With no additional reports of a possible infection of Middle East respiratory syndrome, South Korea has only one suspected patient still under quarantine Friday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said. 　The number of patients diagnosed with MERS remains unchanged at 186 as the country reported no fresh cases of the disease for the 19th consecutive day.  (Yonhap)The last person in isolation will be released at midnight next Monday if he shows no symptoms of MERS until the day, the ministry said.

Gov. Hong Joon-pyo (Yonhap)Lawyers for Hong Joon-pyo, governor of South Gyeongsang Province, denied charges that he received illicit political funds from the late business tycoon Sung Woan-jong during the first hearing held Friday in connection with a high-profile graft scandal.　The hearing took place at Seoul Central District Court, about three weeks after the prosecution indicted Hong and former premier Lee Wan-koo without detention for violating the Political Fund Act by accepting illicit pol

While summer is a time for many to head to the beach or the mountains to cool off, it is also a time dreaded by some part-timers as their job difficulties multiply under the scorching heat.　Albamon, one of the nation’s biggest job-searching sites, released on Thursday a survey of 797 temporary workers on what they think are the best and worst part-time jobs in summer. 　 (Yonhap)The worst summer part-time job, chosen by 42 percent of the respondents, was dressing up like a character to entertain

An appeals court upheld an earlier ruling Tuesday that the media does not have to compensate a woman for publishing a poster containing her photo without her consent. But those who made the poster should compensate the woman, according to another ruling.  (Yonhap)The Seoul Central District Court rejected the 30-something woman’s appeal for financial compensation from five media outlets that published the poster containing the photo featuring her playing in the mud along with others, officials sa

When South Korea’s highest court recently made a ruling that migrants working in Korea illegally could establish a labor union, Udaya Rai, a head of the nation’s first migrants’ labor union, broke into a wide smile. 　The historic ruling came on June 25, more than 10 years after the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants’ Trade Union launched a battle against the Korean government to win legal status.　“I was so delighted when I heard that the court finally legalized our union,” said Rai, head of the MTU

A local court issued an arrest warrant Monday for an elderly woman involved in a poisoning case that killed two and left three neighbors in critical condition last week. 　 (Yonhap)The Daegu District Court issued the warrant, viewing the senior as a flight risk and citing the possibility of evidence being destroyed. 　The 82-year-old woman, only identified by her surname Park, is suspected of poisoning her six neighbors with a soft drink containing pesticide last Tuesday during a community meeting

A local court will decide Monday whether to issue an arrest warrant for an elderly woman involved in a poisoning case that killed two and left three neighbors in critical condition, officials said Sunday.　The Daegu District Court said it was reviewing the police’s request for an arrest warrant for the 82-year-old woman suspected of poisoning her six neighbors with a soft drink containing pesticide Tuesday during a community meeting at a small village in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province.　 (Yonha

South Korea‘s two largest trade unions asked the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday to reconsider next year’s minimum wage, taking issue with what it called the “illegal” procedure of setting the rate.　The labor unions -- the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions -- said that next year‘s minimum wage has no legitimacy as the labor circle did not participate in the vote to decide the rate at the final meeting on July 9. 　The move came as the gove

South Korea’s top court Thursday unanimously invalidated the election meddling conviction of a former head of the state spy agency, sending the case back to the lower court.　The Supreme Court did not give a guilty or not-guilty verdict to Won Sei-hoon, who led the National Intelligence Service from 2009 to 2013, citing “errors” in the facts and evidence presented. 　Won Sei-hoon, a former head of the National Information Service.(Yonhap)“What we need to rule on is whether there was any political

Police raided headquarters of a South Korean left-wing organization Wednesday, suspecting it of praising North Korea in breach of the National Security Law.  　Investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stormed the head office of Corea Alliance in central Seoul and five other offices related to the group. Police arrested an official, identified only by his surname Kang, at his residence after obtaining an arrest warrant for 10 key members of the group. 　Police officers carry a box co

