The Korea Herald

Excessive asbestos found in 8 school playgrounds

Social affairsOct 11, 2011

Asbestos has been found in the playgrounds of eight schools and its level is confirmed to have exceeded the permissible 0.1 percent, the Education Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry’s investigation and result-came after an environmental group claimed they had found high levels of the cancer-causing
Dennis Lehane starting imprint at HarperCollins

BooksOct 11, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) -- Dennis Lehane is the latest brand-name publisher.The author of “Mystic River,” “Moonlight Mile” and other thrillers is overseeing a new imprint at HarperCollins.The publisher announced Monday that Dennis Lehane Books will issue “a select” number of literary fiction works each year t
Performing arts forum brings Asia focus to Seoul

PeopleOct 11, 2011

Now in seventh year, annual event offers performances and networking opportunitiesAbout 150 overseas performing arts professionals, as well as 1,300 local figures, gathered to discuss performing arts in Asia at the Performing Arts Market in Seoul.The annual event takes place at the National Theater
Hallyu stars boost food brand sales in Korea

IndustryOct 11, 2011

VIPS, a local steakhouse chain owned by CJ Foodville, has seen a 30 percent increase in its sales since singer/actor Rain became a commercial model for the company in July. “Many of the new customers are Rain’s fans from China and Japan who have watched the TV commercials through YouTube,” said a CJ
Cheating rampant on Korean language test in Southeast Asia

Social affairsOct 11, 2011

Cheating on the Korean language test is rampant in Southeast Asian countries, labor ministry officials said Tuesday. A total of 114 Indonesian test-takers were caught cheating on the test in June, according the ministry. There were 53 cases of someone else taking the test for the applicant and 49 ca
Parties dispute ethics of mayoral candidates

PoliticsOct 11, 2011

Parties clashed Tuesday over the ethical records of Seoul mayoral candidates Na Kyung-won of the Grand National Party and unified liberal Park Won-soon.The GNP focused its attacks on Park’s family registration records, denouncing him for allegedly evading military duty through false family records.P
String of blasts in Iraq capital kills 10

World NewsOct 11, 2011

BAGHDAD (AP) ― A string of explosions targeting security officials ― and people who rushed to the scene to help the injured ― killed at least 10 people in western Baghdad Monday evening, officials said.The first explosion came from a roadside bomb in a Shiite neighborhood, targeting an Iraqi army pa
Merkel visits Vietnam to boost trade ties

World NewsOct 11, 2011

HANOI (AP) ― German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Vietnam’s capital Tuesday for a two-day visit to boost trade ties with the communist country, amid the European debt crisis.Merkel and her Vietnamese counterpart, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, reviewed an honor guard Tuesday in Hanoi before t
Al-Qaida confirms killing of al-Awlaki

World NewsOct 11, 2011

CAIRO (AP) ― Al-Qaida’s Yemeni offshoot on Monday confirmed the killing of U.S.-born militant cleric Anwar al-Awlaki late last month and vowed to avenge the prominent propagandist’s death.The 40-year-old al-Awlaki, who died in a Sept. 30 U.S. drone strike in the mountains of Yemen, was the most prom
‘Occupy Yeouido': Activists plan anti-corporate protests Saturday

Social affairsOct 11, 2011

American protesters’ rage against the “greed of financiers” is expected to reach Korea as a worldwide protest is planned for Oct. 15.Whether Korean young people, many of whom are low-income or unemployed, will join the protests against the financial system is drawing keen attention. A U.S.-based web
Corrupt workers at state-run firms to get stronger punishment

Social affairsOct 11, 2011

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill that would punish corrupt employees at state-run firms the same as government officials, which the government said is a measure aimed at increasing transparency in the management of local public firms.The revised law on provincial public firms is subject to app
World Bank to open regional consultation center in Seoul

Oct 11, 2011

The World Bank will open a consultation center in Seoul as part of their efforts to provide advice on finance to developing countries in the East Asia and Pacific region, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.The agreement was reached under a memorandum of understanding signed between Choi Jong-ku, a de