“Dokdo,” South Korea’s name for its easternmost islets, was used together with the Japanese name “Takeshima” in a U.S. Congressional Research Service report amid frosty relations between Seoul and Tokyo, sparking concerns that this may benefit Japan. The U.S. congressional report’s adoption of the dual names for the Dokdo Islets came as some U.S. lawmakers are pushing for the use of “the East Sea” along with “the Sea of Japan” in textbooks, led by the state of Virginia.The CRS reports, which pro

Social Affairs Feb. 19, 2014

Representatives from the government and a group of doctors agreed to toss the controversial telemedicine bill to the National Assembly, officials said Tuesday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Medical Association said in a joint briefing that they have agreed to push the bill expected to give designated hospitals the right to use IT technology when examining patients in remote areas. “Both parties acknowledged the necessity of telemedicine monitoring and consulting, though not a

Social Affairs Feb. 18, 2014

Seoul City ordered the suspension of the construction of the nation’s highest skyscraper on Monday after a fire over the weekend escalated concerns over safety, officials said. The city directed Lotte Engineering and Construction to stop work on the Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul until an investigation into the fire is completed. The fire erupted in the steel container of a welding machine on the 47th floor on Sunday at midnight. The fire was extinguished in 25 minutes and no causalities we

Social Affairs Feb. 17, 2014

The government said Thursday that it will remove the financial transaction feature from civil servants’ ID cards to prevent possible personal data leaks amid rising concerns over the safety of information contained on the cards. The Ministry of Security and Public Administration said that civil servants would no longer be able to make payments and cash withdrawals using their smart cards. They do not function as credit cards. The electronic ID cards for public servants, introduced in 2008, have

Politics Feb. 13, 2014

Seoul City vowed to toughen punishment against welfare facilities violating human rights of disabled people as part of efforts to better secure their rights, officials said Wednesday. Once a case of human rights abuse are found at facilities for disabled people, the city will cancel the license of those concerned. Previously, the toughest administrative penalty was the dismissal of the head of a facility. The plan is part of comprehensive measures released by Seoul City to protect disabled peopl

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2014

Two more cases of bird flu were confirmed on Saturday despite quarantine efforts, raising further concerns over the virus spreading, officials said.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, more than 10,000 fowl at two farms, in Yeongam-gun, South Jeolla Province, and Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, were found to have been infected with the highly pathogenic strain of H5N8. The virus suspicions were reported last Thursday from the two farms after a large number of poultry wa

Social Affairs Feb. 9, 2014

About 1 in 3 Seoul citizens considers noise to be one of the worst environmental problems in the city, a report showed Sunday. According to Seoul Institute’s survey conducted on 1,032 citizens, 33.6 percent picked noise as the second-most serious environmental issue after air pollution. By type, traffic noise led with 42.4 percent, followed by noise from apartment neighbors and from construction, with 23.1 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively.A total of 1,271 cases of loud sounds heard from up

Social Affairs Feb. 9, 2014

The taxi fare hike in Seoul City appears to be veering off from its original purpose of improving working conditions for drivers as more complaints are filed about employers snatching the benefits. Seoul City received a number of reports from cab drivers about their firms violations of wage regulations despite the capital’s efforts to crack down on such practices, officials said Thursday.A total of 63 cases of cab firms violating wage rules have been reported via the city’s new reporting system

Social Affairs Feb. 6, 2014

Over half of private elementary schools in the capital were found to be violating English curriculum rules despite a warning last year, officials said Wednesday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 30 out of 40 private elementary schools were found to have organized English curricula for lower grade students. Teaching English to first- and second-grade students is currently banned. Some extended the English class hours for the upper grades or introduced foreign textbooks ins

Social Affairs Feb. 5, 2014

A new case of bird flu was confirmed Tuesday, leading to 41 verified cases of the virus in the country, officials said. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, over 10,000 ducks at a farm in Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province, were found to be infected with the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza. The ducks began to show symptoms on Sunday. Quarantine officials slaughtered the poultry as a preventive measure on Monday.As of Tuesday afternoon, a total of 10

Social Affairs Feb. 4, 2014