The Korea Herald

Candlelight vigils against U.S. beef imports return

May 3, 2012

Candlelight vigils against the U.S. beef import returned to Seoul streets after the discovery of a new case of mad cow disease in California last week. About 2,000 people gathered at Seoul Plaza on Wednesday night urging the government to cease the import and inspection on the meat. They demanded that the authorities hold a renegotiation of the trade deal. “In 2008, the government promised that it would stop all U.S. beef imports if a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was reported
Expert says water scarcity is urgent issue

May 3, 2012

Asia is not yet ready to bring about radical changes to tackle water crunch, IWA chief saysWater scarcity is acute in Asia and is likely to worsen at an accelerating speed as the region develops. Yet, the level of public awareness and political commitment is too low in the region to bring about radical changes that are needed to quench its growing thirst, according to an international water expert. “At a casual level, most people would say, ‘Yeah, water is a big problem.’ But if you talk about t
Lee’s key associate faces imminent arrest

May 3, 2012

Former Vice Knowledge Economy Minister Park Young-joon faced imminent arrest on Thursday afternoon after being interrogated by prosecutors on suspicion of receiving bribes in exchange for influence-peddling in a construction project.Park denied most of the allegations during the 18-hour interrogation at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday.Prosecutors filed for an arrest warrant for Park on charges of receiving 200 to 300 million won between 2005 and 2007.Park’s arrest is to deal a blow
Warrants sought in fatal stabbing

May 3, 2012

Police requested arrest warrants Thursday for three suspects in the shocking stabbing death of a college student in Seoul.The murder may have been sparked by a text message dispute over a local occult community, the police said.A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death at a park in Sinchon, Seoul, on Monday. He was found to have had an argument with a teenager he met through the mobile messenger Kakao Talk.The man peppered the 16-year-old with vicious comments threatening to release his personal in
Children’s products with carcinogenic material recalled

May 3, 2012

Popular children’s products including Angry Birds and Pororo dolls have been found to contain harmful substances including cancer-causing agents, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy on Thursday.A probe of 782 children’s products and electronics appliances revealed that Angry Birds dolls, Power Rangers robots and Hello Kitty accessories contained harmful phthalate plasticizers while plasticizers, lead, and chromium were found in Angry Bird figurines. Recalls have been ordered for 17 ty
Warrants sought for 3 in stabbing murder

May 3, 2012

Police requested arrest warrants Thursday for three suspects in the shocking stabbing death of a college student in Seoul.The murder may have been sparked by a text message dispute over a local occult community, the police said.A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death at a park in Sinchon, Seoul, on Monday. He was found to have had an argument with a teenager he met through the mobile messenger Kakao Talk.The man peppered the 16-year-old with vicious comments threatening to release his personal in
Former vice minister questioned in bribery scandal

May 2, 2012

Former Vice Knowledge and Economy Minister Park Young-joon was grilled by the prosecutors on Wednesday over suspected bribery in the certification of a construction project named Picity.“I will faithfully comply with the prosecutors’ investigation,” Park told reporters in front of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.He shook his head in response to reporters’ questioning of whether he admitted to receiving any bribes in return for favors, adding he will clarify the tru
Seoul to enhance green development aid

May 2, 2012

Korea will realign the focus of its overseas development aid programs with the goal of sustainable and eco-friendly growth, a presidential committee said Wednesday. To handle the shift in the country’s policy on official development assistance, it will establish a pan-governmental panel this year and set new guidelines on provision of grant aid to underdeveloped and developing countries, the Presidential Committee on Green Growth said in its report to President Lee Myung-bak. “Through a new gree
Crash highlights danger of drivers watching DMB

May 2, 2012

A car crash that left three members of a cycling team dead on Tuesday highlighted the danger of watching in-vehicle screens while driving, prompting lawmakers to take immediate action.A 19-year-old cyclist and her two teammates were killed and four others injured when a speeding truck rammed into them on a national highway in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province.The driver was watching a TV program through digital multimedia broadcasting, or DMB, while driving the 25-ton truck when it smashed into
12-year-old molests woman

May 2, 2012

A 12-year-old boy was arrested for sexually molesting a woman, police said Wednesday.The boy, whose identity was withheld, allegedly followed a 28-year-old woman and assaulted her on April 28, according to the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency. The accused attempted to flee the scene when the victim started screaming, but was caught by a passer-by and handed over to police.Police said the alleged attacker will not be taken into custody because he is a minor, and instead will be sent to family co
School teacher, beaten by student, faints

May 2, 2012

A female teacher was beaten by a female student and fainted at a middle school in Busan.According to the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, a female teacher, whose name was withheld, was scolding the student for her inappropriate outfit in the hallway of the school on Monday morning.As the teacher attempted to drag her to the teacher’s room by the hand, the student started shouting abusive language to the teacher, slapped her and grabbed her by the hair.Apparently shocked by the studen
Korea's inspection team in consultations with U.S. officials

May 2, 2012

South Korea and the United States began on-site consultations Tuesday on the latest case of mad cow disease here.A team of eight South Korean government officials and civilian experts arrived in Washington Monday for discussions with U.S. authorities and inspections of related facilities.Their visit comes amid unrelenting public concern over the safety of American beef in South Korea. The Seoul go
‘King’s man’ faces arrest in bribery probe

May 1, 2012

Ex-vice minister Park summoned in snowballing corruption scandal involving Lee’s associatesProsecutors will question former Vice Knowledge Economy Minister Park Young-joon on Wednesday after reportedly securing evidence that he received bribes from a construction contractor, possibly through the bank account of an acquaintance. Park, nicknamed the “king’s man” for his close ties with President Lee Myung-bak, is one of two key figures embroiled in a bribery scandal considered to be one of the pro
Truck accident kills 3 cyclists, injures 5

May 1, 2012

DAEGU (Yonhap News) ― Three professional cyclists were killed and five people injured when a 25-ton cargo truck smashed into their group during training on a local road in southeastern South Korea, police said Tuesday. The accident took place in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, 334 kilometers southeast of Seoul at around 9:50 a.m., when an apparently speeding truck crashed into the cyclists and their support van from behind, police said. The cargo truck hit the group’s minivan, which w
Warrant sought for Chinese fishermen as Seoul protests

May 1, 2012

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Tuesday summoned the consul general of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul to lodge a complaint over Chinese fishermen’s attack on Korean patrol officials a day earlier.The ministry said it strongly remonstrated the Chinese fishermen’s violent resistance to Korean officials’ law enforcement and urged that such incidents never happen again. The ministry told the consul general that the fines for operating unlicensed fishing boats, invading Ko