The Korea Herald

Ex-Samsung chip chief to teach at Sungkyunkwan

Apr 4, 2013

Hwang Chang-gyu, the former president of Samsung’s semiconductor division, will be appointed a chair professor at Sungkyunkwan University, the school announced Thursday.The school noted that Hwang would be able to teach as early as this September, but said it was still considering which department he would join.Hwang served nearly 20 years at Samsung Electronics, during which time he worked as the chief technology officer and the president of semiconductor operations for the company. He also wor
Protesters' tents in downtown Seoul forcibly removed

Apr 4, 2013

Protest tents that laid-off Ssangyong Motor Co. workers had set up in the heart of Seoul were forcibly dismantled on Thursday.Former employees of the country's smallest automaker and civic activists had set up three tents and occupied part of the sidewalk in front of Deoksu Palace, across from Seoul City Hall, in central Seoul since last April, in protest against the company's mass layoffs of its workers in 2009.The Jung-gu ward office under the Seoul Metropolitan Government mobilized some 50 of
Most Koreans work over 40 hours per week: survey

Apr 3, 2013

Eight out of 10 people employed here work more than the legal limit of 40 hours per week, a survey showed Wednesday According to the survey of 587 workers, 81 percent, or 475 respondents said they work more than 40 hours per week. The survey was conducted by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the country's major umbrella labor unions, last month. In 2004, the government implemented a policy to cap the weekly working limit to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week from the previ
[Graphic News] Sejong has highest rate of heavy drinkers, smokers

Apr 3, 2013

A new survey revealed that citizens of Sejong City, Gangwon Province and Jeju Island drink, smoke and weigh more than people in other regions. Sejong City recorded the highest male smoking rate at 51.3 percent, followed by Gangwon at 49.9 percent and Jeju with 49.4 percent. These areas also recorded the highest rate of high-risk drinking, with Sejong at 20.4 percent, Gangwon 19.5 percent and Jeju 18.8 percent. Jeju had the highest obesity rate with 30.1 percent, with Gangwon at 26.7 percent and
USFK website down since Tuesday afternoon

Apr 3, 2013

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The official website of U.S. Forces Korea was down on Wednesday, which Pentagon officials attributed to a “simple hardware problem.”The website had been offline since 2 p.m. on Tuesday, officials said. Any attempt to open the website, www.usfk.mil, prompts a “Network Error” message.“An error occurred attempting to communicate with an HTTP or SOCKS gateway. The gateway may be temporarily unavailable, or there could be a network problem,” the message read.The problem has
Stepping toward multiculturalism

Apr 3, 2013

Experts call for a long-term vision of Korea as a multiethnic society, social agreement on overall immigration policy
Man faces fine for ringing doorbell for 10 minutes

Apr 3, 2013

A man will face a summary trial for ringing a doorbell for 10 minutes.The 42-year-old drunk man was charged with a misdemeanor for “continuous harassment.” In order to push the owner of his building to pay back money he owed him, the man waited at the owner’s door and rang the doorbell for 10 minutes.According to Gimhae police station, it was discovered that the owner was the man’s secret lover, and the man had been harassing her for a while.He is the first resident in South Gyeonsang Province t
Korea condemns attack on its gasfield in Iraq

Apr 2, 2013

South Korea has condemned an attack by gunmen on a gasfield in Iraq, which is being developed by the nation’s state-run Korea Gas Corp., as a “terror act” on Tuesday and said it is mapping out safety measures for its companies in Iraq. Two local workers were killed and another was kidnapped during the late-night Monday attack on the Akkas gasfield, located in Iraq’s remote western desert, but there were no Korean casualties, Seoul’s foreign ministry said. “It is regrettable that local workers we
Seoul plans sustainable development on Han River

Apr 2, 2013

Seoul City plans to restrict the height of new buildings alongside the Han River as part of measures to better preserve the riverside environment and promote sustainable urban development.The metropolitan government announced a master plan for riverside management which also includes construction of more eco-friendly parks and facilities and increasing accessibility to the river. To prevent reckless construction of skyscrapers, all apartments planned near the riversides should not have more than
Ryu Si-won charged with threatening his wife

Apr 2, 2013

Korean actor Ryu Si-won has been accused of threatening his wife, according to police.The woman surnamed Cho lodged a complaint against the 41-year-old actor for threatening her at the end of February, according to Gangnam Police Station on Tuesday. Ryu appeared at the police station for questioning on Monday afternoon. “The case is not about financial or child custody issues. The schedule for any further summoning has not been set yet,” said an official.The police official declined to elaborate
Park Si-hoo’s case sent to prosecution

Apr 2, 2013

Actor Park Si-hoo’s case over allegations that he sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman was handed over to the prosecutor’s office Tuesday.The hallyu star is accused of raping the woman, whose identify is withheld, on Feb. 15. The alleged victim said the 35-year-old actor raped her while she was unconscious after drinking.“Putting together the evidence including the two parties’ statements, CCTV images, mobile text messages and the drug test results of the alleged victim, Park will be charged f
Failed minister nominee makes bitter attack on Korea’s ‘old prejudices’

Apr 1, 2013

Kim Jeong-hoon, who withdrew his candidacy for science minister on March 4 amid controversy over his dual nationality, expressed bitterness about nationalism in Korea in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. In a March 31 article entitled “Old prejudices in a new world,” he said the Korean political and business environment would impede an “outsider” like him from carrying out the mission of the ministry. “Change-resistant forces in the political and bureaucratic circles and certain business
Chief prosecutor rejects reform proposal

Apr 1, 2013

Prosecutor general Chae Dong-wook voiced his opposition Monday to a government-led reform plan that calls for the establishment of separate bodies to investigate cases involving high-profile officials, politicians and business leaders. Instead, the new prosecution chief proposed expanding an in-house special investigative team to deal with such sensitive incidents, which are currently handled by the powerful Central Investigation Department. Another new unit also needs to be established to keep
Seoul’s chief prosecutor offers to resign

Apr 1, 2013

The chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office offered to resign Monday.“Now is the best time for me to step down as (the prosecution) is starting over with a new prosecutor general,” Choi Gyo-il said in a release.The 51-year-old Choi, who is a graduate of Korea University with a bachelor’s degree in law, passed the state judicial examination in 1983. He has been heading the office since August 2011.Choi’s successor is expected to be decided sometime next week, according to sources
Court orders compensation for man wrongly imprisoned

Apr 1, 2013

The Seoul Central District Court has ordered the government to pay 1.8 billion won in compensation to an 80-year-old man after ruling that he was wrongly imprisoned for nearly 10 years from 1985 for spying, it said Monday.The former National Security Planning Agency (currently National Intelligence Service) fabricated evidence against the man named Go Chang-pyo, using abuse and torture during the investigation process, the court stated Monday.“We must prevent future occurrence of such irrational