The Korea Herald

Park denies making shady deal with Kwak

Social affairsSept 8, 2011

Jailed professor claims money given to Seoul education chief was not bribeThe election graft scandal involving Seoul’s education chief Kwak No-hyun took a twist Thursday, after a professor under arrest for taking bribes from Kwak claimed that the money he received was not a bribe.Speaking through hi
Swiss designs highlight form and functionality

Foreign affairsSept 8, 2011

Swiss Charge d’Affaires Daniel Cavegn (left) discusses the story behind Freitag bags with Ghana Head of Chancery Kwasi Asante (center) and Dominican Republic Minister Counsellor Ernesto Torres. (Yoav Cerralbo/The Korea Herald)Swiss product designers have always emphasized a balance between form and
Gov't, ruling party agree to spend 1.5 tln won for tuition support

PoliticsSept 8, 2011

The government and the ruling party agreed Thursday to set aside 1.5 trillion won (US$1.3 billion) in next year's budget to help curb soaring college tuitions, party officials said.The agreement came at a meeting among the Grand National Party(GNP) and the finance and education ministries. The money
Saving sight between classes

Sept 8, 2011

Saving sight between classes Teen runs 180-member charity group across 14 schools in free timeBy Kirsty Taylor Sometimes it is hard to get taken seriously as a teenager, said high school student Kim Soo-yeon, but she needs people to listen to her to help save others’ sight. The 16-year-old Kore
Report: NASA needs to keep more astronauts on hand

ScienceSept 8, 2011

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- NASA needs to keep more astronauts on staff than planned even though no one is being launched from the home turf, a new report urged Wednesday. (MCT)Many astronauts have retired or quit with this year's end of the space shuttle program. But a robust corps still is needed
Gov't to probe large coffee franchises for possible labor law breaches

Social affairsSept 8, 2011

The government will investigate seven big coffee franchises operating in the country's capital area and five other large cities to see if they violated local labor laws, the labor ministry said Thursday.The seven chains are Caffe Bene, Coffee Bean, Starbucks, Tom N Toms, Pascucci, Angel-in-us and Ho
Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for Kwak

Social affairsSept 7, 2011

After two days of interrogation, prosecutors sought warrant to arrest Kwak No-hyun, Seoul’s education superintendent, Wednesday on allegations that he bought a rival candidate out of last year’s election. Investigators at the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office were said to have reached a conclusion t
Ruling, opposition parties in confusion over Seoul mayoral race

PoliticsSept 7, 2011

The Grand National Party was divided over who should be their mayoral candidate as opposition parties took a step closer to fielding a unified contender after respected entrepreneur Ahn Cheol-soo declared support for an opposition canidate.In a Gallup poll of some 1,000 Seoul citizens earlier this w
Park Won-soon, lawyer turned leading activist

PoliticsSept 7, 2011

The public’s attention has turned to lawyer-turned-civil activist Park Won-soon, as professor. Ahn Cheol-soo declined to run in the upcoming Seoul mayoral by-election, throwing his support behind Park.“Park has long dedicated himself to promoting civil rights in Korea and is sufficiently qualified t
Foreign Ministry to buy bulletproof Equus limousine

Foreign affairsSept 7, 2011

The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it will buy a domestic bulletproof limousine to serve visiting state leaders and high-ranking officials ahead of the 2012 Seoul nuclear security summit. The ministry will be purchasing a Hyundai Equus limousine in November as the first locally produced bulletproof
Colombian president to make state visit next week

PoliticsSept 7, 2011

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will visit South Korea next week for summit talks with President Lee Myung-bak on economic cooperation and other issues, the presidential office announced Wednesday.Santos will arrive on Sept. 14 for a three-day state visit that will also include a visit to the
Smallpox vaccines against N.K. attack unusable

Social affairsSept 7, 2011

The majority of smallpox vaccines that Seoul has stockpiled in case of a biological attack by North Korea have either expired or failed to pass toxicity tests. According to a report by the Korea Food & Drug Administration released on Wednesday, Seoul stockpiled 7 million vaccines between 2002 and 20
Ahn’s popularity threatens Park’s lead

PoliticsSept 7, 2011

Ex-GNP leader loses No. 1 spot in poll on potential presidential candidatesAhn Cheol-soo topped a poll of potential presidential candidates just hours after announcing he would not run for Seoul mayor on Tuesday, causing new unease within the Grand National Party.In a snap poll by local news agency
Seismic study points to explosion as cause of Cheonan ship sinking

DefenseSept 7, 2011

An artificial seismic event that occurred at the time of the sinking of the Cheonan last year indicates that an explosion was the cause of the disaster, a study showed Wednesday.Hong Tae-kyung, a South Korean professor at Yonsei University, wrote in a recent paper that a tremor of 1.5 magnitude occu
Researchers search Japan for clues to patriot Ahn’s remains

Social affairsSept 7, 2011

A group of researchers are seeking clues in Japan as to the whereabouts of the remains of South Korean patriot Ahn Jung-geun, in the first trip of its kind, sources said Wednesday“A group of four researchers left for Japan yesterday as part of efforts by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs