Conservative civic groups will start a signature-gathering campaign Wednesday, and aim to have a plebiscite vote on the controversial free school meals at schools issue, Seoul city officials said Tuesday.The Commission for Anti-Welfare Populism, an association of some 160 conservative civic groups, filed a petition Tuesday ahead of collecting signatures from Seoul citizens. Despite Seoul City Coun

Social Affairs Feb. 8, 2011

An ambitious plan to produce home-grown medical scientists who could win the Nobel Award in Physiology or Medicine by 2030 was unveiled by the government Monday.The plan, tentatively called “Nobel Project in Physiology or Medicine,” will support young medical scientists in their 20s or 30s for their own long-term research work, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said in its annual budget for healt

Social Affairs Feb. 7, 2011

A state-run human rights watchdog has decided to investigate recent abuse cases among police troops, officials said Monday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said it will look into three separate cases, involving two deaths, to see if the policemen suffered physical assault or other forms of bullying in their barracks. A 21-year-old policeman at a combat unit in South Chungcheong Provi

Social Affairs Jan. 31, 2011

A riot police squad in Wonju, Gangwon Province, was disbanded on Friday after its seniors were found to have physically and emotionally abused young conscripts.The Gangwon Regional Police Agency said it broke up the 90-member unit, relocating 59 police officers to other areas. The other 31 members are victims of the abuse, and they will be transferred out after questioning, the agency said. The de

Social Affairs Jan. 28, 2011

Some 4,000 adults will sit a trial version of a state-run English test Saturday, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Friday. The National English Ability Test, or NEAT, is currently under development to be introduced as early as 2012. The online test is to be divided into three different levels ― one adult level to substitute TOEIC and TOEFL, and two student levels to substitute

Social Affairs Jan. 28, 2011

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Children who are over-active, cannot concentrate or act impulsively as early as age 3 tend to become troubled adults unless they learn self-control along the way, a new study said.An international team of researchers examined young children in New Zealand and Britain and found that the low-scorers on measures of self-control as kids faced more financial, health and substance abu

Arts & Design Jan. 27, 2011

The government has launched a large-scale investigation into physical assault and other abuses among conscripted police officers, with more than 100 cases reported in Seoul alone. Starting from Wednesday, the National Police Agency is interviewing junior police officers who have been in the service for less than six months in its local branches nationwide. In the first day of the inspection, the p

Social Affairs Jan. 27, 2011

Lee Ji-hyun, a 28-year-old office worker, plans to visit Bangkok next week during the Lunar New Year’s holiday. “I just want to run away from the prolonged cold wave in Seoul. I’ve been scared to go out in recent weeks due to the very cold weather,” Lee said. Indeed the worst cold spell in years continues to grip the nation. The temperature at Christmas fell to minus 14 degrees Celsius in Seoul, i

Arts & Design Jan. 27, 2011

The government on Monday unveiled 101 welfare goals aimed at improving people’s daily life in more specific ways. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has selected the 101 policy items that will be implemented within the year without additional budgeting or legal revisions. “Even though the economy is getting better since last year, the recovery has not yet been reflected in people’s lives, especial

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2011

A former pastor has been sentenced to nine years in prison for having sex with underage members of his congregation, the Seoul High Court said Sunday. The 65-year-old man, surnamed Kang, had been indicted on charges of having sex with his victims, including a then 11-year-old girl, and sexually molesting three others at his church in 2006.He was also found to have taken photos of them in sexual po

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2011