The Korea Herald

SOS Public Relief Service expanded nationwide

Social affairsAug 31, 2011

The government will start expanding a crime prevention system nationwide this September as its pilot program has proved effective in safeguarding vulnerable people such as women and children, officials said Tuesday.The Ministry of Public Administration and Security and the National Police Agency hav
Chance to sell soaps for hope in Seoul

Aug 31, 2011

Organizers are being sought to help a social enterprise benefiting North Korean refugees. The Soap for Hope charity makes and sells all-natural soaps and plows the profits back into projects for North Koreans living here. Soaps made by North Korean refugees. (Soap for Hope)“The soap project wa
Free Korean classes from Seoul volunteers

Aug 31, 2011

Volunteers are set to teach foreigners the Korean language for free at a new season of classes in Seoul. Those interested in enrolling for the classes provided by Mannam volunteers can sign up at a registration day on Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. at Chongshin University, in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, near Isu S
Welcome auction to improve life on Jeju

Aug 31, 2011

A charity auction is running on Jeju until Sept. 30 to raise cash for needy people on the island. The Jeju Furey Foundation is gathering funds for a grandmother and her two orphaned grandchildren by selling off household goods. The family receives 200,000 won a month in welfare and a little more fro
Cleanup on Daebu Island

Aug 31, 2011

Koreans and expats are being sought to help protect the environment on a Korean island.Volunteers will have the chance to help clean up a tidal flat on Daebu Island on Sept. 24. The conservation day organized by the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation is to run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Volu
Campaign for better conditions for bears

Aug 31, 2011

Animal rights campaigners have visited a moon bear sanctuary in Korea to check on the animals’ living conditions there. Volunteers with the Bear Necessity Korea group visited Bear Tree Park in Chungchondong, a 90 minute drive from Seoul. The former Asiatic bear farm has been transformed into an anim
Seoul subway sit-in for free disabled services

Aug 31, 2011

People with disabilities are staging a protest to call for free personal care services in Seoul. Members of Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination have been holding a sit-in at City Hall Subway Station for the past 22 days and say they will not budge until they are granted the same free servic
Saving sight between classes

Aug 31, 2011

Teen runs 180-member charity group across 14 schools in free timeSometimes it is hard to get taken seriously as a teenager, said high school student Kim Soo-yeon, but she needs people to listen to her to help save others’ sight. The 16-year-old Seoul International School student and her team of 180
South Korea’s top 10 conglomerates cut philanthropy

Aug 31, 2011

South Korea’s top 10 conglomerates reduced the amount they gave in charitable donations, despite posting solid profit gains in recent years, the country’s financial watchdog said Tuesday.According to the Financial Supervisory Service, total donations made by the large family-owned businesses reached
Samsung promises early payments to suppliers

IndustryAug 31, 2011

Samsung Group said Wednesday it plans to pay its bills worth 1.14 trillion won ($1.07 billion) early to its subcontractors ahead of one of the country’s biggest holidays.The announcement came as the group unveiled a plan to boost domestic consumption and help workers prepare smoothly for Chuseok on
More Koreans buy luxury products

IndustryAug 31, 2011

Korea’s high-end product markets expected to grow further in next 5 yearsKorean consumers’ love for luxury goods may have exceeded that of the Japanese, research found Wednesday.Koreans consumed 5 percent of their per capita income on high-end products, compared to 4 percent of the Japanese, accordi
GM Korea vows to attain double-digit market share

TransportAug 31, 2011

GM Korea has resolved to secure more than 10 percent of the local market on a yearly basis, unveiling its plan to launch new models of the Chevrolet series. Mike Arcamone, president and CEO of General Motors’ local unit, stressed that the automaker could see “double-digit market share” in Korea at t
NTS investigates 38 cases of offshore tax evasion

Aug 31, 2011

The National Tax Service said Wednesday that it is investigating 38 people suspected of stashing personal wealth abroad for tax evasion. The large-scale probe came after the taxation agency for the first time in June had asked some 2,000 individuals to voluntarily report their overseas assets worth
Lending controls invite resistance from banks

Aug 31, 2011

Credit card firms also voice discontent with regulatory policiesUneasiness and skepticism over the financial regulators’ policy to curb household loans are growing in the banking sector and among think tanks.While the Financial Services Commission plans to unveil additional measures to curb househol
SC First Bank to keep 42 branches shuttered until strike ends: CEO

Aug 31, 2011

The head of SC First Bank said Wednesday that the lender will not re-open 42 temporarily shuttered branches until the ongoing labor strike comes to an end.More than 2,500 unionized workers at the South Korean unit of Standard Chartered Plc. has been on strike since late June, the longest walkout in