The Korea Herald

Three banking groups likely to bid for Samhwa

Jan 25, 2011

Three banking groups, including top financial firm Woori Finance Holdings Co., have expressed their intention to buy an ailing savings bank, a state insurance agency that arranges the deal and sources said Tuesday. On Jan. 14, the financial regulator suspended mid-sized SamhwaMutual Savings Bank for six months as it failed to meet regulatorycapital requirements. State-run Korea Deposit Insu
Seoul to propose North to hold working-level talks

North KoreaJan 25, 2011

South Korea plans to propose to the North on Wednesday to hold working-level talks next month in order to open the window for their first military talks in five months, government sources said Tuesday. "The government plans to officially suggest to North Korea within tomorrow to hold preparatory talks for high-level military talks," a government official said. Military talks with the North
Director Yoon thriving in dream job

FilmJan 25, 2011

Debut film ‘Heartbeat’ draws more than 1 millionFilm director Yoon Jae-geun has done a lot in the last 10 years. He studied art, made TV commercials for ramen and department stores, traveled across Europe, learned how to make films overseas, wrote movie scripts, and never gave up on becoming what he is today.“I watched ‘Star Wars’ when I was in fifth grade,” the 44-year-old director told The Korea
Uphill climb to glory

More sportsJan 25, 2011

Pittsburgh Steelers embrace underdog status in Super BowlPITTSBURGH (AP) ― The mighty Pittsburgh Steelers, equipped with a record six Super Bowl titles, a 14-4 record, the No. 2 AFC seed and a veteran roster on the verge of three championships in the past six seasons, are underdogs for Super Bowl XLV.Really?Don’t worry. It’s not you. It doesn’t make much sense to the Steelers, either.But here Pitt
Elite forces become national heroes

PoliticsJan 25, 2011

UDT/SEAL unit members go through harsh trainingDespite the face-numbing weather, the Navy’s elite special warfare troops, clad in black diving suits, hurled themselves into the frigid waters after jumping out of their rubber boats Tuesday.The group of the naval troops, dubbed UDT/SEAL, was engaging in their three-week combat training session, which began off the coast of Jinhae in Changwon City on
Somali pirates face punishment in Korea

PoliticsJan 25, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak has instructed the government to bring the five Somali pirates captured alive last Friday to Korea for criminal punishment, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Tuesday.“The president instructed officials to bring the pirates here for punishment. Therefore, the possibility of them being handed over to a third country is not high,” the official said, on condition of anonymity.Anoth
Korea develops most advanced wireless tech

TechnologyJan 25, 2011

Korean researchers Tuesday unveiled the most advanced wireless network technology, boosting potential for the country to lead the future telecommunications market.The state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute in Daejeon demonstrated the Long Term Evolution-Advanced technology which is 40 times faster than the current third-generation wireless network.“It is meaningful that we
Parents pay W200,000 a kid for English study

Social affairsJan 25, 2011

Korean parents are spending up to 200,000 won ($178) per child on private English education each month, a survey showed on Tuesday. But most are willing to pay this or more for their children’s sakes, indicating that families prioritize English education in their budgets, according to Yoon’s English School, one of the nation’s largest English education franchises. The private English educator surv
Moscow bombing called terrorist act

WorldJan 25, 2011

At least 35killed, 180 wounded by suicide bomberMOSCOW (AP) ― Terrorists struck again in the heart of Russia, with a suicide bomber blowing himself up in Moscow’s busiest airport and turning its international arrivals terminal into a smoky, blood-spattered hall of dismembered bodies, screaming survivors and abandoned suitcases. At least 35 people were killed, including two British travelers.No one
Obama’s State of Union speech to push for faster economic recovery, jobs

WorldJan 25, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Political engines are revving up for the 2012 presidential election and the sound of one of those, President Barack Obama’s, will be heard above all others Tuesday night in his nationally televised State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress.The Obama message: his prescription for a more robust economic recovery that cuts persistently high unemployment, now at 9.4 pe
Toyota remains world’s largest automaker

IndustryJan 25, 2011

Japanese company sells 8.4m cars in 2010 despite recallsTOKYO (AFP) ― Toyota said Monday its group sales in 2010 rose, enabling the firm to narrowly retain its title as the world’s biggest automaker despite a global safety crisis that damaged its brand image.But analysts warn that after a year that saw the recall of millions of vehicles, a wave of lawsuits and record fines, the company is likely to soon surrender that lead as it battles to regain consumer trust overseas.In 2008 Toyota ended Gene
World jobless rate stays at record high: ILO

IndustryJan 25, 2011

GENEVA (AFP) ― The International Labor Organization warned that the global economic recovery was not translating into jobs as world unemployment remained at a record 205 million for 2010.“Despite a sharp rebound in economic growth for many countries, official global unemployment stood at 205 million in 2010, essentially unchanged from 2009, and 27.6 million more than on the eve of the global econo
Tougher security, new court needed for pirates: U.N.

InternationalJan 25, 2011

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) ― Somali pirates are spreading their attack zone and now costing more than $7 billion a year, according to a U.N. study released Monday which calls for new security and legal weapons to be urgently deployed.A new court to try pirates with Somalis jurisdiction but based in a foreign country should be set up, former French foreign minister Jack Lang said in the report.The intern
150 years of dieting fads and still no quick fix

InternationalJan 25, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Before there were modern weight loss diets, there was William Banting. He invented the low-carb diet of 1863.Even then Americans were trying out advice that urged fish, mutton or “any meat except pork” for breakfast, lunch and dinner ― hold the potatoes, please.It turns out our obsession with weight and how to lose it dates back at least 150 years. And while now we say “overweigh
Korea, China to clamp down on voice phishing, fakes

Social affairsJan 25, 2011

Last year, a 31-year-old office worker surnamed Kim received a phone call from the post office that she had a parcel to receive but there were a few problems. Then suddenly the phone hung up. She then made a phone call to the post office to get her item, where a staff worker informed her that she had been duped by voice phishing scammers.“They make money by inducing you to make extra-expensive int