Korea’s budget for environmental projects will exceed 5 trillion won next year for the first time, the Ministry of Environment said last week. The Ministry of Environment expects to receive 5.15 trillion won ($4.4 billion) for 2012.“The annual budget topping 5 trillion won is very meaningful for the

Indonesian airline adds new flights, hires Korean flight attendantsJAKARTA ― Garuda Indonesia, after years of concentration on safety improvements, is preparing to aggressively target Korean passengers, adding new flights and hiring Korean flight attendants. “Korea is a prospective market for us. Bu

Summit talks focused on FTA, security partnership, North KoreaWASHINGTON, D.C. ― President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday said Korea and the United States have agreed to develop their ties into an “even stronger alliance,” a day after the U.S. Congress ratified the two countries’ free trade agreement.“He

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Sung Kim, a career diplomat, as the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, more than four months after his nomination, officials here said.The unanimous approval came as South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak is on a state visit here. The

A spokesman for the ruling Grand National Party’s Seoul mayoral candidate Na Kyung-won resigned over the weekend after being accused of appearing on a live TV debate show while intoxicated. “I offered to resign because I didn’t want to be a burden to Na,” Shin Ji-ho, a GNP lawmaker and chief press o

Former Vice Culture Minister Shin Jae-min on Sunday was questioned by state prosecutors after a businessman claimed to have given him nearly 1 billion won ($847,000) over the space of a decade. The interrogation is expected to widen investigations into the scandal including President Lee Myung-bak’s

South Korea kicked off an international legal conference Sunday to discuss new developments in financial, intellectual property and energy issues, the event’s organizers said.Some 900 lawyers, judges, prosecutors and other legal experts from the Asia-Pacific region also plan to exchange opinions on

President invited to deliver speech to Congress during U.S. visit Friday Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit the Detroit area later this week with U.S. President Barack Obama, a presidential aide here said Saturday, in what appeared to be a trade-related visit.Lee and Obama are scheduled to vi

Only 20 North Korean defectors work as public servants in South Korea, an opposition lawmaker said Sunday, the latest sign that North Koreans are struggling to join mainstream South Korean society.The figure represents just a small fraction of the more than 22,000 North Korean defectors in South Kor

Ex-Korean chief of U.S. firm sentenced to three years in jailA Seoul court on Thursday found Lone Star Funds and its former chief of its unit guilty of stock-price manipulation, overturning an acquittal in 2008. The Seoul High Court ruled that the Texas-based private equity fund and Paul Yoo rigged

More than 1,000 high-income professionals and public office holders had their indictments for sex crimes suspended over the past three years, a lawmaker revealed Thursday, adding more fuel to public outrage over the country’s leniency on sex offenders. According to Justice Ministry data presented to

Legend in civic activism has yet to prove mettle in established politics and potential as an administratorPark Won-soon won a key battle in his quest to become Seoul mayor, securing the unified candidacy of all liberal opposition forces on Monday. The independent candidate is leading in polls agains

[Profile]Legend in civil society has yet to prove mettle in established politics Park Won-soon won a key battle in his quest to become Seoul mayor, securing the unified candidacy of all liberal opposition forces on Monday. The independent candidate is leading in polls against Rep. Na Kyung-won, the

Life is always challenging and sometimes frustrating for wheelchair-user Woo Song-shik. But that could not stop him from pursuing his dream to design a better product.“New ideas never cease to spring up within me. I am eager all the time to learn more to make products of my own design,” the 37-year-

A local savings bank, now suspended for liquidity shortage, turned out to have provided more than 150 billion won in illegal loans to hostess bars and other adult entertainment clubs in southern Seoul, a police investigation found Friday. According to sources, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency ha

Bus and subway fares in Seoul will be raised by 200 won by early next year, the capital said Friday. The Seoul municipal government is currently in talks with public transportation operators and is likely to allow the fares to rise by 100 won in November and by another 100 won early next year, city

Korea finished top in an international skills contest for disabled persons in Seoul, its organizing committee said Friday. It clinched 17 gold, 17 silver and seven bronze medals at the International Abilympics, which wrapped up its six-day contest with a closing ceremony Friday. It was the fifth con

Ministry inspects school playgrounds for cancer-causing agentFear of asbestos is spreading fast among the public after an environmental group claimed to have found high levels of the cancer-causing agent in many school playgrounds and baseball fields where professional games are held. The Education

Chief of world’s largest environmental network warns on ‘exporting problems’Dark clouds gathering over the world economy are an ominous sign for environmental conservationists, because when the economy is bad, governments tend to toss environmental issues on the backburner. However, Ashok Khosla, pr

Conservative candidates lambast civic activist over remarks on weir removalPark Won-soon, the liberal civic activist leading among Seoul mayoral candidates, got his first taste of election bickering Monday, after his remarks about the Han River stirred harsh criticism from conservative rivals. The r