North Korean children born in 2015 are expected to live more than 10 years shorter than their southern counterparts, an annual UN report said Thursday. North Korean children in front of a child-care center in Pyongyang. (Yonhap file photo)According to the UN Development Programme's report on the 2016 Human Development Index, the life expectancy of North Korean babies born in that year is estimated at 70.5 years, 11.6 years less than 82.1 years for South Korean babies. The HDI evaluates nations b

North Korea March 23, 2017

The United States is working to stop China's economic retaliation over the deployment of a US anti-missile system in South Korea, a politician here quoted an American diplomat as saying Thursday.Joseph Yun, the US special representative for North Korea policy, met with Rep. Park Jie-won, chief of the minor centrist People's Party, during a four-day visit to the Asian ally. Joseph Yun (L), U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, meets with Rep. Park Jie-won (R), chief of the minor cen

Foreign Affairs March 23, 2017

The education ministry said Thursday it will reinforce Korean language and vocational training for thousands of young North Korean defectors studying in local schools.A total of 2,517 North Korean defectors were registered with elementary, middle and high schools nationwide as of April last year, according to the Ministry of Education. The number has increased dramatically from 1,417 tallied in 2010. Hangyeore Middle and High School, a government-funded secondary school for North Korean defector

Social Affairs March 23, 2017

Almost half of South Korean men are suffering from hair loss due mainly to stress with some of them willing to give up drinking or sex to get healthy hair, a poll showed Thursday.According to the survey of 801 Korean men ages 25 to 45 taken by Nielsen Korea, 47 percent of the respondents said they are suffering from hair loss.  (Yonhap)Half of them replied that stress is the main reason for their hair loss, with 34 percent saying it's hereditary. Seventy-two percent answered they are currently u

Social Affairs March 23, 2017

South Korea's defense ministry came under fire Thursday for its alleged failure to disclose information promptly on North Korea's missile launch the previous day, which apparently ended in failure.The news on the secretive communist nation's missile firing was first released by a Japanese news outlet. Kyodo news service, quoting an unnamed government source, reported late Wednesday morning that the North seemed to have tested "several missiles" probably from its east cost. It cited the possibili

Defense March 23, 2017

South Korea issued a statement Thursday, condemning the terrorist attack in the heart of London a day earlier, which killed at least four people."The government strongly condemns the savage attack on civilians near Britain's Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday," the statement said.(Yonhap)"The government prays for the victims and expresses deep condolences and consolation for the bereaved families and British people," it said. South Korea regards highly Prime Minister Theresa May's deter

Foreign Affairs March 23, 2017

South Korean lawmakers need to differentiate between industries while introducing a law to reduce work hours for South Korean workers, a private research institute said Thursday,South Koreans worked an average 2,113 hours annually compared to 1,766 hours on average for all member state of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a 2015 OECD data shows.People in the country put in some of the longest work hours in the world. A file photo of jobseekers at a job fair in Busan, Sou

Social Affairs March 23, 2017

A group of South Korean scientists discovered that a nanochannel smaller than 5 nanometers can act as a better transporter of ion, the science ministry said Thursday, expanding new horizons for the nanotechnology sector as a whole.The team led by Han Chang-soo of Korea University successfully manufactured a 3.6-nanometer high graphene nanochannel that has 115 times greater ionic conductivity than conventional nanochannels, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said.(Ministry of Scienc

Technology March 23, 2017

The liberal Democratic Party on Thursday launched an investigation into a possible leak of information on the outcome of a poll that will make up a part of its in-house election to name its presidential candidate.The move came one day after the party held a one-day polling of its electorate as part of its primary election for the May 9 presidential vote.Officials from the liberal Democratic Party and the National Election Commission count ballots cast in a vote on March 22, 2017 as part of a pri

Politics March 23, 2017

A local education office said Wednesday it has decided to dismiss three teachers who gave undue academic favors to the daughter of former President Park Geun-hye's close friend at the center of an influence-peddling scandal.The teachers at Chungdam High School in southern Seoul are accused of unfairly giving high scores to Chung Yoo-ra, daughter of Choi Soon-sil, and fabricating documents for her, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Chung Yoo-ra (Herald database)Chung is cur

Social Affairs March 23, 2017

The National Gugak Center will go on a tour in three Central Asian nations to celebrate the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with them, South Korea's culture ministry said Thursday.The center, designed to promote Korean traditional music and performances, will hold concerts in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, starting this Saturday.The undated photo provided by the National Gugak Center shows Korean artists dancing and playing traditional musical instruments. (Yonhap

Social Affairs March 23, 2017

South Korea's population is expected to decline in coming years due to low birthrates, government data showed Thursday, a development that could hurt the country's growth potential.South Korea's population stood at 51.25 million in 2016 and is projected to reach a record high of 52.96 million in 2031 before gradually falling, according to data released by Statistics Korea.The statistics office said South Korea's population could fall to 45.24 million in 2060. (Yonhap)The looming decline came as

Social Affairs March 23, 2017

Air pollution costs South Korea more than 10 trillion won ($8.9 billion) a year in lost production and other damages, with the figure feared to nearly double in about 40 years, data showed Thursday.Air pollution causes direct and indirect damage across the board by not only harming people's health, but also affecting their leisure activity and industrial production. (Yonhap)According to the data by local environmental authorities, scholars and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Develo

Social Affairs March 23, 2017

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's No. 1 airline, said Thursday it will increase flights on international routes and add fuel-efficient planes on the routes to help buoy its bottom line. In the coming months, Korean Air plans to gradually expand flights on routes to major cities in Europe and the United States to absorb higher outbound travel demand during the peak season that starts in March and ends in October, it said in a statement.Dreamliner B787-9 (Yonhap)To attract customers and cut cost

Industry March 23, 2017

A local port authority said Thursday it is considering a move to place orders to South Korean shipbuilders for the construction of several gantry cranes at new container terminals being built here.Busan Port Authority is currently building seven container piers at Busan Newport to be completed by 2021 and three additional berths are being built at the port by private firms. The estimated cost is about 1 trillion won ($893 million) for the building of 10 container cranes.(Yonhap)South Korean ship

Industry March 23, 2017