The Korea Herald

Meth smuggler nabbed at Incheon International Airport

A drug dealer who smuggled 10 billion won ($8.3 million) worth of methamphetamine abroad was nabbed at Incheon International Airport, the Korean police said Thursday. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said a 44-year-old drug ring member surnamed Song was arrested on charges of secretly bringing in a total of 3 kilograms of meth from the Philippines since last October and distributing them here. Police at Incheon International Airport. (Yonhap)Song was arrested on Jan.12 by police who had been wai

Social Affairs Feb. 4, 2016

Meth smuggler nabbed at Incheon International Airport

Six more Zika-suspected cases under probe

Six more suspected cases of the Zika virus are under probe, Korean health authorities said Thursday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that six new suspected cases were reported from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday morning, totaling 13 cases reported here so far. Of them, the first seven cases tested negative. Health officials spray mosquito repellent as part of preventive measures against the Zika virus at the underground septic tank of an apartment in Oksu-dong, Seoul, Th

Social Affairs Feb. 4, 2016

Six more Zika-suspected cases under probe

Expats satisfied with support centers: survey

Foreign residents in the capital are “very satisfied” with services of public support facilities, a survey showed. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s survey that included 760 foreigners from October to November, the satisfaction rate stood at 4.56 out of 5 points. The surveyed queried participants on three parts: accessibility and cleanness of the facility; hospitality and expertise of center employees; and contents of programs. The support centers received the highest score in dai

Social Affairs Dec. 30, 2015

City to toll bell for New Year

Seoul City will mark the New Year with a bell-tolling ceremony in the center of the capital as part of its annual event, officials said. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is set to ring the bell at Bosingak Pavilion on Thursday night a total of 33 times with 11 citizens chosen as representatives for the year 2015.The guests include a doctor who reopened his clinic after successfully containing the Middle East respiratory syndrome and a firefighter who saved 11 live

Social Affairs Dec. 30, 2015

High-ranking officials to face tougher evaluations

Lee Geun-myeon, minister of personnel management.The work performance evaluation of high-ranking public servants will be tightened, possibly even leading to their dismissal, officials said Tuesday.The Ministry of Personnel Management said starting next year the evaluation criteria and penalties will be strengthened to raise the work efficiency of civil servants who had thus far enjoyed great job security.The move came after public pressure to enhance the “superficial” performance evaluation.Unde

Social Affairs Dec. 29, 2015

High-ranking officials to face tougher evaluations

[Newsmaker] Justice minister warns against protests

The government Friday heaped pressure on labor unions preparing for another massive antigovernment rally next month, warning that it will sternly clamp down on illegal protests at any cost. “Illegal and violent protests are serious and clear challenges to the country’s rule of law and to the public who love peace. Those who ignore the law and deride the government’s power will rightly pay the cost in the name of the public,” said Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong in a press briefing. Justice Minis

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2015

[Newsmaker] Justice minister warns against protests

U.N. rapporteur urges Korea to prevent chemical accidents

A United Nations special investigator on Friday expressed concerns over the Korean government’s insufficient measures that have left a huge burden on Korean industrial accident victims to prove the causality between their diseases and work conditions by themselves. Baskut Tuncak (Yonhap)Baskut Tuncak, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances and wastes, released a preliminary report after investigating a toxic humidifier tragedy and the deaths of Samsung Electronics

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2015

U.N. rapporteur urges Korea to prevent chemical accidents

Fine dust hits peninsula for days

A layer of fine dust has blanketed the peninsula for days, raising public health concerns, officials said Thursday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, many provinces have recorded a high level of fine dust over the past week, prompting the cities to issue alerts. North Jeolla Province issued a fine dust advisory on Thursday morning as the average concentration stayed above 120 micrograms per cubic meter for 24 hours, with Iksan recording the highest of 187 micrograms per cubic

Technology Oct. 22, 2015

Chinese tourists disappear upon arrival

Over a dozen Chinese tourists disappeared during a sightseeing tour in the southern city of Busan, with the purpose remaining mysterious, police said Monday. Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said 13 Chinese visitors -- including seven men -- ran away while traveling to tourist spots in Busan on Sunday. They disembarked from 116,000-ton cruise ship Sapphire Princess in the morning for a day trip in Korea. “They gradually disappeared in small groups of two or three,” the tour guide was quoted as s

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2015

Seoul Zoo to buy back sold animals

Days after a hunger strike by a U.S. civic activist, a public zoo caved in and agreed to buy back the animals that were sold in an auction upon concerns that some of them had been sold to a slaughterhouse.Seoul Zoo, which is run by Seoul Metropolitan Government, said Monday that it has decided to buy back the animals that the zoo had sold at an auction in August. A.J. Garcia, the U.S. branch president of civic group Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, had launched a hunger strike in front of

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2015

graphic - translation

Controversy is escalating over lowering the minimum age for criminal punishment after the suspect of the recent “Cat Mom” case was found to be a nine-year-old boy. Under the current law, offenders under 10 cannot be prosecuted. Those between 10 and 13 can only be subject to punitive measures that include community service and long-term or short-term probationary periods. According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, tens of thousands of juveniles annually face criminal punishments. Earlier this

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2015

Number of Seoul overpasses declines

The number of overpasses in Seoul City has dropped in recent years, due mainly to concerns over the safety and convenience of pedestrians, officials said Sunday. According to Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of pedestrian overpasses decreased to 166 last year ― down 34 percent from 15 years ago. In 1999, 12 out of the 25 administrative districts in the capital had more than 10 overpasses. But now, only five districts have more than 10 overpasses. Dongjak-gu and Dongdaemun-gu plan to dem

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2015

Korea to expand free legal counseling to expats

The government and a group of lawyers plans to expand a free legal counseling service ― so far limited to Korean citizens ― to foreign residents from this week, officials said Sunday. The Justice Ministry and Korea Bar Association said they would run the neighborhood lawyer service for foreigners as a trial project from Monday. The service will be launched first in 10 communities in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province with large foreign populations. This includes Daerim-dong, Gwanghee-dong and Hyehwa-do

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2015

Seoul’s secret underground bunker to be opened to public

A historical underground bunker in Seoul will be opened to the public temporarily this month, a decade after its discovery, officials said Thursday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will temporarily open the secret underground bunker of 790 square meters in Yeouido to the public from Oct. 10 to Nov. 1 on a reservation basis. The city will gather public opinion from visitors on how to use the mysterious site ahead of the expected official opening in October next year. One of the bunker r

Social Affairs Oct. 1, 2015

Seoul’s secret underground bunker to be opened to public

Families of Sewol victims sue state, ferry company

Families of Sewol ferry tragedy victims on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the government and the ferry company to seek compensation and urge the state to clearly investigate the cause of the accident. Familes of 131 victims, including 20 survivors, sued the state and ferry operator Chonghaejin Marine Co. for compensation of 100 million won ($84,000) for each victim, totaling 13 billion won in compensation. “It’s been 526 days since the tragedy took place, but nothing has been revealed so far.

Social Affairs Sept. 23, 2015

Articles by Lee Hyun-jeong