The Korea Herald

‘Seoul is refined with high sense of beauty’

Arts&DesignOct 6, 2011

Seoul looks like a modern mix of classical European and traditional elements in its exterior, and it fits, says Chris Bangle, arguably the most influential auto designer from BMW Group. Chris Bangle, former chief of design at BMW Group and Samsung Electronics design consultant (Park Hae-mook/The Kor
Lee urges chaebol to do more for balanced growth

PoliticsOct 5, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday called for business conglomerates to make more efforts to help the government achieve balanced growth and address growing income inequality.Lee made the remark during a dinner meeting with the heads of family-owned conglomerates, or chaebol, marking the 50th anni
100 civil servants to be disciplined for gambling while on duty

Social affairsOct 5, 2011

One hundred public officials will be disciplined en masse for habitually gambling at a local casino during work hours, state auditors said on Wednesday.The Board of Audit and Inspection has recently conducted an intensive audit into 465 accounting and safety management officials who have visited Kan
Support from popular figures key in Seoul race

PoliticsOct 5, 2011

Securing big-name backers is becoming increasingly important in the battle between the two main candidates for the Seoul mayoral by-election.While Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Grand National Party is yet to confirm her support for Na Kyung-won, entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Chul-soo is backi
New U.S. Navy chief visits S. Korea

DefenseOct 5, 2011

Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, the new U.S. chief of naval operations, is in Seoul this week for talks with local military officials, a military source here said Wednesday."Adm. Greenert paid a courtesy call to Defense Minister Kim Kwang-jin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Han Min-koo today," the sou
Japan’s role in six-party nuclear talks uncertain

North KoreaOct 5, 2011

North Korea has met with both the U.S. and South Korea on the resumption of the six-party talks aimed at its denuclearization. China and Russia have already spoken forcefully in favor of the talks’ resumption. But what role Japan is willing to take should they resume is unclear. This question is sig
Drive to help women in Busan

Oct 5, 2011

A donation drive to gather goods for people living at women’s shelters in Busan is going on throughout October. The last drive in May collected more than 50 boxes of toiletries and 230,000 won, which was used to buy food and more useful items. ATEK Volunteer group reported that Saegil Women’s Shelte
VIPs celebrate opening of design forum

Arts&DesignOct 5, 2011

More than 50 high-profile figures from all over the world participated in the VIP welcoming dinner held at Hotel Shilla in central Seoul, to congratulate the opening of iDEA Herald Design Forum 2011, the first-ever unique design event hosted by Herald Media Inc.Herald Media CEO and publisher Yoo Byung-chang delivers a speech at the VIP welcoming dinner at The Shilla hotel in central Seoul on Wednesday.Rep. Na Kyung-won (left) and Rep. Jungwook Hong (center) of the ruling Grand National Party, an
Daniel Shechtman wins Nobel chemistry prize

PodcastOct 5, 2011

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Israeli scientist Daniel Shechtman won the 2011 Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for his discovery of quasicrystals, a chemical structure that researchers previously thought was impossible.The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said Shechtman's discovery in 1982 fundamentally c
[Editorial] Local fiscal prudence

EditorialOct 5, 2011

Fiscal prudence is not just demanded of the central government. The need to maintain fiscal soundness also applies to metropolitan, provincial and municipal governments. Local debt is no less serious than national debt, on which public attention has been mainly focused until recently.But some of the
[Editorial] Take steps toward change

EditorialOct 5, 2011

Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu has withdrawn his offer to resign as chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party over the party’s failure to put up a candidate for the Oct. 26 mayoral by-election. He reversed his earlier decision at the request of the party’s lawmakers.Indeed, his resignation would not solve
Yemen drone strike shows careful balance of U.S. policy

ViewpointsOct 5, 2011

The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical Muslim cleric, by a drone strike in Yemen was a minor U.S. victory that raises major questions about the evolving fight against global terrorism. These include: How important was al-Awlaki? Is the U.S. justified in targeting its own citizens
[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Spend more to cure the economy

ViewpointsOct 5, 2011

NEW YORK ― As the economic slump that began in 2007 persists, the question on everyone’s minds is obvious: Why? Unless we have a better understanding of the causes of the crisis, we can’t implement an effective recovery strategy. And, so far, we have neither.We were told that this was a financial cr
A win-win strategy for the Palestinians

ViewpointsOct 5, 2011

Everyone knows that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ bid for statehood through the U.N. Security Council will fail. Even if the Palestinians get the nine votes needed, the United States will veto it. And yet the strategy is brilliant. Why? Because the Palestinians win even if they lose
[William D. Cohan] Getting rich from others was never easier

ViewpointsOct 5, 2011