The Seoul Metropolitan Government has called on the Park Geun-hye administration to increase its budget for the Seoul Metro system and the city’s welfare services for children. Mayor Park Won-soon attended a meeting held by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday and asked for some 80 billion won ($76 million) for the next four years for the maintenance of Seoul Metro Lines 1-4.The request came about a month after a Seoul subway train rear-ended another at Sangwangsimni Station, injuring more than 200 p

Medical corporations in South Korea are now allowed to set up subsidiaries and run commercial businesses, such as tourism programs and hotels specifically targeting patients from overseas, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday.Medical outfits are currently allowed to run parking lots and funeral services, as well as restaurants for patients and medical staff as far as their affiliated, profit-making enterprises are concerned. According to the revised bill, medical clinics can now open

The incumbent Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who recently defeated his rival and conservative candidate Chung Mong-joon and whose second term starts next month, has pledged to focus on safety, welfare and the economy. “Although the number of welfare programs has increased dramatically, there are just not enough social workers,” Park said at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday.“Many of the social workers were overworked and some of them committed suicide. I am trying to double the number of public

The death toll from the April 16 sinking of the ferry Sewol rose to 292, after two bodies, including that of a teacher, were found in the capsized ship on Sunday. A total of 12 remain missing.Following the discovery of the bodies, the families of victims on Monday submitted a petition to the courts to preserve the video footage taken by the Coast Guard on the day of the disaster. President Park Geun-hye announced last month she would disband the government organization because of its poor handli

In 2011, South Korea announced a new bill that would impose tougher sentences on people who sexually abuse the disabled, after “Dogani” ― a popular film which dramatized a real-life case of sexual abuse against hearing-impaired schoolchildren ― sparked public outrage. More than 4 million tickets to the film were sold following its release in September that year, and the bill, dubbed the “Dogani Bill,” was passed at the National Assembly just a month after. The new act included an abolishment of

Nam Kyung-pilNam Kyung-pil, the Gyeonggi governor-elect, is a seasoned politician and former journalist who was educated at Yale in the U.S. and Yonsei University in Seoul.The five-time lawmaker of the ruling party won one of the toughest races on Wednesday, beating his rival and NPAD candidate Kim Jin-pyo by a margin of less than 1 percent. The former deputy floor leader has been considered one of the few innovative members of the Saenuri Party, along with Won Hee-ryong, the newly elected gover

Yoo Jeong-bok, the newly elected mayor of Incheon, is considered one of the closest aides to President Park Geun-hye, having served as the Security Minister under her leadership.The former minister and veteran bureaucrat defeated NPAD’s incumbent mayor Song Young-gil by 1.8 percent on Wednesday. It was another of the toughest races of the elections. Yoo Jeong-bokBorn in 1957 in Incheon, Yoo was educated at Yonsei University, majoring in political science and international relations. In 1979, at

Lee Jae-hwanFor those hoping to lose weight, the general recommended caloric intake to lose weight ranges between 1200 to 1500 calories depending on the individual’s basal metabolic rate, with the aim of reducing 300 calories per day (a low-calorie diet), along with regular cardio exercises (at least one hour of fast-paced walking, cycling or swimming for at least five days a week) to expend 200-300 calories each day. This results in a loss of 300 calories from dieting, together with a loss of 3

It’s been almost three years since Dr. Song Yoon-hee released her first documentary, “White Jungle.”Dubbed the Korean version of “Sicko,” the low-budget film was an expos on Korea’s health care system, including privatized hospitals that solely focus on profit-making.Since her film debut, Song has done a lot as a filmmaker as well as a physician. She wrote a screenplay for veteran auteur Im Kwon-taek’s latest project, “Hwajang,” while working as an industrial medicine specialist. When “White Jun

Voters were more active than ever on social media during this year’s local elections season, generating hilarious parodies and comments about the candidates and anticipated results. Some 11 million tweets about the June 4 local elections were posted from Jan. 1 to June 3, according to Twitter Korea. South Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world. More than 67 percent of local mobile consumers had smartphones in 2012, far exceeding the global average of 14.8.The nation first allowed

