The Korea Herald

No espionage involved in Shanghai scandal

Mar 25, 2011

Official: Lack of discipline caused extramarital affairs, information leakSouth Korea concluded Friday that the recent sex scandal involving several of its officials in Shanghai and a young Chinese woman was not a case of espionage, avoiding diplomatic fallout with China which has been closely monitoring the investigations.Several officials, including former Consul General Kim Jung-ki, underwent g
S. Korea, Mongolia talk economic, civilian ties

Mar 24, 2011

Prime ministers and foreign ministers of South Korea and Mongolia held talks here Thursday, discussing how to improve their economic ties and better cooperate in easing tensions on the peninsula, the Seoul government said. Meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kim Hwang-sik, Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold expressed “solid support” about Seoul’s planned investment in developing min
Seoul won’t stop N.K. leaflet drop

Mar 24, 2011

Pyongyang renews threat to strike South’s psychological warfare ‘facilities’Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Thursday that it would not intervene in a plan by North Korean defectors here to fly anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North, a day after the communist state renewed its threat to strike South Korea’s propaganda apparatus.“There is nothing special the government can say about the activities b
Rival parties brace for by-elections

Mar 24, 2011

The main opposition Democratic Party is racked by internal bickering over whether chairman Sohn Hak-kyu, one of its presidential hopefuls, should run in the by-election next month, while the ruling Grand National Party is concentrating its resources on winning the governorship in Gangwon Province.An aide to Sohn criticized a group of DP legislators calling on the party chairman to run in the by-el
Book further complicates Chung’s political path

Mar 23, 2011

The ruling bloc’s plan to put up former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan in a by-election next month hit another snag as the woman at the center of several scandals accused him of unethical behavior. Shin Jeong-ah, a disgraced former art professor whose fabrication of her academic record, embezzlement and affair with a high-ranking government official shook the nation in 2007, returned from prison wit
Allies conduct logistics exercise in West Sea

Mar 23, 2011

Navy plans maritime drills to mark first anniversary of Cheonan sinkingSouth Korea and the U.S. are conducting a three-day joint military amphibious logistic support exercise in the West Sea that ends Thursday, as part of efforts to enhance the allies’ combat readiness, the Combined Forces Command said Wednesday.The “Combined Joint Logistics over the Shore” exercise being staged in waters off Anmy
Seoul to announce results of probe into diplomats' sex scandal Friday

Mar 23, 2011

Seoul to announce results of probe into diplomats' sex scandal Friday South Korea will likely announce later this week the results of its investigation into a sex scandal involving some of the nation's diplomats and a Chinese woman, a government source said Tuesday. Multiple Korean diplomats at the consulate in Shanghai have been accused of having extramarital affairs with the 33-year-old Chin
Lee says water too cheap in Korea

Mar 22, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday that Koreans appeared to be wasting water because it is “too cheap.”Lee made the remarks as he met with representatives of the International Water Association to exchange views on sustainable use of water resources and how to successfully host a biennial water congress in Busan in September.They also discussed the latest developments in the global water industr
Shin hints ex-P.M. Chung courted her

Mar 22, 2011

In an autobiography, the scandal-hit woman discloses her side of the story and mentions high-prifile figures involvedShin Jeong-ah speaks during a press conference on Tuesday. (Yonhap News)The woman at the center of one of South Korea’s biggest scandals returned with an autobiography that includes accounts of her meetings with former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan and former President Roh Moo-hyun.
Pain lingers on for families of Cheonan fallen

Mar 22, 2011

Deceased sailor’s father wants to bring ‘leader of main enemy’ to justiceThis is the second of a two-part series to mark the first anniversary of the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. ― Ed.One year after the sinking of the corvette Cheonan, survivors and bereaved families still cannot believe they can meet their loved ones only in dreams occasionally, never in the flesh.To get on with their lives,
S. Korean FM to visit China next week

Mar 22, 2011

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will visit China next week for talks with his counterpart and other senior officials, the ministry said Tuesday, as the twocountries differ over how to deal with North Korea's uranium enrichment program.During the March 28-30 trip, Kim will hold talks with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and pay a visit to Premier Wen Jiabao, the ministry said in a statemen
Chung confronts top officials over policy

Mar 21, 2011

Hint at resignation from shared growth body may be attempt to distance self from ruling blocFormer Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, sought by the ruling party as a potential candidate for next month’s by-elections, hinted that he would resign from heading an economic policy panel over criticism of his plan for “profit sharing” between conglomerates and their subcontractors.Regarding Knowledge Economy
Ex-leader Roh’s loyalist becomes minority party chief

Mar 20, 2011

Rhyu Si-min, a loyal supporter of the late President Roh Moo-hyun and one of the nation’s most influential liberal politicians, was elected chief of a minority left-leaning party over the weekend, taking a step toward his likely goal to become president in 2012. Rhyu, who served as welfare minister under Roh and is especially popular among the progressive younger generation here, will likely seek
Battle to recognize fishermen’s sacrifice continues

Mar 20, 2011

On April 2 of last year, a week after the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, a small fishing boat collided with a Cambodian cargo ship and sank in the West Sea. Nine fishermen, who were aboard the ill-fated private trawler “Geumyang 98” ― mobilized by the government to assist in the search for the missing sailors of the sunken warship ― never returned to their families. Only two bodies w
Road cleared for Choi See-joong's reappointment as KCC chairman

Mar 18, 2011

The National Assembly on Friday gave the green light to the reappointment of Choi See-joong as chairman of Korea Communications Commission despite fierce denunciation from the opposition parties. The parliamentary committee on culture, broadcasting and telecommunications adopted the ruling Grand National Party's confirmation hearing report on Choi during a meeting which the main opposition Democr