Speaking will be added to the state-administered Korean proficiency test to encompass all modes of communication, reflecting the growing popularity of the Korean language, education officials said Sunday. According to the Education Ministry and National Institute for International Education, the fifth section of the Test of Proficiency in Korean will undergo trial runs starting in 2015 in a bid ...

The Seoul Global Center will provide counseling service in the Uzbek language to help a growing number of Uzbeks settle in Seoul, officials said Sunday. The Uzbek language becomes the eighth foreign language the center provides after English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Russian and Tagalog languages. The new service starts on Tuesday. The center offers multilingual consulting serv...

A warrant has been issued to detain a U.S. soldier accused of raping a young Korean woman, officials said Saturday. The district court in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, ordered the arrest of the 21-year-old Army private of the Second Infantry Division in Dongducheon accused of raping an 18-year-old at her home near his unit around 4 a.m. on Sept. 24. The private, who was apparently drunk and arm...

Seoul City government plans 22 percent rise for public transport next year Politicians have spoken out over the weekend against the Seoul administration’s plan to raise bus and metro fares by 200 won, or 22.2 percent, by next year. They claimed that restructuring and enhancing the efficiency of the city’s fiscal status should be prioritized over “wringing out” citizens’ pockets. According to t...

Bus and subway fares in Seoul will be raised by 200 won by early next year, the capital said Friday. The Seoul municipal government is currently in talks with public transportation operators and is likely to allow the fares to rise by 100 won in November and by another 100 won early next year, city officials said. At present, the basic fee for adults is 900 won for buses and subways. The fees w...

President Lee Myung-bak urged aides Friday to exercise greater ethical self-control, saying he wants to make his administration the cleanest in South Korean history, although a series of top secretaries have been implicated in corruption scandals. “We have to keep in mind that our administration was born without taking any money,” Lee said during an unscheduled attendance at a meeting of preside...

Korea finished top in an international skills contest for disabled persons in Seoul, its organizing committee said Friday. It clinched 17 gold, 17 silver and seven bronze medals at the International Abilympics, which wrapped up its six-day contest with a closing ceremony Friday. It was the fifth consecutive time the country topped the medal tally. Taiwan took second place with three gold, three...

A lower court on Friday sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of his wife in Goseong, Gangwon Province. The 56-year-old man was arrested in July after stabbing his wife repeatedly and pushing her off a 100-meter cliff. . Despite her injuries the 44-year-old woman survived the attacks. She regained consciousness the following day, climbed back up the cliff and was rescue...

A survey showed that the average tourist spends roughly $2,000 in Seoul over five days, with hallyu quickly becoming the No. 1 reason to visit, capital officials said Thursday. According Seoul Metropolitan Government, 90 percent of the tourists surveyed chose to visit Seoul during their stay, with 83.9 percent doing so for leisure. More tourists are choosing Korea because of hallyu, hoping to v...

Son left psychological disorder after abuse A wife obsessed with education was slapped with a fine during a divorce suit after physically abusing her son because of his poor grades, court officials said on Wednesday. According to the Seoul Family Court, the wife was ordered to pay 10 million won ($8,750) after the husband was granted divorce. The names of the family members were withheld from t...