Hwang Kyo-ahn, the nominee for South Korea’s new prime minister, is expected to face a daunting task of proving his capability to serve as the nation’s No. 2 during his parliamentary confirmation hearing, with the opposition blocs already voicing concerns about what they alleged as his unbalanced political views.President Park Geun-hye designated current Justice Minister Hwang on Thursday to fill the prime minister’s post left vacant for nearly a month by ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Lee Wan-koo

Rival party leaders, standing side by side, sang the controversial song “March for Our Beloved” on Monday, despite opposition from the government as South Korea marked the 35th anniversary of a pro-democracy movement. Leaders of the main political parties ― Kim Moo-sung of the ruling Saenuri Party and Moon Jae-in of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy ― attended the memorial ceremony marking the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju and sang the song with the choir. However,

A sex offender was arrested Friday in Seoul for sexually abusing children at a hospital.The man was wearing an electronic tag at the time of the offence, raising questions over the effectiveness of monitoring devices.Police arrested the 48-year-old man, only identified by his surname Lim, on charges of sexually molesting children who were being treated at the hospital, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday. Lim was apprehended Tuesday evening for taking two children’s clothes off and touc

The Supreme Court Thursday upheld the acquittal of a student activist who was jailed by the former military-backed government for abetting a fellow activist’s suicide. The highest court confirmed the ruling by lower courts that delivered a not-guilty verdict to Kang Ki-hoon, citing the “lack of credibility” of forensic evidence. Kang, 51, was convicted in 1991 for helping a fellow activist Kim Ki-sul set himself on fire and jump to his death from a university building in Seoul, and ghostwriting

Prosecutors raided on Tuesday a state-owned oil firm as part of the expanding probe into alleged corruption and misuse of taxpayers’ money in overseas resource projects during the former Lee Myung-bak administration. Some 30 investigators stormed into the head office of the Korea National Oil Corporation, the residence of its ex-president Kang Young-won and the Seoul office of investment bank Merrill Lynch on Tuesday morning to secure evidence related to the probe, according to the Seoul Central

Violent crimes committed by people aged 65 or more soared nearly 40 percent over the past two years, with poverty, illness and loneliness cited as the major reasons, data showed Sunday. Seniors have increasingly committed more crimes in recent years than before, with the total number of cases reaching 77,260 in 2013, up 12.2 percent from 2011, according to data by the Korean National Police Agency. In particular, the increase in the number of violent crimes including murder, robbery, rape and ar

Men had double the suicide rate than women in Korea in 2013, with elderly men especially at risk, a study revealed. Just over 10,000 men committed suicide in 2013, compared to just over 4,300 women. This means 39.8 per 100,000 men and 17.3 per 100,000 women committed suicide that year, according to a recent study published by the Korea Institute of Criminology. Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among OECD countries, with 29.1 Koreans per 100,000 people taking their own lives, compared t

An investigation is underway into a pharmaceutical company suspected of providing rebates worth billions of won to local doctors, police said Wednesday. Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency booked the local drug firm, whose name was not revealed, and its CEO without detention on charges of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. Police also booked 10 doctors without detention on charges of breaching the Medical Law in a case that allegedly involves hundreds of other medical professionals. The dru

The prosecution sought an arrest warrant late Monday for Park Bum-hoon, former senior presidential secretary for education and culture, in connection with wide-ranging corruption allegations including bribery and embezzlement.The prosecutors’ office said Park, who served in the Lee Myung-bak administration from 2011-2013, faced six charges including abuse of authority. The move came three days after the 66-year-old was grilled over his alleged influence-peddling for 19 hours from Thursday mornin

The prosecution will summon South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo for questioning this week as a probe into bribery allegations involving high-profile politicians picks up pace. Prosecutors said Tuesday they are currently looking through a schedule to call in Hong, who will become the first of the eight political heavyweights embroiled in the scandal to be questioned.Hong is suspected of receiving 100 million won ($93,000) from late business tycoon Sung Woan-jong in 2011 when the veteran

