The Korea Herald

Korean activists detained in China set to arrive in Seoul

Jul 20, 2012

Four South Korean activists who had been detained in China since March after apparently helping North Korean defectors were set to arrive in Seoul late Friday, a government source said.The activists, including Kim Young-hwan, 49, were arrested on March 29 by Chinese authorities on charges of endangering state security in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian."I heard that Kim and his colleagues
Opposition floor leader to be summoned again Monday

Jul 20, 2012

Prosecutors said Friday they have once again summoned the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) on Monday for questioning on suspicions of taking bribes from ailing savings banks.Rep. Park Jie-won has been notified to appear before the Supreme Prosecutors‘ Office in southern Seoul at 10 a.m. Monday for the second time, following his failure to obey the first summons on
Teen gets maximum sentence for murdering girl, burying body

Jul 20, 2012

A 16-year-old boy charged with raping and beating a girl to death and discarding of the body received the maximum sentence for a juvenile offender of 10 years in prison, court officials here said Friday.A Goyang branch of the Euijeongbu District Court also handed down two- to nine-year sentences to eight other teenagers, including a 17-year-old girl, depending on the degree of their involvement in
KAIST board does not take action on Suh

Jul 20, 2012

The board of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology on Friday failed to decide whether or not to oust its president Suh Nam-pyo from his post, despite increasing calls for him step down.The 16-member board held a meeting on Friday in Seoul to discuss Suh’s future, but the meeting ended after less than 30 minutes without any decision. Board chairman Oh Myung, however, noted that Suh had agreed with him to cooperate to end the on-going fight at the country’s top research university. “(
Top science university's chief seen surviving dismissal motion

Jul 20, 2012

The country's top science university said Friday its board of directors has put off the decision on whether to terminate the contract of its incumbent president. The council of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) was scheduled to vote on a motion to cancel its contract with the school's president, Suh Nam-pyo, as he refused calls to step down despite allegations of mism
Karaoke leads to attempted murder charge

Jul 20, 2012

A California man charged with shooting his son over a round of country music karaoke has been ordered to stand trial.Shasta County Superior Court Judge Anthony Anderson ordered William Oller Sr., 70, to stand trial on attempted murder and assault charges during his preliminary hearing Tuesday, The Record Searchlight, Reading, reported Thursday.Investigators said the two men argued Jan. 20 at the y
Metal workers union to stage 2nd strike

Jul 19, 2012

Labor unionists of South Korea's biggest umbrella union said Thursday that an estimated 130,000 members will stage a second nationwide strike to demand better working conditions.Affiliated companies of the Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU), one of the largest industrial guilds under the progressive Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), will go on a one-day walkout on Friday, following the
FDI in Seoul hits record high

Jul 19, 2012

Foreign direct investment in Seoul City has reached a record high in the first half of the year, the first since the 2008 financial crisis, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Thursday.Investment pledged in the six months through June totaled 3 billion won ($2.6 million), up 56.6 percent from the same period a year ago. The amount executed during the period stood at 2.4 billion won, more than double the corresponding figure in 2011. Investment from Japan more than tripled, which Seoul offi
U.S. army private under investigation for drug smuggling

Jul 19, 2012

A U.S. Army private is under investigation by prosecutors in connection with the largest-ever drug smuggling case involving U.S. soldiers in Korea. The soldier will be handed over to the local authorities on July 23. According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the unidentified U.S. 2nd Infantry Division private is suspected of having smuggled 3.5 kilograms of drugs, including synthetic cannabis. The private is also suspected of supplying drugs to civilians and U.S. military pers
Typhoon Khanun leaves one dead

Jul 19, 2012

Typhoon Khanun dumped heavy rains on the nation Thursday morning, leaving one dead, tens of thousands of households without electricity and major transportation systems at a halt before it subsided in the afternoon. The government said that the first tropical storm of this year left less-than-feared damage. The Korean Meteorological Administration cleared most of the typhoon alerts and warnings nationwide as of 1 p.m. The state weather agency said that the typhoon reached Korea on Wednesday wher
Subcontract workers top 100,000 in 2011

Jul 19, 2012

The number of subcontract workers in the country surpassed the 100,000 mark last year, government data showed Thursday.According to the data released by the labor ministry, workers hired by in-house subcontractors totaled 106,601 in 2011, up 7.2 percent from a year earlier.First adopted during the Asian financial crisis in 1998, an in-house subcontracting system has been widely used by local companies to meet the demand for a trained work force. However, concerns have mounted that the companies
Korea struggles to attract working holiday makers

Jul 19, 2012

Working holiday programs popular with Koreans, but attract few into the countryEach year thousands travel between Australia and Korea on working holiday visas. Young people from the age of 18 to 30 looking to self-fund their overseas adventures pack up for a year and jump into the unknown. But the traffic is almost all one way. While more than 15,000 Koreans are in Australia on a working holiday visa, only 23 Australians have traveled to Korea on the same program as of May.Korea sends the second
Subcontract workers top 100,000 in 2011

Jul 19, 2012

The number of subcontract workers in the country surpassed the 100,000 mark last year, government data showed Thursday.According to the data released by the labor ministry, workers hired by in-house subcontractors totaled 106,601 in 2011, up 7.2 percent from a year earlier.First adopted during the Asian financial crisis in 1998, an in-house subcontracting system has been widely used by local compa
More LEDs to light Seoul City streets

Jul 18, 2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it will increase the proportion of light emitting diodes lighting in public places and private properties to cut energy consumption and aid the green light industry.Under the plans, Seoul will replace lighting in all public areas including subway stations, streets and city government offices with LEDs by 2018.Seoul city government also said that it will expand the project to the private sector by 2030, and that about 800,000 LEDs in the publ
SUNY to train Korean language teachers

Jul 18, 2012

The State University of New York at Stony Brook will open certification courses for teaching Korean to meet the growing demand for Korean language education in the U.S., under an agreement it signed Wednesday with Korea’s Education Ministry. The agreement envisions Korea’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology providing the U.S. university with a total of $460,000 over the next five years to help it develop the programs. Stony Brook University will extend its existing Korean language pro