The Korea Herald

Ban Ki-moon gets second term as UN chief

Foreign affairsJun 22, 2011

U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon (AP-Yonhap News)UNITED NATIONS (AP) _ The U.N. General Assembly voted unanimously to give Ban Ki-moon a second term as secretary-general Tuesday, praising him for strengthening the world body's role and visibility in difficult circumstances.The 192-member assembly applauded loudly as it adopted a resolution giving the 67-year-old South Korean diplomat another fiv
Electrical glitch shuts down nuclear reactor

Social affairsJun 21, 2011

A nuclear reactor in southeastern South Korea went offline on Tuesday because of a glitch in a power transmission line, which came in contact with a sheet of vinyl used for greenhouses, a state-run power company said. Electricity in the line, one of three high-voltage power lines connected to the reactor, was cut off suddenly when a 5-meter-wide vinyl sheet carried by wind touched the line, acc
22 killed in suicide car bombings south of Baghdad

World NewsJun 21, 2011

BAGHDAD – Suicide bombers detonated two explosives-laden vehicles early Tuesday near a government compound by a southern Iraqi governor's home, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens, Iraqi officials said.The attacks come as Iraq's top political factions started to discuss in earnest whether to ask some of the U.S. troops to stay beyond the Dec. 31 withdrawal deadline because of the securi
N. Korea could test-launch missile at new launch site this year: expert

North KoreaJun 21, 2011

North Korea could test-launch a missile this year from its second and more sophisticated launch site, in an apparent move to improve its long-range missile capabilities, a U.S. expert said Tuesday. South Korean and U.S. officials have monitored the new Tongchang-ri missile base on the North's west coast for more than two years, and satellite images showed early this year that construction of a
Kim Bum-soo turns the page

PeopleJun 21, 2011

Hit survival program catapults singer to soaring stardomKim Bum-soo was known as the “singer behind the curtain” before getting his new nickname “Visual Kim” in the hit TV program, “Survival: I’m a Singer.”The elimination contest is similar to “Britain’s Got Talent,” which brought Susan Boyle fame. However, one of the differences is that “I’m a Singer” is a competition for professional vocalists.A
More celebrities get into social activism

Social affairsJun 21, 2011

Entertainers may voice opinions on social issues, but some lack focusKorean entertainers who voice their opinions on political and social issues have been making headlines in recent weeks. The controversy ― whether entertainers should take advantage of their fame to draw fans to join their causes ― was sparked anew after singer Kim Heung-guk was forced to quit as a DJ. He was pushed out of his MBC
Quality of university education questioned

Social affairsJun 21, 2011

This is the second installment of a three-part series looking into problems in Korea’s tertiary education. ― Ed. Lee, a 30-year-old computer engineering graduate, has been jobless since he graduated from a university in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, more than a year ago. There seemed to be a lot of job openings in the information technology industry, but for some reason, he did not feel he was qualif
Plan aims to stop rookies being hired as judges

PoliticsJun 21, 2011

Reform bill to be submitted to parliament later this monthFrom 2013, only those with a certain period of judicial experience as prosecutors, lawyers, law professors and in similar positions will be appointed as judges according to a proposal by a parliamentary committee. The National Assembly’s special committee for judicial reform said it would vote Wednesday on a plan to change the way judges ar
N. Korea buys more anti-riot gear from China

North KoreaJun 21, 2011

BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― North Korea has recently created a special police task force and bought large amounts of anti-riot gear from China in an apparent attempt to cope with any possible riots in the North, a source said Tuesday.The communist North purchased tear gas, helmets and shields through Chinese merchants in China’s northeastern city of Shenyang in recent months, the source said.The North
DP threatens Assembly boycott over TV fee rise

PoliticsJun 21, 2011

The National Assembly’s June provisional session schedule faced a sudden halt as the main opposition Democratic Party pledged to boycott the ruling Grand National Party’s decision to increase a public broadcaster’s monthly viewing fee.The parliamentary committee on culture, sports, tourism, broadcast and communication held a subcommittee meeting on Monday and passed the revision bill to raise the
Lee, Sohn set broad political talks

PoliticsJun 21, 2011

Leaders to discuss tuition, FTA, savings bank probe and other pending issuesPresident Lee Myung-bak will meet with main opposition Democratic Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu next Monday, Lee’s aide said Tuesday, to discuss pending issues such as rising tuition fees and the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement which is yet to be approved by the parliaments of both countries.The ongoing prosecutorial investiga
S. Korea, Sweden ministers discuss military cooperation

DefenseJun 21, 2011

Defense chiefs of South Korea and Sweden discussed ways to enhance bilateral military exchanges and cooperation in the defense industry during their talks in Seoul on Tuesday, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said.Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Swedish counterpart Sten Tolgfors also discussed regional security issues including North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and its missile dev
Japanese subtitle service offered for Korean movies

Social affairsJun 21, 2011

Seoul City has started showing Korean movies with foreign language subtitles, including Japanese for the first time, officials said Tuesday. In cooperation with CGV Theater, one of the country’s largest cinema chains, the city has offered the foreign language service at five theaters since 2009.This month the Japanese language subtitle service began first at a CGV branch in Myeong-dong, a popular
More local governments suffer from bad finances

Social affairsJun 21, 2011

The financial health of provincial governments is getting worse due to stagnant local tax revenues and increasing welfare demand, the home affairs ministry said Tuesday.The average ratio for measuring their financial independence from the state was 51.9 percent as of this year, 5.3 percentage points lower than seven years ago, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said in a statement.
Two rockets strike Korea’s Afghan base

PoliticsJun 21, 2011

Two rockets fell inside an Afghanistan base where South Korean aid workers and troops were stationed on Monday night, but there were no injuries, Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.The attack is the 10th this year, apparently targeting the base in Charikar City in the northern Afghan province of Parwan. In a previous attack on May 30, one rocket fell just outside the base.The rockets fell nea