Korean biotech firm Natural Endotech’s health products were found to contain an illegal substance, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday. The company, known for its signature health goods made of Chinese traditional medicine Cynanchum wilfordii, used a cheaper toxic ingredient, Cynanchum auriculatum Royal, to make its products, the ministry said. Cynanchum wilfordii and Cynanchum auriculatum Royal are hardly different in their appearance, but the latter is strictly banned from use f

South Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology has lost its crown as the world’s top young university, according to the Times Higher Education’s annual ranking published Wednesday. 　The university, which had topped the list since its inception in 2012, slid to second place, with Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne snatching the No. 1 spot. 　The fourth annual ranking by Times Higher Education ranked the top 100 universities that were founded less than 50 years ago, u

Lee Hyun, 28, spent nearly three years trying to get a job. She finally secured one after 50 failed attempts to even get her resume through the first stage of the job interview. Her efforts included months of listening to special Internet classes and crammed studies for Chinese upon tips that some companies offer merits for multilingual skills. “As more companies opt to hire experienced workers, it seems that the doors for newbies seem to get narrower and more crowded,” Lee said.More than a mill

The special committee on civil servant pension reforms narrowed its differences over the weekend, raising speculation the weekslong debate about the reforms is coming to a close.The details on the reform plan for the debt-ridden pension system were discussed with floor leaders of rival political parties Monday afternoon. The parties set a May 2 deadline to finalize the plan.The committee, comprising government representatives, public servants and pension experts, has mapped out a tentative plan,

Yuri, a member of K-pop group Girls’ Generation, has been dating baseball player Oh Seung-hwan for six months, SM Entertainment confirmed Monday. “Yuri and Oh have developed romantic feelings for each other since they first met at a social gathering late last year,” the agency said through a press release. The confirmation came after a local weekly newspaper reported earlier in the day that Yuri, 24, and Oh, 32, had been romantically involved since November.  YuriAccording to the media outlet, t

한국의 이른바 '여권(passport) 파워'가 세계에서 `공동 2위'라는 조사 결과가 나왔다.15일(현지시간) 워싱턴포스트에 따르면 금융자문사인 아톤 캐피털은 전 세계 199개국을 대상으로 '여권 파워 순위'라는 여권 지수를 개발해 발표했다.미리 입국 비자를 받지 않고도 방문할 수 있는 나라나 외국에 도착하자마자 비자를 즉석에서 받을 수 있는 나라를 가장 많이 가진 여권이 가장 힘센 여권이라는 게 이 지수의 의미다.이 지수에 따르면 세계 1위 여권은 미국과 영국 것이다. 이들 2개국의 여권 소지자는 각각 147개국에 선비자 없이 방문할 수 있다. 이어 2위 그룹은 한국과 프랑스 독일이다. 145개국에 비자 없이 갈 수 있다. 이탈리아와 스웨덴이 3위를, 일본과 덴마크, 싱가포르, 핀란드, 네덜란드가 4위를 각각 차지했다.5위는 스위스이며 홍콩은 11위, 아르헨티나와 이스라엘은 16위, 브라질은 17위, 멕시코는 22위다.

러시아의 한 여성이 남편과 부부싸움을 하던 중 생후 18개월 된 딸의 머리를 발로 짓밟으려 한 모습을 담긴 영상이 공개돼 논란이 되고 있다.　뱌체슬라프 사모일로브(32)라는 이름의 남성은 최근 아내 빅토리아(30)와 러시아 모스크바에 위치한 한 공원에서 산책을 하던 중 아내가 다른 남성과 주고받은 문자들을 발견하고 분노해 아내에게 언성을 높였다. 두 사람은 서로에게 소리를 지르며 매우 격분했고, 그 과정에서 여성은 부츠 신은 발로 딸의 머리를 짓밟는 시늉을 했다. 　 (Metro)해당 영상은 뱌체슬라프가 자신의 휴대폰으로 촬영한 것이며, 이후 온라인을 통해 공개돼 일파만파 퍼졌다. 　당시 현장을 목격한 류드밀라 이그나티예바(43)는 영국 메트로와의 인터뷰에서 “그 부부가 싸우는 것을 내가 직접 봤다. 여성은 아기를 바닥에 내팽개치고 발로 아기를 짓밟으려 했다”며 “그 부부는 이후 각자 다른 방향으로 가버렸고, 아기는 한동안 그곳에 홀로 남겨져 있었다”고 전했다.　경찰은 두 사람에 대

