South Korea - The Korea Times

Park to address nation over ferry disaster

Park Geun-hye attends a mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in downtown Seoul to pay tribute to the victims and solace bereaved families./ Yonhap President Park Geun-hye will address the nation via a televised speech this week over the sinking of the ferry Sewol, her office said Sunday, a month after one of the worst maritime disasters in South Korea has left the nation in deep grief and anger over the government's failed initial response.Park will address the people in a nationally televised speech Monday morning, as the rescue workers are still grappling with finding those still missing from the 6,825-ton ferry that sank near the southwestern island of Jindo on April 16.The confirmed death toll has risen to 286, with the number of those still unaccounted for dropping to 18 as of Sunday.She is expected to issue a public apology and reveal her plans to overhaul the national security system and deeply entrenched bureaucracy, and revamp the emergency management system, officials said. Her belated move comes as the tragic disaster has dealt a serious blow to Park over the botched ini

May 18, 2014

Park to address nation over ferry disaster

Official death toll from sunken ferry rises to 286

Rescue divers retrieved one more body early Sunday morning from a ferry that sank off Korea's southwest coast last month, bringing the confirmed death toll to 286, officials said. The body of a woman was recovered from the crew's cafeteria on the third-floor dock at around 5 a.m., the government emergency response team said. The number of those still unaccounted for dropped to 18 as the search and rescue operation entered the 33rd day. The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol carrying an estimated 476 passengers capsized and sank off the southwestern island of Jindo on April 16, with only 172 people rescued on the day of the sinking. Of those on board, 326 were students from Danwon High School in Ansan, just south of Seoul, who were on a school trip to the southern resort island of Jeju. The Navy, Coast Guard and civilian divers plan to resume their search for the remaining missing people at low tide later in the day, officials said.Waves in the area were expected to reach around 0.5 meter on Saturday, with wind blowing at a speed of 3.5 meters per second, according to meteorological authorities.Th

May 18, 2014

Official death toll from sunken ferry rises to 286

23-floor apartment in Pyongyang collapses, death toll unconfirmed

By Kim Tong-hyung North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported a ``serious’’ accident at a construction site in Pyongyang, but did not reveal the number of deaths and injuries.However, sources from the South Korea’s Ministry of Unification told reporters Sunday morning that a 23-floor apartment building in the Phyongchon district of the North Korean capital has collapsed. The number of deaths is likely to be high, they said, as while the building was not completely finished, people had already been living in 92 housing units that were finished first.The KCNA said the ``construction of an apartment house was not done properly and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner’’ and that the rescue operation ended Saturday. It also reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ``sat up all night, feeling painful after being told about the accident.’’ 

May 18, 2014

23-floor apartment in Pyongyang collapses, death toll unconfirmed

Protesters, police clash in Sewol rallies

A host of street rallies were held in downtown Seoul late Saturday in protest of the government's poor handling of the sinking of a ferry off South Korea's southwest coast last month.About 500 civic groups, including the Korean Federation of Trade Unions and People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, held a joint rally around Cheonggye Plaza, downtown Seoul, starting on Saturday evening in memory of the more than 300 people killed when the 6,825-ton ferry Sewol capsized and sank off the southwestern island of Jindo on April 16. Nineteen people remain missing.The government has come under severe public criticism for its botched initial response to  one of the country's worst maritime disasters.After holding the rally, protesters marched to Seoul Plaza, located in front of the Seoul City Hall, to visit a memorial altar set up there in commemoration of the ferry victims.As many as 30,000 people, including some families of the ferry victims, joined what would become the biggest street demonstration over the ferry sinking, according to civic groups. Police estimated the number

May 18, 2014

Protesters, police clash in Sewol rallies

Headline Vocabulary 2

안성진의 안글리쉬: "헤드라인 필수 어휘 2" 동영상 강의

May 17, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

Sporty in, high heels out?

 By Joel LeeWomen seem less obsessed with high heels than before as fashion becomes more casual and cheerful, according to a report by Chosun Ilbo.At this year’s spring Seoul Fashion Week at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, seeing a female model catwalk down the runway in traditional high-heels was not easy, as most wore comfortable, low-heeled “slip-ons,” the newspaper said.This new exception has become the norm abroad as towering models from Givenchy to Giambattista Valli alike have opted for the low-rise fit on the latest fashion stage.    The reason?   “It’s called ‘sportism.’ As people’s life becomes more stable on the five-days per week work schedule, the weekend outdoor, leisurely activities have become commonplace. Everyday fashion followed suit, becoming more casual,” fashion designer Hong Hye-jin said.Despite the lowering of high-heels, people’s tastes for beauty and fashion have heightened, ushered by the avant-garde expressive experimentalism of younger generations.“Over

May 17, 2014

Most Koreans forced to work on after-hours, weekends

By Ko Dong-hwan Seven out of 10 Korean employees are being forced to work on after-hours or on weekends, according to a survey that further confirmed Koreans as overworked corporate drones.Job information site Saramin quizzed more than 1,000 workers for the survey and 75.6 percent of the respondents said they regularly receive job-related calls and orders after work or during the weekends. About 65 percent of the respondents said they are often asked to come back to the office to do their extra tasks.About 80 percent of the employees of big companies, referring to firms with more than 300 in staff, said they are asked to work extra hours, and 73.5 percent of employees from small-and-medium-sized firms responded the same. 

May 17, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Most Koreans forced to work on after-hours, weekends

Avenue Seoul

Choo Yeon-gon, second from left, Korean ambassador to Guatemala, and former President of Guatemala Vinicio Cerezo, third from left, walkthrough a street dubbed “Avenida Seul,” or Avenue Seoul, in Guatemala City, the Central American country’s capital city, Tuesday. Korea and Guatemala recently agreed to launch a Korea Town in Guatemala City and officially named the town’s street after Korea’s capital city. / Yonhap

May 16, 2014

In memory of Sewol victims

A flash mob of 400 people form a yellow ribbon in memory of the victims of the Sewol tragedy at the Seoul Plaza, Wednesday. / Yonhap

May 16, 2014

Jobseekers find entry into big firms impossible

By Ko Dong-hwan These are distressing times for jobseekers as finding employment at good companies is becoming as difficult as a camel getting through the eye of the needle.A survey of more than 900 people by employment website Incruit showed that the average respondent sent his or her resume to 10.5 of the country’s large firms (300-plus employees) since the start of the year.Only 1.8 percent of them said the companies found their resumes good enough and just 0.7 percent of them were hired after passing the final interviews.Most of the respondents said they submit resumes to companies whenever there is a job opening. Over 85 percent of them said they were waiting for decisions from companies at the moment.In explaining their continued failure to land jobs at big companies, more than 60 percent of the respondents believed their resumes weren’t impressive enough. About 26 percent said they needed to do a better job in essay writing.

May 16, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Others

Others

Park to address nation over ferry disaster

Official death toll from sunken ferry rises to 286

23-floor apartment in Pyongyang collapses, death toll unconfirmed

Protesters, police clash in Sewol rallies

Headline Vocabulary 2

Sporty in, high heels out?

Most Koreans forced to work on after-hours, weekends

Avenue Seoul

In memory of Sewol victims

Jobseekers find entry into big firms impossible

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