U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was named Tuesday the winner of this year’s Seoul Peace Prize for his campaigning for women, children, poor countries and Middle East democratization.He is the first Korean national to win the biennial prize since its establishment in 1990 in commemoration of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.“After a rigorous and careful screening process, the screening committee decided to award the Seoul Peace Prize to U.N. Secretary-General Ban in recognition of his great d

The prosecution said Sunday that it has decided not to press charges against President Lee Myung-bak’s son and others accused of irregularities in the process of purchasing Lee’s retirement residence. Concluding their five-month investigation, officials at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said they found no sign of illegality in the purchase of a 2,600-square-meter plot in Naegok-dong, southern Seoul. None of the seven accused, including Si-hyeong, Lee’s 34-year-old son, and Lim Ta

Seoul City Government said on Thursday its three English immersion camps will aim to recruit 4,192 elementary and middle school students during the summer vacation. The city’s Pungnap, Suyu and Gwanak camps will provide 14 vacation programs starting July 22.The students will stay at dormitories during the 10 to 13-day camps, which are themed “Olympics Story, English in Sports” in celebration of the 2012 London Olympics.The participating children will have an opportunity to learn English from nat

Former police chief Cho Hyun-oh, currently at the center of a libel investigation, came under fire over excessive police protection during his questionings after a reporter was injured on Tuesday.As Cho was leaving the prosecutors’ office in southern Seoul on Tuesday, reporters swarmed around him and clashed with police officers who tried to fend them off, witnesses said.The police officers shoved and pushed off the reporters and made way for their former boss to get to his car.The car then sudd

The government and businesses have started their annual “Cool Biz” dress campaign. Bureaucrats show up without jackets to save energy during summer, while executives and office workers dress casually to enable air conditioners to be turned down. Seoul Metropolitan Government is going even further, allowing public servants to wear shorts and sandals to work in the most extreme form of the drive. The new dress code plan is attracting mixed reactions from citizens. “I totally agree with Seoul’s ide

An increasing number of adults cannot leave their family home due to lack of financial means and rising living costs, according to statistics by Seoul City.Seoul City said the number of people in their 30s and 40s who live with their parents has almost doubled in the past 10 years.According to city government data, around 480,000 Seoulites aged 30 to 49 lived with their parents in 2010, up from 250,000 in 2000. Of the parents, almost 30 percent said the reason is that their children have not bee

Military prosecutors have indicted an Army captain who used foul language to criticize President Lee Myung-bak on Twitter.According to military law, those who publicly insult their seniors are subject to imprisonment of up to three years.The officer, whose name was withheld, denounced the president for alleged corruption, a government plan to privatize Incheon International Airport and KTX services and a canceled plan to build his private retirement home on the outskirts of Seoul. The officer wa

Military prosecutors have indicted an Army captain who used foul language to criticize President Lee Myung-bak on Twitter. He was charged with insulting a senior. The officer, whose name was withheld, denounced the president for alleged corruption, a government plan to privatize Incheon International Airport and KTX services and a canceled plan to build his private retirement home on the outskirts of Seoul. He was indicted twice on March 22 and April 26. According to the military law, those who

The U.S. Department of Defense is considering selling Harpoon Block II Missiles and Seahawk Helicopters to South Korea.The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in press releases last week that it had notified the U.S. Congress of the possible sale of 18 of the missiles, eight of the helicopters and their associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training. The estimated costs are $1.84 billion.The DSCA said it informed Congress of the proposal after a request by South Korea. Th

The Internet server for the Test of English as a Foreign Language taken in Seoul and other cities failed Saturday, leading to mass cancellations and complaints from test-takers.The applicants for the English-language test, which was scheduled to start at 11 a.m., had to wait an hour before being told about the malfunction. They were belatedly informed of the malfunction, along with the test organizer’s plan to refund and reschedule it, at around noon. The test-takers blame Educational Testing Se