The hallway of Seoul Gyeongun School, a polling station in central Seoul, was packed with voters Wednesday afternoon. The majority were senior citizens in their 60s and 70s, some in wheelchairs, as well as young women in their 20s.Among the voters were mothers with their young children, young couples holding hands, and a restaurant worker wearing an apron, having just left work. Benches were provided for voters to sit on while waiting. Many fanned themselves with papers, trying to keep cool in t

The number of elderly parents living separately from their children has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, according to a report released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Services.The report says the number of senior citizens who live alone with their spouse increased from 26.8 percent in 1994 to 48.6 percent in 2011. The number who live with their children, on the other hand, decreased from 54.7 percent in 1994 to 27.3 percent in 2011.The number of seniors who live alone

Those who are unsatisfied with their appearance have a higher chance of becoming cyber bullies, according to a study by a group of local scholars. The research findings suggest that cyber bullies may be the opposite of real-life bullies, many of whom are known to take pride in their appearance and have a strong desire to dominate others, the scholars said. “Those who are not happy with themselves seem to release their anger and frustration by attacking others online, where many remain anonymous,

Just a day after his daughter publicly spoke out against his candidacy, leading Seoul education chief candidate Koh Seung-duk argued on Sunday that the POSCO family, in which his ex-wife is a member, and his rival Moon Yong-rin are using his daughter politically. “My ex-wife and I had different ideas about how to raise our children. I wanted to raise them in Korea, while she wanted to raise them in the U.S. as U.S. citizens,” Koh said at a press conference in Seoul, in response to his daughter’s

Some of the best-known “family-friendly” policies at workplaces include child care services, parental leave for both mothers and fathers, and flexible work scheduling.But what we now consider as family-friendly policies should be redefined in the years to come, as family trends in Seoul have been changing dramatically in the past decade, said Lee Sook-jin, the president of the Seoul Foundation of Women & Family.“We now have to go back to square one and really think about how to define families,”

This is the sixth installment in series of articles on the upcoming local elections, exploring key issues and candidates in major cities. ― Ed. As much as Seoul mayoral candidates Park Won-soon and Chung Mong-joon are considered polar opposites, the two main runners for the South Chungcheong Province governor race are too. The incumbent governor of the region, Ahn Hee-jung, who is seeking his second term, was one of late President Roh Moo-hyun’s closest aides. Ahn’s rival Chung Jin-suk, on the o

South Korea’s safety-control agencies, including the police, the military, and fire service, will have a single shared wireless communication channel by 2017, policymakers announced Tuesday.The vision came about a week after President Park Geun-hye publicly vowed to make Korea a safer nation in her apology for the government’s mishandling of the deadly sinking of the ferry Sewol. The network channel project aims to help generate smoother communications among different control towers during times

Seven people were killed and 41 were injured in a fire that broke out on Monday at Goyang Bus Terminal in Goyang, northwest of Seoul.The blaze occurred at around 9 a.m. at the property’s underground food court ― owned by local conglomerate CJ Foodville ― which was under construction. Officials suspect that the fire was triggered by welding work at the site.According to Goyang Fire Station, the fire was brought under control within about 20 minutes. “We are not sure at this point if the construct

Dr. Ju Woong, who teaches at Ewha Womans University’s department of obstetrics and gynecology, won an award at an international conference for his latest research findings on genital infections. Ju’s thesis, which deals with how genital warts and other human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases impact patients psychologically, was given the best poster award at the conference organized by the Asia Oceania Research Organization on Genital Infections and Neoplasia. The event took place in Beijing

Following its announcement to offer a 50 million won ($48,800) reward for the capture of Yoo Byung-eun, the de facto owner of the sunken ferry Sewol, the police are now filing an Interpol red notice against two of Yoo’s four children. The “red notice,” or internationally wanted persons alert, was issued for Yoo’s second son Hyuk-gi, 42, and oldest daughter Som-na, 48, who have been refusing to respond to summons while reportedly staying overseas. The same notice was filed against Kim Hye-kyung,