최근 한 온라인 커뮤니티에 국어 맞춤법 파괴 사례들이 소개돼 온라인에서 화제가 되고 있다.　(Twitter)“마마 잃은 중천공? 놀라운 맞춤법 모음”이라고 이름 붙여진 이 게시물은 온라인상에 떠도는 맞춤법 실수 사례들을 소개하고 있다. 　“나보고 이래라 저래라 하지마”를 “나보고 일해라 절해라 하지마,” “갈수록 미모가 일취월장”을 “갈수록 미모가 일치얼짱,” 흔히 쓰이는 말인 “네가 내 인생의 반려자”를 “니가 내인생의 발여자,” 꽃샘추위를 “곱셈추위”라고 하는 등 국어를 들리는 대로 표기한 사례들이 씁쓸한 웃음을 자아내고 있다.　(Twitter)트위터 사용자 @alwufl2는 “맞춤법 틀린 것 중에 최고 (웃긴 것)을 보았다. ‘장례희망...’”이라고 트윗을 해 2000번 이상 리트윗됐다. 　이에 대해 한 네티즌은 “맞춤법이 갈수록 엉망이다”라며 “이러다 소리 나는 대로 쓰는 게 표준이 될지도 모른다”고 우려를 표했다.(Twitter)(Twitter)(Facebook)

미국 리얼리티 TV 스타 킴 카다시안(35, Kim Kardashian)의 책 발간을 앞두고 그녀가 비키니를 입은 사진이 공개돼 화제가 되고 있다. 　인스타그램에 공개된 사진 속에서 카다시안은 핑크색의 작은 비키니를 입고 가슴을 한껏 모아 올리고 있다.  (킴 카다시안 인스타그램)‘셀카의 여왕’답게 황금빛 메이크업을 하고 매혹적인 눈빛으로 카메라 렌즈를 쳐다보고 있다. 　카다시안은 곧 그녀의 책 “킴 카다시안 셀피쉬”를 출간할 예정이다. 책 속엔 그 동안 공개되지 않았었던 웨딩드레스 사진부터 다양한 셀카들이 담길 예정이다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)　　

연애 초기 vs 2년 후 비교해보니…　불꽃 같은 설렘은 금방 사라질지도 모르지만 사랑, 혹은 방귀는 더 오래 남는다는 사실을 알고 있는가?　미국 뉴스 매체 버즈피드는 연애 초기와 연애 2년 후 커플들의 행태를 정리해 보도했다.  (123rf)1. 어떻게 섹스 하나 연애 초, 섹스는 화끈하다. 즉흥적이다. 하지만 2년 후는 어떨까? TV 보는 시간에 방해되지 않도록 주의를 기울이라는 게 버즈피드의 조언이다. 　2. 어떻게 데이트하나연애 초 데이트할 땐 달빛 아래를 걷는다. 심장은 벌렁거리고, 꿈과 희망을 이야기 한다. 하지만 연애 2년 후, 식사를 하기 위해 할인 쿠폰이 있는지를 뒤지고 설사는 하지 않을는지 걱정하고 있을지도 모른다. 　3. 어떻게 상대방의 말을 듣나 연애 초, 서로의 이야기에 관심을 기울인다. 공감하고, 기운을 북돋아주려고 한다. 반면 2년 후, 듣는 척 하면서 딴짓한다. TV 보는 게 더 재미있다. 　4. 서로 동의하지 않을 땐 어떻게 하나 연애 초, 서로 동의하지