The unidentified virus that might have caused the death of a South Korean woman earlier this week does not seem to be spreading quickly, the nation's disease control agency said Wednesday.   The 36-year-old woman died on Monday in the intensive care unit at a Seoul hospital after being admitted last month for tuberculosis. Her infection and death were caused by an unidentified virus, the first o

Technology May 11, 2011

Police arrested a male robber in 50s dressed as a woman to look less suspicious.The man reportedly wore a blouse, mini-skirt, and stockings while stealing 15kg of copper pipe last month. The man had also dyed his hair blond.According to police, the man was wearing his disguise when he was arrested.The man, surnamed Lee, who was released from prison last year, told the police, “I had no job and liv

Social Affairs May 10, 2011

An elderly couple who suffered from severe health problems hanged themselves on parents’ day.Yongin Seobu Police Station said they found the bodies of a Mr. Jeon and Ms. Roh at their apartment. The couple, who were in their 60s, left behind five pages of notes saying, “sorry and thank you.”Mr. Jeon and Ms. Roh suffered from Alzheimer’s and cancer, respectively.The couple sent their son and his fam

Politics May 10, 2011

  Most global investment banks forecast South Korea's central bank to raise its key interest rate this month in a bid to rein in rising consumer prices, a report showed Monday.   According to the report by the Korea Center for International Finance, the investment banks, including Goldman Sachs, predict the Bank of Korea (BOK) will hike the benchmark seven-day repo rate at a rate-setting session s

May 9, 2011

With Parents’ Day coming up on May 8, most of Korean college students claimed that the best filial duty is lower tuition fees, according to a recent survey.Korean recruitment website Alba’s survey of some 1,323 university students on filial duty found that 46.7 percent were concerned about the price of their tuition fees. A further 15.3 percent responded that ‘having conversations’ was an importan

Social Affairs May 8, 2011

  President Lee Myung-bak named Labor Minister Bahk Jae-wan, considered one of his closest aides, as the new finance minister Friday in a Cabinet reshuffle that also affected four other ministers, the presidential office said.   The other new ministers are for land and transportation, agriculture, environment as well as Bakh's successor as labor minister. Unification Minister Hyun In-taek and Just

Politics May 6, 2011

A 66-year-old man in Jiaozuo, Henan province, has created his own style of kungfu which can allow him to curl up his body into a suitcase.The man claimed to have been practicing his own brand of kungfu since 2000 for half an hour every two days in the open air, whether it is hot or cold.The practice has made his body so plastic he can put on a coat that only a 3-year-old child could wear.He said h

World News May 6, 2011

   President Lee Myung-bak is expected to carry out a long-awaited Cabinet reshuffle later Friday that is likely to affect six ministers, including the finance minister and the unification minister handling relations with North Korea, an official said.   "A partial Cabinet shake-up will be announced around 7 p.m. (Friday)," a presidential aide said.   Lee has long been expected to shuffle the Cabi

Politics May 6, 2011

   South Korea's oldest nuclear reactor is safe to operate, as a detailed inspection showed no problems with the unit that went into emergency shutdown last month due to an electrical glitch, the government said Friday.   The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced after a meeting of the Nuclear Safety Commission said it has approved the restart of the 33-year-old reactor northeast

Politics May 6, 2011