The Korea Herald

State R&D chief to speak at CeBIT

IndustryJan 17, 2011

Hwang Chang-gyu, head of Ministry of Knowledge Economy’s Strategic R&D Planning office, has been chosen as one of the three speakers for a conference to be held during German IT exhibition CeBIT from March 1 to 5, the organizers of the event said Monday. Hwang Chang-gyuThe former Samsung Electronics chief, who was appointed to the government post early last year, is the first Korean to give a spee
Hyundai Mobis eyes spot in top 10 car parts makers

IndustryJan 17, 2011

Hyundai Mobis Co. plans to invest 1.15 trillion won ($1.02 billion) this year aiming to become one of the world’s 10 largest auto parts makers, the company said on Monday.The company affiliated with Hyundai Motor Group will earmark 360 billion won for research and development for high-tech systems this year.It will diversify its R&D personnel to include more engineers specializing in information t
FSC criticized for savings banks push

Jan 17, 2011

Financial groups may see reputation undermined by acquiring distressed institutionsThe Financial Services Commission has come under criticism for apparently pressuring major financial groups to take over distressed savings banks.Bankers expressed skepticism over the financial watchdog’s move after it unveiled plans last week to put ailing savings banks up for auction and suspend operations at some
Telecoms bet on cloud computing

IndustryJan 17, 2011

Local carriers look to take share of global market expected to reach $44.2b in 2013Korea’s telecom carriers are jumping on the cloud computing market to meet growing demand for software, platform and data storage in service. SK Telecom Co., Korea’s top wireless carrier, said Monday it will open a cloud service center that will allow small and mid-sized firms to use high-capacity computing resource
F1 organizer Chung to sue over his dismissal

More sportsJan 17, 2011

The chief organizer of Korean F1 Grand Prix is planning to sue over his dismissal, a source close to him said Sunday. Chung Young-cho, the head of the Korea Auto Valley Operation, the operating body of F1 Korean Grand Prix, was dismissed from his post following a board meeting on Friday. In an emergency meeting, shareholders of KAVO voted to oust Chung along with two other top officials due to all
Global forum seeks to promote clean energy

IndustryJan 17, 2011

World Future Energy Summit opens in Abu DhabiABU DHABI ― Ministers and industry experts from around the world gathered in the capital of the United Arab Emirates to discuss ways to promote the use of clean energy for sustainable growth. The 4th annual World Future Energy Summit kicked off Monday hosted by Abu Dhabi-based power company Masdar, wholly owned by the state-run Mubadala Development Comp
Korean Air to start A380 flights in June

IndustryJan 17, 2011

Korean Air said Monday it would take delivery of five Airbus A380 superjumbos this year, with the first flight scheduled for June.The Korean flag carrier said the A380 service between Incheon International Airport and Tokyo’s Narita would start on the morning of June 1, with the plane departing for Hong Kong once it returns from Narita.It said in a statement the service would be expanded to Bangko
[Editorial] Desperate North

EditorialJan 17, 2011

The downfall and flight of Tunisian President Ben Ali last week sent a warning to autocratic rulers in the Middle East and elsewhere. Kim Jong-il in faraway North Korea is a certain candidate for dethroning by popular revolt and signs of the regime’s desperation can be seen during the first weeks of the New Year.After making pleas to South Korea for the resumption of dialogue almost every other da
[Editorial] End of hard lives

EditorialJan 17, 2011

Two old women whom the international media had called “former comfort women for the Japanese imperial army” died last week, ending their long hard lives. The deaths of Kim Seon-yi at a hospital in Ulsan on Thursday and Im Jeong-ja in Masan on the same day left 76 women of similar experiences alive. Kim was 83 and Im was 89.Last year, which marked a century since Japan’s annexation of the Joseon Ki
Obama in Arizona: A time to heal our wounds

ViewpointsJan 17, 2011

There are moments in a presidency when a leader delivers a speech and everyone goes about their business thereafter as if nothing happened. Other times, a president rises to the occasion in such extraordinary fashion that the audience is somehow changed.President Obama delivered a brilliant eulogy honoring victims of Arizona’s shooting rampage. He offered comfort to an aching nation.Americans of a
Tampering with legal principle on citizenship

ViewpointsJan 17, 2011

Legislators from five states have unveiled model legislation with complicated provisions but a simple and pernicious premise: that children born in this country aren’t citizens if their parents are illegal immigrants.That assertion, however, is no match for more than 100 years of Supreme Court precedent holding that anyone born in the United States is an American citizen. If the states enact laws
[William Pesek] Death of 3.5 million makes dismal economics

ViewpointsJan 17, 2011

Anyone who thinks smoking isn’t government’s business should consider one number: 3.5 million. That’s how many people in the second-biggest economy will die each year from tobacco use by 2030, according to a report by prominent Chinese health experts and economists. More than lives will go up in smoke. So will productivity, public money and growth. China immediately should raise cigarette prices,
[David Ignatius] South Asian tinderbox getting hotter

ViewpointsJan 17, 2011

NEW DELHI ― Everything is going right these days for India, except for one big problem: They’re living next to a Pakistan that is coming apart politically, and Indian leaders insist with a tone of resignation that there’s nothing they can do about it. Starting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, top Indian officials know that their booming democracy is endangered by the growing chaos across the bo
[Terry Miller] A tale of two recoveries: Germany vs. U.S.

ViewpointsJan 17, 2011

Can a nation spend its way to prosperity? We don’t have to guess. The experience of two countries over the last year ― Germany and the United States ― provides an answer.Prior to last summer’s summit of the G20 group of nations, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spurned President Obama’s call to boost spending. For Merkel, control of government debt was the “urgently necessary” priority. Ultimately,