Professors at Yonsei University on Tuesday joined a nationwide move against the government’s attempt to reinstate state-published history textbooks for secondary education. The move came a week after over 15,000 educators across the country had protested what they claimed was a policy that “downplays democracy and creative education.”Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea has been pushing to give the government the exclusive rights to publish school history textbooks. Currently, eight local publishers

Social Affairs Sept. 22, 2015

A Seoul branch of a Japanese bank is embroiled in a sex scandal involving several Korean female workers and a Japanese executive, according to local reports and sources.Local prosecutors have been investigating a claim by a female employee of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation that she was sexually harassed by an executive from the company’s Tokyo headquarters. The incident occurred in April and the report was filed with the Seoul Regional Ministry of Employment and Labor in May.The prosecution

Social Affairs Sept. 22, 2015

The ruling Saenuri Party on Wednesday decided to push ahead with five labor law amendments -- including measures to ease restriction on layoffs and extending the maximum employment period for temporary workers -- as its party platform, showing its resolve to see through the key elements of the labor reform drive within this year. The tripartite committee of labor, management and the government on Sunday struck a deal on reforming the labor market. The deal was endorsed by the Federation of Korea

Social Affairs Sept. 16, 2015

Over half of all students taking the “second foreign language” option in this year’s college entrance exam have opted for Arabic, which appears to be fueled by the widespread belief that the curved grading system makes it easier to get high grades in the subject, a local private education firm said Tuesday.According to Haneul Education, 51.6 percent of students who chose the second foreign language for the exam -- known here as Suneung -- will take Arabic test while another 18.5 percent of the a

Social Affairs Sept. 15, 2015

Opposition lawmakers Thursday blasted the education minister at the parliamentary audit for not providing sufficient information on its supposed drive to reinstate state-published textbooks for secondary education.Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea, who has stated that students needed to learn from “one version of history,” said that it was “inappropriate” for him to say where the ministry stands on the issue as he has not been briefed by the National Institute of Korean History on the matter. The

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2015

Cheong Wa Dae Wednesday denied reports that the government has decided to adopt state-published textbooks for secondary education history, amid growing dispute over the possible change strongly opposed by key educators and progressives.The Education Ministry also released a statement earlier in the day denying a local news report that it had agreed with Cheong Wa Dae to allow only the government to author history textbooks.“As of now, the ministry has yet to reach a decision on the state history

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2015

President Park Geun-hye on Friday said South Korea and China could quickly begin various discussions on how to achieve a peaceful unification between South and North Korea.“Peaceful unification is the fundamental and the quickest way to resolve nuclear and other issues,” Park said in a press gaggle aboard Air Force One on the way back to Seoul from a trip to China, referring to tensions on the Korean Peninsula.Tensions persist on the divided peninsula over the North’s pursuit of its missile and

Foreign Affairs Sept. 4, 2015

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to a seven-year low in August as employers added a modest 173,000 jobs, a key piece of evidence for the Federal Reserve in deciding whether to raise interest rates from record lows later this month.The Labor Department says the unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent from 5.3 percent, the lowest since April 2008. Hiring in August was the lowest in five months, but the government revised up the June and July job growth by a combined 44,000. From June through August,

World Business Sept. 4, 2015

The government will change the English names of the Home Ministry and several other government offices to help foreigners easily understand the roles and functions of the organizations at a glance, the Home Ministry said Friday.The Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs announced that its new English name will be “Ministry of the Interior.”Sixty foreign countries, including Germany and Finland, currently use the name for a government office overseeing home and general affairs and pub

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2015

Civil servants and scholars from developing countries around the world picked education as South Korea’s most appealing development policy, a survey by KDI School of Public Policy and Management found.Officials from the KDI School conducted the survey on 400 people from 83 developing countries in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, Middle East and the Americas from May to June. “The survey was conducted to find out which aspect of Korea’s experience on development was most appealing to people from dev

International Sept. 2, 2015