The Korea Herald

Shaking shopping mall evacuated

Social affairsJul 5, 2011

Thousands of people evacuated from a high-rise office building after tremors were felt throughout the building for unknown reasons in Seoul on Tuesday.According to the Gwangjin Fire Station, the 39-story Prime Center including TechnoMart, a major electronics retail outlet in Gwangjin-gu, shook violently for 10 minutes at around 10:10 a.m., prompting some 300 people to evacuate.At the time of the t
GNP’s Hong vows to settle Korea-U.S. FTA, N.K. rights law

PoliticsJul 5, 2011

The new chief of the conservative ruling party said Tuesday his party would seek to ratify the free trade deal with Washington and pass the North Korean human rights law next month regardless of opposition from rival parties. Hong Joon-pyo, who was elected the new chairman of the Grand National Party, presided over his first Supreme Council meeting Tuesday, vowing to achieve harmony between differ
iPhone app uncovers stunning view of N.K.

Social affairsJul 5, 2011

A U.S. photo album app maker released its latest app, showcasing more than 1,000 photos of North Korea, from all facets of life. Fotopedia North Korea, available free for the iPhone, iPod and iPad at the App Store, features photos by world renown photographer Eric Lafforgue from his visits into the isolated country.“I traveled to North Korea four times between 2008 and 2010, always under strict su
New GNP leadership may make Lee a lame duck

PoliticsJul 5, 2011

Members of the Grand National Party’s new leadership, including chairman Hong Joon-pyo (second from left, front row), visit the national cemetery in Seoul on Tuesday, a day after the party convention. (Yonhap News)The recent election of Hong Joon-pyo, a non-mainstream lawmaker close to President Lee Myung-bak’s in-house rival, as the new ruling party leader may make Lee an early lame duck, politic
Lee discusses nuclear plant deal with Zuma

Foreign affairsJul 5, 2011

(From left) Lee Myung-bak, Jacob ZumaPresident in South Africa to boost PyeongChang’s Winter Olympics bidPresident Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday discussed nuclear energy development cooperation with his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma during their summit talks in Durban.Seoul is seeking to win atomic plant construction deals abroad, with the United Arab Emirates being its first overseas customer
North Korea holds massive rally to condemn S. Korean government

North KoreaJul 5, 2011

North Koreans gathered Monday at a massive rally in Pyongyang to denounce the conservative government of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak as a “group of unparalleled traitors.“More than 100,000 citizens, soldiers and senior government and army officials flocked to Kim Il Sung Square, according to footage from Associated Press Television News in Pyongyang.Signs carried slogans praising North Ko
Michelle Obama may visit Seoul for nuclear summit

Foreign affairsJul 5, 2011

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is expected to make her first visit to South Korea next March to join a rare gathering for spouses of world leaders during a global summit on nuclear security, an official at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The U.S. first lady is likely to accompany her husband, President Barack Obama, on his trip to the next Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, which leaders fro
Mongolian Airlines sells tickets for ‘ghost’ flights

Social affairsJul 5, 2011

An airline carrier that operates flights to Mongolia has been creating “ghost” flights out of Korea to sell extra tickets, according to Seoul’s transportation ministry on Tuesday.Starting last month, Mongolian Airlines has been increasing the number of flights, promoting ticket sales. But because those flights were not authorized by Seoul, customers were forced onto alternate flights.According to
Military to set up non-smoking units

DefenseJul 5, 2011

The defense military has declared a war on smoking, unveiling a plan to lower its service members’ smoking rate by 3 percentage points this year.Some 47.2 percent of military personnel were smokers as of the end of last year, higher than the average of 39.6 percent for the country’s men, according to government data.“Under the smoking reduction goal, the defense ministry designated 100 non-smoking
Bullying could have led to shooting

DefenseJul 5, 2011

Poor ammunitions management partly blamed for death of 4 marinesThe Marine who went on a shooting rampage Monday, killing four fellow soldiers, had been treated like an outcast on his base on Ganghwa Island, military officials said Tuesday.The 19-year-old corporal, identified only by his surname Kim, said in writing, “I feel a lot of pain. I want to die. The practices of beating and ostracizing a
The forgotten men who helped create the miracle on the Han

Social affairsJul 5, 2011

Keenan FaganA short time ago, I received a call from Han Sang-man, voicing his disappointment that his father’s contributions to Korean development had been virtually forgotten. Han’s father helped rebuild Seoul National University and the Korean education system. These contributions, which started in 1954, just after the ravages of the Korean War, were so extensive that Han’s father received grea
South Korean companies battle English to reach world market

World NewsJul 5, 2011

No English. No job. No future? That cannot be true for everyone, but many South Korean companies and individuals seem to believe it is. For them, English is the only thing that stands between them and the vast global markets.The importance of English as a lingua franca in business deals can’t be overstated. It’s especially so for South Korean companies that depend heavily on exports for growth. Ko
Public forum on FTA on Thursday

Jul 5, 2011

A conference on economic opportunities and challenges arising from the Korea-EU FTA which came into effect on July 1 will take place in Seoul on Thursday.The conference, taking place at the Koreana Hotel from 2 p.m., will also examine the current economic crisis in Europe and economic development in Korea. The event is being jointly hosted by the Center for Free Enterprise, a Seoul-based free mark
Incheon Airport Corp. buys 10% stake in Russian airport

IndustryJul 5, 2011

Incheon International Airport Corp. announced Tuesday it has acquired a 10-percent stake in Khabarovsk Airport in Russia’s Far East, stepping up its charges into the development of the Russian partner.This makes the IIAC the first foreign airport operator to step into management of a Russian airport, which has been safeguarded by the government there as a national strategic industry.As the third-l
Watchdog OKs Gmarket-Auction merger

Jul 5, 2011

The Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday gave the green light to the merger of the nation’s two biggest online retailers operating under EBay Inc., ruling that the combination would not hinder the industry’s level of competition.The watchdog’s approval of the Gmarket-Auction merger came after their parent EBay had applied for the deal in March. After studying the deal for three months, the FTC said th