The Korea Herald

Acid leak reported at LG Siltron plant

Mar 3, 2013

Hydrofluoric acid was allegedly leaked Saturday evening from the LG Siltron plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, according to police. The leakage was reported to local authorities on Sunday morning, 16 hours after the initial leak was detected at 8:34 p.m. on Saturday, raising suspicions of a cover up. According to police, some 30 to 60 liters of mixed hydrofluoric, nitric and acetic acid was leaked from the Gumi plant 2 of LG Siltron, a producer of wafers used in semiconductor manufacturin
Seoul to grant financial support to foreign firms

Mar 3, 2013

Seoul City will grant financial aid to foreign investment firms in the “new growth engine” industries that helped to create jobs last year, the city government said Sunday. Foreign firms that established their branches or made investments in Seoul within five years of application and hired more than 10 new employees in 2012 are eligible for the support.The rate of foreign investment should be at least 30 percent to receive the benefits worth up to 200 million won ($180,000).Firms that have provi
Four-river project may face full-scale overhaul

Mar 3, 2013

Building a canal by connecting the country’s four major rivers was one of the top pledges of former President Lee Myung-bak’s presidential campaign in 2007.In the face of popular opposition, the project was scaled down to refurbishing the Hangang, Nakdonggang, Yeongsangang and Geumgang rivers to clean them up, increase water supply and prevent floods. The project, however, continued to face strong resistance from the opposition and civic environmental groups for its alleged negative effects on t
U.S. soldier shot by police in car chase through Seoul

Mar 3, 2013

An American soldier was in stable condition Sunday after being shot by South Korean authorities during a late-night car chase, police said Sunday.According to Seoul’s Yongsan Police Station, police received calls shortly before midnight Saturday that two American soldiers, including the injured, were threatening civilians with an air gun in the district of Itaewon. The two U.S. soldiers were approached by Seoul police near Itaewon Station, but they refused to identify themselves and fled in a ve
Alienated teenager kills uncle, injures seven other relatives

Mar 3, 2013

A jobless teenager went on a knife rampage at his grandfather's house in Gwangju on Sunday, killing his uncle and injuring seven others, including his grandparents, police said.The 19-year-old man, identified only by his surname Kim, surrendered to police after the spree and told investigators that he stabbed his relatives shortly after midnight Saturday for having ignored and insulted his "poor" parents at family gatherings, according to the Gwangsan Police Station.At the scene of knife rampage
Songpa, an epitome of green city

Feb 28, 2013

Seoul’s Songpa District boasts ample cultural heritage, verdant landscapes and salubrious neighborhoods with a slew of parks and lakeside trails providing its residents with a quick getaway from it all. One of the world’s most livable communities recognized by the United Nations, the eastern district spearheads Seoul’s efforts to cope with climate change, pollution and other urban challenges. The municipality runs three solar power plants, raising the supply of renewable energy and helping the u
Seoul, N.Y. events to mark March 1 Movement

Feb 28, 2013

Koreans in Seoul and New York are set to hold various events Friday to mark the March 1 Independence Movement.March 1 is a national holiday in Korea which commemorates the independence movement against the Japanese colonial occupation in 1919. The nationwide uprising is one of the most significant protests against Japan’s colonization of Korea, which ended in 1945 at the end of World War II.Seodaemun Prison History Hall will host a “3.1 experience program,” incorporating the core ideology of the
Probe finds rampant labor law violations by E-Mart

Feb 28, 2013

The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Thursday that it has found a number of labor law violations at E-Mart and will take disciplinary measures if the company refuses to correct its unfair practices.“We found a number of cases of E-Mart violating the law by raiding the company’s headquarters and 24 branches twice and questioning officials,” an official said.Through a intensive inspection since mid-February, the ministry discovered that E-Mart has been illegally using nearly 2,000 employees o
Woman arrested for false emergency call

Feb 28, 2013

A Busan woman was taken into custody after she made a false emergency call, police said Thursday.Officials at the Gyeonggi Uiwang Police Station said they had detained a 42-year-old woman surnamed Kim for calling the 112 Crime Report Center for a non-emergency situation. The officials added that the case had been transferred to the Busan police.According to the police, Kim dialed the Busan emergency center around midnight Tuesday and yelled “Help!” before hanging up the phone. Busan police said
‘Korea’s elderly welfare spending 2nd lowest among OECD nations’

Feb 27, 2013

The poverty rate of South Korea’s elderly population was the highest among advanced countries, but the country’s spending for their welfare was one of the lowest in 2011, a report showed Wednesday.According to the report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, South Korea was ranked the second lowest among all members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in terms of its spending for the welfare of elders.From 2006 to 2008, South Korea’s government spending
Survey finds 15 percent of Korean students overweight

Feb 27, 2013

About 15 percent of the country’s primary and secondary school students are overweight, due mainly to bad dietary habits and a lack of exercise, a survey showed Wednesday.According to the survey conducted by the education ministry of 87,000 students of the country’s 758 elementary, middle and high schools, 14.7 percent were classified as obese, up by 0.4 parentage point from a year earlier.The ratio of the obese students has been on a constant rise from 11.2 percent in 2008 to 13.2 percent in 20
Row over teachers’ union tests Park’s labor policy

Feb 27, 2013

A simmering dispute between the government and a progressive teachers’ union over its membership rules poses a major challenge to President Park Geun-hye, who has made healing social divides a top policy goal. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union has defied the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s order to revise its bylaws, which illegally recognize fired educational workers as members. The ministry warned last week that unless the union complies, it will be deprived of legal status as
ACRC strives to boost transparency, civil rights

Feb 27, 2013

Five years after its inception, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has become the nation’s most satisfactory public agency thanks to its strenuous efforts to improve services and find solutions to citizens’ complaints.The ACRC was established in 2008 by combining three state organizations ― the Ombudsman of Korea, the Independent Commission against Corruption and the Administrative Appeals Commission.It has continued to innovate its services anchored in its “field-oriented” approach
ACRC awards contributors to civil rights

Feb 27, 2013

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on Wednesday declared Feb. 27 the national civil rights day, and awarded medals and commendations to individuals for contributing to anti-corruption and civil rights issues.Feb. 27 is the date on which King Taejong of the Joseon era ordered the Sinmungo to be installed. The Sinmungo was a drum set up outside the king’s palace that could be sounded to bring the authorities’ attention to complaints about state affairs or personal grievances.At the ce
Coolant leaks at nuclear power plant but no injury reported

Feb 26, 2013

GYEONGJU, South Korea (Yonhap News) -- A small amount of coolant leaked from a nuclear power plant under repair earlier this week but there were no reports of injuries, the plant's operator said Tuesday.Eleven workers were hurriedly evacuated after the leak was reported at the Wolseong nuclear power plant near the southeastern provincial city of Gyeongju shortly after noon on Sunday, the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said.Laboratory tests later found only negligible amounts of radioactiv