The Korea Herald

Give hotel maids panic buttons: lawmaker

World NewsMay 25, 2011

The American and French flags hang over the Sofitel hotel Sunday, May 15, 2011 in New York where International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 62, was staying Saturday and is accused of an alleged assault involving a maid. Strauss-Kahn was plucked from a first class seat on a Paris-bound Air France flight that was just about to leave the gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport abo
Bibimbap burger hits New York

Food&BeverageMay 25, 2011

A burger version of the signature Korean dish bibimbap is captivating the taste buds of New York foodies. Made by Angelo Sosa, an American chef who appeared on the U.S. TV show “Top Chef,” the bibimbap burger has made a successful debut by winning the best burger prize at a competition to find the greatest burger in America.“Recently we won, by Eater.com, the best burger not only in New York city
British police 'target Asians': report

World NewsMay 25, 2011

LONDON — British police are up to 42 times more likely to use counter-terrorism powers to stop and search people of Asian origin than white people, a report said on Tuesday.Police are using a power, granted under the Terrorism Act 2000, which allows them to stop people at ports and airports for up to nine hours without the need for reasonable suspicion of involvement in a crime.More than 85,000 su
Kim holds talks with Chinese leaders: report

North KoreaMay 25, 2011

Kim Jong-il spotted in China (Yonhap News)North Korean leader Kim Jong-il arrived in Beijing apparently for a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, the South Korean media reported Wednesday, drawing regional attention to the talks that could provide a breakthrough to the stalemate in the North’s denuclearization process.The North’s reclusive leader, who rarely travels abroad, is on his third t
Brooding men, smiling women seen as sexy: study

ScienceMay 25, 2011
5 pct of youth vulnerable to Internet addiction: study

TechnologyMay 25, 2011

About 5 percent of South Korean youths are vulnerable to Internet addiction, a government study showed Wednesday. According to a joint report on Internet usage of 1.81 million students by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the education ministry, 89,755, or 4.9 percent, were deemed at risk of falling into cyber addiction. Of those, 23,085 were put in the high-risk category, while
U.S. rights envoy arrives in Pyongyang

PoliticsMay 24, 2011

A team of U.S. officials arrived in North Korea on Tuesday, the communist state's official media said, a trip intended for consultation on "humanitarian issues" between the two longtime foes.The delegation, led by Robert King, special American ambassador on North Korean human rights, had departed from Beijing hours earlier to arrive in North Korea where it seeks to clarify doubts about Pyongyang's
Smokers at Seoul squares to be fined 100,000 won

Social affairsMay 24, 2011

Smokers will be slapped with a 100,000 won ($91) fine if caught smoking at major squares in central Seoul starting next month.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday it has designated Gwanghwamun, Cheonggye and Seoul Squares as no-smoking areas.The capital will dispatch patrol teams to the squares from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. They will use PDAs to issue tickets on the spot to those caught taking a
[News Focus] GNP embroiled in identity crisis, feud

PoliticsMay 24, 2011

Conflicts over free school meals, college tuition fee cut escalateAn identity crisis is deepening at the Grand National Party, after reformists who emphasize greater welfare for the working class took control of the ruling conservative bloc. On one side, the party’s two new chiefs ― floor leader Rep. Hwang Woo-yea and top policymaker Rep. Lee Ju-young ― are championing a plan to slash college tuit
Police raid auto parts firm to end sit-in

IndustryMay 24, 2011

Yoosung labor union’s strike stops some Hyundai, Kia diesel linesThousands of riot police raided the labor strife-marred auto parts’ factory in Asan on Tuesday to end the prolonged illegal strike by unionized members, which is threatening suspension of production in the nation’s automobile industry, witnesses said.About 3,000 riot police were sent to the factory of Yoosung Enterprise Co. about 90k
‘Chemicals dumped in Bucheon’

PoliticsMay 24, 2011

Ex-soldier claims indiscriminate dumping at U.S. baseAnother former U.S. soldier claimed seven years ago that his unit in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, dumped “every imaginable chemical” there in the 1960s, a U.S.-based Korean journalist said Monday.The comment further escalated public anxiety over toxic chemical contamination by U.S. troops here, who are alleged to have buried a considerable amount
Expert calls for pragmatic N.K. policy

PoliticsMay 24, 2011

U.S. analyst expects herald interview N.K. ‘apology,’ easing of Seoul’s sanctions in near futureNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s seventh official visit to China is once again drawing attention to whether the reclusive state will forge a major economic partnership with its main ally and provider of aid.In addition to revisiting China’s underdeveloped northeastern provinces last week, Kim traveled
U.S. delegation due in N.K. over food aid

Foreign affairsMay 24, 2011

A U.S. fact-finding team will be departing for North Korea on Tuesday with some of its members staying over a week for detailed inspection of the food conditions there, officials here said, confirming the mission that may lead to Washington’s resumption of aid and dialogue with the communist state. The team, led by special envoy for North Korean human rights issues Robert King, is expected to stay
Lee meets envoy from the Vatican

PoliticsMay 24, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday met with a senior Vatican official in charge of promoting dialogue with other religions and expressed his respect for such efforts, the presidential office said.French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican, arrived in Seoul on Monday for a five-day trip that includes a visit to the headquarters
N.K. leader visits Nanjing industrial park

North KoreaMay 24, 2011

Kim’s trip indicates urgency in securing economic assistance from ChinaNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-il arrived in the eastern city of Nanjing and looked around industrial facilities there, the South Korean media said on Tuesday, the fifth day of the secretive trip indicating the communist state’s need to secure aid and economic support from its main benefactor. Kim traveled to Nanjing in a convoy