Seoul City said Tuesday that it will install advanced water treatment systems in all water filtering centers by next year as part of its efforts to improve the quality of tap water. All Seoul water will go through an ozone treatment with the advanced water treatment system. Currently, only two out of six water filtering centers are equipped with the system. This is part of the city’s policies for improving the quality of tap water. Seoul City will also finish the replacement of old water pipes i

Social Affairs March 4, 2014

Civic groups on Tuesday called on the South Korean government to overhaul the monitoring system for Korean adoptees sent overseas following the death of a Korean child adopted by U.S. parents.The move came after a 3-year-old boy was allegedly killed by his adoptive father in February, only three months after he was adopted in Montgomery County, Maryland. The father soon faces trial on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse. Six advocacy groups asked the Ministry of Health and Welfare to

Social Affairs March 4, 2014

Seoul City said Monday that it would unveil the design park in the Dongdaemun area this month that will act as a city hub for culture and design. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza ― 85,000-square-meter structure ― in Dongdaemun, eastern Seoul, consists of five halls with 15 rooms. It will host cultural events such as concerts and exhibitions along with conferences from March 21, officials said. The design park will be open 24 hours a day. While various events will be held in the daytime, some events s

Social Affairs March 3, 2014

Doctors launched a strike committee and finalized their walkout plan on Monday ahead of collective action scheduled for next week to protest the government’s new medical plans, including telemedicine, officials said. The Korean Medical Association, which represents more than two-thirds of the nation’s medical doctors, will stage a full one-day strike next Monday, excluding emergency room and intensive care center workers. From March 24, all doctors will go on strike for six days with no exceptio

Social Affairs March 3, 2014

The National Pension Service said Thursday that it would launch a call center for foreign clients to offer advice in three Asian languages. The call center will offer counseling and help issue certificates of service subscription in Chinese, Indonesian and Thai from next week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. English-language telephone assistance is already available.Chinese service will be available at (02) 2176-8735, with Indonesian service at (02) 2176-8734 and Thai service at (02) 2176-8730. Nearly hal

Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2014

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a life sentence for a 25-year-old man on charges of kidnapping and raping a female child in Naju, South Jeolla Province. Defendant Ko Jong-suk was convicted of kidnapping an 8-year-old girl asleep at her home, and attempting to kill her after raping her under a bridge in 2012. The victim was left with permanent organ damage. The court upheld the lower court’s decision for Ko to receive chemical castration for five years to stifle his sexual impulses. This is

Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2014

The government said Wednesday that it will push to strip teachers of their licenses if they are jailed for sex crimes. Under the current law, teachers who are convicted of sex crimes can be sacked, but they are allowed to keep their teaching licenses.The stricter rule is part of the measures announced by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to prevent sex crimes. Sexual and violent crimes comminted by teachers have long been an issue in Korea, but critics pointed out the limitations of nom

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2014

Seoul City on Tuesday issued what it called a “livelihood alert” following its disovery of a massive smishing scam that involves imposters claiming to raise money to award a gold medal to figure skater Kim Yu-na. Officials said that scammers send a text reading, “Thank you, Kim Yu-na. We will compensate for your robbed gold medal. Compensation of 30,000 won ($28),” along with the URL or Internet address, taking advantage of the public sentiment over the Olympic Games to cheat money out of smartp

Social Affairs Feb. 25, 2014

Saenuri Party floor leader Choi Kyung-hwan and Democratic Party counterpart Jun Byung-hun met Monday to negotiate over the basic pension bill ― only to confirm their differences, fanning concerns over the forthcoming pension program starting from July. While the ruling party insists on paying out a monthly pension of 100,000 won ($90) to 200,000 to the poorest 70 percent of the pensioners by income, the DP calls for distributing 200,000 won to the poorest 80 percent of senior citizens. The discu

Politics Feb. 24, 2014

South Korea and China agreed Friday to strengthen cooperation in their efforts to denuclearize North Korea, affirming once again their commitment to resolving the issue, the foreign ministry here said.The two sides reached the agreement during talks in Seoul between South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Kyung-soo and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, a foreign ministry official said.The meeting followed Liu’s talks with top North Korean diplomats in Pyongyang earlier this week. Liu f

Politics Feb. 21, 2014

The Korean consul-general in Shenyang, China, failed to clarify the authenticity of Chinese immigration records used as evidence in a pro-North Korea espionage case. Cho Baek-sang testified to a parliamentary committee amid growing suspicions that intelligence and prosecution officials may have falsified documents including one regarding the suspect’s visit to North Korea via a northeastern Chinese province. The defendant, a former Seoul City employee, was in August 2013 cleared of charges of de

Politics Feb. 21, 2014