The Seoul Metropolitan Government is to expand Gwanghwamun Square 3.7-fold, create an underground passage connecting major spots in central Seoul and make the area a public transport hub, according to a plan to transform the square unveiled Monday. Blueprint of new Gwanghwamun Square to  be completed in 2021 (Seoul Metropolitan Government)Iconic statues of King Sejong the Great and Adm. Yi Sun-sin at Gwanghwamun Square will be relocated in order to secure an expansive view of Bugaksan and Gyeong

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2019

Civic groups on Friday filed criminal complaints against the leader of one of South Korea’s largest animal rights groups, accusing her of secretly killing more than 230 rescued dogs despite the organization’s purported no-kill policy.Park So-youn (CARE)Park So-youn, the head of Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, is alleged to have put down more than 230 dogs between 2015 and 2018 without the knowledge of most of the group’s staff or donors, in order to free up space at the group’s shelter. C

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2019

Prosecutors on Friday requested an arrest warrant for former Supreme Court Justice Yang Sung-tae in connection with a power abuse scandal. 　Yang was under investigation over allegations that he sought to influence politically significant trials to curry favor with former President Park Geun-hye and that he put justices at a career disadvantage if they were critical of his policies. 　If an arrest warrant is issued, Yang will be the first former or incumbent Supreme Court chief justice to be arres

Politics Jan. 18, 2019

South Korea’s appeals court upheld on Friday a lower court ruling ordering a Japanese company to compensate a group of Koreans forced into labor during Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula, amid an escalating diplomatic row between the neighboring countries. (Yonhap)The Seoul High Court upheld the 2014 ruling that robot supplier Nachi-Fujikoshi must pay 80 million to 100 million won to each of the 17 Korean victims forced to work at Fujikoshi’s arms factories in Japan from 1944 to

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2019

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to place 90 additional native English teachers in elementary schools in Seoul this year, despite growing questions raised by local teachers over their educational effectiveness. 　SMOE Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon announced the plan in April to recruit teachers from native English-speaking countries as part of efforts to improve the quality of English education at public schools and ease the reliance on private language education. 　  (Yonhap)The edu

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2019

As the “fourth industrial revolution” takes shape and blurs boundaries between sectors and cultures, it is no longer possible as a business leader to only work with people from the same country, same culture and same background.  Patrick McDermott, chief engagement officer at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, speaks during an interview with The Korea Herald at the school’s Seoul office in central Seoul on Wednesday. (Thunderbird School of Global Management)Preparing students to be cul

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2019

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon expressed confidence in expanding the Zero Pay system this year, dismissing concerns over the lack of stores and people using the city-sponsored transaction platform aimed at lowering card payment-processing costs for small vendors.  (Seoul Metropolitan Government)“We are entering a mobile age. So is payment,” Park said during a meeting with reporters Wednesday. “I understand that (the system) is a little bit inconvenient and there is a lack of incentives (to use the sy

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2019

South Korea is set to host the World Health Organization’s Asia-Pacific Center for Environment and Health, amid growing concerns over worsening air pollution and environmental problems in the region. (Yonhap)Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Shin Young-soo, the WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the center in Seoul on Tuesday. The center, which aims to tackle challenges arising from climate change and t

Social Affairs Jan. 15, 2019

Most of the country suffered high levels of fine particulate pollution Monday, prompting the Ministry of Environment and several local authorities to enforce emergency measures for the third consecutive day. 　Seoul’s daily average level of ultrafine dust, or PM2.5, stood at 155 micrograms per cubic meter as of 5 p.m. on Monday, according to Air Korea. The average ultrafine dust level reached 120 micrograms in the nation’s capital, nearly five times the World Health Organization’s recommended dai

Social Affairs Jan. 14, 2019

Prosecutors are expected to summon former Supreme Court Justice Yang Sung-tae for questioning again this week and to decide soon whether to seek an arrest warrant for him in connection with a power abuse scandal.  (Yonhap)Yang was interrogated for nearly 15 hours on Friday at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office as part of a probe into allegations that he sought to influence politically significant trials and put justices at a career disadvantage if they were critical of his policies.

Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2019

Calls are growing on Sunday for punishment for the leader of a South Korean animal rights group after she was reported to have put down hundreds of rescued dogs in secret. 　Park So-youn, a director of the animal rights group CARE, has put down more than 230 of the dogs her organization “rescued” between 2015 and September last year, according to a news report Friday. A former staff member at CARE revealed that Park had ordered her to do so due to a shortage of space in the shelter in Pocheon, Gy

Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2019

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it will prioritize the revitalization of the economy for the next four years under Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon by building an environment for new growth engines, creating jobs and expanding assistance for young people.(Yonhap)The city government unveiled a 2019-22 plan that has five goals and 25 core tasks with a focus on resolving Seoul citizens’ bread-and-butter issues. The goals are to make Seoul future-oriented, safe, welfare-friendly, balan

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2019

A former special investigator at the presidential office filed a complaint against an incumbent presidential secretary Thursday amid an ongoing probe into Cheong Wa Dae’s alleged surveillance of civilians.(Yonhap)Kim Tae-woo, who was dismissed from Cheong Wa Dae, appeared before the prosecution as a witness for the third time to be questioned over allegations that his superiors at the presidential office had instructed him to surveil civilians and to create a blacklist of officials critical of t

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2019

The seizure of Korean assets of Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal over Japan’s wartime use of South Korean forced labor went into effect Wednesday, prompting the Japanese government to summon South Korean ambassador to Tokyo in protest. 　The Daegu District Court’s Pohang branch approved the seizure last week, as the firm has refused to follow the Oct. 30 ruling by the top court here to compensate four South Koreans forced into labor during Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean

Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2019

A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced a woman who co-founded South Korea’s largest pornography website, Soranet, to four years in prison for aiding and abetting the distribution of obscene material. The Seoul Central District Court also fined the 46-year-old woman 1.4 billion won ($1.25 million) and ordered her to attend 80 hours of sexual violence prevention education.  (Yonhap)The woman, surnamed Song, was suspected of having operated the file-sharing site, whose server was located abroad, with

Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2019