The South Korean stock market is expected to face fluctuations for the time being due to Britain's decision to leave the European Union, analysts said Saturday.Hit by the Brexit rout, the country's benchmark stock index dived 3.1 percent to close at 1,925.24 points on Friday, the biggest daily loss in over four years."It will take some time for the market to stabilize, and investors should seek to manage their risks," said Lee Kyung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities Co. "For now, it is hard

June 25, 2016

A North Korean nuclear envoy returned home on Saturday after a six-day visit to Beijing where she declared that the North has no intention of returning to the negotiating table on its nuclear weapons program. Choe Son-hui, deputy director for North American affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry and the North's deputy chief nuclear envoy, was seen arriving at the Beijing airport earlier in the day. Choe made no comments upon her arrival at the airport and entered the departure gate for diplom

North Korea June 25, 2016

 Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Saturday condemned North Korea's latest test of mid-range missiles, saying that the North's provocation proves its offer to hold inter-Korean dialogue is a fraudulent act."Although years have passed since the cease of gunfire, our security remains unstable as a divided country," Hwang said during a speech to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn gives a speech to commemorate the 66th anniversary o

Politics June 25, 2016

The chief of South Korean business group Lotte won support of Japanese shareholders of Lotte Holdings, the group's de-facto holding company, in a vote on Saturday, cementing his grip on the retail giant currently embroiled in the slush fund scandal in South Korea.The shareholders' meeting was held at the request of Shin Dong-joo, the former vice president of Lotte Holdings and the elder brother of the incumbent chief. Lotte chairman Shin Dong-bin (Yonhap)The first son of Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-

Industry June 25, 2016

　A South Korean court ruled Thursday in favor of nine Syrian asylum seekers who had been denied entry into the country to apply for the status. They stayed at an airport for the past six months awaiting the decision. 　The Incheon Administrative Court ordered the Justice Ministry to allow the asylum seekers to apply for refugee status in the country, saying depriving applicants of the chance to claim asylum should only be made in exceptional cases. 　A total of 28 Syrian asylum seekers filed a law

Social Affairs June 23, 2016

On Tuesday afternoon, some 15 part-timers were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the pavement behind a poster reading “Fight for 10,000 won minimum wage” at the entrance of the National Assembly in western Seoul. Among the 20-something workers chattering and giggling were members of the nation’s Part-Time Workers’ Union who have been on a hunger strike since June 16 to demand next year’s minimum wage be raised to 10,000 won ($8.67). This year’s minimum wage per hour stands at 6,030 won, up 8.1 per

Social Affairs June 22, 2016

GOHEUNG, South Jeolla Province -- The South Korean appeals court visited Sorokdo Island on Monday to hear a case involving people with Hansen disease who were allegedly forced to undergo sterilizations and abortions by the government.In a compensation suit filed against the government by 139 leprosy patients, judges from the Seoul High Court traveled to the island off the southern coast to conduct an on-site inspection and hear the victims and witnesses testify. The courtroom temporarily set up

Social Affairs June 20, 2016

A Seoul court ordered the South Korean government to release information about the level of pollution on the U.S. military base in Seoul on Thursday, ruling in favor of an association of environmental civic groups. The ruling by the Seoul Administrative Court comes nearly a year after civic groups, including Green Korea United and the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, filed a suit against the Environment Ministry to demand the result of the inspection be revealed to the public.The Environment Mi

Social Affairs June 16, 2016

The number of South Koreans booked on charges of domestic violence soared dramatically on-year, due in part to the creation of special police teams investigating cases involving women and juveniles, police said Monday. According to the National Police Agency, the number of domestic violence cases caught by police nationwide stood at 40,022 in 2015, a 132 percent increase from 17,258 in 2014.By region, South Gyeongsang Province saw the biggest rise in the number of domestic violence cases, surgin

Social Affairs June 13, 2016

Thousands of people marched through central Seoul on Saturday to stand up for equality and respect for sexual minorities in South Korea’s biggest-ever pride parade, despite vocal opposition from antigay protestors. An estimated 50,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, along with their supporters, turned up at Seoul Plaza to demonstrate their pride and fight homophobia under the slogan “Queer I Am.”  Participants march through central Seoul at the Pride Parade, waving rainbow-colored

Social Affairs June 12, 2016

Police concluded Thursday that the gang rape of a female teacher in an island village was a premeditated crime, with the case expected to be transferred to the prosecution the next day.Two men, who were her students’ parents, and a villager are suspected of raping the temporary primary school teacher in Shinan County, South Jeolla Province, at her on-campus residence last month. The Mokpo Police Station said that it will ask prosecutors to indict the suspects in their 30s and 40s on charges of r

Social Affairs June 9, 2016

The prosecution on Thursday raided printing and advertising companies suspected of offering a rebate to a lawmaker as part of the probe into election law violations. The Western District Prosecutors’ Office did not specify which locations were searched and what items were seized through the raid. The raid came after the National Election Commission filed a complaint against Rep. Kim Soo-min of the third-largest People’s Party for alleged election law violations. Rep. Kim Soo-min Park Hae-mook/Th

Social Affairs June 9, 2016

A Seoul court on Wednesday began to hear a case involving an Australian woman who was allegedly drugged, abducted and raped during a night out in Seoul last year. Airdre Mattner, who now teaches English in Japan, came forward as a rape victim in March through her campaign to raise funds on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. The case shed light on Korea’s justice system and its alleged failure to protect sexual assault victims. “I feel exhausted. I have absolutely no faith in the Korean justice

Social Affairs June 8, 2016