The embattled top educator of Seoul may have to face the music Friday, officials said, as the court was expected to make decision upon an arrest warrant sought by prosecutors. Prosecutors asked the court on Tuesday to issue an arrest warrant on Seoul’s education superintendent Kwak No-hyun on allegations that he bought a rival candidate out of last year’s election to win the position. After two...

The government and the ruling party agreed Friday to expand welfare benefits for low-wage workers in small workplaces and set guidelines banning discrimination against temporary workers as part of efforts to increase job stability, party officials said. The agreement came at a meeting among the Grand National Party (GNP) and the labor ministry after President Lee Myung-bak vowed to enact measure...

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Dutch prosecutors are charging a 42-year-old woman with stalking after she allegedly called her ex-boyfriend 65,000 times in the past year. The 62-year-old victim from The Hague filed a police complaint in August due to the persistent phone calls. Police arrested the suspected stalker Monday, seizing several cell phones and computers from her home in Rotterdam. Hague prosecutio...

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday it will reduce the working hours of its pregnant employees by one hour to give them more time for prenatal care. The move comes as South Korea is struggling to raise its low birthrate through diverse incentives. Pregnant female employees will be able to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. under the measure that is expected to be enforced later this month, ac...

Nearly seven out of every 10 South Koreans were cremated in 2010, the government said Friday, pointing to a rapid change in people's views on the practice. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, out of the 255,403 South Koreans who died last year, 172,276, or 67.5 percent, were cremated, more than double the 33.7 percent recorded in 2000. The average number of people cremated per day ...

Samsung Card Co., South Korea's leading card firm, is suspected of having come under an online security breach that could have leaked about 800,000 customers' personal data, sources said Thursday. Samsung Card has asked the police to investigate an employee regarding the suspected leakage of customer data, including their names and mobile phone numbers. Sources said Samsung Card submitted to th...

The government and the ruling party agreed Thursday to set aside 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion) in next year’s budget to help ease the heavy college tuition burden. The agreement came at a meeting among the Grand National Party and the finance and education ministries. The money will be used to set up national scholarships for students from low-income families. Ministry officials said that th...