The Korea Herald

Samsung, LG fight for 3-D tech supremacy

IndustryMar 10, 2011

Samsung emphasizes smarter online features, LG claims brighter, clearer pictureKorea’s electronics powerhouses, Samsung and LG, are embroiled in a bitter war of words trumpeting the superiority of their 3-D TV technologies. The two top TV makers are pinning high hopes on the next-generation moving picture which promises to create lucrative revenue sources.The battle is becoming increasingly intens
Four N. Koreans get ready to settle in Seoul

North KoreaMar 10, 2011

Despite an ongoing tug of war with North Korea, South Korea has begun the process of officially accepting the four North Koreans who have expressed the wish to defect, officials in Seoul said Wednesday. A North Korean boat carrying 31 people ― 11 men and 20 women ― drifted across the inter-Korean sea border in thick fog on Feb. 5. Of the passengers, 27 expressed a desire to return home while four,
BOK raises key rate to 3 pct to tame inflation

Mar 10, 2011

South Korea's central bank raised the key interest rate on Thursday by a quarter percentage point in a bid to put a lid on growing inflationary pressure sparked by rising oil and food prices. Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo and his fellow policymakers hiked the benchmark seven-day repo rate, dubbed the base rate, to 3 percent, following a rate freeze in February. It marked the fourth rat
Cigarette displays to be banned in English stores

WorldMar 10, 2011

LONDON (AP) _ The cigarette packs piled into prominent displays behind store counters and supermarket checkouts in England can't be missed. They occupy prime retail real estate, helping to keep addicts hooked and quitters tempted.In this June 29, 2010 file photo, tobacco products are displayed in a shop in Glasgow, Scotland. Tobacco will no longer be displayed in shops under new legislation bein
U.N. Command says Yeonpyeong shelling a 'planned attack'

Foreign affairsMar 9, 2011

U.N. Command says Yeonpyeong shelling a “planned attack” The United Nations Command in South Korea has concluded North Korea's attack on a South Korean border island last year was a planned provocation, dismissing the communist nation's claim the attack was part of a self-defensive measure, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The UNC, overseeing the armistice between the divided Koreas since th
Navy, Air Force join Army in picking female ROTC cadets

DefenseMar 9, 2011

The Navy and Air Force plan to select female officers through a college-based training program for the first time this year, following the Army in giving women more opportunities in the military, officials said Wednesday. The Navy and Air Force will pick a total of 10 female cadets for the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program, while the Army will recruit 250 female ROTC cadets this year
S. Korea bans travel to Libya

Foreign affairsMar 9, 2011

South Korea on Wednesday decided to ban its nationals from traveling to or staying in Libya amid intensifying violence between protesters and government forces there, the foreign ministry said. The ban will take effect early next week for a period of one month after undergoing necessary procedures. Those who do not comply will face punishment of up to one year in prison or at least 3 million w
‘S. Korea behind North in electronic warfare’

North KoreaMar 9, 2011

Experts say latest GPS disruption proves new kind of military threat from NorthNorth Korea’s recent jamming of communications signals in South Korea is drawing keen public attention to its electronic warfare capabilities and raising questions over whether the South is making due efforts to enhance its own capabilities.Last Friday and Sunday, the North sent strong electric waves to the South, tempo
Ssangyong Motor emerges from court protection

IndustryMar 9, 2011

Ssangyong Motor Co., Korea‘s smallest automaker, emerged from bankruptcy protection Wednesday following the sale of its stake to Indian utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., the company said in a regulatory filing.Ssangyong, previously owned by China’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., has been under court protection since February 2009 when its Chinese parent abandoned it in the face
KRX OKs listing of Hana Financial‘s new shares

Mar 9, 2011

Korea’s bourse operator on Wednesday gave the green light to Hana Financial Group Inc.‘s request to list its new shares on the local bourse, a move expected to expedite the group’s takeover of the country‘s fifth-largest lender.Hana Financial’s new shares will start trading on Thursday, the Korea Exchange (KRX) said in an e-mailed statement, adding that the decision was reached upon a comprehensiv
[Herald Interview] Korea hopeful of G20 progress on global imbalance

Mar 9, 2011

The Group of 20 major economies are likely to come up with different numerical current account targets for each member nation in April to correct global trade imbalances, said Sohn Byung-doo, director general of the newly established G20 bureau at the Finance Ministry.Updating on the G20 agenda, Sohn said the G20 is on its way to delivering optimum trade surplus and deficit targets that cater for
A crocus with your cappuccino

CultureMar 9, 2011

Flower cafés emerge as new hope amid slump of flower sales and fierce competition in café industryInstead of the expected scent of coffee and waffles, the fresh fragrances of spring flowers greet visitors at the door of Blute, a flower café in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. On a Saturday afternoon, surrounded by bundles of flowers and plants, a barista made hot Americanos while a nearby florist skill
From Paganini to Piazzola

MusicMar 9, 2011

Denis Sung-ho Janssens leads four string artists on ‘journey to the sun’Italian composer and violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) was also a guitarist, composing more than 100 songs for guitar. Paganini’s Sonata for Violin and Guitar in E minor became especially famous in Korea after it was used as background music in the 1995 SBS drama “Sandglass.”Korean-born Belgian guitarist Denis Sung-
Report says tension high on peninsula

DefenseMar 9, 2011

LONDON (Yonhap News) -- The Korean Peninsula is experiencing its most “dangerous” period since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War in light of North Korean provocations last year, an international military report said Wednesday.The 2011 edition of the annual Military Balance, published by the London-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, said international tensions rose acro
Messi, Barca maul Arsenal 3-1

SoccerMar 9, 2011

Shakhtar join Spanish giants in quarterfinalsLONDON (AP) ― Barcelona overwhelmed Arsenal with a 3-1 victory following Lionel Messi’s double and Shakhtar Donetsk reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time after beating AS Roma 3-0 on Tuesday.While Barcelona outclassed Arsenal for the second successive season, the match turned in the Spanish champions’ favor in a three-minute spel