Two Korean expatriates who are registered as members of North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri were found to have conducted pro-North Korean campaigns, according to news reports Tuesday.International hacking group Anonymous disclosed the information of 15,000 members of Uriminzokkiri, including 2,600 presumed to be South Korean nationals, after it hacked the website last week.One person surnamed Kim who went to the U.S. in 1990 is thought to have operated a pro-North Korean website and vi

Social Affairs April 9, 2013

Seoul was affected by higher levels of harmful fine particles in the air than other metropolitan cities around the world last year, according to the Ministry of Environment. The ministry said the average concentration of PM2.5 in the air, solid or liquid particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter ― one-thirtieth the width of a human hair ― was 25.2 micrograms per cubic meter last year. That level is almost twice that of New York City, which averaged 13.9. The concentration levels in Paris,

National April 8, 2013

Seoul City plans to restrict the height of new buildings alongside the Han River as part of measures to better preserve the riverside environment and promote sustainable urban development.The metropolitan government announced a master plan for riverside management which also includes construction of more eco-friendly parks and facilities and increasing accessibility to the river. To prevent reckless construction of skyscrapers, all apartments planned near the riversides should not have more than

Social Affairs April 2, 2013

The number of teachers holding master’s and doctorate degrees increased 55.1 percent in seven years, according to a statistics report by the Korean Educational Development Institute released Sunday.The incentives in financial reward and promotion and their desire for self-improvement led them to attain higher education, the report said. The report said 143,917 teachers, or 30.8 percent of the 467,627 teachers from kindergarten to high school last year, held a master’s degree, and 4,852, or 1 per

Social Affairs March 31, 2013

The Supreme Court ruled Sunday that organizers of flash mob events should notify the authorities in advance when they intend to communicate political and social messages. The court upheld a lower court’s decision to impose a fine of 700,000 won ($630) on a man surnamed Kim on charges of holding an outdoor gathering without notifying the district police. A flash mob is an event in which a group of people assemble suddenly in a public place and hold an unusual performance for a short time. Kim ins

Social Affairs March 31, 2013

Police began an investigation Monday into Korea’s first online dogfight betting operation that caused an outcry among citizens and animal rights activists.An animal rights activist posted about the site on an Internet portal last Wednesday, calling for an online petition to punish the website’s operators.As of Monday more than 800 people have signed the petition. The National Police Agency received 60 internet petitions for an investigation.The activist said in the internet post with a video cli

Social Affairs March 25, 2013

The government is cracking down on a growing number of brokers and scammers who exploit North Korean defectors staying here.The North Korean Refugees Foundation under the Unification Ministry has recently received 41 complaints and petitions from defectors in the month since February, the ministry said Sunday.The ministry of has requested police to investigate the six most serious cases, including one in which a broker coercively tried to collect money from North Korean defectors or cajoled them

Social Affairs March 24, 2013

The number of public servants is expected to surpass 1 million this year as the government seeks to increase police and public security staff. The Ministry of Security and Public Administration announced a revised bill Saturday that raises the upper limit to the number of public servants hired by central administrative offices, by 200,000 to 293,982.The planned increase excludes those working at the National Assembly, the Board of Audit and Inspection, courts, the prosecution, schools and educat

Social Affairs March 24, 2013

Seoul City will consider removing and refurbishing artificial weirs and structures in the Hangang River as part of plans to revive its ecosystem, officials said Wednesday.It will also replace artificial levees with sand banks and natural levees in areas that have no flooding risk. The city government laid out plans to improve the environment of the river and make it more accessible to citizens. The water quality indexes for most parts of the river indicate satisfactory levels, but improvements a

Social Affairs March 20, 2013