The Korea Herald

Vague rules for N.K. aid irk charity groups

North KoreaSept 26, 2011

A growing number of nongovernmental charity groups here are reluctantly regrouping to gain permission for aid to North Korea largely due to the government’s inconsistent application of the rules, civic group members said Monday. Scores of religious and aid groups belonging to the Korea NGO Council f
DAPA continues to sign contracts with suppliers once accused of corruption

DefenseSept 26, 2011

The state military acquisition agency has continued to sign contracts with local firms with a track record of irregularities, making it difficult to stamp out corruptive practices in defense deals, a ruling party lawmaker said Monday.Rep. Chung Mi-kyung of the Grand National Party said during the pa
Han River project emerges as hot issue

PoliticsSept 26, 2011

Conservative candidates lambast civic activist over remarks on weir removalPark Won-soon, the liberal civic activist leading among Seoul mayoral candidates, got his first taste of election bickering Monday, after his remarks about the Han River stirred harsh criticism from conservative rivals. The r
Lee stymied by probes on closest aides

PoliticsSept 26, 2011

President’s top aides facing possible imprisonment ahead of Seoul by-electionPresident Lee Myung-bak is facing his biggest controversy since the mass demonstrations over U.S. beef imports in 2008, with one of his top aides facing possible imprisonment over graft allegations and another to be subpoen
Zenith Travel probed by police for not paying refunds

Social affairsSept 26, 2011

A local travel agent that caters to foreigners is under police investigation after failing to refund millions of won in cancelled flights ― and is still operating despite having its business suspended by a local government office.A spokeswoman at Korea Travel Organization’s Tourist Complaint Center
Suicide attempts over Han River every other day

Social affairsSept 26, 2011

A suicide attempt happens once every two days off the bridges that overlook the Han River in Seoul, a government report said Monday.According to the report by Seoul Metropolitan Government, over the past five years 892 people have attempted suicide over the Han River.The report, submitted to the Nat
Number of elderly people living alone rises

Social affairsSept 26, 2011

Demographic shift demands independence from childrenSouth Korea’s elderly demographic is increasingly living alone. The traditional family model of children supporting parents has broken down and more elderly people are choosing to live on their own rather than depend on their offspring. According t
Seoul may cancel Global Hawk purchase

DefenseSept 26, 2011

U.S. surveillance planes cost almost five times the amount first budgeted forSouth Korea is seriously considering halting its plan to purchase Global Hawk surveillance planes as their price has more than doubled, a local daily reported Monday.Seoul has sought to deploy four of the high-altitude unma
Tanker drivers stole over 460,000 liters of military oil: report

DefenseSept 26, 2011

Contractors employed to deliver oil to the military have stolen hundreds of thousands of liters over the past three years, a report revealed Monday, raising concerns about lax fuel management amid soaring energy costs.Tanker drivers siphoned off 462,000 liters of oil between 2009 and the beginning o
Deploying unmanned spy drones top priority for Army

DefenseSept 26, 2011

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- Deploying unmanned surveillance aircraft is the most important task among the Army‘s armament plans to better monitor North Korea’s military activities, according to a lawmaker on Monday.It was the second time that the Army placed the deployment of spy drones at the top o
Women account for three of every four elementary teachers

Social affairsSept 26, 2011

More than three out of every four elementary school teachers in South Korea are women, government data showed Monday, indicating potential problems in the education of young students caused by a serious gender imbalance and the lack of presence of male teachers.Among a total of 180,623 teachers at e
DP picks ex-anchor as mayoral candidate

PoliticsSept 25, 2011

Park Young-sun to compete against Park Won-soon for sole liberal candidacyThe main opposition Democratic Party selected its policy committee chief and former news anchorwoman Rep. Park Young-sun on Sunday as its candidate for the Oct. 26 Seoul mayoral by-election.In the selection process, split even
Russia names first honorary consul general of Korea

Foreign affairsSept 25, 2011

Russia has named a South Korean scholar as its first honorary consul general of South Korea, diplomatic sources said Sunday, a move to promote financial and social ties between the two countries. Under the approval of the Kremlin, the Russian government has appointed Jung Heon, a professor of Moscow
Seoul set for policy shift after by-election

PoliticsSept 25, 2011

Mayoral candidates vow greater welfare, review of ‘show-off’ projectsSeoul is set for a major shift in policy priorities, after five years under a conservative mayor who favored large construction projects aimed at giving the capital a modern makeover, while opposing universal welfare. Be they conse
Osaka University offers SNU faculty exchanges

Social affairsSept 25, 2011

Seoul National University said Sunday that Osaka University had requested mutual exchanges with it.According to Seoul National University, 12 professors from Osaka University’s Graduate School of Science visited SNU’s College of Natural Sciences and discussed plans to develop education and research