The Korea Herald

Lee replaces NIS deputy chiefs

PoliticsApr 4, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak has decided to replace two of the three deputy chiefs of the National Intelligence Service two months after the nation’s main spy agency’s failed attempt to steal information from a visiting Indonesian delegation caused diplomatic humiliation. Lee named Jeon Jae-man, diplomatic minister at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing, as the first deputy chief of the NIS, and Lee Jo
GNP leader proposes forming inter-Korean body on natural disasters

PoliticsApr 4, 2011

The chief of the ruling Grand National Party proposed Monday that South and North Korea establish a joint body to conduct research together and share information on natural disasters on the peninsula.The suggestion from GNP leader Ahn Sang-soo came as the two Koreas launched civilian-level talks last week on a potential volcanic eruption at the North’s Mount Paekdu. The second round of volcano tal
Six technologies set to change campuses

Social affairsApr 4, 2011

Electronic books will replace textbooks while medical students will practice surgical operations in an augmented reality, according to an international report that predicted the future campus in the next five years or less.The 2011 Horizon Report, published by the New Media Consortium, a non-profit group dedicated to exploring new technologies in learning, introduced six technologies likely to ent
Clergy live longest, athletes shortest

Social affairsApr 4, 2011

A lifestyle of temperance seems to lead to longevity as shown in a recent study that found religious leaders live longer than other professions here. Journalists, on the other hand, with their high-stress lifestyles, binge drinking and chain-smoking habits, live 13 years less than the religious leaders, according to research by professor Kim Jong-in of Wonkwang University.The findings were based o
8 out of 10 would choose cremation over burial: poll

Social affairsApr 4, 2011

Cremation is rapidly replacing centuries-old burial customs here as eight out of every 10 people surveyed said they would like to be cremated when dead. Being less costly and more environment-friendly, more people are expected to opt for cremation in the future, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday. In a survey of 3,000 adults by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, affilia
Korea ranks 3rd out of Asian countries in English proficiency

Social affairsApr 4, 2011

South Korea ranked third out of Asian nations according to an English Proficiency Index announced on March 30 by Education First, a global education center. Korea, with an overall ranking of 13th, overtook Japan (at 14th) and Taiwan at (25th). From 2007 to 2009, Education First conducted online English tests on 2.3 million working adults all from over the world. English proficiency was tested in f
Supreme Court upholds jury-approved verdict

Social affairsApr 4, 2011

The Supreme Court overruled a lower court's decision to convict a suspect of attempted murder, saying that an earlier ruling unanimously approved by the jury cannot be dismissed without new compelling evidence, court officials said Monday. The 48-year-old man, surnamed Moon, was indicted for attempting to kill a worker of his neighbor company with an ax in 2009, but the citizen jurors unanimo
Heavyweights brace for Bundang showdown

PoliticsApr 4, 2011

Intense competition expected in Gimhae, Bundang constituenciesCompetition for the April by-elections will begin in earnest this week as rival parties have begun to complete the list of their candidates for a race that is largely expected to remap the political landscape ahead of critical elections next year. Though small in size, the upcoming race is considered especially important for several pol
Suspected UFO video creates sensation on YouTube

ScienceApr 4, 2011

(MCT)A short video clip which contains mysterious lights has sparked debate over whether the lights were from an alien spacecraft or not. Three mysterious red dots appeared in the middle of the night over the sky in Lafayette, Colorado last week and hovered in the air before disappearing. Lafayette residents Leroy Van der Vegt and his son Nick filmed the scene and posted it on YouTube.“It was comp
Japan textbooks rekindle old disputes

Social affairsApr 3, 2011

Experts urge Seoul to take more active stance on Dokdo issueNew Japanese textbooks claiming Japan’s sovereignty over Dokdo disappointed many in Korea following a rare outpouring of sympathy for their former colonial ruler, hit hard by a devastating earthquake and tsunami. The Japanese Textbook Authorization and Research Council announced Wednesday its review results of middle school textbooks that
North Korea desperate for outside food aid

North KoreaApr 3, 2011

Seoul, Washington reluctant to resume full-scale assistanceFacing ongoing international isolation and experiencing a wobbly power transfer from its ailing leader to his young son, North Korea is escalating efforts to secure food assistance for its starving people, philanthropic groups in and out of the country said Sunday. The communist North, which relies mostly on outside aid to feed its impover
U.S. legislators move to redesignate N. Korea as terror sponsor

North KoreaApr 3, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― A bipartisan group of congressmen will soon submit legislation to redesignate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism for its torpedoing of a South Korean warship and shelling of a South Korean border island that killed 50 people last year, sources said Friday.“I understand Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has almost completed drafting the legislation, and she is likely to s
U.S. confident on ability to intercept N.K. missiles

North KoreaApr 3, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The U.S. has the capability to intercept ballistic missiles from North Korea, a senior U.S. official has said.Patrick O’Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency, made the remarks at a House Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday in response to a lawmaker who expressed “concerns about the ground-based midcourse defense system in Alaska and California,” citing “ba
Foreign minister leaves for three-nation African trip

Foreign affairsApr 3, 2011

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan left for Africa on Saturday on a three-nation trip aimed at boosting partnerships in energy, infrastructure and other areas.The trip comes as South Korea is seeking to tap business opportunities in African countries rich in oil and other mineral resources as a way to strengthen Seoul’s energy diplomacy.The eight-day trip will take Kim to Gabon, the Democratic Republi
Ex-Air Force colonel charged with leaking arms buildup plans

Social affairsApr 3, 2011

Prosecutors said Saturday that they have arrested a retired Air Force colonel on charges of stealing confidential information on South Korea’s arms procurement plans.The suspect, identified only by his surname Chang, was accused of leaking about 10 classified documents on arms buildup projects of the Air Force, including a plan to purchase Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missiles, prosecutors said.C