The majority of roadkill victims in Seoul City were found to be cats, a local lawmaker said Monday. According to a report by Rep. Lee No-keun of the ruling Saenuri Party, about 9,700 cats were killed on roads in the capital from 2012 to 2014, accounting for 81 percent of all roadkill.Same 12,000 animals were found dead on the roads over the three years, with about 10 animals being killed daily on average, the report said. Dogs were the second-most killed animals followed by wild animals, with 12

A business tycoon was questioned by the prosecution Friday over suspicions that he offered kickbacks to a former senior presidential secretary in return for special favors for a school he owns. Park Yong-sung, the former head of Doosan Group and ex-chairman of Chung-Ang University in Seoul, is suspected of delivering about 100 million won ($92,000) worth of gifts and cash to Park Bum-hoon, who was then former President Lee Myung-bak’s top aide on education and culture. In return, the former Cheo

A Seoul lower court on Thursday sentenced a former comedian to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for assaulting his wife.Seoul Central District Court ruled that comedian-turned-clergyman Seo Se-won was guilty of domestic violence. Seo was suspected of pushing and dragging his former actress wife Seo Jung-hee to the ground and strangling her during a quarrel in the hallway of their apartment in southern Seoul last year. “The wife’s injury was not light at all and the accused has not

A renowned Dutch architect will be commissioned to turn an old, elevated road crossing in central Seoul into a park ― a project pushed by the city mayor despite resistance from local businesspeople.Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday a design proposal by Dutch architect Winy Mass was picked as the blueprint for the “Seoul Station 7017 Project.” The project is aimed at transforming the decades-old overpass near Seoul Station into a public park, similar to High Line Park in New York City,

The financial independence of districts in Seoul City hit a record low amid the escalating cost burden of public welfare measures, officials said Tuesday. According to Seoul Metropolitan Government, the self-reliance rate of 25 districts on average plummeted to 31.5 percent this year, reaching the lowest mark since the city started to draft and execute its own budget under an elected mayor in 1995.The self-reliance rate, which is the ratio of district offices’ own revenue sources such as local t

The prosecution has sought an arrest warrant against a Seoul-based immigration official who allegedly took kickbacks from foreign nationals in exchange for visa extensions, officials said Monday, marking the first such case.The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office said that the 42-year-old official, identified only by his surname Kim is alleged to have issued or extended the visas for about 20 people in return for a total of 11 million won ($10,100) between February 2013 and December last

The Korean government said Sunday it would waive visas for foreign travelers planning to visit the southern resort island of Jejudo via Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, as part of its efforts to boost tourism.According to officials at the Justice Ministry, foreigners bound for Jejudo Island will be allowed to stay for five days without a tourist visa starting next month if they make a transfer at Gimpo in western Seoul. It is the seventh Korean airport designated as a visa-waiver airport fo

Seoul City permitted the reopening of controversial facilities at Lotte World Tower, five months after they were suspended over a series of safety issues and accidents, officials said Thursday. The municipality lifted the suspension of a theater and aquarium at the skyscraper in Jamsil, southern Seoul, after confirming that the company’s safety measures were carried out well. The two facilities have been closed since December last year after a dozen safety problems prompted public concerns. A wa

The number of elderly citizens in Seoul has surpassed that of young people for the first time since the city started compiling the data, sparking concerns over the fast-aging society. According to a report released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday, the number of those aged 65 or older reached 1.24 million as of last month, about 5,000 more than the number of youth aged under 15. The aging index also hit a record high of 100.4 points, exceeding 100 points for the first time, the c

Seoul City will tear down a building built during Japan’s colonial period as part of its project to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation in August, officials said Wednesday.Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would demolish the annex of the former National Tax Service building near Deoksugung Palace in central Seoul. The annex, situated between the palace and the Seoul Metropolitan Council building, was built by Japan in 1937 in an alleged attempt to conceal the palace, experts said

