Foreign students look through clothes donated by the school faculty at Dongseo University in Busan, Wednesday. The event was held to share winter apparel with students from regions with relatively warmer climates such as Africa and Southeast Asia. / Yonhap
More than 2,000 elderly people in Seoul could die prematurely each year by 2030 due to the effects of ultrafine dust, research showed, Wednesday. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Jae-heunMore than 2,000 elderly people in Seoul could die prematurely each year by 2030 due to the effects of ultrafine dust, research showed, Wednesday.The policy report by the Seoul Institute estimated 2,133 people over 65 may die earlier than those not exposed to air pollution.It was based on a hypothesis that the concentration of ultrafine dust in Seoul in 2030 will be similar to that of 2015, when the annual average level was 23 micrograms per square meter, which already exceeded 10 micrograms, the maximum level recommended by the World Health Organization.The study showed the possibility of death among elderly Seoulites increases by 13.9 percent when the annual average level of ultrafine dust rises 10 micrograms per square meter. Especially vulnerable are men and those in the lower income brackets.The rise in the concentration of ultrafine dust also increased the chance of dying from ischemic heart disease or
Buses are parked at the garage of Myungsung Transportation in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, as the drivers went on strike in the morning after wage negotiations with the company failed. Some 270 buses operating on 20 routes went out of service. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunUnionized drivers working for Myungsung Transportation, a bus operator in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, went on strike Tuesday following a breakdown in negotiations with management over wages, putting more than 270 buses out of service on 20 routes.The strike produced serious traffic chaos as neither the company nor the union, or the local government had made a public announcement about the possibility of a strike in advance.According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Goyang City, the union and the company held a last round of negotiations until 4:15 a.m. but failed to reach an agreement, which led to the walkout.“We tried to avoid a strike until the last minute, but the company's proposal was pathetic,” the union said in a statement during a rally in front of Dong-gu Office in Goyang. “Even
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk walks to his car after visiting his wife Chung Kyung-sim at Seoul detention center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunKorea University students are urging the school to revoke the admission of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter, threatening to hold a protest against what they claim to be admissions fraud. Speculation has been rampant that Cho Min, 28, was admitted to the Seoul-based university after her mother created fake documents to enhance her daughter's chances of gaining entrance to one of the country's top schools.Last week, the prosecution filed three additional charges against Chung Kyung-sim, Cho's mother, involving the college admissions and her investments in a private equity fund, leading more students to call on the school to take action. Chung, an English professor at Dongyang University, allegedly forged various documents certifying her daughter's internships at prominent local institutions, and got her name placed as the lead author of a research paper published in “The Korean Journal of Patholog
A senior student walks to an exam venue at Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School in central Seoul, Thursday, to take the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), with junior students from his school cheering on the test-taking seniors. Around 550,000 students nationwide took the test on the day, which is a requirement to enter local universities. / Yonhap
Prosecutors have concluded that Chung Kyung-sim, the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, forged seven certificates regarding her daughter's work experience, including her internship at local universities and a local hotel. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunProsecutors have concluded that Chung Kyung-sim, the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, forged seven certificates regarding her daughter's work experience, including her internship at local universities and a local hotel. They also believe Chung, a professor of English language and literature at Dongyang University in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, abused her husband's personal connections and position in government to gain unfair advantages in school admissions for their daughter.The details of her indictment came to light after the prosecution filed three more charges against Chung, now in custody, Monday, bringing the total to 14.According to Chung's arraignment submitted to the National Assembly by the prosecutors, the professor forged internship certificates for her daughter and her daughter's high school friend, falsely
Former YG Entertainment chief Yang Hyun-suk arrives at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday, to undergo questioning related to intimidation charges against him. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunYang Hyun-suk, founder and former chief of YG Entertainment, was summoned by police Saturday, for questioning over his suspected intimidation.The entertainment guru appeared at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, at 10 a.m. and underwent nearly 14 hours of interrogation. Leaving the police building at 11:50 p.m., Yang told reporters that he had complied with the police's questioning and told the truth. When asked by a journalist if he acknowledges his charges, Yang said, “I cannot share any specific details as the police investigation is ongoing.”The police booked Yang recently on intimidation charges related to a suspicion that he attempted to cover up the alleged illegal drug purchase and use by one of the agency's former stars, singer B.I. B.I., a former member of K-pop boy band IKON, is suspected of purchas
A drone collects pollutants in the sky above the industrial complex in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. The Ministry of Environment demonstrated the fine dust measuring drone which collect samples from factories to check whether the businesses keep to the permissible level of emissions. / Yonhap
People who live in villages located behind the Civilian Control Line stage a protest at the Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, calling on the government to lift a travel ban on the area and instead designate it as a special disaster area. The government has banned people from entering the region for more than a month to tackle the spread of African swine fever. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunSince the last confirmed case of African swine fever (ASF), Oct. 9, the deadly animal disease has not been reported on any farms here for a month. However, the quarantine authorities remain vigilant as more wild boars infected with ASF have been found. The nation's first case of ASF was detected in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 17, and since then, the government has been taking intense preventive measures against the disease. Some experts say it has an effective control on the spread of the epidemic to other regions. Still, nearly 435,000 pigs have been killed due to a total of 14 ASF cases in Paju, Yeoncheon, Gimpo and Ganghwa Island, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food a
Choi Dong-won, a nine-year-old elementary school student, passed awawy Tuesday after a severe head injury. / Courtesy of Korea Organ Donation AgencyBy Kim Jae-heunChoi Dong-won, a nine-year-old elementary school student, passed away Tuesday after a severe head injury sustained three days prior left him brain-dead.His mother decided to donate Choi's heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and corneas saying that although her son cannot survive, his organs can save several others.Choi's mother recalled her son as having a good personality, with strong social and leadership skills. He had a passion for gymnastics, due in part to the influence of his older brother, and when asked about his dreams for the future, Choi said he wanted to become a designer, psychologist or computer programmer.He also had a charitable spirit. After seeing a commercial advertising a charitable organization called “Good Neighbors,” Choi told his mother that he wanted to use his allowance to help other young children. “If others can live with my son's organs, he will die but he will not vanish w