The Korea Herald

Germany again rejects eurobonds

World BusinessAug 22, 2011

Merkel renews position, sees no sign of recession in Europe’s biggest economyBERLIN (AP) ― German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted Sunday that eurozone-wide government bonds wouldn’t solve the current debt crisis, and said she sees no sign of a new recession in her own country ― Europe’s biggest ec
Oriental medicine doctor gives S. Koreans tastes of N. Korea’s ‘royal court medicine’

World NewsAug 22, 2011

Reeking of herbal scents, Seok Young-hwan’s office is no different from other oriental medicine clinics dotting the streets of Seoul, except that his acupuncture skills and treatment know-how were learned and honed in North Korea.It is because of his background in the communist nation that Seok’s 10
Baby boomers will be spending billions to counter aging

World BusinessAug 22, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Baby boomers heading into what used to be called retirement age are providing a 70 million-member strong market for legions of companies, entrepreneurs and cosmetic surgeons eager to capitalize on their “forever young” mindset, whether it’s through wrinkle creams, face-lifts or worko
[Robert Reich] Health care law and Medicare

ViewpointsAug 22, 2011

Two appellate judges in Atlanta ― one appointed by Bill Clinton and one by George H.W. Bush ― have just decided the Constitution doesn’t allow the federal government to require individuals to buy health insurance.The decision is a major defeat for the White House. The so-called “individual mandate”
[Michal Levertov] Can protests bring Jews, Arabs together in Israel?

ViewpointsAug 22, 2011

HURFEISH, Israel ― The Druze village of Hurfeish seems as pastoral as the rural north of Israel can be. Sitting on the northwestern slope of the Meron Mountains amid a national park, the centuries-old settlement of about 6,000 residents looks like an image taken from a tourist postcard: green, beaut
[Editorial] Kim Jong-il in Russia

EditorialAug 22, 2011

It does not take genius to guess why North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is visiting Russia. Kim desperately needs economic aid, with his country gripped by a chronic food crisis, which has been aggravated by recent floods.Also of great concern to Pyongyang watchers is whether or not he is attempting to
[Editorial] Business lobby’s fate

EditorialAug 22, 2011

On Aug. 16, the Federation of Korean Industries, the lobby for big enterprises, turned 50 ― the age at which it, were it a person, should “know the will of heaven.” In Confucian philosophy, those aged 50 are thought to be old enough to understand their destiny as mandated by heaven.But the FKI is no
[Nathan Myhrvold] Society: Descended from apes, acting as slime molds

ViewpointsAug 22, 2011

As we lurch from one high-stakes political drama to another, it is natural to wonder why societies aren’t better at avoiding self-inflicted crises. Here in the U.S. earlier this month, the government barely dodged default, even though economists reached consensus months ago on when the debt limit wo
[Laurence Kotlikoff] U.S. government merits a junk credit rating

ViewpointsAug 22, 2011

Politicians and investors say Standard & Poor’s made a mistake when it cut the U.S.’s credit rating from “AAA” to “AA+.” I agree. I wonder why S&P didn’t take it all the way down to “CCC.” The country’s political leaders, from President Barack Obama on down, are alternately decrying S&P’s hubris and
[Stephen L. Carter] Baseball, Tim Pawlenty and celebrity politics

ViewpointsAug 22, 2011

You might have missed the news that several courthouse guards are being investigated for accepting autographed baseballs from Roger Clemens, one of the greatest pitchers of the modern era, after his mistrial on charges of lying under oath about steroid use. This might seem like a minor offense, but
Indian activist unhappy with government response

World NewsAug 22, 2011

NEW DELHI (AP) -- Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare is unhappy with the Indian government’s response to his hunger strike, aides said Monday, as the prime minister appeared staunch against caving to the activist’s demands.As Hazare entered his seventh day of fasting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Assad warns against foreign intervention

World NewsAug 22, 2011

Syrian leader says he’s not worried about security in his countryBEIRUT (AP) ― Syria’s president said Sunday he was “not worried” about security in his country and warned against any foreign military intervention in a speech designed to portray confidence as the regime comes under blistering interna
Ceramic artist dishes out a new genre of work

TheaterAug 22, 2011

Jang Lee-soo, a potter who has never made dishes before, is holding her first dish exhibition at Gallery White Birch in Suyu-dong, northern Seoul. After receiving BFA and MFA in Ceramic Art in Hongik University, the artist made creative installation works out of ceramics. It was only recently, when
Biography of ‘Bouncing Czech’ released in Korean

Foreign affairsAug 22, 2011

The biography of “The Locomotive,” one of the most successful runners of all time is being released in the Korean language just in time for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu.Widely regarded by sport fans and the press as the greatest runner of the 20th century, Emil Zatopek’s story was unveiled
Questions remain over young K-pop idols’ conditions

MusicAug 22, 2011

Sexual overtones, lack of diversity among challenges to overcomeSince the Korean pop music idol group’ concerts in June in Paris, the K-pop industry is leading a second Korean Wave around the globe. This is the last installment of the two-part series of articles looks at the bright and dark si