A Seoul court has ruled against an online shopping company in a trademark infringement suit filed by Adidas Korea in November.The company, disclosed to the media as “F,” used Adidas’ signature 3-line design, which the German sportswear firm has used since 1982.It was ordered to cease production and sales of its sportswear with the design and destroy articles in storage, officials at the Seoul Cent

ACRC implements code of conduct for local council membersThe head of the state’s anti-corruption watchdog explained its continual efforts to battle corruption to foreign corporation representatives here, introducing the year’s new policies, in Seoul on Thursday.Kim Young-ran, chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, welcomed the chiefs from global corporations including Patr

Singles looking for a significant other can increase their chances by choosing different locations, with different areas throughout Seoul showing a wide range of gender ratios, according to census data released Wednesday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, more men resided in areas north of the Han River, including Yongsan-gu, Jongno-gu and Jung-gu, which had the highest ratio of men t

Seoul’s anti-corruption watchdog will host a conference Thursday to discuss corruption and inform chiefs from foreign corporations of the state’s efforts to handle the issue.The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission will invite some 50 CEOs and representatives of multinational corporations, foreign chambers of commerce and embassies, to form an understanding of the problems in the past and i

Starting in April, all vehicle passengers on expressways here will be required to wear seatbelts, said the National Police Agency on Thursday.Under a revised traffic law, drivers on expressways including Olympic and Gangbyeon Expressway risk being fined 30,000 won ($27) when carrying passengers not buckled in.The law originally stated that only front-seat passengers of private vehicles and all pas

Counseling facility offers N.K. refugees a place free from judgment and prejudiceIt is nearly 10 minutes until new-patient registration closes, but people continue to file into the counseling center.The patrons, quiet and reserved at first, engage in small talk with their neighbors. Their faces, hardened moments before, light up the tiny medical office.At first glance, they could be good friends k

Sleeping five hours a night and only exercising when required to, Kwon Hye-won, like the majority of other female high-school students, was unhappy with her body.“I spent most of my time studying, so a lot of my peers and I weren’t happy with how we looked,” said the second year university student.Sadly, Kwon’s case is the majority here, according to a survey released Tuesday.The National Youth Po

According to figures released Monday by the Seoul office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 423 asylum seekers applied for refugee status here in 2010, nearly a third more than the year before.Although there is a global trend toward a decrease in asylum seekers, experts believe it is hard to say that it is having an effect here.They predict the number of refugee seekers will exceed 400 ap

Children of migrant families will be given the chance to learn Korean through an after-school program, Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday.Hoping to ease the children’s transition into the culture, officials have established the program in elementary schools in districts with a high ratio of foreigners.The program includes lessons on Korean culture in order to raise the effectiveness of lear

The period of court receivership for bankrupt companies is to be reduced from several years to a minimum of six months, according to officials Monday.The Seoul District Court’s bankruptcy division will implement a “fast track” policy to reduce unnecessary downtime, allowing companies to return to the market sooner.Through the policy, the court hopes to put previously insolvent corporations into th

Koreans came last in an international youth survey in terms of social skills, a state research institute reported Sunday.According to the National Youth Policy Institute, Korean teens on average ranked the lowest among 36 countries in terms of relationship orientation and social cooperation.The results were based on an analysis of a survey by the International Association for the Evaluation of Edu

At least 2,000 women have applied to meet the Australian millionaire who is looking for a Korean wife, marriage consulting agency UVIS said Friday. Among the applicants, women in their 40s make up the majority, the agency added. An Australian millionaire is looking for love and willing to offer more than 2 billion won ($1.7 million) for it, according to a marriage consulting firm.The 80-year-old b

The state’s geological survey recorded a small quake in central Korea on Thursday, causing alarm among citizens amid quake fears.According to the Daejeon Regional Meteorological Administration, a 2.8-magnitude quake struck 23 kilometers west of Okcheon County at 4:35 a.m.Although the Korean Meteorological Administration received no reports of damage, they have received reports of citizens feeling

A small county on Korea’s southeast coast is waiting for confirmation that a clay pot it completed last year will be recognized as the biggest pot in the world. According to Ulju County officials, the onggi, or earthenware pot, passed the Guinness World Records application, and is waiting for a representative to arrive next month and confirm the claim in person.Officials also believe that since th

Canadian-Korean James Lee filming mini documentary on foreign communityMost Seoulites have had exposure to a foreigner in one way or another, but many are oblivious to the efforts of expatriate communities to make this a better place to live.Seoul is a global city, home to roughly 262,900 registered foreigners from some 160 countries, but to many even the term “foreigner” has negative connotations

The police agency here will raise the standards for the physical assessment of police officers amid rising criticism that the standards are too low, officials announced Tuesday.Under a decision by the Korean National Police Commission, the police officer fitness regulations were raised, addressing concerns of a ruling party lawmaker after seeing questionable results from last year’s physical.A rul

Two men violate rules in fundraising for quake victims via TwitterPolice booked two men without detention for breaking fundraising rules while running a campaign claiming to be for the Japanese Red Cross, officials said Friday.According to Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the duo set up an online charity site last Wednesday, called “Let’s send the Power of Korean Twitter through the Japanese Red

Police booked two men without detention for breaking of fundraising rules while running a campaign claiming to be for the Japanese Red Cross, officials said on Friday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the duo set up an online charity site last Wednesday, entitled “let us send the power of Korean Twitter through the Japanese Red Cross.”Only identified by their surnames, 39-year-old

Cho Su-hee has been interested in music for as long as she can remember, so when she enrolled at the Catholic University of Korea deciding to aim for the music industry was an easy decision.However, that was the only easy part about finding employment for Cho, who had to start building her resume as a freshman, and now steps into the world of employment as a senior.And with recruitment season in f

Roughly a third of bridges and highways here have not been retrofitted to withstand earthquakes, causing safety concerns in light of the devastating quake in Japan, said Seoul officials Tuesday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 111 bridges, highways and overpasses are in need of retrofitting, out of a total 348 located throughout the capital. City officials said, however, that all of