The Korea Herald

S. Korea names honorary envoys for nuclear summit

Foreign affairsNov 10, 2011

South Korea on Thursday named singer Park Jung-hyun and actor Jang Geun-seok honorary ambassadors for a nuclear security summit in Seoul next year, the Foreign Ministry said. Park and Jang, along with children’s TV entertainers Jin Ji-hee and Wang Seok-hyun, will be making “a big contribution to promoting” the two-day summit that will open on March 26 next year, the ministry said in a statement. Leaders from some 50 countries, including the U.S., China, Britain, Japan and Russia, will be attendi
New U.S. ambassador to S. Korea arrives for duty

Foreign affairsNov 10, 2011

Sung Kim, Washington’s newly appointed chief diplomat to Seoul, arrived here to officially start his duty on Thursday. Kim, a Korean-American former State Department official, was named as the new ambassador to South Korea based on his expertise on North Korea and the peninsula. He was sworn in last week in Washington, becoming the first U.S. ambassador to Seoul of Korean heritage since the two sides established diplomatic ties 129 years ago. The appointment of the 51-year-old career diplomat is
Test takers undergo stressful rite of passage

Social affairsNov 10, 2011

College entrance exam weighs on students, parents, even exam writersPark Jae-heung, a senior at Shinjang High School in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis three days before she took the state-administered college entrance exam on Thursday. Though she suffered from pain and a high fever after surgery, she made up her mind to take the exam which could play a decisive role in what university she attends and career she pursues.This year, over 690,000 students took the
Dozens of sex offenders found working illegally at youth facilities

Social affairsNov 10, 2011

Police have uncovered dozens of convicted sex offenders working at schools and other educational facilities for minors in violation of a law banning their employment at such places, officials said Thursday.Under the law, those convicted of sex crimes and sentenced to a minimum punishment of a fine a
Sohn and Moon move to form united left-wing party

PoliticsNov 10, 2011

Main opposition Democratic Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu and the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairman Moon Jae-in reached consensus on creating an integrated liberal party on Wednesday.They agreed to hold a national convention to consolidate liberal parties and select a new leader, but the idea was slammed by DP lawmakers who had their eye on the party’s leadership.In the Wednesday meeting, Sohn suggested a consolidated national convention be held on Dec. 17 to embrace the entire liberal bloc.The date i
Park pushes envelope in management style

PoliticsNov 10, 2011

Civic activist-turned-mayor touts ‘change’ to meet expectations of his supportersMicro-blogging and an unconventional approach have been the epitome of civic activist-turned-Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s first two weeks in office.Having gained fame by successfully nudging businesses and individuals to donate to his charity venture, Park vowed to raise 300 billion won ($265 million) in social investment funds over the next three years to create more jobs and support young venture entrepreneurs. Hal
Lee travels to Hawaii for APEC summit

PoliticsNov 10, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak will travel to Hawaii this weekend to discuss ways to spur the global economy, create jobs and reform regulations with other leaders of major Pacific Rim economies, the presidential office announced Thursday,The summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, set for Sunday, comes as the world economy struggles to stave off the negative impact of the eurozone debt crisis that has battered Greece and shows signs of spreading.Lee, who will leave for Hawaii
Lee revs up push for FTA ratification

PoliticsNov 10, 2011

President meets minor opposition leader as parliament plenary session called off againPresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday stepped up efforts to secure parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, as rival parties struggle to find common ground on a key sticking point in the deal. At the National Assembly, a plenary session was called off with the consent of the Grand National Party and the largest opposition Democratic Party. The two parties have been locked in a standoff o
GNP agrees with Park’s policy reform

PoliticsNov 10, 2011

A group of Grand National Party lawmakers demanding drastic change in the party and the government toned down its complaints to stand in line with former chairwoman Park Geun-hye. “Policy reforms should come first,” they said during a luncheon on Wednesday. They thus expressed support for Park, who gave positive assessment on Tuesday to the group’s reform efforts.“Reform should above all be about getting in touch with the people,” she told reporters. “The reformative members’ claim is worth list
Depression may be linked to dementia later

HealthNov 10, 2011

U.S. researchers say a chemical marker that binds to plaque and tangle deposits indicates dementia may be linked to major depressive disorder in older people."This is the first study using [the marker] FDDNP to assess the abnormal protein levels in brains of older adults with severe depression," Dr.
Marc Jacobs perfume ad banned in UK

FilmNov 10, 2011

LONDON (AP) _ Britain's advertising standards watchdog on Wednesday banned a Marc Jacobs perfume ad starring actress Dakota Fanning, saying it seemed to sexualize a child and could cause serious offense.Four readers complained about the magazine ad for Jacobs' recently launched ``Oh, Lola!'' perfume
Canada's same-sex penguin pair to be split apart

World NewsNov 10, 2011

TORONTO (AP) _ Toronto's zoo is splitting up a pair of male penguins whose affection has drawn headlines and jokes about ``Brokeback Iceberg.''The African penguins have shared the nest they built since coming to the zoo about a year ago. But since the penguins are an endangered species, zoo official
S. Korea to push 10% power cuts for manufacturers, limit neon sign use

TechnologyNov 10, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government on Thursday announced a wide range of measures to prevent recurrence of a recent nationwide power outage that include a 10 percent mandatory power cut by major manufacturers and limited use of neon signs during peak hours.The move follows massiv
Banks' household loans grow by most in 4 months in Oct.

Nov 10, 2011

South Korean banks' household loans grew by the most in four months in October on a rise in mortgage lending, the central bank said Thursday, complicating the government's efforts to curb growing household debt.Local banks' household loans, including home-backed and credit loans, reached 451.8 trill
Ruling party seeks to expand child care subsidies for all families

PoliticsNov 10, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is considering expanding state child care subsidies to all households with children under 2 years old to encourage more couples to have children and boost the country's low birthrate, a senior policymaker said Thursday.The proposal cal