North Korea has adopted a new law on preventing damage from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the country’s official news agency said. “The law stipulates principles concerning observation and forecast of natural disasters, prevention of damages and rescue activities,” the Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday, without giving details. The development comes after experts have warned th...

The nation saw the appointment of its first female police agency chief in Gwangju on Wednesday. Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency Senior Superintendent General Lee Kum-hyoung became Korea’s first female police agency head in its 66-year history. “I will be a commander for the common people and victims of society,” said Lee during a press conference. Lee joined the force in 1977 and since has ...

A private sector forum to be held during an international gathering on foreign aid in Busan will be an opportunity for a better partnership between the public and private sectors in expanding international development, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The Forth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness will be held at BEXCO Convention Center from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1. The forum will attract about 2,...

The chairman of the National Assembly’s committee on foreign affairs stepped down Thursday, two days after the Grand National Party railroaded through the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. Rep. Nam Kyung-pil had come under attack as the vote ended in chaos, despite his efforts to achieve a bipartisan compromise. “Now that the long-pending FTA has been ratified, I shall step down from the committ...

Members of the police force have taken to the Internet to protest the modification of the presidential decree regarding criminal investigation procedures. With the modified version effectively making internal investigations by police subject to review by the prosecutor’s office, officers across the country have bombarded the homepages of politicians with posts opposing it. On Wednesday, the Pri...

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon became the host for an online broadcast Thursday in an effort to listen to citizens on city policies and open doors for them to express their opinions. “You see I kept my promise when I said during my mayoral campaign that I will visit citizens even after I get elected,” said Park during the live online broadcast from his office. The broadcast started at 2 p.m. on two ...

President does not plan press conference or national address on FTA ratification President Lee Myung-bak is pondering when and how to conduct another personnel and organizational reshuffle at Cheong Wa Dae, seeking to shore up public support and make the last year of his five-year term fruitful. Speculation had abounded that he would carry out the reshuffle early next month in a display of his ...

Samsung Seoul Hospital developed a smartphone application that “monitors” the blood sugar levels of the user and provides an appropriate diet regime, the hospital said Tuesday. The application has a database of nutrition information about 800 foods favored by many people. With the input of the blood sugar level checked daily, the application will let its users know about the nutritional balance ...

Increase in trade volume to boost air cargo revenue; removal of high tariffs on textiles to help raise market share The airline and shipping industries are among those expected to benefit the most from the free trade agreement between Korea and the United States due to an increase in two-way cargo shipments. The FTA will also be a boon to the Korean textile industry, mostly made up of small and...

South Korea’s central bank said Thursday that its policymakers have approved measures to help boost its capacity to supply liquidity into the country’s financial system and promote financial stability. After holding a policy meeting, the monetary policy committee of the Bank of Korea has decided to supply intra-day funds to brokerage houses and to expand the scope of its open market operations, ...