The Korea Herald

‘Iran paid N.K. for arms via Bank Mellat Seoul branch’

PoliticsJan 17, 2011

A U.S. diplomatic cable provided to WikiLeaks suggested that North Korea likely received payment for weapons sales to Iran via a Seoul-based branch of an Iranian bank blacklisted for aiding Iran’s nuclear weapons programs.According to the cable dated March 24, 2008, which was released on Sunday by the Norwegian daily Aftenposten, “Hong Kong Electronics,” an Iranian-based enterprise, wired a total
Choung denies wrongdoing in hearing

PoliticsJan 17, 2011

Culture minister-nominee grilled over alleged tax evasion, real estatePresident Lee Myung-bak’s culture minister-nominee pledged to end the cultural gap between social classes while being grilled by parliament over ethical issues on Monday. “I will push for policies that help integrate society,” said minister-designate Choung Byoung-gug during his parliamentary confirmation hearing. “I pledge to m
Miss Nebraska wins 2011 Miss America pageant

PeopleJan 17, 2011

LAS VEGAS (AP) ― A 17-year-old from Nebraska became the youngest winner of the Miss America crown in 90 years on Saturday after beating 52 other young women from across the United States.Teresa Scanlan won a $50,000 scholarship and a yearlong run with the crown at the competition at the Planet Hollywood casino-resort in Las Vegas.She was the youngest Miss America since the pageant’s first competit
Set designer explores layers in ‘Tears of Heaven’

Arts&DesignJan 17, 2011

At a practice hall nestled at the foot of Mount Nam in Seoul, Tony Award-winning Broadway stage designer David Gallo quietly looks on, envisioning how the Korean actors and his long-time friend Gabriel Barre, the musical director, will fine-tune each act and line for the upcoming blockbuster musical “Tears of Heaven.”Although there is almost nothing but duct tape to mark the positions of the actor
Offshore tax evasion faces crackdown

Jan 17, 2011

NTS to focus on paper companies being used to evade tax, hide moneyThe National Tax Service on Monday vowed to toughen its crackdown on offshore tax evasion by wealthy persons and large businesses as one of its priorities this year.The tax authority said it will step up curbs on borrowed-name financial transactions often used by companies to manipulate their incomes. It will also enhance the inqui
‘Korea faced with deepening health care deficit’

HealthJan 17, 2011

Fast-aging Korea could see a deficit of 16 trillion won ($14 billion) in its medical insurance financing by 2020, a report warned Monday. Without “fundamental change” in the overall system, the deficit would continue to swell in the coming years, the Institute for National Health Insurance, an affiliate of the National Health Insurance Corporation, said in its mid- and long-term financial report.
Support programs for Cheonan survivors

PoliticsJan 17, 2011

A foundation established last year to honor the 46 sailors killed in North Korea’s torpedo attack on the corvette Cheonan is to begin several support programs this week for survivors of the disaster.The foundation, named “Cheonan-ham Foundation,” will offer 5 million won ($4,480) to each of the 58 survivors during a ceremony Friday in Seoul, officials said.The ceremony will also see the launch of
Give me back my sign! Horoscope readers atwitter

ScienceJan 17, 2011

Sofia Whitcombe began her day with the startling realization that she might not be exactly who she thought she was."My whole life, I thought I was a Capricorn," the 25-year-old publicist said. "Now I'm a Sagittarius? I don't feel like a Sagittarius!" It felt, she said, like a rug had been pulled from under her feet."Will my personality change?" she mused. "Capricorns are diligent and regimented, a
Watchdog’s guidelines on sexual harassment

Social affairsJan 17, 2011

Minor but pervasive conduct of a sexual nature can be seen as sexual harassment, the state human rights watchdog said in a guidebook released Monday.The guidebook, by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, illustrates scenarios where offensive verbal, physical and visual conduct constituted sexual harassment, and advises on how to deal with such situations.The watchdog has distributed 12,0
Mobile phones are school bullying tool

Social affairsJan 17, 2011

Students here are using mobile phones as a tool in cyber bullying, according to a study released Monday.Professors from the Cyber University of Korea and Soongsil University conducted a survey of 718 middle school students in Seoul in 2008. Of the 715 that answered, 13.7 percent said they had been victims of bullying through their cell phone.According to the survey, one out of every seven students
‘English kindergartens’ to be banned

Social affairsJan 17, 2011

Private educational facilities for 3- to 5-year-olds that teach English as part of their main curricula could be shut down by the government as early as this year. Any name implying English education at preschools will also be banned, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Saturday, announcing its submission of a pertinent bill to the National Assembly. If passed, the law is expect
Showbiz agent arrested for forced sex charges

Social affairsJan 17, 2011

Latest in cases victimizing aspiring entertainersAn entertainment agent was arrested Monday for coercing prostitution among aspiring celebrities to achieve sponsorship, the police said.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, a man identified as the family name of Lee was arrested for having raped two aspiring actresses and one singer several times between September 2007 and September la
4 million Haiti children at risk

Social affairsJan 17, 2011

Children in Haiti are a chorus of more than four million voices, nearly half of the country’s total population. Each one of these voices speaks for a child whose life has been forever altered by the January 2010 earthquake and the cholera, hurricane, and civil unrest emergencies that further complicated humanitarian response.This chorus of voices shares common hopes and aspirations and calls out i
N.K. Army watcher in Colorado expects busy 2011

North KoreaJan 17, 2011

Such is the Korean Peninsula’s global profile that there are overseas experts on all aspects of Korea, from politics to literature, from martial arts to cuisine.In the mountains of the U.S. state of Colorado, one man has carved a particularly arcane niche: Joseph Bermudez, 56, is possibly the world’s top non-Korean expert on the North Korean People’s Army, or KPA, which ranks as the world’s fifth
China denies N.K. troop plan

North KoreaJan 17, 2011

BEIJING (AFP) ― China has denied it is in discussions with North Korea about stationing Chinese troops over the border in the isolated state, state media reported Monday.“China will not send a single soldier to other countries without the approval of the U.N.,” an official at the Defense Ministry, who refused to be named, was quoted as saying by the official Global Times newspaper.The Chosun Ilbo,