my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Others

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

President Park Geun-hye receives a flower

President Park Geun-hye receives a flower bouquet on arriving in Los Angeles, Wednesday. The Californian city is the final stop of her six-day trip to the United States, where she met U.S. President Barack Obama. / Yonhap

May 9, 2013
President Park Geun-hye receives a flower

School uniforms to be cheaper

By Lee Kyung-minParents with middle- and high-school students will take some of the burden off on buying school uniforms as the price will be lowered through bidding, said the Ministry of Education Thursday.Only public schools will be under this regulation.  The company with the lowest bid will be allowed to sell their clothing exclusively to the whole student body in any one school.When this goes into effect, the ministry expects about 30 percent in price reduction of uniforms.There will be a hearing to let the parents voice their opinions, and have the measure officially put in place schools by next month, an official said.Low price doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality of the clothing would be compromised, he said.Standardization guidelines from the government will help manage the quality of the uniforms, he added. “The makers will have to use specific material and accessories designated in the guideline,” he said. Students can evaluate the company through surveys.Also, the ministry will implement a report system as a measure to prevent collaboration amo

May 9, 2013By Lee Kyung-min
School uniforms to be cheaper

BOK cuts key rate to 2.5 pct for May

South Korea's central bank delivered the first interest rate cut since October on Thursday in an apparent bid to lend support to the government's drive to spur economic growth.Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo and his six fellow policymakers lowered the benchmark seven-day repo rate by a quarter percentage point to a two-year low of 2.5 percent for May.The bank froze the key rate for the sixth straight month in April after lowering the borrowing costs in July and October.The decision was not in line with market consensus as 12 out of 23 analysts predicted a rate freeze for May in a poll conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.A rate reduction came as the government is ramping up its efforts to bolster the economic growth and other central banks are aggressively taking the easing policy stance."Global central banks are rushing to take an easing policy stance to spur the growth, giving the BOK the reason to follow suit due to increased external economic risks," said Lim Noh-jung, an economist at IM Investment & Securities Co. "Consumer spendi

May 9, 2013

Prosecutors raid Samil Pharm over illegal rebates

Prosecutors raided the offices of Samil Pharm Co. Ltd. on Wednesday as they broadened their investigation into allegations the mid-sized drug manufacturer offered illegal kickbacks worth 2.1 billion won (US$1.93 million won) to doctors and hospitals.   The prosecution has been looking into suspicions that the company offered money and other kickbacks, known as "rebates," to doctors and officials from 302 hospitals nationwide in exchange for prescribing its products, an illegal business practice that drives up costs for patients.   Investigators seized computer hard discs and relevant documents during the raid at the drug maker's headquarters in southern Seoul and its branch office in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of the capital, a prosecution official close to the investigation said.

May 9, 2013

U.S. hails China's suspension of some banking ties with N. Korea

The U.S. government on Wednesday welcomed a move by a major Chinese bank to halt business with a North Korean bank blacklisted by Washington.Earlier this week, the state-run Bank of China announced that it was cutting off transactions with the Foreign Trade Bank of North Korea.It marked one of the most concrete steps by Beijing to follow up with U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted after Pyongyang's rocket launch in December and nuclear test two months later."We welcome steps that increase the sanctions," Patrick Ventrell, deputy spokesman for the State Department, said at a press briefing.He emphasized that Washington and Beijing have been engaged in intensive dialogue with each other on ways to put pressure on Pyongyang."You know they (the Chinese) have a special relationship and a special influence," Ventrell said. "And we continue to urge them to use that influence to help get North Korea to make better decisions."In March, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted the Foreign Trade Bank, effectively blocking its access to the U.S. financial system. U.S. officials view the ba

May 9, 2013

Parents' Day gift

A groom kisses his bride during a belated wedding ceremony in Songpa, Seoul, Wednesday. The district office paid for the wedding ceremonies for 10 couples who had been married for 50 years or more but couldn’t have aceremony due to financial reasons to celebrate Parents’ Day./ Yonhap

May 8, 2013

LG Electronics' LED signboard flashes a line that reads

“Two nations, one friendship,” to commemorate President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the United States on a building in Time Square, New York, Monday (local time)./ Yonhap

May 8, 2013

Seoul OKs Mt. Kumgang-related biz projects

South Korea has approved 14 business projects related to a scenic mountain resort in North Korea, according to a government Web site Wednesday, raising speculation Seoul may be moving to lift restrictions on the resort that has been put on ice for nearly five years. The Ministry of Unification's Web site showed approval was given on Feb. 15 to businesses that applied to engage in various business operations at the scenic mountain resort on the communist country's east coast.This marks the first time since September 2010 that the ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs has given prior consent to possible business projects at the resort that heralded the first major inter-Korean cooperative venture. All tourism operations at Mount Kumgang that first began in late 1998 were suspended after a North Korean guard shot and killed a South Korean female tourist on July 11, 2008. Seoul has demanded that the North provide government-level assurances that such an incident will not occur in the future in order for tours to resume, but it received no official reply.The timing of the approval ju

May 8, 2013
Seoul OKs Mt. Kumgang-related biz projects

Park, Obama send strong message to N. Korea

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama wound up their first summit with an unmistakable message to North Korea: Halt provocations and give up nuclear programs or face deeper isolation. The meeting was watched closely as the two leaders were expected to forge a united front on Pyongyang at a time when the regime shows signs of softening war rhetoric after weeks of nuclear strike threats and other menacing bombast against South Korea and the U.S."The president and I reaffirmed that we will by no means tolerate North Korea's threats and provocations ... and that such actions would only deepen North Korea's isolation," Park said during a joint news conference with Obama at the White House."North Korea will not be able to survive if it only clings to developing its nuclear weapons at the expense of its people's happiness," she said, referring to the policy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "Concurrently pursuing nuclear arsenals and economic development can by no means succeed." The White House summit marked the first time Park has met with Obama since she

May 8, 2013

President Park Geun-hye, left, speaks to Korean staff members

President Park Geun-hye, left, speaks to Korean staff members of the United Nations at the UN headquarters in New York, Monday (local time), as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon looks on./ Yonhap

May 7, 2013
President Park Geun-hye, left, speaks to Korean staff members
previous page
502503504505506
next page

Most Read in South Korea