NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk appeared for prosecutors' questioning behind closed doors on Thursday. Cho's summons came 79 days after the prosecution launched an investigation into impropriety allegations surrounding his family.
With unionized railway workers set to launch a general strike next week, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to mobilize as many substitute workers as possible in collaboration with other government agencies to ensure smooth operations of high-speed KTX trains and some subways lines during morning and evening rush hours.
The Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters has advised consumers to take extra caution to prevent risks of fires, which increase when latex mattresses are used together with electric mats. The headquarters said that about 40 latex mattress-related fires occurred in Seoul annually.
According to a nationwide survey of 600 people. conducted by the Korea Rural Economic Institute, 63 percent of the respondents say that they plan to do kimjang themselves this year. This is down 1.5 percentage point from last year. By contrast, the rate of people planning to purchase pre-made kimchi increased three percentage point to 19 percent. Kimjang is the annual tradition of making large batches of kimchi for the cold winter season.