The Korea Herald

S. Korean commercial vessel loses contact in Somali waters: official

Foreign affairsApr 21, 2011

Hanjin shipping container (Yonhap News)South Korea's Hanjin Shipping container carrier with 14 South Koreans aboard lost contact with its company Thursday (Korean time) as it was sailing in the pirate-infested waters off Somalia, an official said.The 75,000-ton container ship had departed from Spain for Singapore, the foreign ministry official said. "The ship made its last communications at around
Panel agrees on legal reform bill

PoliticsApr 20, 2011

Measure to ban ex-judges, prosecutors from practicing law in 'cool-off' periodThe National Assembly committee on legal reform will submit this month a bill to revise the Lawyers’ Act to bar former judges and prosecutors from practicing law for a period of time after retiring.“It is urgent to take measures to root out the long-standing practice of offering career favors to former judges and prosecu
‘U.S. military closely monitors N. Korea moves’: Gen. Johnson

PoliticsApr 20, 2011

The commander of the Eighth U.S. Army here said Wednesday that there have been no unusual North Korean movements detected recently, underscoring that the allied troops are closely monitoring them.“I am not tracking anything out of the ordinary right now,” Lieut. Gen. John D. Johnson said in a meeting with Korean journalists at the Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul. Lieut. Gen. John D. Johnson, the
Indonesia to join fighter jet project

PoliticsApr 20, 2011

Indonesia has signed an agreement to join South Korea’s project to develop a new fighter jet, officials at Seoul’s weapons acquisition agency said Wednesday.Under the agreement, Indonesia’s state-run defense research institute, “Balitbang,” will participate in the technology development process for the KF-X project, also known as the “Boramae” project. According to the deal, Balitbang will pay $10
Seoul mayor hints at presidential bid

Social affairsApr 20, 2011

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon hinted at his bid for the presidency next year on an official visit to the U.S. this week. “Korea is facing a very critical moment now. Considering the flexible political environment, I feel a strong responsibility (for the presidency),” Oh said Monday after delivering a lecture at Harvard University. It was the first time the mayor has made public his intention to run for t
[April 27 By-elections] Much at stake in wealthy satellite town

PoliticsApr 20, 2011

Tight match expected between former ruling party chief and ex-governorThis is the first of a three-part series on the April 27 by-election campaigns in three major electoral districts, Bundang-B, Gimhae-B and Gangwon Province. ― Ed.Bundang is one of the most successfully developed satellite cities around Seoul with an electorate of commuters to the capital, their families and elderly people who mo
N.K. imported truckloads of gifts for elite: report

North KoreaApr 20, 2011

A long convoy of lorries believed to be carrying gifts for North Korea’s elite was seen entering the communist state on the eve of a major holiday, according to a South Korean Internet newspaper.The Daily NK, staffed by anti-Pyongyang activists, said Tuesday it had received video footage of more than 200 trucks crossing the Yalu River nose-to-tail from China on April 14.The North celebrates the an
N. Korea detains two Japanese men: report

North KoreaApr 20, 2011

North Korea detained three Japanese men on apparent drug smuggling charges in its special economic zone last month, but it later released one man, a news report said Wednesday.The three Japanese employees of a machine maintenance firm in Tokyo visited the city of Rason, near North Korea’s border with Russia, in March to check machines at a food manufacturing factory, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspape
S. Korean man guilty of retweeting N.K. messages

PoliticsApr 20, 2011

A South Korean man received a suspended jail term Tuesday for retweeting messages from North Korea’s official website in the first such case since the communist state launched a cyber propaganda campaign.The Seoul Central District Court said it had handed the 55-year-old man identified only as Cho a two-year jail sentence, suspended for three years, for violating South Korea’s security law.The man
North Korean taekwondo masters to perform in U.S.

PoliticsApr 20, 2011

A group of 17 North Korean taekwondo performers will visit the United States from late next month through early June to present the Korean traditional martial art to an American audience, according to the Voice of America, a U.S.-funded radio broadcaster.It will be their second performance in the U.S. following one in 2007.According to the Taekwondo Times, an online media outlet, the U.S. Departme
Regional powers wary of N.K. militancy

North KoreaApr 20, 2011

Seoul’s intelligence chief says Pyongyang could conduct nuke test any timeNorth Korea could conduct another atomic test “whenever it wants,” South Korea’s spy chief said this week, adding to security concerns as regional powers take slow but positive steps toward resuming peace talks with the unpredictable nuclear-armed state. Intelligence officials had said earlier this year they have detected at
Attractive men have long... ring fingers: study

ScienceApr 20, 2011

Is your ring finger longer than index finger? (The Korea Herald)PARIS, (AFP) - The longer a man's fourth or ring finger is compared to his index finger, the more likely he is to be judged attractive by women, according to a study released Wednesday.The results, published in the British Royal Society's journal Biological Sciences, unveil intricate links between foetal exposure of males to hormones,
N. Korea imported truckloads of gifts for elite: report

North KoreaApr 20, 2011

SEOUL, (AFP) - A long convoy of lorries believed to be carrying gifts for North Korea's elite was seen entering the communist state on the eve of a major holiday, according to a South Korean Internet newspaper.The Daily NK, staffed by anti-Pyongyang activists, said Tuesday it had received video footage of more than 200 trucks crossing the Yalu River nose-to-tail from China on April 14.The North ce
U.S. lists N.K. Dongbang Bank for illicit arms trade

North KoreaApr 20, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- The United States Tuesday blacklisted a North Korean bank for its alleged involvement in arms trade banned under U.N. resolutions adopted after the North's nuclear and missile tests in 2009.The Treasury Department said in a statement that it has designated the Bank of East Land, or Dongbang Bank, "for its facilitation of weapons-related transactions for, and other suppo
N. Korea detains two Japanese men: report

North KoreaApr 20, 2011

North Korea detained three Japanese men on apparent drug smuggling charges in its special economic zone last month, but it later released one man, a news report said Wednesday.The three Japanese employees of a machine maintenance firm in Tokyo visited the city of Rason, near North Korea's border with Russia, in March to check machines at a food manufacturing factory, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspape