The Korea Herald

Teenagers chronically sleep deprived

Dec 12, 2011

Fast food consumption declines steadily after campus sales ban in 2007A majority of teenagers in Korea suffer from chronic sleep deprivation that could lead to drinking, smoking and suicidal tendencies, the state health agency said Monday. Also, the number of students regularly consuming junk food and soda is on a steady decline but is still substantial, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest assessment of teenagers’ lifestyle.The annual report claims that 74.
Design evoking 9/11 causes controversy

Dec 12, 2011

The design of a pair of residential towers to be built in Yongsan, Seoul has sparked international controversy by evoking the image of the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Families of 9/11 victims were among those outraged at the design evoking the exploding WTC, and criticized Dutch architecture firm MVRDV and the architect, Daniel Libeskind, according to the New York Daily News and New York Post. Scheduled to be completed in 2015, the towers are connected by a “pixilated cloud” whi
First president of foreign student council elected at local university

Dec 12, 2011

A Chinese student has been elected as the first president of a foreign student body at a Korean university in Seoul. The 25-year-old female student, He Yun from China, was elected president of the nation’s first foreign student council of Kyung Hee University, while 22-year-old male student Sunzhiwei from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region in China was picked as vice president last Friday, according to the school. The two students, both undergraduates at the university, will represent about 1,
Arrest warrant sought for first lady's cousin over bribery suspicion

Dec 12, 2011

Prosecutors said Monday they were seeking an arrest warrant for a cousin of President Lee Myung-bak's wife on suspicion that he received bribes from a troubled savings bank in return for using his influence.Kim Jae-hong, the head of a welfare foundation under state-run tobacco distributor KT&G Corp.
S. Koreans couples least sexually active worldwide: poll

Dec 12, 2011

SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Koreans are the least sexually active among people in 13 countries surveyed in an international online poll, a global pharmaceutical company said Monday.Eli Lilly and Co.'s Seoul office said Korean couples over 34 have sex an average of 1.04 times a week, citing the
Police chief weighs resignation in protest of gov't legislation

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 positio
Chinese fisherman kills Korean coast guard officer

Dec 12, 2011

(Yonhap News)A Chinese captain stabbed two South Korean coast guard officers, killing one and injuring the other on Monday after being stopped on suspicion of illegal fishing in South Korean territory, officials said.According to the Incheon Coast Guard, the incident happened after one of its
Last member of Holt dynasty lives up to name

Dec 11, 2011

Molly Holt helps celebrate 50-years of adoption agency’s Ilsan centerILSAN ― She’s known by many names, from the Mother Teresa of Korea to the Mother of all Korea’s Orphans ― and 55 years on she is still living up to them. Molly Holt, chairwoman of Holt Children’s Services, was not only a witness to the nation’s rise from the ashes of the Korean War. Because of her selfless heart, she was knee deep in it. “I kept on delaying my college, because there was so much to do here, so much poverty, so m
Korea-America Good Neighbors Society honors American soldiers

Dec 11, 2011

The Korea-America Good Neighbors Society celebrated the end of the year with the annual dinner for U.S. soldiers in Korea with exemplary service records Friday.KAGNS was founded in 2005 to strengthen relations with U.S. forces and to help U.S. military personnel to better understand Korea.The 63 soldiers honored at the event were selected from different branches of the armed forces for outstanding service in Korea. The selected service men and women were also taken on a two-day skiing trip.Digni
Thousands protest trade deal with U.S.

Dec 11, 2011

Thousands of people rallied in downtown Seoul Saturday in protest of a free trade agreement (FTA) South Korea has signed with the United States, arguing that it unfairly favors Washington.The South Korea-U.S. FTA, signed in 2007 and modified last year were ratified by the two countries’ legislatures. Seoul and Washington plan to put the accord into effect early next year.In South Korea, street protests against the FTA with the U.S. have been held almost daily since the ruling Grand National Part
Senior aide to president’s brother arrested for bribery

Dec 11, 2011

An aide to Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk, elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak, was arrested on Saturday on bribery charges. The aide, identified by his surname Park, is accused of accepting 700 million won in cash and an expensive luxury wristwatch from two local businessmen for illegal lobbying to save their troubled companies from closure. The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant on Saturday and judge Kim Hwan-soo cited that “there is a concern that he might
Daughter of composer Yun Isang files against abductees’ relative

Dec 11, 2011

The daughter of a late renowned South Korean composer has filed a complaint against a high-profile South Korean man whose family members are being held in North Korea, an official said Saturday.The move by Yun Isang’s daughter comes amid a growing public campaign for the return of Oh Kil-nam’s wife and two daughters who are believed to have been held in a North Korean political prison camp for more than two decades.Oh has claimed his family was lured to North Korea in 1985 after he got a doctora
Korean national stabbed to death in U.S.

Dec 10, 2011

A South Korean national was stabbed to death in a Korean district in Atlanta earlier this week, the foreign ministry said Saturday, as South Korean diplomats called for swift investigation into the case.The ministry identified the victim as a 32-year-old man, surnamed Ko, who was a permanent residen
Arrest warrant issued for aide to President Lee’s brother

Dec 10, 2011

A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant Saturday for an aide to President Lee Myung-bak’s brother in the latest in a string of high-profile corruption scandals.The aide, surnamed Park, has been accused of receiving about 700 million won ($619,000) in cash and an expensive watch from two businessmen i
Judge questions aide to President Lee’s brother

Dec 10, 2011

A judge questioned an aide to President Lee Myung-bak's brother on Saturday over allegedly taking bribes from local businessmen, an official said.Kim Hwan-soo, a judge of the Seoul Central District Court, is expected to decide late Saturday whether to issue a warrant to formally arrest the aide, the