The Korea Herald

U.S. full face transplant patient makes appearance

HealthMay 10, 2011

BOSTON (AP) -- The nation's first full face transplant recipient said the first thing his young daughter told him when she saw him after the operation was ``Daddy, you're so handsome.''Dallas Wiens, sporting a goatee and dark sunglasses, joined surgeons Monday at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston in his first public appearance since the 15-hour procedure in March.This picture shows facial tr
Five headless bodies found in north Mexico

World NewsMay 10, 2011

Five decapitated bodies were found Monday outside a school near the northern Mexican city of Durango, where soldiers have now unearthed 168 bodies in a month-long search of hidden graves.Authorities found the five bodies lying naked, with their heads nearby, in the small town of Pueblo Nuevo, adjacent to Durango, said the state prosecutor's office in a statement, without giving further details.Ten
Whitney Houston voluntarily enters rehab

MusicMay 10, 2011

Whitney Houston (AP)NEW YORK (AP)- Whitney Houston is back in rehab.A representative for the superstar singer confirmed Monday that Houston is undergoing treatment. Kristen Foster says Houston is in an out-patient program for drug and alcohol treatment. She says it is a voluntary measure and part of Houston's ``long-standing'' recovery process.The 47-year-old, one of the most successful singers in
Robber in 50s disguises as woman

Social affairsMay 10, 2011

Police arrested a male robber in 50s dressed as a woman to look less suspicious.The man reportedly wore a blouse, mini-skirt, and stockings while stealing 15kg of copper pipe last month. The man had also dyed his hair blond.According to police, the man was wearing his disguise when he was arrested.The man, surnamed Lee, who was released from prison last year, told the police, “I had no job and liv
Korean Buddhists concern decreasing candidate monks

CultureMay 10, 2011

(Yonhap News)Korea’s biggest Buddhism sect “Jogye” is reportedly anxious about a decreasing number of people seeking to be monks. The religion prospered in Korea until the end of the Koryo dynasty and, although it has declined since, remains one of the major religions in Korea.But according to statistics the number of new monks is on the wane.There were 466 new Jogye monks in 2005, but just 274 i
Old couple suicides on parents’ day

PoliticsMay 10, 2011

An elderly couple who suffered from severe health problems hanged themselves on parents’ day.Yongin Seobu Police Station said they found the bodies of a Mr. Jeon and Ms. Roh at their apartment. The couple, who were in their 60s, left behind five pages of notes saying, “sorry and thank you.”Mr. Jeon and Ms. Roh suffered from Alzheimer’s and cancer, respectively.The couple sent their son and his fam
Contest pits brewer against brewer

Expat LivingMay 9, 2011

Korea’s beer-making fraternity will try to out-brew each other at Homebrew Korea’s “Brew Your Hops Off” contest at Oktoberfest in Gangnam on May 14thThere will be three categories -- pale ales and IPAs, stouts and dark beers and lager, wheat and specialty beers. Contestants must bring at least 500 ml of beer per entry, although Unlimited house pilsner, weizen and dunkel will be available and each
FSC chief skeptical about sharing probe rights

May 9, 2011

A top government financial regulator on Monday expressed his concern about public criticism of the financial supervisory authorities following a series of scandals.Speaking at a meeting with reporters, Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Seok-dong admitted his responsibility for the bribery scandals at the Financial Supervisory Service, an executive arm of the FSC.“I, as the chief regulator
GNP swamped with calls for reform

PoliticsMay 9, 2011

The ruling Grand National Party was facing internal strife as junior lawmakers pushed on with their bold reform plans.Party leader Ahn Sang-soo, together with Supreme Council members, stepped down on Sunday, taking responsibility for the party’s defeat in last month’s by-elections and giving way to an emergency committee.However, disagreements occurred over the leadership and composition of the co
Lee makes conditional invitation to N.K. leader to nuclear summit

PoliticsMay 9, 2011

BERLIN -- President Lee Myung-bak said Monday that he was willing to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to the world’s largest nuclear summit to be held in Seoul next year if Pyongyang “firmly agrees” with the international community to denuclearize. President Lee Myung-bak speaks during a news conference after a summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday. (Yonhap News)“If
Lee discusses economic ties, reunification with German leaders

PoliticsMay 9, 2011

President says existence of nuclear arms on Korean Peninsula will delay reunificationBERLIN -- President Lee Myung-bak and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday discussed ways to strengthen economic ties, especially for the development of renewable energy, during their talks here in the German capital.Lee’s talks with Merkel came after the Korean president held a summit meeting earlier in the
Task force set up to reform FSS as scandal spreads

Social affairsMay 9, 2011

Senior watchdog official indicted for briberyThe Prime Minister’s Office launched a task force on Monday to revamp the Financial Supervisory Service, under fire for poor oversight of seven troubled savings banks and corruption among its staff.Rim Chae-min, chief of staff to Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, and Kim Jun-kyung, professor of the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Man
U.S. generals in S. Korea on educational tour

DefenseMay 9, 2011

Twenty newly promoted general-grade officers from the U.S. are on a five-day tour to South Korea under an educational program aimed at enhancing understanding of its key Asian ally.Under the “Capstone” program organized by the U.S. National Defense University, the group, which arrived here Sunday, visited Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and was briefed on the security situation on the Korean Peninsu
Ministry eases passport rules

PoliticsMay 9, 2011

Regulations on passport issuance for those who have committed crimes overseas will be eased, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Monday.It said that the revision is likely to go into effect from July. Currently, those who have committed crimes in foreign countries are banned from being issued passports for a year. Passport issuance is restricted for three years for those who are charged
Lee offers to resign as leader of minority LFP

PoliticsMay 9, 2011

Conservative says his party needs changeLee Hoi-chang, leader of the conservative minority Liberty Forward Party, has turned in his resignation in the hope of overcoming the party’s prolonged political stagnation.“I am stepping down to give way to changes in our party,” Lee said in the Supreme Council meeting held on Monday morning.“Political circles are undergoing sweeping changes and the LFP nee