Oh and city council clash over school meals during first meeting in six monthsCity council members Tuesday fired questions at Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who appeared at the council’s plenary meeting after a six-month hiatus. The political path of Oh, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the Grand National Party, in particular drew keen interest. “Your political future can affect y

Seoul’s eco-friendly bus policy is good inspiration for green efforts by major cities throughout the world, a ranking official of the city government said.“Central governments talk a lot about climate change. But we in the cities are acting,” said Jeong Yon-chan, Seoul City’s assistant mayor of environmental protection headquarters, who attended the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit held in Sao Paul

After six-month standoff, mayor vows to oppose DP through direct negotiationsJEJU ISLAND ― Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Saturday he would attend the opposition-dominated city council this week, after refusing to attend for more than six months.“I think now is a time to seek reconciliation and dialogue under a new political atmosphere. I will attend the plenary meeting of the city council to persuad

Civic activists call for university reforms in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap News)4 or 5 public institutions could face enrollment cutThe government has decided to restructure underperforming universities as it struggles to come up with measures to curb skyrocketing college tuition fees. According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology on Thursday, the government will reduce enrollment a

When he decided to run his own business a few years ago, Bryan Hale, a former English teacher at a local middle school, had no idea about the business culture here. What helped him a lot, he said, was the business start-up program offered by the Seoul Global Center, a support center for foreign residents. “The center offered me the education I need to understand the Korean business culture; not to

Seoul City will hold its first plebiscite vote in August on the controversial free school meal ordinance, which was approved last year by the city council.The plebiscite vote, introduced in Korea in 2004, has been carried out three times to make important policy decisions in other regions. But the Seoul referendum will be the first one to have been demanded by citizens. The Commission for Anti-Wel

Seoul National University may waive tuition fees for students from low-income families from the fall semester, an official said Thursday. Of the 16,325 undergraduate students at the school, some 1,700 to 2,000 are expected to benefit from the new measure. “(The school) is considering offering a full scholarship to students from low-income households in the bottom 50 percent of the income bracket,”

Chinese tourists emerging as biggest spendersDespite recent unfavorable conditions including North Korea’s bombardment on Yeongpyeong Island, the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, an earthquake and radiation fears in Japan, Seoul City sees a slight increase in the number of foreign visitors to the capital this year.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday, the number of foreig

The government will recommend that all primary and secondary schools adopt the five-day school week starting next year.Currently, local schools rest every second and fourth Saturday in a month. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Tuesday that a pilot program will start at some schools in the second half this year as the new measure is likely to affect the pattern of family life

The National Assembly plans to vote on the controversial “half-priced tuition” policy during the plenary session in late June, the head of the parliamentary educational committee said Monday. “There is no difference between the ruling and opposition parties in discussing the half-tuition measures at the National Assembly. I’ll submit the issue for a vote at a general session,” said Rep. Byun Jae-i

Seoul City’s anti-smoking campaign in downtown squares, which kicked off this month, is largely being obeyed, with the total number of violations standing at just 15 as of Monday. The city banned smoking at three plazas in central Seoul from June 1, imposing a fine of 100,000 won ($92) on smokers. The three squares ― Chunggye, Gwanghwamun and Seoul Plaza ― are frequented by about 30,000 people eve

The chief justices of 30 Asia-Pacific nations launched a five-day conference in Seoul on Sunday to discuss the present and future of the region's judiciaries.More than 100 people from 33 countries took part in the 14th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific, starting with a welcome reception at the Grand Hyatt Seoul.South Korea's Supreme Court is hosting the biennial conference for t

Private universities are discussing cutting tuition fees by 10 to 15 percent on condition that the government shares the financing of scholarships at individual schools, the head of a private university presidents’ council said Sunday.Park Chul, head of the Association of Private University Presidents, said in an interview that the group is gathering opinions of member schools about a trade-off be

The Central Officials Training Institute will start a two-week program on international negotiation Monday.Twenty four public servants from 19 government agencies will participate in the English-only course, titled “the Multinational English Immersion Program.”This year, eight foreign participants have been invited to the program, which has involved only Korean civil servants since 2008. The forei

Number of student defaulters swells eightfold in 5 years to top 35,000 as of AprilWhen he returned home from military service, Chung Jae-young, then 22, found out that his father had failed in business and the family was bankrupt. After giving up on going back to school, he did everything he could to feed the family. But what dragged him down the most, he said, was a student loan of 10 million won

The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled Wednesday a road map to make life “smarter” by expanding IT services.Currently, free wireless Internet services are available in 83 percent of the city, with the number of smart device users exceeding the 10 million mark in March. The South Korean capital, one of the most-wired cities in the world, plans to extend the free Wi-Fi network at all public buil

Student bodies at four universities agree on allianceThe student councils of four major universities in Seoul agreed Tuesday to vote on class suspension in a campaign against tuition fee hikes.The four schools are Korea University, Sogang University, Sookmyung Women’s University and Ewha Womans University. On June 2, students at Hanshin University skipped classes, calling for a tuition reduction.“

Seoul City saw a rapid decrease in the number of fined cigarette droppers last year after starting a no-litter campaign in 2007, officials said Monday. The city collected about 6.2 billion won ($5.7 million) in fines from 176,069 litterbugs in 2010, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.The figure was the smallest since 2007 when the city launched a campaign against flicking cigarette but

Senior public officials banned from private-sector jobs upon retirementThe government announced Friday new measures aimed at rooting out the deep-rooted practice of government and judicial officials placing their former colleagues in senior positions at private firms.The so-called “jeon-gwan-ye-u” practice, which means giving “honorable treatment to retired colleagues,” is widespread in Korea, esp

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will launch its own inspection into environmental contamination near U.S. military bases in the city, officials said Thursday.In a meeting of senior officials, the city decided to carry out a special investigation into the underground water in the areas adjacent to U.S. camps from June 6 to the end of the month. A total of 12 U.S. military camps are based in Seoul