The Korea Herald

‘Green efforts make Seoul more competitive’

Oct 30, 2012

Seoul City’s investment in environment-friendly projects will improve its competitiveness and growth potential, Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens’ Infrastructure & Cities Sector, said. The leading expert in infrastructure and urban development urged the capital to further promote citizens and businesses’ engagement to make its green efforts more effective and sustainable.Megacities around the world are competing to attract capital, companies and talented workers. In order to draw them, the government
Min to head Korean UNESCO commission

Oct 30, 2012

Min Dong-seok, former vice minister of foreign affairs and trade, was named Tuesday secretary general of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO.Min passed the foreign service examination in 1979 and served as first secretary of the Permanent Mission of Korea to the U.N. Secretariat and International Organizations in Geneva, first secretary of the diplomatic mission in the United States, and worked at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.Min also worked as
Song appointed VP of Boeing defense unit

Oct 30, 2012

Boeing has named Joseph Song vice president and managing director for its defense, space and security business in Korea to further strengthen customer relationships and establish new in-country partnerships.Song will be based in Seoul and focus on ensuring that the best of Boeing and industry are brought to support Korea’s national security needs.“Joseph’s new assignment demonstrates our commitment to a lasting, positive relationship with the Korean government and with a growing number of in-cou
Narcotics just a click away

Oct 29, 2012

A sprawling, easily accessible online narcotics market overseas has become a new concern for police officers here trying to keep the country safe from illegal drugs. According to the National Police Agency on Monday, 994 Koreans have been caught purchasing illegal drugs from overseas through the Internet since 2008. Most of the orders were shipped via post mail and came from countries like the United States, the U.K., New Zealand, Hungary and Taiwan, officials said. More than 90 percent of those
[Newsmaker] Key questions surround president’s eldest brother

Oct 29, 2012

Lee Sang-eun, President Lee Myung-bak’s eldest brother, will be summoned by special investigators on Wednesday in a widening investigation into a property scandal surrounding the first family. On Wednesday morning, the 79-year-old chairman of automotive seat maker DAS will become the second member of Lee’s family to be questioned by the independent counsel over alleged irregularities in connection with the president’s now-scrapped retirement home project. Lee’s son Si-hyung was grilled on Thursd
Korea has lowest proportion of centenarians among OECD states

Oct 29, 2012

The proportion of centenarians in Korea is the lowest among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a report showed Monday. The number of elderly aged 100 and over in Korea was two per 100,000, the lowest in the survey of 18 OECD nations, according to the report. The survey conducted by Professor Kim Jong-in of Wonkwang University was published in the Ageing International journal.France topped the list with 36 centenarians per 100,000 people, followed by Japan a
‘NIS confirms it has summit minutes’

Oct 29, 2012

A ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker said Monday the National Intelligence Service confirmed the existence of the minutes from the 2007 inter-Korean summit. The party has alleged that late former President Roh Moo-hyun disavowed the Northern Limit Line, a de facto sea border between the two Koreas, during his meeting with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.“The NIS admitted that the record exists but refused to disclose it out of concern that it could damage inter-Korean ties,” Yoon Sa
Military pushes to upgrade PAC-2 missile software

Oct 29, 2012

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday it is considering upgrading the software of the Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-2 system to improve its accurasy so as to better cope with North Korean missile and nuclear threats.PAC-2s have been deployed to counter increasing threats from the North’s low-flying, short and medium-range missiles, as part of Seoul’s plan to build an independent theater missile defense shield, dubbed the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) network system.But calls for
Posters of Korean sex slaves put up at Japanese universities

Oct 29, 2012

A group of Korean students led by a professor have hung posters calling for a sincere apology for Korean sex slaves during World War II on the walls of major universities in Japan. Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor in Sungshin Women’s University in Korea, and Korean students studying in Japan hung the posters in about 40 universities including Tokyo University, Kyoto University and Osaka University. They hung 10,000 posters over three weeks, Seo said. There are two different kinds of poster. One says
Police officers sue state over unpaid wages

Oct 29, 2012

Thousands of police officers across the country have filed a class-action suit against the state, claiming that they were due back wages for overtime work, a leading plaintiff said Monday.In the lawsuit filed with the Seoul Central District Court, the plaintiffs sought one million won (US$912) in compensation for each person for unpaid overtime wages from the past three years.Oh Seung-wook, the police inspector of the Gusan Police Station in North Jeolla Province who is leading the legal action,
N.K. defector arrivals fall to 7-year low

Oct 28, 2012

The number of North Koreans defecting to the South is expected to be the lowest in seven years, the Unification Ministry said SundayThe number reached 1,086 until the end of September and is expected to stand around 1,440 for the whole year. It would be the first time since 2006 that the number is below 2,000. The ministry attributed the decrease to the North’s tightened border security as it seeks to stabilize the new government under Kim Jong-un and China seeks to avoid international criticism
Korea renames Dokdo peaks to symbolize sovereignty

Oct 28, 2012

South Korea said Sunday that it has selected new official names for peaks on Dokdo, a group of its easternmost islets in the East Sea, in an apparent bid to better symbolize its sovereignty over the territory frequently claimed by its neighbor Japan.Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a thorn in relations between the two countries. South Korea keeps a small police detachment on the islets ― consisting mainly of Dongdo
SNU may check Ahn’s papers for plagiarism

Oct 28, 2012

Seoul National University may check academic papers of independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo after his foes raised suspicions of plagiarism. A research ethics committee will convene Wednesday, where members will discuss whether or not to launch an investigation to verify the claims against Ahn, its former professor, the Seoul-based university said Sunday. The move comes after lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party urged SNU to step in during a parliamentary audit of the state-run unive
Rocket launch delay will last until mid-November at earliest

Oct 28, 2012

South Korea is likely to make its third attempt to launch its first-ever space rocket in mid-November at the earliest after being forced to postpone it hours before liftoff due to a technical glitch, officials said Saturday.On Friday, South Korea postponed its latest attempt to launch the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), also known as Naro-1, after a potential fuel leak was detected during the final inspection.Officials at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korea Aer
Booyoung funds taekwondo training center in Cambodia

Oct 28, 2012

PHNOM PENH ― Shouts of a taekwondo demonstration team filled a newly built training center Friday as they showed off their spectacular kicks in front of crowds.The event was held in commemoration of the opening of the Booyoung-Khmer Taekwondo Center inside the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, with the donation by Booyoung Group, a construction-based company.“The taekwondo training center will not only promote the martial art but also the ties between the Koreans and Cambodians,” said Lee Joong-keu