Crimes by U.S. soldiers stationed here have long been a sore spot in U.S.-Korea relations. The question of who maintains criminal jurisdiction over personnel accused of crimes in particular has often been the subject of controversy. The U.S.-South Korea Status of Forces Agreement, which deals with the investigation and punishment of United States Forces Korea personnel, has typically faced calls ...

With more than 3,000 people convicted last year ...

Korea’s experience of religious belief is as varied as it is long. Shamanism, with a history of some 5,000 years, is the belief system with the longest presence on the peninsula. Buddhism, introduced from China in the fourth century, found favor among the rulers of the Three Kingdoms and, later, Goryeo period. Not so much a religion as a philosophy, Confucianism was to become the moral code of th...

With consumers feeling the pinch ...

With balancing work and home life a struggle for many ...

With 300 members in the National Assembly ...

President-elect Park Geun-hye has made no secret of her wish to oversee big increases in public spending, mostly to fund her vision of a more expansive welfare system. Considering South Korea’s comparatively low level of social spending and the prevailing political wind for increased welfare, Park’s welfare drive by itself could be seen as unremarkable. More notable, though, is her claim of being...

With highest rate in the developed world ...

With the next government promising major welfare expansion ...

With Korea one of the most dangerous places to be on the road in the developed world …

With many households struggling under debt ...What should be done about house poor?

With periodic food scares causing public concern ...Is the food safety system working?

With the government making a renewed crackdown ...Should pornography be censored?

With the number of rough sleepers on the rise ...How should Korea tackle homelessness?

In Korean courts of law ...Is self-defense properly recognized?