Voter turnout in South Korea’s parliamentary election stood at 16.1 percent as of 11 a.m., six hours after polls opened Friday, according to the National Election Commission.The voter turnout does not include early voting, overseas voting and absentee voting. (Yonhap)In the last general election, the voter turnout recorded 24.9 percent as of 11 a.m. The country saw the highest voter turnout in Gangwon Province at 19.8 percent, while Daejeon recorded the lowest turnout of 14.3 percent. The voter

The number of asylum seekers in South Korea has steadily increased in recent years since it began accepting refugee applications in 1994, government statistics showed. With millions of people fleeing conflicts in war zones across the world, South Korea saw a surge in the number of asylum seekers from 1,574 in 2013 to 2,896 in 2014 and 4,265 last year. The number of those who were granted asylum, too, rose from 57 to 94 and on to 106 during the same period.Since 1994, the country has accepted 576

A Seoul court on Sunday upheld the government’s decision to punish a public official who failed to draw up a manual for maritime crisis management ahead of the Sewol ferry sinking. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled against the public official, surnamed Choi, for neglecting his duty to complete the manual on preventing maritime disasters and resolving crises afterward.A high-ranking official at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Choi headed his team in assisting navigation and man

A Seoul court said Sunday that the head of a conservative organization had been sentenced to 10 months in prison for driving a car into the presidential office premises without permission. The Seoul Central District Court jailed the 58-year-old, identified only by his surname Oh, on charges of obstruction of government affairs after he ignored a guard’s request to stop the car and rushed the car into Cheong Wa Dae on March 10. Before he attempted to drive into the presidential office, Oh was sto

The police on Thursday issued an apology for causing “unintended trouble” amid mounting criticism over an open letter to Aidre Mattner, an Australian who had taken issue with its misconduct and slipshod investigation in a rape case. 　Yongsan Police Station published a post on its Facebook page in both Korean and English at around 2 p.m., expressing regret over the “unintended troubles” caused by its public letter.　 (Facebook)“We do apologize the fact that we caused some unintended troubles resul

A migrant workers advocacy group called for an end to the government’s “inhumane” crackdown on unregistered foreign workers in Seoul on Thursday, following the government’s announcement to reduce the rate of illegal migrants to below 10 percent by 2018. An association of some 60 lawyers, foreigners and labor rights groups urged the government to revise the Employment Permit System to curb illegal migration in a press conference held in front of the immigration building in western Seoul. Migrant

This is the first installment in a series of articles that look at South Korea’s pet culture and industry. –Ed.Stay-at-home mother Cho Young-ai has endured painful treatments to fight cancer for the past three years, but luckily two companion animals have given her a great deal of emotional support and strength to survive. “When I was ill and isolated in a rural area, I felt relieved to see my dogs wagging their tails as if everything was going to be just fine,” the 51-year-old told The Korea He

경찰이 성폭행을 당해 경찰 조사를 받은 외국인 여성의 진술에 반박하는 서한을 페이스북에 게시해 2차 피해를 일으켰다는 논란에 휩싸였다. 일본에서 영어강사로 일하는 호주 출신 에어드리 매트너씨(25)에 따르면 그는 지난해 9월 휴가차 한국에 왔다가 성폭행을 당했다. 그 후 그녀는 온라인 기금모금 사이트 ‘고펀드미’(GoFundMe)에 한국 경찰이 모욕적인 말투로 질문하고, DNA 채취에 실패하는 등 무성의한 조사를 했다고 주장했다. 이 사건이 언론에 알려지자 경찰은 지난 1일 매트너씨에게 보내는 공개서한을 페이스북에 게시했다. 경찰은 그동안 언론에서 다뤄진 피해자의 진술이 수사 내용과 다른 부분이 있다며 그녀의 DNA 검사 결과, 수사 진행 사항에 대한 자세한 내용을 한국어와 영어로 게재했다. 경찰은 그녀의 고펀드미 켐페인 페이지에 이 게시 글의 링크까지 공유하며 경찰 측의 해명 글을 홍보했다. 이 게시글에서 경찰은 사건발생 즉시 지정 병원으로 피해자를 안내해 증거물을 채취하고, 용의

A week ago, Airdre Mattner mustered up the courage to come forward as a rape victim to the media in hopes of highlighting how Korea’s justice system had failed to protect her and mishandled her case. 　Mattner said that she was drugged, abducted and raped in late September in Seoul.　　She said that while the sexual assault haunted her, the botched investigation into her case by police further broke her down.  (Airdre Mattner)After the story surfaced and consequent public attention was paid to the

The South Korean government on Monday announced plans to reduce the rate of illegally residing migrants to below 10 percent by 2018 by tightening prescreening.In a meeting on policies for foreign nationals chaired by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, the government vowed to crack down on foreigners staying in Korea without legitimate visas and to take measures to help immigrants integrate into society more smoothly.As part of the efforts, the government will screen foreign nationals before airlines

