The Korea Herald

[Editorial] Global patent war

EditorialOct 9, 2011

Competition for patents is intensifying among global technology companies as growing technological convergence has blurred the boundaries that once separated them. This race for patents was recently well illustrated by Apple Inc. and Google Inc. In June, Apple purchased some 6,000 telecom patents he
[Editorial] Punishment for sex crimes

EditorialOct 9, 2011

The government has toughened punishment for sex crimes against people with disabilities. The measures, announced Friday, came following public outcry over the mild punishments given to teachers at a special school for the hearing-impaired in Gwangju, who raped and sexually assaulted their students.T
Twitter can start a party but can’t keep it going

ViewpointsOct 9, 2011

Social media is the new forum for free speech ― and its suppression. Whether coordinating large protests in Cairo and Tunis or flash mobs in Birmingham and London, social media have proved in recent months that they are capable of disturbing business as usual. Governments, in response, are selective
[J. Bradford DeLong] A free lunch for America

ViewpointsOct 9, 2011

BERKELEY ― Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers had a good line at the International Monetary Fund meetings this year: governments, he said, are trying to treat a broken ankle when the patient is facing organ failure. Summers was criticizing Europe’s focus on the second-order issue of Gre
Watch out for Putin, and Russia

ViewpointsOct 9, 2011

The news itself was hardly startling. It has been increasingly clear during the last year that the Regent (Vladimir Putin) would recover the throne from the Dauphin (Dmitry Medvedev). But now that it seems a certainty that Russia is headed for (at least) 12 more years of Putinism, alarm bells ought
The scapegoating of Amanda Knox

ViewpointsOct 9, 2011

Amanda Knox is nothing if not a good story. The pretty young American who headed to Italy for her junior year abroad, fell for an Italian boy and then landed in the dock with him, accused, convicted and then exonerated on charges of murdering another young woman in a sex game gone wild.Knox was neve
[Dominique Moisi] The nemesis of Turkish power

ViewpointsOct 9, 2011

PARIS ― A few days ago, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan told Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab television network, that he would use his warships to prevent Israeli commandos from again boarding Gaza-bound ships, as they did last year. And in a speech in Cairo, he declared support for the United
Lee to build retirement home on Seoul's southern outskirts

PodcastOct 9, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak and first lady Kim Yoon-ok are planning to reside in a tranquil village on Seoul's southern outskirts after his term ends in 2013, instead of his private home in Nonhyun-dong, a bustling neighborhood in the center of the capital's southern district, a presidential aide said S
Ex-vice culture minister questioned over bribery

Social affairsOct 9, 2011

Former Vice Culture Minister Shin Jae-min on Sunday was questioned by state prosecutors after a businessman claimed to have given him nearly 1 billion won ($847,000) over the space of a decade. The interrogation is expected to widen investigations into the scandal including President Lee Myung-bak’s
Gen. Jung tapped as new JCS chairman

DefenseOct 9, 2011

Army Gen. Jung Seung-jo, deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, was tapped as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a reshuffle that affected five top military officers, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.Lieut. Gen. Kwon Oh-sung, currently serving as chief of the
Na, Park start mayoral sprint

PodcastOct 9, 2011

The two top candidates for Seoul mayor rushed to gain an upper hand over the weekend as soon as the official candidate registration ended.Park Won-soon, independent and sole candidate representing the liberal bloc, is to introduce his campaign on Monday consisting of figures from all three oppositio
New Canadian ambassador arrives

Foreign affairsOct 9, 2011

Canadian Ambassador-Designate David Chatterson arrived in Seoul last month, eager to resume where his predecessor left off. Chatterson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from over 30 years of representing Canadians’ interests at home and abroad. Canadian Ambassado David ChattersonHe was pos
Free Arabic lessons offered

Foreign affairsOct 9, 2011

The Egyptian Embassy is offering free Arabic language lessons for beginners.The classes, conducted in English, are offered every Tuesday at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Egyptian Embassy in Hannam-dong, Seoul.Arabic is the official language of 26 states, making it the language used in the third most count
Swedish Embassy closed for two days

Foreign affairsOct 9, 2011

Those applying for visas to Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway should take note that the consular section of the Swedish Embassy will be closed on Oct. 21 and Oct. 24 for IT maintenance.The Swedish Embassy will also be closed on Oct. 21 and will reopen on Oct. 24.More information is available at ww
Secularizing Bangladesh brings promise for future

Foreign affairsOct 9, 2011

Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that can take nations decades to bring under control.It is a phenomenon that cannot always be completely eradicated but controlled to a slight dim.Countries like South Korea, South Africa and Indonesia have taken tough action in the f