The Korea Herald

‘Seoul may face W40tr bill for wartime U.S. support’

DefenseSept 13, 2011

Professor claims replacement of USFK may cost W36trSouth Korea may have to provide support worth 30-40 trillion won ($27.8-37 billion) to U.S. troops that will be augmented to fight here in case of a war under a bilateral accord, a defense professor recently claimed.Kwon Heon-cheol, professor at Nat
Explore latest trends in Garosu-gil

Social affairsSept 13, 2011

It was Hong Kongers Serena, Shirley and Zoe’s first day in Korea and they chose to spend it at Garosu-gil, the 700-meter promenade in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. “The atmosphere is quite good. It’s like Europe,” said Serena. Garosu-gil reflects current fashion trends combined with a mixture of weste
Wayward penguin 'Happy Feet' missing in action

ScienceSept 13, 2011

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- The wayward penguin known as ``Happy Feet'' is missing in the Southern Ocean.Experts tell The Associated Press the most likely scenario is that the emperor penguin's satellite transmitter fell off. The small unit was attached to his feathers with super glue and was de
Hot new planet could be in habitable zone -- barely

ScienceSept 13, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Astronomers believe they have found a second planet outside our solar system that seems to be in the right zone for life, just barely.But it would feel like a steam bath -- hot, sticky and beyond uncomfortable. This undated handout image provided by The Europeans Southern Obs
Maestro Chung in Pyongyang on music projects

North KoreaSept 13, 2011

BEIJING (Yonhap) -- A renowned South Korean orchestra conductor arrived in North Korea on Monday, the North's media reported, on a trip he said is aimed at promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.The North's Korean Central News Agency reported the arrival of the conductor, Chung
S. Korean maestro leaves for Pyongyang on music projects

North KoreaSept 12, 2011

BEIJING (Yonhap News) – A renowned South Korean orchestra conductor headed to North Korea on Monday to discuss cultural exchanges between the two Koreas in what could be another sign of a thaw in inter-Korean relations.Chung Myung-whun, who leads the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and doubles as
Seoul urges Pyongyang to facilitate family reunions

North KoreaSept 12, 2011

South Korea said on Monday that it is making efforts to resolve the issue of reunions for family members separated six decades ago by the Korean War, urging North Korea to help facilitate them as well."The family reunions are an issue that must be resolved as a top priority, and the government is pu
U.S. biggest arms seller for S. Korea in 2010

DefenseSept 12, 2011

South Korea bought military weapons worth 982 billion won ($910 million) from the United States last year, a state-run arms procurement agency said Monday.Seoul's arms purchase from its strongest political ally accounted for roughly 66 percent of its total arms procurement, according to the report r
Divorce rate higher for childless couples

Social affairsSept 12, 2011

Nearly half of South Korean couples divorced last year were childless, a much higher rate than those raising children, court statistics showed Monday.Among 116,858 couples that split up last year, 46 percent of them did not have children at the time of divorce, a 2011 yearbook published by the Supre
Duo direct music video slamming bus bust up

Social affairsSept 12, 2011

A foreign duo has made a music video in response to the black English teacher who assaulted a middle-aged Korean man on the bus, and have since added Korean subtitles.The video, made by Sonny and Pinnacle TheHustler, portrays that the assault has damaged foreigners’ image in general. “I don’t
Abducted son of S. Korean businessman freed in Lima

Social affairsSept 12, 2011

LIMA, Peru (AFP) – The son of a South Korean businessman was freed after a gang held him for 19 days demanding a $1.8 million ransom, police said Sunday.Kim, 18, was released about midnight in a neighborhood on Lima's south end, and is now with his loved ones," said General Felix Murga, the po
Inter-Korean trade decreases 16 pct through July

North KoreaSept 12, 2011

Trade volume between South and North Korea reached $958 million in the first seven months of the year, down 16 percent from a year earlier, Seoul's customs office said Monday.According to data provided by the Korea Customs Service (KCS), the South's exports to the North came to $447 million in the J
Seoul to ask foreign countries this week not to invest in Mt. Kumgang

North KoreaSept 12, 2011

South Korea will formally ask foreign countries this week not to invest or engage in tourism activities at North Korea's Mount Kumgang resort, officials said Monday.Earlier, Seoul said it will use all diplomatic channels to prevent foreign companies from controlling operations at the resort, w
Cancer-linked deaths grow 3.2 pct last year

Social affairsSept 11, 2011

The number of people who died from cancer in South Korea grew 3.2 percent last year from a year earlier, data showed Sunday.A total of 72,046 people lost their lives to cancer last year, compared with 69,780 tallied a year earlier, according to the data by Statistics Korea. Cancer made up 28.2 perce
N.K. leader inspects DVD factory: report

North KoreaSept 10, 2011

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his son, heir-apparent Kim Jong-un, have inspected a newly-built factory producing DVDs in Pyongyang, the North's state-run news agency said Saturday.While touring the Mokran Video Company, the leader praised the workers and technicians of the company and related