A Korean student was picked as one of two highest-ranking undergraduates of Harvard University. Economics major Jin Kwon-yong graduated summa cum laude as he finished his 4-year undergraduate course on May 24 in just 3 years with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. He also won the John H. Williams prize that is granted to the top economics student and the Hoopes Prize for students with outstanding research or scholarly workHe was one of the two highest-ranking undergraduates among 1,552 graduates

Jeju Island has signed a memorandum of understanding with a prestigious U.S. private school to set up the school’s campus on the island.Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC), a state-supported organization, said in a press release that it had signed an MOU with St. Johnsbury Academy on Tuesday.  With its 170-year history, the school has produced a number of prominent alumni, including Calvin Coolidge, a former U.S. president.The school offers 22 advanced placement courses, Englis

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to promote the use of electric cars among private institutions by subsidizing two-thirds of costs for purchase. The government aims to distribute 385 electric cars this year to public and private organizations. “Seoul City will be fully prepared for the dawning of the electric car era” said Jung Hung-soon, director of Green Transportation Policy Division at the municipal government.The municipality has tried to increase the number of electric, hydrogen fue

Seoul City plans to increase the number of hydrogen power systems for a stable electricity supply in case of blackouts or other emergencies, officials said.Under the plan, 29 hydrogen fuel cell power plants will be built and 102 hydrogen fuel cells will be installed by 2014. The facilities are expected to generate 230 megawatts of electricity per hour that could meet the energy demands of 400,000 households. Hydrogen fuel cell plants are recognized for their efficiency, emitting less greenhouse

Police said Wednesday they have launched an investigation into alleged influence peddling involving Korea Meteorological Administration chief Cho Seok-joon in a contract bidding process.The Seoul Metropolitan Police suspect Cho, along with Park Kwang-joon, chief of the Korea Meteorological Industry Promotion Agency, of providing favors to a specific contractor during bidding for Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) between June and December last year.They allegedly changed the standard range of w

Seoul City is joining a global movement to assist farmers in poor countries and protect the environment with the ethical and fair trade of produce. The city plans to adopt a declaration and launch a range of events on Saturday to mark World Fair Trade Day, officials said Thursday.The statement will include five goals including establishing related laws, a government-civilian committee and a center for research and education. The city will also launch campaigns to expand the use of fair trade pro

The operator of subway Line No. 9 has canceled its plan to raise its fare under pressure from citizens and the municipal government. Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation announced a plan in April to increase the fare by 500 won to 1,550 won on June 16.Citizens already suffering from inflating living costs criticized the plan. The company apologized Wednesday for causing concern. The operator and Seoul Metropolitan Government said they will resume negotiations over the fare and try to make efforts to m

Seoul City announced on Monday a master plan to restore the medieval city wall surrounding the capital by 2015 and to register it on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Hanyang City Wall was built in 1396 during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) to protect the capital from foreign invasion. Hanyang is an old name of Seoul. Many parts of the wall were removed or destroyed during Japan’s 1910 to 1945 colonial rule.The wall stretches 18.6 kilometers along the peaks and ridges of four mountains and con

Police in Gyeongggi Province have booked two Chinese brokers and 18 students for faking documents to enter Korean universities and are widening their investigation to find more such cases. The 20 people were booked without detention.The Chinese students, none of whom are qualified to attend university in Korea, paid 7 million won ($6,192) to 18 million won to each broker for a fake high school diploma and school reports, according to the police. A broker surnamed Gang received 7 million won from

Lawmaker-elect Moon Dae-sung has resigned from the faculty at Dong-A University due to plagiarism.The former Olympic gold medalist in taekwondo left the ruling Saenuri Party on April 20 amid the scandal.Moon, who became a professor of taekwondo at the university in 2006, offered his resignation on Friday, according to the university in Busan. His doctoral thesis was confirmed to have been copied from another doctoral paper. (wone0102@heraldm.com)