Residents from around the U.S. shooting range near the inter-Korean border continued a sit-in on Monday to protest against the U.S. military conducting what they said were “unscheduled” live-fire drills. Scores of villagers blockaded the front and the back gate of the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, with tractors and 1-ton freight trucks starting around 5 p.m. on Sunday. They called for an end to the military training and an apology from the U.S. Army. Rodriguez Live F

South Korea, the United States and Japan are trying to schedule a three-way vice foreign ministerial meeting in Seoul sometime in April, a government source here said Sunday.   If it materializes, it will be the second meeting of South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki this year. The three diplomats previously met in Tokyo on Jan. 16,10 days after North Korea's fourth nuclear test.   The first t

The national election watchdog said Sunday more than 42 million South Koreans at home and abroad will be eligible to vote in the upcoming general elections.   The National Election Commission (NEC) said there are 42.1 million eligible voters for the 20th parliamentary elections on April 13, up 4.7 percent from the last general elections held in 2012. The figure represents 81.5 percent of the entire population of about 51.6 million.  Based on domestic voters, those in their 60s accounted for the

The Constitutional Court ruled Sunday that a ban on election campaign advertising by individuals on mass media was constitutional.In a vote of six to three, the top court voted in favor of the current Public Official Election Act, saying that its blanket ban on election-related ads was legitimate. (Yonhap)“Political campaigns through mass media are more influential than printouts and thus more likely to affect the fairness of elections,” the court said.“Also, excessive competition may lead to an

 The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the country’s antiprostitution law Thursday. In a 6-to-3 ruling, the court confirmed the legality of the antiprostitution law that punishes both those who voluntarily sell and buy sex, citing the need to repress the demand for prostitution. The verdict came three years after the top court began to review the act to rule whether it violates voluntary sex workers’ freedom to choose their job and what to do with their own bodies. “Demand for the sex trade

The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the country’s antiprostitution law Thursday, dismissing “voluntary sex trade” unconstitutional. In a 6-to-3 ruling, the court confirmed the legality of the antisex trade act punishing both those who voluntarily sell and buy sex, citing the need to repress demand for prostitution. The verdict came three years after the top court began to review the act to rule whether it violates voluntary sex workers’ freedom to choose their job and what to do with thei

--지난해 9월 한국 휴가 중 성폭행 피해-- ‘한국 사법시스템에 대한 신뢰가 전혀 없다’ 코리아헤럴드 피해자 인터뷰　지난 9월, 호주 여성 에어드리 매트너(26)는 휴가차 친구들과 한국에 왔다가 악몽과도 같은 밤을 보냈다. 친구들과 함께 간 홍대 클럽을 찾았다가 누군가가 약을 탄 술을 마시고, 호텔로 끌려가 성폭행을 당한 것이다. 현재 일본에서 영어강사로 일하는 매트너는 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 “새로운 사람을 만나기 위해 펍 크롤을 하게 됐고 홍대 클럽을 찾았다가 누군가가 준 약을 먹고 취했고, 택시로 납치됐고, 성폭행을 당했다”고 주장했다.“택시 운전사에게 제발 내 숙소로 데려달라고 했지만, 기사는 나의 말을 무시하고 옆에 앉은 남자의 지시대로 계속해서 운전해 호텔로 갔다”고 당시 상황을 설명했다. 다음 날 아침 눈을 떴을 때 그녀는 옷이 모두 벗겨진 상태였고, 바닥에 찢겨 널브러져 있었으며, 지갑에 있던 돈도 모두 없어진 상태였다고 말했다. 하지만, 그녀의 악몽은 시작일 뿐

Nine in 10 South Korean workers have lied to their bosses or colleagues at work, mostly about being sick, a survey showed Tuesday. According to a survey by job portal site Career on 756 workers, 90.7 percent of the respondents said that they have lied, with 22.6 percent of them being excuses like “I don’t feel well” to get out of social or work obligations.YonhapOther 21 percent said they lied about understanding orders from their boss although they failed to grasp what was being sought, while 1

An appeals court on Monday began to hear a case involving a Korean-American sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of killing a South Korean college student nearly two decades ago. Arthur John Patterson, 37, denied his involvement in what is known as the “Itaewon murder case,” saying that he was only a witness of an “unexpected” murder. His lawyer accused Edward Lee, 37, of killing Cho, citing the blood stains on his shirts.  Arthur John Patterson’s attorney Oh Byung-joo heads

About 9 out of 10 foreigners who obtained residency visas in South Korea through the immigrant investor program were from China, the government said Monday. The Justice Ministry said that 123, or 88.5 percent, of the 139 investments were made by Chinese citizens, followed by three from Hong Kong and Iran, respectively. (Yonahp)Amid the need for capital to boost the economy, the government has granted residency to foreign nationals in return for investment in public development projects since May