A Korean foreign service official is to work at the U.S. Department of State for the first time as part of a personnel exchange program between Korea and the U.S. The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Sunday that Kim Hye-jin, a 29-year-old female diplomat, has been chosen for the stint. Kim currently works at the ministry’s North Korean Nuclear Affairs Bureau. She will start in August, although t

Seoul attractions have been covered at least once a day on average by international news media in the first half of the year, Seoul City government said.Worldwide news media have broadcast the capital 285 times in news coverage and TV broadcasts since January this year. The figure showed that the main focus of many international reports has expanded from the city’s tradition to little known attrac

If Seoul displays Korean tradition and history north of the Han River, the city’s southern part, particularly the southeastern Gangnam area, reflects the country’s latest trends. Three Gangnam streets ― Garosu-gil, Rodeo Street in Apgujeong and Cheongdam Fashion Street ― and the COEX Mall all have something to show from fashion to entertainment. They can be easily accessed by either subway or bus

Yun Jong-yongSenior adviser to Samsung Electronics Yun Jong-yong has been named the president of the National Intellectual Property Committee. President Lee Myung-bak appointed Yun as the first head of the presidential committee on Wednesday. The committee is expected to help prepare the nation for intellectual property conflicts worldwide and promote overall competitiveness of Korean companies. Y

Campaign guidelines on the upcoming Seoul referendum on free school meals are so ambiguous that they will likely cause confusion for both sides of the poll.The National Election Commission set guidelines for the vote Thursday which allow campaigners to guide citizens to participate in the vote, but bans them from actively encouraging them to vote. The concepts of “guiding to participate in the vot

Seoul National University will position women security guards on campus for the first time in its history in an effort to strengthen campus security for female students and faculty. With the rising number of female students and faculty, the school decided to employ two female security guards, the university said Thursday. “There is an increasing number of female students returning home at night af

Foreign city government officials have earned master’s degrees in Seoul city administration after studying the Korean capital’s developmental know-how and administrative experience for 25 months. A total 19 officials from eight cities ― Bangkok, Ulan Bator, Taipei, Hanoi, Beijing, Jakarta, San Paolo and Istanbul ― have completed the Seoul city administration master’s degree program and recently pr

The Unification Ministry named actor Jeong Jun-ho, movie director Kwak Kyoungtaek, singer Lee Seung-chul and actress Lee Yu-ri as its goodwillambassadors Monday.  Goodwill ambassadors of the Unification Ministry, actress Lee Yu-ri and actor Jeong Jun-ho and Unification Minister Hyun In-taek (middle), attend the launch ceremony of the ministry’s 2011 peace march event Tuesday. (Yonhap News)The mini

The Seoul education office has identified 220 principals and teachers of the capital city’s elementary and secondary schools implicated in bribery and irregularities.According to preliminary results of audit by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education starting in April, about 200 bribery and corruption cases were detected, involving 220 principals and teachers who will face penalty. The prelimin

 Aspiring singers in Southeast Asian countries will get another chance to debut in the birthplace of K-pop as the capital city of South Korea is working on a new audition program for them.Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday that it will take part in a joint production of a TV audition program dubbed “K-POP Star Hunt” with Fox-affiliated channels Star World and Channel V, Korean entertai

Critics raise issues on human rights and effectiveness of the measureThe chemical castration law took effect on Sunday, targeting those who commit sex crimes against children younger than 16 and who are also likely to be repeat offenders. The Ministry of Justice announced Friday that it will implement the chemical course on sex offenders up to two months before being released from prison and withi

Konkuk University President Kim Jin Q has been appointed president of Pacific States University in Los Angeles, an affiliate of South Korea’s Konkuk University. The inauguration ceremony took place last Friday on the Wilshire campus of the university in Korea Town in Los Angeles.  Kim Jin QThe Pacific States University, founded in 1928 as an independent private institution, specializes in the fiel

Three major coffee chains, Hollys Coffee, Caffe bene and Angel-in-us Coffee, will serve their coffee only in mugs inside their coffee houses from Aug.1, the environment ministry said Thursday.Hollys Coffee will use only mugs in about 300 franchisee cafes nationwide, excluding expressway service areas or airports. Caffe bene will use mugs in its 314 shops in stages until 2012. It will test the wate

A South Korean aerospace engineering professor has received the Plasma and Lasers Award from the renowned U.S. society for aerospace engineering.  Park ChulThe American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics awarded Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology professor Park Chul for his contribution to the research of the plasma state and lasers related to aeronautics and astronautics. T

Keimyung University President Synn Ilhi has been awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his commitment to enhance Korea-German relations.  Synn IlhiIn a ceremony Thursday, the German Ambassador to Korea Hans-Ulrich Seidt presented the award to Synn on behalf of the German President Christian Wulff in honor of his contributions to cultural exchang

An international medical center will open in Yeouido, Seoul, in August next year, as part of steps to develop the financial district of the capital into an international financial hub. Seoul Metropolitan Government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital on Wednesday to establish the center and improve access to medical care for foreign patients there. The medical

Experts suggest parents prepare children for Korean school life before coming backFor Chung, a Korean student who came home after spending her elementary school years in England, the main problem in adapting to Korea was the language. Working now in Korea after graduating from a college in the U.K., Chung recalled her experiences here from the sixth grade in elementary school to her first year in

Private kindergarten costs surged by an average of 32.6 percent over the last five years, exceeding the average private university tuition rise of 19.4 percent.According to Statistics Korea on Tuesday, the rate of increase for private kindergarten fees is almost double the country’s combined inflation rate of 18.2 percent between 2006 and 2011, and is higher than the average rate increase of publi

As more South Korean students try to get into top American colleges, they have started to turn to admission consulting companies which provide application assistance and help design extracurricular activities.A team of experts from Manhattan Global Prep, a New York-based college admission consulting firm, offered advice to Korean students in its seminar last Saturday in Seoul on what students shou

Seoul opened the Seongsu IT Center last Thursday in Seongdong, one of its eastern districts, to help foster small- and mid-sized technology companies based in the capital city.The center housed in a 14-story buildng has 9,900 square meters of offices, a mobile phone application development facility, and exhibition and consulting rooms, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. The Seongsu IT Center