said at a press conference in Seoul, in response to his daughter’s

Social Affairs June 1, 2014

Some of the best-known “family-friendly” policies at workplaces include child care services, parental leave for both mothers and fathers, and flexible work scheduling.But what we now consider as family-friendly policies should be redefined in the years to come, as family trends in Seoul have been changing dramatically in the past decade, said Lee Sook-jin, the president of the Seoul Foundation of Women & Family.“We now have to go back to square one and really think about how to define families,”

Social Affairs May 30, 2014

This is the sixth installment in series of articles on the upcoming local elections, exploring key issues and candidates in major cities. ― Ed. As much as Seoul mayoral candidates Park Won-soon and Chung Mong-joon are considered polar opposites, the two main runners for the South Chungcheong Province governor race are too. The incumbent governor of the region, Ahn Hee-jung, who is seeking his second term, was one of late President Roh Moo-hyun’s closest aides. Ahn’s rival Chung Jin-suk, on the o

Politics May 28, 2014

Seven people were killed and 41 were injured in a fire that broke out on Monday at Goyang Bus Terminal in Goyang, northwest of Seoul.The blaze occurred at around 9 a.m. at the property’s underground food court ― owned by local conglomerate CJ Foodville ― which was under construction. Officials suspect that the fire was triggered by welding work at the site.According to Goyang Fire Station, the fire was brought under control within about 20 minutes. “We are not sure at this point if the construct

Social Affairs May 26, 2014

Dr. Ju Woong, who teaches at Ewha Womans University’s department of obstetrics and gynecology, won an award at an international conference for his latest research findings on genital infections. Ju’s thesis, which deals with how genital warts and other human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases impact patients psychologically, was given the best poster award at the conference organized by the Asia Oceania Research Organization on Genital Infections and Neoplasia. The event took place in Beijing

Technology May 26, 2014