One in 5 sixth graders in Seoul City was found to be overweight or obese, data showed Tuesday. According to Seoul Metropolitan Government, 20.4 percent of male and 19.5 percent of female students in sixth grade were either overweight or obese as of 2013. The average weight of boys was 45.5 kilograms with an average height of 150.5 centimeters. Girls recorded 43.7 kilograms with a height of 151.2 centimeters, it said. Those with a body mass index or BMI between 25 and 30 are defined as overweight

More than half of Seoul’s private cab drivers choose not to drive taxis at night, Seoul City said Monday, attributing the low rate of night-time driving to drivers’ age.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said that the average age of private taxi drivers was 60.4 as of this year. About 56 percent of the capital’s taxis are private, it said.Of them, about 31 percent of the drivers are over the age of 65, with 12 percent being 70 or older.While 35,000 of the private taxies are obligated to operate d

SHANGHAI ― Environment ministers from South Korea, China and Japan agreed Thursday to work together to better respond to yellow dust pollution form the Gobi Desert, which poses an increasing health threat in the region.The agreement drew attention as the Northeast Asian powers were teaming up to deal with environmental challenges, despite their thorny relations over historical and territorial disputes. They vowed to forecast the yellow dust route together, based on their own yellow dust predicti

Seoul City will open an overpass near the Seoul Station to the public next month as part of efforts to promote its controversial urban restoration scheme, dubbed Korea’s version of “High Line Park.”Seoul Metropolitan Government said a 1 kilometer-long section of the high-rise road in central Seoul will be opened to pedestrians on May 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is the second time the road has been opened to the public, with the first public event held in October last year.Inspired by High Line

The number of single households in Seoul City is projected to outpace those comprised of unmarried people and their parents by 2030, data showed Sunday. According to a report by Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of single households in the capital accounted for 27 percent of the total this year, nearly an 11 percent jump since 2000. With the growing trend, the figure is estimated to reach 30.1 percent by 2030, it said. Meanwhile, the number of family groups of one child or unmarried adul

About 100,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit South Korea next week for their national holiday, a state-run body said Thursday. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, they are anticipated to travel to Korea during the long holiday from April 30 to May 4. This is about a 20 percent increase compared to the same period last year, it said.The number of Chinese tourists has been growing steadily this year. In March, more than 500,000 Chinese came to Seoul, a 22 percent increase from the

Seoul City said Wednesday it will decide next month whether to reopen facilities at Lotte’s controversial skyscraper amid public concerns over the safety of the building and surrounding areas.Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would consider lifting the operating suspension of a theater and aquarium in Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, southern Seoul. The Ministry of Public Safety and Security recently confirmed that all safety countermeasures were properly taken at the facilities.The aquarium and

About 1 in 6 Koreans over age 30 have their lives cut short by air pollution, a study found Monday, raising concerns over public health. About 15,000 adults aged 30 or older in Seoul City and Gyeonggi Province die earlier than they otherwise would each year because of air pollution, especially fine dust, the report said. This accounts for about 16 percent of the yearly death toll of those aged over 30 in the two regions. The report was jointly authored by occupational and environmental medicine

A 22-year-old man surnamed Yoon with a mild intellectual disability has been looking for a job for more than a year. He would not have minded a simple job, such as one carrying luggage. Even finding a job like that has proved to be a hard task, as most of the employers that he encountered were reluctant to hire him, even though he was able to communicate and work with others.“There are limited workplaces I can apply for. Some have offered a job but the monthly wage they offered was less than 500

As the machines hum in the background, drowning out the occasional chatter, workers cut fabric, sew and iron it at a suit factory in Guro-gu, western Seoul, a scene like any other manufacturing workshop in the industrial neighborhood. The difference here is that nearly half of the roughly 200 employees are disabled. While the employment choice may be unconventional, the work efficiency of his company is similar to the competitors, the owner of the menswear manufacturer said in an interview with