The Korea Herald

Comfort women to mark 1,000th rally for Japan’s apology, compensation

Dec 9, 2011

“So we have one rally to go to mark the 1,000th straight time,” said 86-year-old Kim Bok-dong as she waited for the weekly protest to start around noon in front of the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul last Wednesday. She is one of six former sex slaves who braved the cold weather, armed with hats, blankets and pocket warmers to join the Wednesday Protest. It was just a week before the 1,000th straight weekly protest by the women, called “halmeoni” here in Korea out of deference to their senior
Five rail workers killed on duty

Dec 9, 2011

INCHEON (Yonhap News) ― Five workers were killed when they were hit by a Korea Airport Railroad train in Gyeyang station in the port city of Incheon, authorities said Friday.Korea Railroad Corp., which operates the train service, said the accident occurred at 0:31 a.m. at the station located 27 kilometers west of Seoul.The five workers were preparing the railroad tracks at the station so they would not freeze during the winter months. In addition to the five workers killed, another was seriously
Judges propose legal review of FTA

Dec 9, 2011

About 170 judges across the country submitted a letter to the Supreme Court on Friday, urging the judicature to start a legal review of the controversial Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. “We hereby ask the chief of the Supreme Court to permit the establishment of a taskforce to examine whether the trade agreement infringes on Korea’s judicial sovereignty,” wrote the letter directed to Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae. A total of 170 judges have signed the letter, including 10 senior-lev
Cold snap to remain through weekend

Dec 9, 2011

The piercing cold snap will continue to grip the nation over the weekend with snow scattering across the Korean peninsula.The cold will recede after Sunday, recovering the annual average, the state weather agency said Friday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the cold snap will be worst on Saturday, where temperatures are expected to fall below 6 degrees below zero in Seoul as well as below minus 8 degrees in Daegu and the northern Gyeongsang region. Snow will blanket wester
One rally to go before comfort women’s 1,000th straight Wednesday Protest

Dec 9, 2011

“So we have one rally to go to mark the 1,000th straight time,” said an 86-year-old Kim Bok-dong as she waited for the weekly protest to start around noon in front of the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul last Wednesday. She is one of six former sex slaves who braved the cold weather, armed with hats, blankets and a pocket warmer to join the Wednesday Protest. It was just a week before the 1,000th straight weekly protest by the women, called “halmeoni” here in Korea out of deference to their se
Nearly 7 out of 10 see society as corrupt: survey

Dec 9, 2011

Nearly 70 percent of ordinary Korean citizens regard society here as corrupt, with the largest number of them citing politicians as the main culprits, a poll showed Friday.According to the survey of 1,400 ordinary citizens, 1,400 civil servants, 700 business executives and 630 opinion leaders, 65.4 percent of the general public said society is corrupt as a whole. The number was a large jump from 51.6 percent holding the view a year earlier.While the corrupt image of the society was shared by nea
S. Korea's first-generation law school graduates face uncertain future

Dec 9, 2011

As the South Korean society is set to greet the first generation of law school graduates next year, securing a job is a major concern for the would-be graduates, especially those from regional schools.About 1,500 students complete their academic courses at dozens of local law schools in early 2012.
Five workers killed in airport train accident

Dec 9, 2011

INCHEON, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) -- Five workers were killed when they were hit by a Korea Airport Railroad train in Gyeyang station in the port city of Incheon, authorities said Friday.Korea Railroad Corp., (KORAIL) which operates the train service, said the accident occurred at 0:31 a.m. at the station lo
Budget cuts likely to reduce foreign teachers at schools

Dec 8, 2011

The number of foreign teachers at high schools in Seoul is likely to drop due to government budget cuts for next year.The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it plans to cut about 4 billion won ($3.5 million) in personnel expenses for 225 foreign teachers at high schools in the 2012 budget, which has been reviewed by the council’s budget committee since Thursday. If it passes the plenary session of the city council next week, the number of foreign high school teachers will start decreasi
Opposition agrees to end parliament boycott

Dec 8, 2011

The main opposition Democratic Party agreed Thursday to end its boycott of parliament and handle next year’s budget and other urgent bills before year’s end, officials said.DP floor leader Kim Jin-pyo reached the agreement in talks with his ruling Grand National Party (GNP) counterpart Hwang Woo-yea.The sides agreed to call the National Assembly into an extraordinary session Monday and start working on the budget and other key bills, their spokesmen said.The DP began boycotting parliament in pro
Second iCJD case reported

Dec 8, 2011

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the country’s second case of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Thursday.The first was reported Nov. 29, after the patient had died.Authorities said that the disease is not ordinarily transmittable and assured that the public was generally safe from contraction.According to the KCDC, the patient is a 48-year-old man diagnosed with iCJD on Wednesday. He is believed to have contracted the disease after he received a dura mater graft
GNP lawmaker’s aide admits cyber attack

Dec 8, 2011

No high-ranking official involved in DDoS attack on election watchdog: policeA former secretary to Grand National Party lawmaker Choi Ku-sik confessed Thursday to the cyber attack on the website of the national election watchdog on Oct. 26 during the by-elections.According to the police, Gong confessed to the charges during an interrogation in the early hours of the day, saying he was acting independently. Gong had up to that point denied involvement in the cyber attacks. Police have tentatively
Ruling party lawmaker’s aide confesses to cyber attack　

Dec 8, 2011

No high-ranking GNP official involved in crime on election watchdog: policeA former secretary to Grand National Party lawmaker Choi Ku-sik confessed Thursday to the cyber attack on the website of the national election watchdog on Oct. 26 during the by-elections.According to the police, Gong confessed to the charges during interrogation in the early hours of the day, saying he was acting independently. Gong had until then denied involvement in the cyber attacks. Police have tentatively concluded
Budget cuts likely to reduce foreign teachers at high schools in Seoul

Dec 8, 2011

The number of foreign teachers at high schools in Seoul is likely to be reduced with the government’s budget cuts for next year. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it plans to cut about 40 billion won ($3.5 million) in personnel expenses for 225 foreign teachers at high schools in the 2012 budget, which has been reviewed in the council’s budget committee since Thursday. If it passes the plenary session of the city council next week, the number of foreign high school teachers will st
NLCS Jeju to offer full scholarships to poor

Dec 8, 2011

North London Collegiate School Jeju, the first international school to open in the Jeju Global Education City, will offer full scholarships to students from low-income families with outstanding academic performances. The scholarships will cover full tuition and boarding fees until graduation, school officials said Thursday. The NLCS also offered a campus tour and admission information session for prospective students and their families to learn about campus life and conditions for admission ahea