A contaminant detected in ground water beneath a US Forces Korea garrison in central Seoul was 162 times higher than the permissible level, a government report revealed by civic groups showed Tuesday. The garrison around Noksapyeong Station has been suspected as the main source of contaminants such as petroleum and benzene that have polluted the neighborhood of Yongsan for decades.The revelation came after the Supreme Court ordered the South Korean government to disclose the results of a 2015 st

Social Affairs April 18, 2017

Low income individuals are more likely to smoke than those who are considered wealthy, a study conducted by Seoul National University Hospital showed Monday. The study, conducted by professor Kang Young-ho, looked at 1.59 million people between 2008 and 2014. It looked at both genders in 245 counties and cities.(Yonhap)Male smokers in 236 of the 245 locations followed the overall correlation between smoking and income levels. Female smokers’ income levels corresponded to the findings in 239 of t

Social Affairs April 17, 2017

A group of Siberian tigers currently exhibited at a local zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, will be transferred to a government-owned arboretum this summer, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Wednesday. Selected tigers at the Seoul Zoo will be relocated to a 48,000-square-meter forest designed to simulate a wild tiger habitat. The area, called “Tiger Forest,” is part of the ministry’s 220.1 billion won ($192.4 million) project to build Asia’s largest arboretum

Social Affairs April 12, 2017

A declassified diplomatic dossier has revealed suspicions that North Korea may have been involved in the death of the daughter of a Myanmarese judge, who sentenced one of its terrorist agents to death for the 1983 Rangoon Bombing. The justice had tried two North Korean suspects in the attack on a South Korean diplomatic delegation in the capital city of the Southeast Asian country. The daughter died in 1985, while studying in Japan. A page from declassified documents explains North Korea’s alleg

North Korea April 11, 2017

Moon Jae-in (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)Following are excerpts from The Korea Herald’s interview Monday with Moon Jae-in, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. -- Ed. Q: You and the Democratic Party of Korea have been labeled as leftist, progressive or pan-progressive. How do you define your ideologies?A: I think the labels are meaningless. At a time of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, what use are such labels? The tasks that face us are not about political cant. Were

Politics April 10, 2017

The city of Seoul is gearing up for its annual spring festival lineup, but is facing difficulties as the events’ main venue, Seoul Plaza, is illegally occupied by die-hard supporters of ousted President Park Geun-hye. Despite the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s repeated requests to vacate the space, about 40 pro-Park tents remain clustered in one-third of the area, refusing to yield both to government orders and the Constitutional Court’s decision to expel Park from power.Pro-Park protest tents

Social Affairs April 10, 2017

Japan extended its unilateral sanctions imposed on North Korea for two more years Friday as the North's provocative behavior is not showing any signs of letting up.The extension was endorsed at a cabinet meeting held earlier in the day. The existing sanctions were set to expire next Thursday.  (Yonhap)The decision will allow Tokyo mostly to keep a ban on trade with the North and prevent the entry of North Korean ships into Japanese ports. The ban on port entry has been in place since 2006, when

North Korea April 7, 2017

The US military is capable of intercepting North Korean missiles before they reach US targets, the commander of the US Northern Command and commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Thursday."I am confident in our ability to employ the Ground-based Midcourse Defense element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System to defend the Homeland against a limited long-range ballistic missile attack from North Korea," Gen. Lori Robinson said in a statement submitted for a Senate Armed

North Korea April 7, 2017

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Friday to work closely together to convince North Korea to curb its nuclear program as they held their first summit talks overshadowed by surprise US military strikes against Syria the previous night.The two sides reached the agreement, sharing the view that the North's nuclear advancement has reached "a very serious stage,"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a briefing on the outcome of the summit

North Korea April 7, 2017

UN Security Council adopts statement condemning NK missile launchThe UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a statement strongly condemning North Korea's latest missile launch. It was the fourth time the Security Council has adopted a press statement on North Korea. United States' Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley greets United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Security Council chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. (Yonhap)The statement d

North Korea April 7, 2017

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called strongly for China to use its influence over North Korea to end its nuclear and missile programs, as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Florida for summit talks with President Donald Trump."We are hopeful that China will find ways to exercise influence over North Korea's actions to dismantle their nuclear weapons and their missile technology programs," Tillerson told reporters after greeting Xi at a Florida airport. US Secret

North Korea April 7, 2017

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) – US President Donald Trump greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, kicking off a series of crucial first meetings where he plans to focus on reducing the trade deficit with the world's No. 2 economy and getting Beijing to exercise genuine pressure on North Korea.Trump and the first lady Melania Trump welcomed Xi and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan as they arrived at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in a black limousine around 5:10 p.m. A military guard lined the

Foreign Affairs April 7, 2017

South Korea’s wild pollack population, considered near-extinct since the turn of the millennium, may be making a comeback. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday that a wild pollack, locally called “myeongtae,” was caught in eastern waters near Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province. The fish, procured through a net installed 100 meters underwater, was 56 centimeters long, a tad smaller in size than its typical 61 centimeters. It was transported live to a research facility under the Nation

Social Affairs April 6, 2017

South Korean prosecutors investigating ousted President Park Geun-hye’s irregularities have used Google’s Timeline location history service to track a plastic surgeon’s secret visits to the presidential office, it was revealed Wednesday. 　 Kim Young-jae, the 55-year-old owner of a luxury anti-aging clinic in southern Seoul who was indicted for performing illegal anti-aging treatments to the then-president and lying under oath, has entered Cheong Wa Dae at least 17 times, the investigators claime

Social Affairs April 6, 2017

South Korea ranked 33rd out of 34 countries surveyed on national happiness, despite improvements in welfare, a study showed Wednesday. According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, South Korea saw its happiness ranking drop by three notches over the past five years from 2011 to 2016. In terms of well-being, the country ranked 21st, two steps up from 2011.(123RF)The study was based on a comparative analysis of 34 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Social Affairs April 5, 2017