The Korea Herald

Sex slavery victims set up monument at 1,000th rally

Dec 14, 2011

An estimated 1,000 citizens gathered in front of the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul Wednesday, calling for the Japanese government’s apology and compensation for the wartime sex slaves during the Japanese colonial rules (1910-1945).The day was the 1,000th weekly Wednesday Protest, first held in 1992. Participants included five survivors of Japan’s sexual enslavement, activists, politicians, foreign residents and journalists. Protesters including Chung Mong-joon, former chairman of the ruling
Workers to get half of salary during forced non-paid leave

Dec 14, 2011

Labor Ministry plans to focus on creating youth jobs in 2012 Workers forced to take non-paid leave will receive up to half of their regular salary for a maximum of six months starting from the second half of next year, the government said Wednesday. The Ministry of Labor also said it aims to create some 71,000 new jobs for youth workers and provide cash incentives to companies which reduce working hours and hire more staff in 2012. “With low growth forecast for the domestic economy in 2012 and
Seoul’s carbon emissions to peak in 2020

Dec 14, 2011

Seoul’s greenhouse gas emissions will peak in 2020 but are expected to fall from 2030, a report showed Wednesday. The city’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen over the past 20 years from about 44 million tons a year in 1990 to an estimated 51 million tons in 2010, according the report by the Seoul Development Institute. In 2020 emissions are expected to reach about 54 million tons, then fall from 2030 as the city population decreases and energy efficiency improves. Energy consumption takes up
Park, L.A. mayor talk teamwork

Dec 14, 2011

Seoul and Los Angeles mayors met on Wednesday to discuss economic cooperation opportunities between their two cities.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon met early Wednesday morning to discuss developments in investment and tourism.“As important as it is for mayors to meet, it is equally important for citizens to meet so there needs to be a plan for that to happen,” said Park“There needs to be cheap accommodation for Seoul
Korean nuclear reactor stops operation

Dec 13, 2011

A nuclear reactor in South Korea stopped operating Tuesday for unknown reasons, a state-run nuclear power plant operator said.The Unit-1 reactor with a capacity of 1-million kilowatt in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, came to a standstill at around 8 p.m., according to the Korea Hydro & Nu
US soldier in S. Korea indicted on rape charge

Dec 13, 2011

SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors said Tuesday that they have indicted a U.S. soldier on charges of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old South Korean girl and stealing her laptop.The 21-year-old private from a communications brigade of the 8th U.S. Army is accused of raping the girl in her rented
Seoul installs west coast CCTV to forecast snowfall

Dec 13, 2011

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has placed weather-observing video cameras along the nation’s western coast to help the capital brace for snowstorms, officials said Tuesday.According to the capital, five closed-circuit television cameras were installed to detect early warning signs and give officials adequate preparation time, after a major snowstorm paralyzed Seoul last year. The CCTV cameras were placed at two meteorological observatories in Munsan, Ganghwa and Incheon, and in Yeongheung-do
Union condemns request to promote FTA in schools

Dec 13, 2011

A document sent by the Education Ministry to local education offices encouraging them to promote the Korea-U.S. FTA in local schools has met a backlash from a progressive teacher’s union and prompted regional education offices to review whether they should comply. The 16 offices nationwide received an official document from the ministry Friday, asking them to promote the Korea-U.S. FTA on the websites of the regional education offices and schools by installing pop-ups and banners, according to t
Civic group blast new broadcasters

Dec 13, 2011

Cable channels fail to disclose programming guidelines even after openingA group of activists has filed a lawsuit with the prosecution against three new cable broadcasters for keeping the audience in the dark about their programming schedules even after they began broadcasting on Dec. 1. The three broadcasters are Channel A, TV Chosun and jTBC. They are run by the Dong-A Ilbo, the Chosun Ilbo and the JoongAng Ilbo, respectively, the nation’s three biggest conservative newspapers. MBN, run by Mae
Pigeon Corp. assault suspect found dead in apparent suicide

Dec 13, 2011

A member of a crime ring suspected of assaulting a former CEO of Pigeon Corp. was found dead on Tuesday at his house in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The man, identified as his family name Oh, was reportedly found with his leather belt wrapped around his neck hanging from a shower head around 3 a.m. He was found by his wife. No death note or possible third-party activity has been found yet, said the police, who are assuming suicide. His wife has reportedly testified that Oh, who had been on the run
S. Korea to seek arrest warrant for Chinese captain over murder accusation

Dec 13, 2011

South Korea's Coast Guard said Tuesday they would seek an arrest warrant for the captain of a Chinese fishing boat on suspicion of killing a local Coast Guard officer during a raid operation on the vessel caught for illegal fishing.(Yonhap News)The officer, surnamed Lee, was killed Monday as h
Oldest Korean victim of Japan's wartime sexual slavery dies

Dec 12, 2011

The oldest Korean woman who was forced into sexual slavery in brothels run by Japan's military during World War II has died at the age of 94, a civic group supporting the aging survivors said Monday.Park Seo-woon died on Dec. 4 of old age in northeast China's Hunchun city in Jilin province, said an
Police chief may resign in protest of probe rights

Dec 12, 2011

The nation’s police chief plans to stake his police career on winning concessions in a government legislation, which the police see as severely limiting their investigative powers, a source said Monday. “I have said several times before that I will not become a person reluctant to give up my position,” Cho Hyun-oh, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency (NPS), told Yonhap News Agency. “If the Prime Minister Office’s final version of the legislation is confirmed and its content is
Seoul to regulate billboard lighting, indoor temperature

Dec 12, 2011

Store owners caught for excessive lighting on outdoor billboards and heating of their buildings will face fines of up to 3 million won ($2,622) starting later this week, as part of nationwide efforts to save energy during the winter season, the Seoul city government said Monday.The move came after the central government declared an emergency period for energy usage from Dec. 5 to the end of February next year. The electricity demand in winter was higher than in the middle of summer for the past
Tax dodgers shamed online

Dec 12, 2011

The capital on Monday revealed the names of thousands of tax dodgers online, including Joo Soo-do, former chairman of the multilevel marketing firm JU Group.The names of 4,645 individuals and corporate bodies were posted online for failing to pay at least 30 million won ($26,190) each in local taxes over the past two years.Available in PDF file format on Seoul Metropolitan Government’s homepage, the list contains 3,148 more names than last year, when the amount of unpaid taxes amounted to 100 mi