Korean conglomerate Hyundai Steel lost its suit against the state’s move to allocate carbon credits to businesses, a court announced Thursday. The Administrative Court dismissed the steelmaker’s request to revoke the Environment Ministry’s action to allocate a set amount of carbon credits to the company. This is the first verdict released over the controversial carbon credit quota after a number of companies filed lawsuits against the state to nullify the carbon credit move earlier this year. In

Seoul City and the International Organization for Migration installed a sculpture work in Seoul Plaza to mark International Migrants Day, slated for Friday, officials said Wednesday. Titled “My Migrant Neighbor,” the large sculpture representing three multicultural siblings offers distinguished looks through different angles, delivering a message of importance of embracing diverse cultures, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. This is part of the IOM’s campaign to raise awareness of the migra

Seoul City said Wednesday that it has requested prosecutors to investigate Gangnam district’s alleged online smear campaign against the city government. Last week, Seoul Metropolitan Government said it caught signs that Gangnam-gu Office had systematically posted slanderous online comments against Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. The two parties have been in discord over various infrastructure projects since 2012. “The majority of suspicious comments are currently being deleted and there are concerns

Seoul City will put the names of subway stations up for sale from next month to help subway operators raise profits, city officials said.Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would sell the names of 10 stations on Subway line Nos. 1-8 on a trial basis. The new names will be used together with the original subway names at subway entrances, platforms, metro maps and in announcements. Companies within 500 meters of the stations will get priority in being able to apply for the name change. The quali

Hundreds of more potential victims of toxic humidifier disinfectants were reported over the past month amid concerns over the government’s move to stop receiving health damage reports from next year, a civic group said Tuesday.The Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health said a total of 310 potential victims made health complaints to the Environment Ministry to join the third round of the public health investigation into the humidifier disinfectant impacts. Of them, 38 were reported by

South Korea is less peaceful than last year, due mainly to domestic political discord, a report showed Monday. According to the Global Peace Index released by the World Peace Forum, Seoul ranked 51st with 72.9 out of 100 points, down four notches from last year and 10 steps from 2013. The average of a total of 143 countries recorded 67.4 points, the lowest figure since 2000. In subrankings, Korea’s local political peace ranking plummeted from 29th to 51st while the military and diplomatic index

South Korea is expected to beef up its anticarbon moves in order to meet the targets of the Paris agreement approved by the global community Saturday. Envoys of 195 countries made a historical accord in Paris to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, which experts consider the threshold for catastrophic climate change.As part of efforts to scale up the countries’ commitment, their pledges will be reviewed every five years from 2023 under the agreement, officials said. In an effort to j

Seoul City on Thursday warned it would approach the Constitutional Court against the central government’s attempt to block its youth welfare policy in an escalating controversy over its plans to subsidize unemployed youth. As an alternative, it proposed creating a social consultative body to discuss the differences.On Dec. 1, the central government passed an ordinance that would allow the state to cut subsidies for municipalities if they do not consult it before introducing or changing welfare-r

Seoul City will inject about 2.3 billion won ($2 million) to promote its new slogan “I·SEOUL·U” starting next year with a variety of events, including a large-scale K-pop concert, officials said Thursday. The capital’s new slogan was picked in October through a series of public votes and is set to replace “Hi Seoul,” which had been used for 13 years. The budget is currently being reviewed by the Seoul City Council.The city has spent approximately 1.4 billion won to develop the new brand and for

Dispute between the central government and Seoul City is escalating over the municipality’s plan to provide allowances for unemployed young people as part of its welfare measures. The Seoul Metropolitan Government vowed in October to offer an average of 500,000 won ($425) in monthly support for unemployed youth for up to six months in an aim to better support young job seekers. This is part of the city’s five-year measures for supporting the employment of young people.  Seoul City Mayor Park Won

Seoul City said Wednesday it had confirmed signs that the Gangnam district office conducted an online smear campaign against Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon amid deepening conflicts between the two parties over various infrastructure projects. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it verified circumstantial evidence that the Gangnam district government had systematically posted slandering online comments against the city government while advocating Gangnam district Mayor Shin Yeon-hee from October to

Herald Corp. acquired a family-friendly certification from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in recognition of promoting employees’ good balance between work and family life, the company said Thursday. The family-friendly certification is given to companies that provide exemplary welfare schemes for workers. The certification is valid for three years and can be extended for two additional years upon review.This is the first time a media company has received the family-friendly certifica

South Korea’s economic inequality widened over the past year, with the poverty rate showing little improvement, a report showed Tuesday. According to statistics released by the Korea Institute for Health and Science Affairs, the country’s Gini coefficient, or Gini index, based on expenditures surged to 0.262 last year, nearly equivalent to the figure from 2009, suggesting widening economic disparity. The index reached its highest in 2009 at 0.266, with the figure gradually improving until 2012.

 “We may not have money, but we have our pride.”This year’s smashing box-office hit “Veteran” -- a cathartic action thriller following a detective trying to arrest a sociopathic young chaebol scion on criminal charges -- offered arguably one of the most positive portrayals of Korean cops. The detective Do-cheol (played by Hwang Jeong-min), as reflected in the above famous quote, is fierce, righteous, capable and, most of all, ethical. He does not exchange his dignity for his own safety, comfort

With Korean pop culture, known as K-pop, enjoying steady popularity around the globe, South Korea is looking to export its homegrown policing tactics and equipment in the hope that it can spur what they call the “K-cop wave.”Putting aside controversy at home over the excessive use of police equipment such as water cannons and pepper spray at rallies, South Korean police’s security capabilities have received the spotlight given its long years of experience in keeping public order through turbulen

As crimes become more complex, the role of technology has been ever more crucial in nabbing and indicting suspects. From autopsies and fingerprint recognition to DNA and psychological analyses, the Korean police have improved over the years.Korea Crime Scene Investigation agents demonstrate how they secure evidence and investigate a crime scene. (Yonhap)　　Among the technologies that have been developed, the advancement of fingerprint analysis is especially noticeable since its introduction to Ko

A special police team of 63 officers has been formed to help with criminal cases involving South Koreans in the Philippines as a bilateral effort to better protect Korean citizens there, officials said Tuesday.The National Police Agency said the special team, comprised of police officers and forensic experts, would be sent to Manila whenever Koreans are victims of crimes such as murder, kidnapping, robbery or rape. All are capable of speaking English, the authorities said.Public concerns have es

The country’s largest public design festival kicked off Wednesday in Seoul with a variety of events to highlight innovative ideas and boost the design industry. Under the slogan “Seoul’s Design Wizard,” Seoul Design Week 2015 launched 16 diverse programs ranging from design markets, fairs and seminars to a networking party for designers and public. Some 230 local companies are expected to participate in the five-day festival. The second annual design event, run by Seoul Metropolitan Government’s

A South Korean law firm said Tuesday it would request a U.S. university look into whether Volkswagen diesel vehicles installed with new engines here used software to rig emissions tests. Law firm Barun said it will ask West Virginia University to examine if the defeat device software was used in Volkswagen cars equipped with the new EA 288 engine. Researchers from the school had initially studied the emissions rigging that led U.S. environmental authorities to launch a probe.“We are requesting t

A famous South Korean female novelist has been sued over defamation by a former Catholic priest, police said Friday.The suit against Kong Jee-young, the author of "Go Alone Like a Rhino Horn" stemmed from a message posted on her Facebook page in July, in which she claimed that the former priest did not give the money he collected for a shelter to his diocese and used funds raised separately for the disable for personal purposes.The former priest has filed the suit against Kong, arguing that the