The Korea Herald

Ministry to protect rights and welfare of entertainers

CultureMar 25, 2011

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Friday announced plans to set up an “Entertainer Supporting Center” as early as next month.The plans were unveiled at a forum involving about 20 influential figures in South Korea’s show biz industry at the SM Entertainment building in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. The forum, hosted by the Culture Ministry, sought to solve problems clouding over the
Hyundai Merchant fails to get nod for stock sale limit

IndustryMar 25, 2011

Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., the biggest unit of Korea’s Hyundai Group, surged in Seoul trading after shareholders rejected a proposal to increase the preferred stock sales limit, raising speculation it may become a takeover target. Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., owner of a 23.8 percent stake in Korea’s second-biggest shipping line, and three other companies with holdings voted against the plan at
Box Office

FilmMar 25, 2011

I Am a Dad (Korea)Opening April 14Action. Directed by Lee Se-young and Jeon Man-bae. Jong-sik (Kim Seung-woo) is a detective whose daughter is in need of a heart transplant. Finding it impossible to afford the expensive operation for his daughter, Jong-sik receives a bribe from illegal human organ traders and drops their murder charges for them. A man named Sang-man (Sohn Byeong-ho) is falsely cha
Targets deep within Libya hit; fewer U.S. jets used

World NewsMar 25, 2011

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) ― French fighter jets hit aircraft and a crossroads military base deep inside Libya as the U.S. reduced its combat role in the international operation that is working to thwart Moammar Gadhafi’s forces by land, sea and air.Explosions could be heard in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, before daybreak Friday, apparently from airstrikes.Libya’s air force has been effectively neutrali
N. Koreans seeking asylum weigh on inter-Korean ties

North KoreaMar 25, 2011

Seoul plans to send back 27 N. Koreans over weekend as 6 new asylum-seekers arriveSix North Koreans, including a grandson of the communist state’s patriotic martyr, are seeking asylum in South Korea, just days after the two rivals patched up a conflict over the repatriation of dozens of others who accidentally strayed here last month. The arrival of North Korean nationals comes at a bad time, anal
School buildings to be tested for quake resistance

Social affairsMar 25, 2011

The government will start a nationwide inspection on all school buildings for their earthquake preparedness, officials said Friday. Based on the data collected, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology plans to order up to 20 percent of the subject buildings to adopt earthquake-resistant designs by 2015.The nationwide overhaul comes after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the northe
City launches new ‘real Seoul’ tour programs targeting youths

Social affairsMar 25, 2011

Seoul City will launch new tourism programs Saturday in which travelers are guided to visit rare spots in every corner of the city, officials said Friday. The city has run the program Culture Experience of Seoul since 2008 and last year alone some 7,500 international visitors, students and diplomats participated in the tourist activities. As part of the program, the city introduces “Seoul Explorat
Groups set to fly off anti-N. Korea leaflets

Social affairsMar 25, 2011

Groups of North Korean defectors here were set to fly anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North on Friday and Saturday despite the communist state’s renewed threat to strike the South’s “strongholds of psychological warfare” and safety concerns raised by South Koreans living near the border.Residents of Cheorwon in Gangwon Province and Paju in Gyeonggi Province have protested the leaflet campaigns out
No espionage involved in Shanghai scandal

PoliticsMar 25, 2011

Official: Lack of discipline caused extramarital affairs, information leakSouth Korea concluded Friday that the recent sex scandal involving several of its officials in Shanghai and a young Chinese woman was not a case of espionage, avoiding diplomatic fallout with China which has been closely monitoring the investigations.Several officials, including former Consul General Kim Jung-ki, underwent g
LG Electronics expanding 3-D TV alliance

IndustryMar 25, 2011

Sharp of Japan latest foreign firm LG is seeking new technology partnership withLG Electronics is bit by bit winning partners from its biggest rival Samsung in a bid to gently, but firmly, nudge the entire television industry to go the “LG Way.”The “LG Way,” in terms of 3-D TVs, happens to be LG’s new technology that involves, to put it simply, placing a sheet of special film on TV panels to reali
Labor dispute delays Hyundai car production

IndustryMar 25, 2011

Disagreements between Hyundai Motor Co. and its union are delaying production at the company’s Ulsan complex, causing shortages in domestic and export demand.According to the company, productivity of the plant producing small vehicles has fallen to about 33.5 percent as workers are refusing to comply with its proposal of moving some of the plant’s workers to other parts of the complex.With a signi
POSCO to invest W2.2tr in plants by 2013

IndustryMar 25, 2011

POSCO will spend 2.2 trillion won ($1.97 billion) by 2013 on building two new plants and renovating a stainless steel mill, the steelmaker announced Friday. Under the plans, approved by the company’s board of directors Friday morning, POSCO will build a new FINEX facility and a fourth plant producing steel coils at its steelworks in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. Developed by POSCO and put int
Quake in Myanmar kills more than 60

World NewsMar 25, 2011

YANGON (AFP) ― More than 50 people were killed and dozens of buildings destroyed when a strong earthquake struck Myanmar near the Thai border, officials from both countries said Friday.Tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometers from the epicenter, Hanoi and parts of China during the earthquake Thursday, which the U.S. Geological Survey measured at magnitude 6.8.A Myanmar offic
European carmakers may be forced to idle plants on Japan quake

World BusinessMar 25, 2011

Volkswagen AG, PSA Peugeot Citroen and other European automakers may be forced to halt production in coming weeks as component suppliers in earthquake-ravaged Japan struggle to restart factories.The recovery to normal production levels may take months and cost the industry “billions of euros” in lost revenue, said Lars Holmqvist, head of the region’s Clepa auto suppliers association in a telephone
Portugal woes steal show at EU summit

World BusinessMar 25, 2011

EU leaders sign off on new crisis strategy amid fears over Portugal’s finances, Irish banksBRUSSELS (AP) ― On the day that EU leaders presented what they hoped was the final version of their plan to solve the region’s debt troubles, their summit in Brussels was overwhelmed by debate over Portugal’s political crisis.The meeting, which concluded early Friday, was supposed to mark the moment when gov