The Korea Herald

Seoul City plans women-only subway cars

Social affairsJul 20, 2011

Female commuters may soon have a safe haven from sex offenders when riding the subway, as the capital plans to introduce women-only cars, city officials said Wednesday.In order to protect women from sexual assault, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to gather public opinion on the measure by next month, and implement a trial run by September. According to officials, the trial run will be held
South Korea unveils new light airplane

IndustryJul 20, 2011

The first locally developed civilian aircraft completed its maiden flight at Korea Aerospace Industries in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday.Once the project is completed, and necessary certifications are granted for the vehicle, Korea will become the world’s 28th country to have developed civilian aircraft using indigenous technologies. The first locally developed civilian aircraft
Vietnam P.M. Nguyen Tan Dung one of most excellent Asian leaders

Foreign affairsJul 20, 2011

The Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was officially inaugurated on June 27, 2006. He has proved his capability to lead the country and overcome many difficulties to ensure social security and the stability of Vietnamese people’s income be maintained and to develop Vietnam to a new high level, despite the fact that Vietnam has been facing many difficulties and is still poor ― a country und
Lee discusses nuclear ties with Malaysian king

PoliticsJul 20, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday discussed with visiting Malaysian King Mizan Zainal Abidin bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy development and cultural exchanges, Lee’s office said.Malaysia plans to build two atomic power plants by 2021 in a bid to reduce its dependence on natural gas and petroleum. Japanese companies recently decided to give up their bid for the nuclear power plant proje
International medical center to open in Yeouido next year

Social affairsJul 20, 2011

An international medical center will open in Yeouido, Seoul, in August next year, as part of steps to develop the financial district of the capital into an international financial hub. Seoul Metropolitan Government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital on Wednesday to establish the center and improve access to medical care for foreign patients there. The medical
Military to randomly inspect Marine bases

Social affairsJul 20, 2011

The Defense Ministry will hold random inspections of all Marine Corps bases within the year to stem abuse among soldiers, a military official said Wednesday.“The ministry will form special inspection teams involving different areas, such as operations and personnel, and will conduct random checks on Marine bases from August to the end of the year,” said the source.“Soldiers and commanders who are
No sign of drums at alleged chemicals site

DefenseJul 20, 2011

Investigators say area D test results expected to come out by late JulyA joint Korea-U.S. team investigating the alleged burial of Agent Orange at one of the American army camps here detected no traces of drums underground at one of the alleged burial sites, a government source said Wednesday. The team said earlier this month that they found “anomalies” beneath the helipad at Camp Carroll located
Former Sejong Center exec indicted on bribery charges

Social affairsJul 20, 2011

Former managing director of Sejong Center for the Performing Art’s programming division was indicted Tuesday for receiving bribes from show production companies, according to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. The former director, identified only as a Choi, 54, is accused of having received a total of 42 million won from Lim, a show production house head, since last September. In return, Lim receive
‘N.K. importing luxury goods as civilians starve’

North KoreaJul 20, 2011

North Korea’s imports of luxury goods from China almost doubled in a year, a report from China showed Wednesday, indicating the ongoing shopping spree by the elite class of the reclusive regime even as its people are supposedly dying of hunger. According to Beijing customs, quoted by Seoul officials, the total volume of trade between Pyongyang and its last-remaining ally and economic benefactor su
Life tough for students returning home

Social affairsJul 20, 2011

Experts suggest parents prepare children for Korean school life before coming backFor Chung, a Korean student who came home after spending her elementary school years in England, the main problem in adapting to Korea was the language. Working now in Korea after graduating from a college in the U.K., Chung recalled her experiences here from the sixth grade in elementary school to her first year in
Readers’ VOICE

Jul 20, 2011

On English lectures ...Korean students have studied English very hard at school, educational institutes and even gone abroad to study the language. We have invested enormous time and money in English.Though the situation is such, when a foreigner asks us something, why are we embarrassed?When we are faced with English, why do we feel repulsion about it first?There are many reasons for this but I t
Should a law ban sexualizing of K-pop teens?

Jul 20, 2011

Following the FTC’s guidelines to protect young entertainers ... K-pop groups with underage members such as KARA have caused controversy with their provocative dress and dance routinesDrawing a line between sex and popOver the last 15 years, K-pop has grown from being entertainment for Koreans to being the subject of affection of fans across Asia, North America and Europe. Concerns over the incre
Samsung betting big on Galaxy Tab 10.1

IndustryJul 20, 2011

Samsung Electronics appeared to be full of confidence as it launched its second-generation tablet PC, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Korea on Wednesday at the company’s headquarters in southern Seoul. Shin Jong-kyun, chief of the global electronics company’s mobile business unit, pledged to sell more than five times more tablets than last year, despite the first Galaxy Tab not having sold as well as Samsu
SKT board members OK platform spin-off

IndustryJul 20, 2011

SK Telecom said Wednesday its board members agreed to spin off its platform unit, most likely headed by platform business president Seo Jin-woo, during a board meeting earlier on Tuesday. Seo Jin-wooCompany officials said the board members approved the spin off to boost the project expertise and strengthen the competitiveness of related projects through efficient distribution of the business reso
SK Communications releases new mobile messenger service

IndustryJul 20, 2011

SK Communications said Wednesday it launched a new mobile messenger service called “NateOn talk” for Android-powered smartphones, claiming it aims to garner up to 10 million users by the year end.SK Communications, operator of the country’s popular social networking site Cyworld, said the new mobile messenger will feature short messaging and mobile voice over Internet protocol services, along with