Last year, Kim Sang-sik agreed to work long hours on low wages as a building night guard in Incheon after several job-hunting attempts ended in vain. The 32-year-old worked from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. every day, but received only 1.3 million won ($1,140) a month for his 13-hour days of labor. When he took a day off, 50,000 won was deducted from his wages each time. The pay was far lower than the stipulated minimum wage of 5,210 won per hour for 2014, but he continued to work there for lack of other op

While South Korea’s Hangang River attracts millions of visitors to its cherry blossom festival in the spring and fireworks display in the fall every year, there are more festivities the river can offer in the summer.As this year’s Hangang River festival kicks off on July 17, the riverside will turn into a major playground for those seeking a respite from the scorching heat and a getaway from the day-to-day hustle.Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government under the theme of “Hangang: A Midsumme

Koreans aged 50 or older believe that they would need at least nearly 1 million won ($890) per month to maintain a basic standard of living after retirement, a report showed Friday.　According to a report released by the state-run National Pension Research Institute, Koreans aged over 50 think that they would need at least 990,000 won a month if they live alone and 1.6 million won if they have a partner for monthly living expenses after they retire.(Yonhap)The study was based on a 2013 survey tha

The minimum wage for next year has been set at 6,030 won ($5.30) per hour after weeks of debate, despite complaints from both labor and business circles. 　Though it marks the highest raise in eight years, labor unions said it was still insufficient to improve low-wage workers’ lives, while employers claimed it put a strain on smaller businesses. 　Employers’ representatives, labor experts and government officials of the Minimum Wage Council agreed to increase the minimum wage by 8.1 percent next

All passengers will be required to wear seat belts at all times while riding in a car from next year, police said Wednesday.　The National Police Agency plans to present an amendment to the Road Traffic Act later this year to make it compulsory for all front-seat and backseat passengers to wear a seat belt while traveling on every road in Korea, it said. 　(Yonhap)Under current traffic laws, only drivers and front seat passengers must wear a seat belt on general roads in the city, though all passe

A 37-year-old man was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday for killing a young man in a hit-and-run car accident after an online manhunt by netizens pressured him to turn himself in.　Cheongju District Court convicted the man, identified only by his surname Heo, of running away after hitting the 29-year-old victim in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Jan. 10.　The victim, surnamed Kang, was jaywalking to return home with a bag of custard-filled bread for his pregnant wife at night w

 Marathon talks held in Seoul between employees, employers and labor experts aimed at setting the minimum wage for next year broke down again Wednesday. 　The 15-hour meeting of the Minimum Wage Council ended in collapse Wednesday morning, with employees’ representatives walking out of the talks in opposition to labor experts’ suggestion to put a cap on how much the minimum wage should be raised by. 　 (Yonhap)At the end of the dragged-on discussion, labor experts proposed that the next year’s min

About 7 in 10 salaried employees are in favor of adopting the “peak wage” system at their workplaces, a government survey showed Tuesday. 　According to the poll by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, 72.8 percent of the 1,000 respondents aged over 20 said it was necessary to put the system in place ahead of the raise in the official retirement age next year. 　(Yonhap)Under the peak wage system, companies pay senior employees reduced salaries after the workers “peak” at a certain age, generally

Korean police summoned officials from Hanwha Chemical Corp. and its subcontractor for questioning Sunday, accelerating a probe into a deadly explosion that killed six workers and injured one in Ulsan. The special investigation team called in an official from Hanwha Chemical associated with the accident and five officials from Hyundai Environment, a subcontractor in charge of workers’ safety, for questioning to determine the cause of the accident.  Investigators and forensic officials inspect an

South Koreans tend to perceive the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome as a political issue, not a health issue, illustrating a different attitude from what they showed during the flu pandemic that hit the country in 2009, a study revealed Sunday.According to research led by a public health professor at Seoul National University, Koreans appeared to be more concerned about politics than the deadly virus itself, with the popular words used on Twitter in relation to the outbreak being one