When he decided to run his own business a few years ago, Bryan Hale, a former English teacher at a local middle school, had no idea about the business culture here. What helped him a lot, he said, was the business start-up program offered by the Seoul Global Center, a support center for foreign residents. “The center offered me the education I need to understand the Korean business culture; not to

Ruling party shelves additional tax cut plan, scrambles to cut tuitionThe ruling Grand National Party has gone to great lengths to renew its image, even defying the policies of the current administration, but many still regard its moves with a doubtful eye.In a general meeting held Thursday, a majority of GNP lawmakers agreed to withdraw the additional tax cut plan for corporations, which has so f

Asiana Airlines Inc. said Friday that it will buy three Korea Express Co. units ― Aas Airport Service, Asiana Airport Development Co. and Kumho Terminal Co. In its regulatory filing, the nation’s second-largest air carrier said it will purchase Kumho Terminal for 255.5 billion won ($235.3 million), Asiana Airport Development for 67.7 billion won and Aas Airport Service for 38.3 billion won. With t

The National Assembly is poised to settle the long-standing dispute over whether to provide the nation’s central bank with independent authority to inspect financial companies.Ruling and opposition lawmakers have reportedly reached a consensus to pass the proposed revision of the law on the Bank of Korea as early as this month, according to the political sector.The revised bill has been pending at

Korea will expand the “differentiated rate system” for public services as part of its ongoing efforts to tame inflation, a senior Finance Ministry official said Friday.The differentiated rate system will be applied to such services as electricity and highway toll fees by offering diverse rates based on time, amount of usage and other factors, Vice Finance Minister Yim Jong-yong said at a weekly an

BEIRUT (AP) ― Syrian troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships swept into another northwestern city early Friday, just days after laying siege to it, activists said. Big demonstrations were expected nationwide as the Syrian people pressed on with the uprising to oust President Bashar Assad.Syria-based rights activist Mustafa Osso said large numbers of soldiers entered Maaret al-Numan. It was

 

 

The number of high school graduates dropped 15 percent from 2000 to 2005, making it impossible for some universities and junior colleges to fill their freshman quotas. A fall in admissions meant a drop in tuition fees ― the main source of revenues for the ill-fated ones.The situation will worsen if no action is taken because the number is projected to fall 40 percent from 670,000 to 410,000 in a d

A borrower is up to no good if he is much indebted. This has been proven to be true in all ages and countries, no matter which the borrower may be ― a corporation, a state or an individual.Kim Choong-soo, governor of the Bank of Korea, made remarks to that effect when he was commenting on Tuesday’s news report that Greece took a super-low rating from the Standard & Poor’s. If so, why is he accused

For all the excitement about the twilight of the dictators, only two ― Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia ― have been officially knocked over since the start of the so-called Arab Spring six months ago. It isn’t even clear whether that count will reach three. Yemeni strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh is in neighboring Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after a bomb in his own