Some Korean employers reluctant to offer severance pay and national pension When Elmer De Vera found out last month that his employer had given pay raises to his Korean colleagues despite freezing his pay for the past four years, he blamed discrimination against his nationality. “They (employers) don’t follow rules. I found it out only last month when I compared my salary slip with my coworkers. My salary has been the same for the past four years,” said the Filipino employee at a lo

Privately run child care centers across the nation are expected to close for a week starting Monday in a collective action to demand a rise in government subsidies. “We decided to go on a six-day strike, beginning Feb. 27 until March 3. It has become impossible for us to run our centers because of the unrealistic fees and excessive restrictions set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare,” the Private Preschool Association said in a statement released Friday. “We chose a strike as a last resort,”

CAMPUS Asia set to forge academic links in East AsiaUniversities in Korea, China and Japan should trust one another and assure educational quality for a successful joint degree program, according to a European official in charge of student exchanges.The three major East Asian countries launched a project titled “CAMPUS Asia” last week to enable their college students to earn joint degrees by credit transfer.The project attempts to integrate the three neighbors in the sensitive field of education

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will create a 1 trillion won ($886 million) investment fund to support its new economic projects, officials said on Thursday.The projects cover wide ranging fields including finance, tourism, biomedical technology and fashion.The fund the capital city government plans to start will take the form of a fund of funds, or FOF that invests in some collective investment funds like a mutual or hedge fund rather than a fund directly investing in individual securities. A

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will introduce a freestyle travel program for foreign tourists who wish to visit provincial areas without an organized tour, according to officials. The package, which provides transportation and accommodation, will take tourists to destinations and let them travel according to their own schedule, according to officials. “When I worked for a private travel agent for 20 years, I got to know that many foreigners prefer traveling on their own to package tours,” sai

The death of a 55-year-old shoeshiner who regularly donated a portion of his small income to the needy has touched hearts across the nation. Lee Chang-sik died of acute sepsis on Monday after collapsing suddenly, according to The Beautiful Foundation, a non-profit charity group that Lee had donated to for over a decade.  The bootblack in the eastern Seoul district of Seongdong had donated about 10,000 won ($9) ― 1 percent of his monthly income ― for the last 11 years since 2001. He also gave spa

Seo Man-sul, chairman of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, known as Chongryon in Korea, died of a chronic illness at his home in Tokyo on Monday. He was 84. Seo joined the association, one of the two main organizations of Korean residents in Japan, in 1955. He moved from Korea to Japan in 1941. In the association, he had held major posts in the group from director to the second chairman.The association has strong ties to North Korea and shares its official state ideology.  Se

Lee Jung-myung, chairman of Emerson Pacific Group, a golf course and resort company, has been appointed as president of Korea Juvenile Protection Association, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday. The 69-year-old Lee has been active in the field of teenager safety and well-being. He has held a variety of positions including president of the Daejeon council of the crime prevention committee under the justice ministry, chairman of Haesung School, and head of the National Center of Youth Action and Sc

Gangnam Boulevard, one of the most bustling spots in Seoul, will be designated as a no-smoking zone as part of citywide anti-smoking efforts, the Gangnam district office said Tuesday. Smoking on the 1 km boulevard from Sinnonhyeon subway station to Gangnam station will be prohibited from April along both sides of the street and those caught smoking will be fined 100,000 won ($90) from July. For three months starting in April, district officials plan to promote the policy without imposing fines.T

Schools will be able to set their own student conduct rules without interference by their superintendents, education ministry officials said Monday. The Education Ministry is expected to issue an advance legislative notice Tuesday on the revision to the primary and secondary education law that will allow schools to set their own conduct guidelines on dress code, hairstyles, carrying cellphones and other issues. The revision came after the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education proclaimed an ordi

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will impose a 100,000 won ($90) fine on those caught smoking at bus stops in the capital from March. Smoking at 339 major bus stops, including at Seoul Station and Gangnam will be completely banned. The city government designated public bus stops as non-smoking areas in December as part of efforts to protect citizens from second-hand smoke, but has campaigned for three months without imposing fines.Officials said it will remind citizens of the smo

More than a thousand teachers who scored poorly in evaluations last year will undergo teacher training and development programs starting next month, the Education Ministry said Sunday. Out of 343,725 teachers in primary and secondary schools, as well as special education schools nationwide, 1,119 teachers have been selected for the training session.Until August, 64 teachers evaluated as “unsatisfactory” by both students and coworkers will attend either online or offline courses for up to 210 hou

The police tackling school gangs across the country are blacklisting students engaged in school violence or likely to commit violent acts, causing concerns about what areas in which the police should be active.According to the Korean National Police Agency, they expanded the category of perpetrators subject to their investigation from school gangs to unruly students involved in or likely to be involved in school violence.The agency recently ordered its units throughout the country to profile the

Choue Young-seek, founder of Kyung Hee University, died on Saturday from chronic illness. He was 91. Choue had been a pioneer of private higher education in Korea and a life-long campaigner for world peace. Born in North Pyongan Province, North Korea in 1921, he acquired the earlier form of the university, Shinheung Junior College, in 1951 during the Korean War and transformed it into one of the prominent private colleges in Korea. Choue proposed and co-founded the International Association of U

Sookmyung disguises donated funds as money from foundationConflict is deepening at two universities between their foundation boards and faculties. Sookmyung Women’s University based in Seoul is mired in internal conflict over school funds. Inha University, a prominent school in Incheon, is in dispute over its newly elected president. Some Inha faculty members and Incheon-based civic groups say that a graduate of the same high school as board chairman Cho Yang-ho was elected as the new president

Park Choon-bae, president of Inha Technical College, has been appointed president of Inha University, the school said Thursday. “The new president has been selected according to legal procedure through a transparent selection process, which examines their vision for the school as well as past academic achievements,” said the school.  The school board appointed Park as the 13th president, following the retirement of current president Lee Bon-su. It applauded Park’s achievement and leadership as t

Actor Shin Young-gyun, honorary president of the Motion Pictures Association of Korea, has donated 1 billion won ($890,000) to Sogang University in Seoul, the school said. The donation will be used for the new “Art and Technology” department of the university, which is an academic discipline seeking to combine different studies from technology to humanities to arts in a bid to foster creative individuals, according to the school. “Shin has decided to give the large amount of money for the sake o

Sookmyung disguises donated funds as money from foundationConflict is deepening at two universities between their foundation boards and faculties. Sookmyung Women’s University based in Seoul is mired in internal conflict over school funds. Inha University, a prominent school in Incheon, is in dispute over its newly elected president. Some Inha faculty members and Incheon-based civic groups say that a graduate of the same high school as board chairman Cho Yang-ho was elected as the new president

Seoul Council members of the ruling Saenuri Party proposed an ordinance to protect teachers’ rights Thursday, weeks after liberal councilors of the opposition Democratic United Party had presented their own version of a teachers’ rights ordinance.The different proposals came as the students’ rights ordinance was approved in December, causing disputes between conservatives and liberals regarding its restriction of teachers’ authority while enhancing students’ rights.Rival parties share the purpos

Former Seoul Mayor Lee Won-jong, 70, has been appointed chairman of Seoul Development Institute, an urban policy research institute in the capital. The city-funded think tank is expected to undergo major reform of its organizational structure and research programs under the new chairman from next month, according to city officials. Lee, a long-time local government chief, served three terms as governor of North Chung­cheong Province, first in 1992 and then from 1998-2006. He was also Seoul Mayor