The Korea Herald

Korea to charge 11 Chinese fishermen, deal sternly with West Sea poaching

Oct 18, 2012

The Korean Coast Guard’s West regional headquarters in Mokpo said Thursday that it would take legal action and seek arrest warrants for 11 Chinese crewmen and fishermen for obstruction of justice.The Coast Guard officials investigated the incident involving illegal fishing by the Chinese crewmen in Korea’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Sea, and found that they used weapons, such as axes and saws, and violence against the Korean marine police.The latest clash claimed one life of a Chinese f
Cultural properties in Seoul damaged

Oct 18, 2012

An opposition lawmaker claimed Thursday that 41 cultural properties in Seoul, including three designated as national treasures, have been damaged during the last three years.Citing Seoul City data, Park Ki-choon of the Democratic United Party said it would cost the city 2.6 billion won ($2.3 million) to restore them. Among the damaged properties since 2010 were the Gyeongguk Temple gilt-wood relief, a Buddhist painting of Mount Cheongnyang, Seonggyungwan Munmyo (Korea’s primary confucian shrine)
Seoul City to set up rules on animal rights

Oct 18, 2012

Seoul City said Thursday that it will establish rules to better protect animal rights and curb abuse. The city has not had specific rules for the issues, and the rules applied to zoos have so far only been those of museums. The city will first launch a task force team for animal welfare and ethics and hold a workshop Friday, in which 150 animal experts, professors and officials will discuss relevant rules in foreign nations, concepts of animal ethics and welfare of the World Society for the Prot
Counsel questions key figure involved in Lee’s retirement home

Oct 18, 2012

Special prosecutors on Thursday questioned a key figure involved in the now-scrapped retirement house project for President Lee Myung-bak.Kim Tae-hwan, a former official at the presidential security service, appeared at the independent counsel’s office in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul.Kim was in charge of purchasing the land for the retirement house, and is the first to have been summoned by the counsels for the investigation since its launch on Tuesday. He did not answer questions by reporters upon
Five sailors dead after Coast Guard rescue boat capsizes

Oct 18, 2012

Five crew members of a sunken Malaysian cargo vessel died Thursday after a Korea Coast Guard boat, which had rescued them, capsized in seas off Jeju Island.The Coast Guard dispatched its boat to save 15 crewmen of the 5,000-ton vessel from sinking off the southern island. The rescue boat carrying them and four coast guard officers was heading back to its base when it capsized due to strong tides. The Coast Guard immediately dispatched a helicopter and a patrol ship but the accident claimed five
Firms in Gaeseong complex plagued by hefty taxes

Oct 18, 2012

North Korea has unilaterally imposed hefty taxes on South Korean firms operating in the joint Gaeseong inter-Korean industrial complex in the North while employees there are demanding the firms provide more severance pay, a Seoul government official said Thursday.“The North imposed the taxes including corporate income and business taxes on some of the companies operating in the Gaeseong complex in accordance with a new tax enforcement regulation(enacted) and delivered by the North last August,”
‘Brain drain in science and engineering on the rise’

Oct 18, 2012

Science and engineering students leaving to study abroad has surpassed over 35,000 and the number continues to rise, a report showed on Thursday.A record 36,914 undergraduate and postgraduate students in natural sciences and engineering went abroad in 2011, up nearly 27 percent on 2008, according to a report submitted to Rep. Park Hon-keun of the opposition Democratic United Party by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.The number reached 34,629 in 2010, up from 32,662 in 2009, show
GGGI becomes international organization

Oct 18, 2012

The Global Green Growth Institute, a Korea-initiated nonprofit organization to promote environmentally friendly development, was officially transformed into an international agency on Thursday, 28 months after its launch.The agency met the requirement as an international body, which is the ratification of at least three countries, as Kiribati’s approval on Sept. 18 took effect following Denmark and Guyana.With 18 member countries the GGGI is the first international organization founded under the
Korea to expand smart grid use for energy efficiency

Oct 18, 2012

South Korea will consider diverse ways to expand the use of the smart grid system as part of its efforts to enhance the country’s long-term energy efficiency, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.The move is part of future energy policy directions the government reviewed during a meeting to enhance energy efficiency and effectively cope with other problems from greenhouse gases and climate change. The meeting is intended to discuss the government’s long-term national development strategies.“Greenh
Environmental ministers to gather in Seoul

Oct 18, 2012

Environmental ministers from more than 40 countries are to gather in Seoul next week for a meeting on climate change. The upcoming meeting is in preparation for the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, more widely called COP18, to be held in Doha, Qatar, at the end of the year. “The Pre-COP18 Ministerial Meeting in Seoul will be a chance for ministers to poll ideas to find ways to tackle global climate challenges and reinforc
College startup delivers energy solutions

Oct 18, 2012

Climate change consulting firm Ecosense helps Korean firms on path to green managementThe Korea Herald, in collaboration with the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, is presenting a series of articles introducing small but promising environmental tech firms. The following is the sixth installment. ― Ed.Climate change has become a major concern in the global corporate world as regulations are tightened and consumers are increasingly conscious of the environment. The trend is a ch
Korea’s first West Nile virus infection found

Oct 18, 2012

Korean health authorities confirmed Wednesday the country’s first West Nile virus case involving a patient who contracted the disease while traveling in Africa.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the patient, whose identity was withheld for privacy reasons, traveled to Guinea from January to June and returned to the country after developing symptoms of West Nile fever.The patient is currently being treated for various related symptoms that include paralysis,
Nobel laureate John Gurdon visits Korea

Oct 18, 2012

John Gurdon, professor at the University of Cambridge and winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is visiting Korea to attend a forum on stem cell research.Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology said Thursday that Gurdon attended the 2012 annual meeting of the Korean Society for Stem Cell Research, where he gave a special lecture and attended the opening ceremony. He will stay until Friday.Gurdon, along with Shinya Yamanaka, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiolog
Incheon announces winners of essay contest for GCF

Oct 18, 2012

The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority announced the winners of the second English Essay Contest out of 170 Korean and foreigner participants.The theme of the competition held last Wednesday was on Incheon’s potential as the host city of the Global Climate Fund.The winner of the foreigner category was Peter Walsh, an employee at Pak Mun Girls’ High School, who analyzed the merits of Songdo through a foreigner’s perspective.The Korean category winner was Duksung Women’s University senior Kim My
South Korean woman among five killed in Denver bar fire

Oct 18, 2012

A South Korean woman was among five killed inside a Denver bar torched on Wednesday, according to news reports. Police said it identified the bodies of four women and a man discovered inside the bar and their deaths ruled homicides.Denver Police Chief Robert White said the bodies appeared to have suffered trauma and the fire was believed to be arson, The Denver Post reported.The victims were ident