A senior police officer has been reprimanded after he replied to President Lee Myung-bak’s New Year’s text message with a warning that he will judge the president on a recent law revision seen as limiting the investigative rights of the police. President Lee sent a thank-you message to all police officers last Saturday, a day before the Lunar New Year holiday, saying, “I am grateful for your hard work and the fulfillment of your responsibility while others are resting. Korea relies on you and tr

Social Affairs Jan. 27, 2012

Sledding and ice fishing on the Han River may become history as the river running through Seoul is less likely to freeze during winter due to climate change. The river froze over for as long as 80 days in the 1900s, but due to climate change the period was shortened to an average of 14.5 days in the 2000s, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday in a report on the Han River history. This year, the river first froze on Jan. 14, a day later than usual and 12 days later than last year.Last ye

Social Affairs Jan. 27, 2012

Hundreds of college students were found to have been admitted illicitly by abusing a special admission system for rural students and overseas Koreans.The Board of Audit and Inspection released the results of a probe into college admission on Wednesday, and said that it found 865 students illicitly enrolled in colleges nationwide under a program for rural students and overseas Koreans. “We discovered illegal admission practices for seven students under the overseas Koreans program. Their parents

Social Affairs Jan. 26, 2012

Education ministry seeks suit to prevent implementationThe Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Education Ministry clashed over the controversial ordinance on students’ human rights on Thursday as the ministry sought legal action to prevent its implementation.As soon as Seoul Metropolitan Government proclaimed the ordinance in the name of the SMOE chief on Thursday morning, the education ministry filed a suit to the Supreme Court. “It’s a historical event that the city council passed t

Social Affairs Jan. 26, 2012

A majority of Seoul citizens agree on imposing a smoking ban on streets in the capital, according to a survey of 1,000 citizens earlier this month. About 80 percent said they would support designating streets as non-smoking areas while 16.9 percent opposed the idea, and 3.9 percent said they do not know, according to a poll conducted by Nam Jae-kyong, a Grand National Party member of the city council, from Jan. 2-6. The survey is expected to be used as background data on revising an ordinance th

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2012

About one-third of Korean universities announced they will lower their tuition fees by 4.8 percent on average for the 2012 school year in a bid to meet the government’s request to reduce tuition costs in line with state tuition subsidies for students.A total of 109 universities out of 344 nationwide plan to lower their fees by 4.8 percent on average from last year, according to the Korea Student Aid Foundation on Tuesday. “Students will be able to feel the change, with a tuition fee cut combined

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2012

Over 270,000 people are to travel overseas during the three-day Lunar New Year holiday, hitting a record high since Incheon International Airport opened in 2001, airport officials said Thursday. According to the airport, 272,796 passengers are scheduled to leave the country between Jan. 20 and 25. This is an 8.7 percent increase from last year’s 251,047.“Families traveling overseas during the traditional holiday season is a new trend. We will do our best to make travel convenient during the holi

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2012

Expanding preventive education program to parents working at private companiesThe Education Ministry announced Wednesday that it would conduct a nationwide school violence survey of all students from fourth grade in elementary school up to high school seniors.The survey will ask about 5.58 million students across the country about the forms of school violence they have experienced during the past year, places where it took place, whether there are school gangs and other various questions.“The mi

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2012

Primary school students believe reports make their problems worseOne out of four of Seoul’s fourth through sixth graders in elementary school has experienced bullying, but half of the victims haven’t sought help, a children’s organization poll showed Tuesday. ChildFund, an international child sponsorship group, found that 25 percent of elementary school students in Seoul between the fourth and sixth grades have encountered bullying in school. The poll of 1,377 fourth through sixth graders from S

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2012

Seoul’s 24-hour medical service call center was dialed 436,025 times by citizens and 6,241 times by foreign residents last year ― up about 17 percent from the previous year.“We will continue to make sure our citizens and foreign residents receive fast, kind and appropriate medical services from our professional doctors, nurses and urgent medical staff,” said Mo Hyun-hee, director of health policy. About 92 percent of citizens said they are satisfied with the service, up by 32 percent from the pr

Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2012