Ewha Womans University Medical Center said Wednesday it had opened the Organ Transplantation Center to provide a wide range of services for patients who need organ transplants. One of the nation’s leading medical institutes said that the specialized center in southwestern Seoul was part of the EUMC’s efforts to sharpen its competitiveness in organ transplants -- one of its key fields of expertise -- before unveiling its second hospital in Seoul in 2018.Headed by director and surgeon Jung Gu-yong

Social Affairs Dec. 31, 2015

Amnesty International said on Wednesday that nearly three months of Russian air raids in Syria have killed hundreds of civilians, many in targeted strikes that could constitute war crimes.Some “appear to have directly attacked civilians or civilian objects by striking residential areas with no evident military target and even medical facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries to civilians,” Amnesty Middle East and North Africa director Philip Luther said in a statement.“Such attacks may amount

World News Dec. 23, 2015

Russia's top investigative body on Wednesday declared Mikhail Khodorkovsky as arrested in absentia, two years after the Kremlin critic and former oil tycoon was pardoned after serving 10 years in prison.Investigators earlier this month accused the former billionaire of involvement in the 1998 murder of a Siberian mayor. On Tuesday, Russian officials searched the residences of several employees of his Open Russia foundation in connection with a probe into a privatization deal.Khodorkovsky, 52, sp

World News Dec. 23, 2015

The French cabinet backed reform proposals Wednesday that could see the state of emergency called after last month's Paris attacks enshrined in the constitution. Special policing powers used under the state of emergency -- such as house arrests and the right to raid houses without judicial oversight -- are currently based on an ordinary law which can be challenged at the constitutional court.In the wake of the Paris attacks that left 130 dead, President Francois Hollande called for the emergency

World News Dec. 23, 2015

The Constitutional Court ruled in a 6-3 vote Wednesday that hormonal treatment to suppress sexual impulses in sex offenders is constitutional.In 2013, a district court had challenged the law that allows chemical castration for convicted child molesters over 19 years of age who are at risk of repeating their crimes, saying it violates basic human rights. The Constitutional Court, however, said the medication is a temporary treatment for the offenders and the hormones could be produced again when

Social Affairs Dec. 23, 2015

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Egypt agreed Tuesday to work together to combat the growing threat of terrorism in the world, the Foreign Ministry said.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, held talks on a wide range of issues, including bilateral ties, regional issues and cooperation on the global stage, the ministry said in a press release.Citing the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks, Shoukry said the international community must work together to fig

Foreign Affairs Nov. 24, 2015

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane Tuesday, claiming it had violated Turkish airspace and ignored repeated warnings. Russia denied that the plane crossed the Syrian border into Turkish skies.“We are looking into the circumstances of the crash of the Russian jet,” Russia's Defense Ministry said. “The Ministry of Defense would like to stress that the plane was over the Syrian territory throughout the flight.” Russia said the Su-24 was downed by artillery fire, but Turkey claimed that its F-16s fi

World News Nov. 24, 2015

China vowed Wednesday to finance one third of Britain's first nuclear power plant in decades in a project led by French energy giant EDF confirmed on the second day of President Xi Jinping's state visit.The blockbuster deal, signed in the presence of Xi and British Prime Minister David Cameron, was announced by EDF in an official statement as London rolls out the red carpet to Chinese investors.The agreement for the 18-billion pound ($28-billion, 24.5-billion-euro) project, which is scheduled fo

World Business Oct. 21, 2015