The Korea Herald

Obama to set fuel standard goal

IndustryJul 28, 2011
U.S. eyes debt compromise under deadline squeeze

IndustryJul 28, 2011
Asia faces rising price pressures: ADB

IndustryJul 28, 2011

Asian economies’ growth slowdown, inflation concerns remainAsian policy makers need to tackle rising inflationary pressures in their economies even as global growth weakens, the Asian Development Bank said. The region can use monetary and fiscal policies as well as exchange rates to ease price pressure, the Manila-based lender said in its Asia Economic Monitor report Thursday. Asian economies also
K-water head reappointed

IndustryJul 28, 2011

Kim Kuen-ho, chief executive of the Korea Water Resources Corp., will retain the office for another year, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Tuesday.The ministry said it received approval from President Lee Myung-bak for its request that Kim be reappointed for an additional year. His three-year term expired Wednesday. Kim Kuen-hoThe decision reflects the ministry’s efforts t
Wonder Girls to support 2013 Special Olympics

PeopleJul 28, 2011

South Korean pop group Wonder Girls will become honorary ambassadors for the 2013 Special Olympics, the organizer announced on Wednesday.The girl group accepted an invitation from the Special Olympic governing body to help promote the 2013 Games after performing at the closing ceremony of the 2011 Games in Athens, according to the local organizer.PyeongChang, the host city of 2018 Winter Games, wi
U.S. ambassador reunites with former student after 35 years

World NewsJul 28, 2011

U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Stephens said Thursday that she was recently reunited with one of the students she taught in the 1970s as a Peace Corps volunteer, describing the meeting as another reminder of her “unbreakable” ties with South Korea. Kathleen StephensThe meeting between Stephens and the student, Lee Chul-won, who becomes a colonel in the South Korean Army, took place after Lee’s wife spo
U.S. Senate confirms Locke as ambassador to Beijing

World NewsJul 28, 2011

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke won unanimous Senate confirmation Wednesday as ambassador to Beijing, becoming the first Chinese American to hold the prestigious and difficult diplomatic post.Locke, whose grandfather came from China to the United States on a steamboat, promised during his smooth confirmation hearings to be a forceful advocate for human rights and for U
[Joel Brinkley] Palestinians sit out Arab Spring

ViewpointsJul 28, 2011

RAMALLAH, West Bank ― Right now, Israeli authorities are battling hundreds of activists trying to fly into the country from Europe and the United States, in support of the Palestinian cause. Israel has jailed dozens of them and deported hundreds. They call it the “Flytilla”In Greece, several ships carrying even more activists have been trying to set sail for the Gaza Strip, and on Tuesday Israel p
[Susan Crawford] Cyberwar hysteria aids consultants, hurts U.S.

ViewpointsJul 28, 2011

On Feb. 3, President Barack Obama and the entire West Wing lost access to e-mail for more than seven hours. A tree-trimmer had accidentally cut the lines running out of the White House data center. White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer sent a bulletin via Twitter ― the only way he could get the news out, he said ― letting the world know that “Verizon is working to solve the problem.” A
[Editorial] Rain bombardment

EditorialJul 28, 2011

Record downpours continued to bombard the central part of the nation for three consecutive days on Thursday, raising the death toll to 48. The “rain bombs” triggered landslides in Seoul, Chuncheon and Pocheon, killing more than 30 citizens. They also flooded thousands of houses and roads, leaving some 5,000 people homeless and causing traffic chaos and power outages.In Seoul, the precipitation bet
[Editorial] Investment banks

EditorialJul 28, 2011

The Financial Supervisory Commission has renewed its attempt to create homegrown investment banks. On Wednesday the commission unveiled a draft bill that would allow brokerages with equity capital exceeding 3 trillion won to become investment banks. The commission plans to submit the legislation to the National Assembly in October for passage within this year. If approved as planned, the bill will
[Sri Mulyani Indrawati] Winning transition to democracy

ViewpointsJul 28, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Is the Arab Spring turning into a gloomy autumn? With brutal crackdowns in Syria, a bloody civil war in Libya, and Yemen teetering on the brink of chaos, the number of skeptics is growing. Although Egypt and Tunisia’s pro-democracy movements achieved rapid regime change, uncertainties remain in those countries, too. After a brief period of hope, many observers now wonder whether
[Richard Parker] The debt ceiling debacle: Buckle up, folks

ViewpointsJul 28, 2011

Here we go again.The debt ceiling debacle that is unfolding in Washington is not about ideology and it’s not even about putting the nation’s fiscal house in order. It’s not even really about the American people. This is about appeasing just one group of people: the people on Wall Street. And before this is over, watch out for a Wall Street panic, which ultimately breaks the deadlock.So far, the St
[Albert R. Hunt] Debt fight is secondary to jobs in 2012 election

ViewpointsJul 28, 2011

For all the frenzy in Washington on debt and deficits, President Barack Obama’s political strategists realize jobs are more important in next year’s elections; they see the two different scenarios. In one, voters conclude that while the incumbent is a nice fellow, the administration’s policies have failed, the economy isn’t getting better and whatever the reservations about the opposition, change
China defends carrier plans amid neighbors’ concern

World NewsJul 28, 2011