The Korea Herald

Busan man returns from global circumnavigation solo

PeopleJun 9, 2011

A Busan man arrived back Tuesday after completing an epic trip around the globe alone.Yoon Tae-geun took 20-months to complete the round-the-world journey and sailed into Busan port where he had begun the trip.The 49-year-old yachtsman left for his high seas adventure in October 2009 and sailed about 57,400 kilometers to fulfill his dream. Yoon is the first Korean solo circumnavigator to begin and
[Editorial] Another card crisis?

EditorialJun 9, 2011

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” is not just an official U.S. policy on homosexuals serving in the military. It also refers to the business practice Korean credit card companies are accused of resorting to when issuing cards to applicants with questionable credit standings.Now regulators are out to put an end to these ill-advised card issuances and other business practices. They say they will start weekly
[Editorial] Candlelight nightmare

EditorialJun 9, 2011

Friday is the 24th anniversary of massive civil disobedience against a military-backed strongman. White-collar workers as well as student activists rose up against President Chun Doo-hwan, a former Army general, demanding that democracy be restored. Chun capitulated three weeks later, on June 29, promising a direct popular vote to elect the next president.Students are set to stage another protest
A U.S. strategy for fighting cyberattacks

ViewpointsJun 9, 2011

The Pentagon is developing a new cyberwarfare strategy that calls for the use of military force ― including conventional weapons ― in response to certain kinds of damaging online attacks on U.S. institutions. That’s fine in theory; if foreign agents launch a cyberattack on, say, the nation’s electrical grid, it may be both reasonable and proportionate to fire missiles at, say, the attacker’s energ
[David Ignatius] Testing the Afghan exit ramps

ViewpointsJun 9, 2011

WASHINGTON ― The argument within the Obama administration for a big troop withdrawal from Afghanistan over the next year goes roughly like this: We’ve killed Osama bin Laden. That means we’ve achieved the core goal for which we sent forces in 2001. We have a ticket out, and we should take it. The counterargument from administration hawks is that a quick departure is a guarantee of failure. It risk
U.S. economy is being suffocated by uncertainty

ViewpointsJun 9, 2011

The economic recovery is 2 years old this month. Isn’t that reassuring? I didn’t think so. As recoveries go, this one is as blah as it gets. Judging by the most recent indicators, we may be headed for a double dip, or perhaps a period of flatlining that feels just as bad.Job growth is sluggish and unemployment is again on the rise. In the first three months of this year, the economy slowed substan
[Fuller W. Bazer] English-only lectures

ViewpointsJun 9, 2011

The editorial in The Korea Herald, June 7, 2011, states that “The spreading of English-only lectures in Korean universities is likely to slow, as presidents and deans have concluded that they have been largely ineffective because of the unpreparedness from both professors and students.” This is not forward thinking in a global society that embraces English as the language of science and business.
[Fenton Johnson] Sex in the time of AIDS

ViewpointsJun 9, 2011

Thirty years ago, on June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control published a notice of a strange illness affecting five Los Angeles gay men, two of whom died before the report could be published. The illness soon acquired the designation AIDS, along with a burden of fear and misinformation that it has never quite shaken.The decades of terror and rage and sacrifice and nobility that followed have
[Joel Brinkley] U.S. has trust issues with China

ViewpointsJun 9, 2011

A little-noticed disclosure resulting from the American military assault on Osama bin Laden’s home in Pakistan ought to be throwing a bright spotlight on a serious dilemma for the United States.Before they left, Navy Seals blew up the stealth helicopter that crashed just outside bin Laden’s house. But the tail section remained intact, studded with design elements of its stealth technology, somethi
New Koreana: more visual, story focused

BooksJun 9, 2011

Koreana, a quarterly on Korean culture and arts published by the Korea Foundation, has gone through a major editorial and design revamp this year, with a more visual and story-focused concept. Its 2011 summer edition, its first issue with the newly-designed layout and stories, was published in late May.The revamped edition is bigger in size so the all-color magazine can effectively mix photographs
[Herald Interview] TBS chief puts priority on public interest

PeopleJun 9, 2011

The Traffic Broadcasting System, which operates the all-English radio station TBS eFM here, celebrates its 21st anniversary on Friday. The broadcaster’s chief said the media company will keep its identity, which is to put public interest before ratings.The Seoul City-run media company operates five channels ― TBS at 95.1 FM in Korean, TBS eFM on 101.3 FM in English, Chinese and Japanese broadcasts
French art, from old to new

TheaterJun 9, 2011

Impressionists’ collection from Musée d’Orsay, Marcel Duchamp Prize-winners present wide spectrum of artArt aficionados here will be offered a comprehensive view of French art this summer, from 19th century realism to 21st century conceptual art. As Musée d’Orsay’s impressionists’ exhibition rooms went under renovation, GNC media, a South Korean exhibition organizer, grabbed the chance to get 134
Sleep disorders on the rise

HealthJun 9, 2011

The number of people treated for sleep disorders has risen by 92 percent in five years, the National Health Insurance Corporation said Monday. The number of patients marked 290,000 in 2010, up 90 percent up from 150,000 in 2006 and the total fees for treatment soared 139 percent in the same period. Sleep disorders include insomnia, excessive sleeping and sleep apnea, among others. About 57,000 of
Experts advise on meat consumption

HealthJun 9, 2011

The World Cancer Research Fund advised people to curb intake of beef, pork, lamb and processed meat including ham and salami, media reported last week. Researchers at Imperial College London studied a total of 263 theses about the role of diet, weight and physical activity in bowel cancer and found significant evidence suggesting that red or processed meat could increase the risk of prevalence. In
E. coli alert issued for travelers

HealthJun 9, 2011

The Ministry of Health and Welfare advised outbound travelers to take extra caution to avoid the Escherichia coli that is sweeping some European countries, including Germany and Sweden. The authorities have released promotional materials at the airports and public venues asking people to eat cooked food; wash vegetables thoroughly and pay extra attention to personal hygiene. The ministry stressed