Seoul police on Tuesday raided a local university hospital where four newborns died successively in less than 90 minutes, suspecting medical malpractice. Investigators from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched the premises of Ewha Womans University Medical Center in Mokdong, western Seoul, to confiscate potential evidence, including incubators, injection tools and medical records, the agency said. YonhapThe move comes as the National Forensic Service and health authorities are scrambling to

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2017

The National Forensic Service began autopsies on the bodies of four newborns Monday to determine what caused them to die successively in less than 90 minutes at a hospital in Seoul. Five forensic doctors are conducting the postmortems, with police and health authorities suspecting bacterial or viral infections, malfunctioning incubators or medical malpractice as possible causes. YonhapFindings of the initial examinations are expected later Monday, while full autopsy results will require a longer

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2017

Seoul’s bike-sharing service was picked as the city’s most-liked public service of the year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday. Seoul's public bike rental service "Ttareungyi" (Seoul Metropolitan Government)Over 121,900 citizens voted online and offline to choose their favorite public service or policy of the year, among some 30 services or projects that the city government has either promoted or newly launched in 2017. Seoul Public Bike, or “Ttareungyi” in Korean from the sound of a

Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2017

Police on Sunday continued the search for a 5-year-old girl who went missing in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, nearly a month ago.  YonhapThe North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency on Sunday dispatched 180 police officers, four search dogs and a helicopter to find the girl, Ko Jun-hee, who suffers a developmental disorder. Authorities released some 4,000 leaflets in public places. Fire authorities also sent 25 officials in search of the missing child. The girl disappeared from her home in Deokjin

Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2017

The strong cold snap that has gripped Korea for over a week is forecast to continue until the year-end, with daytime high temperatures in inland regions dipping below zero, the weather agency said Sunday. YonhapAccording to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Seoul will continue to have freezing cold weather for the next 10 days -- with temperatures exceeding last years’ average -- due to the influence of a continental anticyclone stretching over the peninsula. On Sunday, Seoul saw a mornin

Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2017

A subway maintenance worker died after being hit by an incoming train while working on the platform, police said Thursday. The accident occurred at 7:59 a.m. at Onsu Station.  YonhapThe victim is a 35-year-old man who was dispatched by a subcontractor to Korea Railroad, the subway operator. He was fixing the sewers. Two other workers were with him, but were not hurt, according to the police. Korea Railroad said the deceased was a day laborer who started to work at the site since “not long ago.”H

Social Affairs Dec. 14, 2017

Woo Byung-woo, former President Park Geun-hye’s key aide, appeared at a Seoul court on Thursday to fight against the prosecution’s third attempt to arrest him this year. The Seoul Central District Court held a hearing to decide whether to issue a warrant for the arrest of Woo over his alleged involvement in the National Intelligence Service’s illegal spying on civilians, while serving as Park’s senior secretary for civil affairs. Woo Byung-woo (Yonhap)The 51-year-old former prosecutor appeared a

Social Affairs Dec. 14, 2017

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was awarded Paris’ highest honor, Grand Vermeil, for his contributions to Seoul-Paris ties, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday.  Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (left) poses for a photo with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo as he receives Grand Vermeil in Paris on Wednesday. (The Seoul Metropolitan Government)The mayor became the first Korean politician to receive the prestigious honor given to political and cultural figures around the world, such as former President of

Social Affairs Dec. 13, 2017

Nine in 10 civil servants see the anti-graft law, criticized for being too tough and set to be watered down, as being helpful in combating corruption in South Korea, according to a poll released Tuesday nearly 15 months after the law’s effectuation. Some 91.8 percent of 800 civil servants surveyed gave a positive review of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, the state-run Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said in a report, while the same view was shared by 78.9 percent of 1,000 or

Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2017

South Korea’s controversial anti-corruption law that cut deep into the country’s time-honored gift-giving tradition is set to get watered down, about 15 months after taking effect.  YonhapThe Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on Monday approved a revision proposal for the enforcement ordinance of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act to change price ceilings on the value of gifts, free meals and condolence or congratulatory money that public servants and others can receive.The revisi

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2017

Dozens of Koreans held on the Chuuk Islands are presumed to have been sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II, Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday, a new discovery that researchers say supports existing evidence and testimony of Japan’s brutal trafficking of women to front-line brothels.The Chuuk Islands, previously known as the Truk Islands, comprised Japan’s main base in the South Pacific from 1939 to 1945. Truk was a heavily fortified base for Japanese operations against Alli

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2017

Police raided the Seoul headquarters of the National Tax Service on Friday after a Samsung official said that he had reported to the office in 2011 secret bank accounts created for Samsung Group under borrowed names. Nine investigators from the National Policy Agency’s special investigative team descended on the Seoul Regional Tax Office at around 9:30 a.m. looking for evidence to verify the official’s testimony. (Yonhap)Police suspect that these bank accounts, if confirmed to be existing, may b

Social Affairs Dec. 8, 2017

The Korea-France Association said Wednesday that it had appointed Sohn Woo-hyun as the new president.Sohh, a visiting professor at Hallym University, was elected as the president during the association’s board meeting held Tuesday, the association said. Sohn Woo-hyun. Korea-France AssociationA journalist-turned diplomat, Sohn served as a presidential foreign press secretary and minister for cultural affairs at the Korean Embassy in Paris. In 2014, he was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et de

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2017

Seoul is less crowded now than any other time in the past three decades, the latest data shows. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday, as of the end of 2016, Seoul’s population marked 10.2 million, including non-Korean residents, down 93,081 from a year earlier. YonhapPopulation density similarly decreased to 16,861 per square kilometer of land, also the lowest in the past three decades. The number of non-ethnic Korean residents registered in Seoul was 273,000, or 2.7 perce

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2017

The country’s anti-corruption watchdog said Wednesday that it will try again next week to revise an anti-graft regulation to change price ceilings on the value of gifts, free meals and condolence or congratulatory money that public servants and others can receive.  YonhapThe Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said during a press briefing Wednesday that a proposed revision is aimed at raising the upper limit when the gifts are local agricultural, livestock and fisheries products. The com

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2017