The Korea Herald

Head of Seoul district police station assaulted by FTA protesters

Nov 27, 2011

(Yonhap News)Police have in custody a man who allegedly assaulted chief of Jongno Police Station Park Geon-chan. According to the police, the assailant, identified by his surname Kim, assaulted Park on Sunday during a demonstration protesting against the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, resulting in
Pastor jailed for 18 months for adultery

Nov 26, 2011

A South Korean Christian pastor was jailed for 18 months for having a decade-long affair with a woman whose wedding he had officiated at, a court said Saturday.Adultery in South Korea is a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison but most offenders usually receive only suspended jail
Activists send leaflets, socks to N. Korea via air

Nov 26, 2011

A small group of South Korean activists on Saturday sent balloons carrying propaganda leaflets into North Korea, an activity labeled by the North as an attempt to topple its communist regime.Also carried by the large balloons flown from the northern border city of Paju were 1,500 pairs of winter soc
S. Korea seizes 5 Chinese boats over illegal fishing

Nov 26, 2011

Maritime police in the southwestern port city of Mokpo said Saturday they have seized five Chinese fishing boats on suspicions of poaching in South Korean waters.Mokpo maritime police seized the five boats in waters some 25 kilometers southwest of the island of Gageo, off the country's southwestern
Nexon says data of MapleStory's overseas members safe

Nov 26, 2011

Nexon Korea Corp. said Saturday that no data of MapleStory overseas members was leaked in the recent security breach that compromised private details of 13.2 million Korean online game players.The massive private data leakage hit gamers of the internationally popular online game earlier this week, a
Sexual harassment recognized as work-related injury for first time

Nov 26, 2011

A state agency on workers' welfare has decided to compensate a female worker who suffered from repeated sexual harassment at her workplace, the agency said Saturday, acknowledging her sufferings as workplace injuries.This is the first time the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Services acknowl
Police officers take group action against probe rules

Nov 25, 2011

More than 2,700 turn in handcuffs in symbolic protestThousands of police officers plan to turn in their handcuffs to the government as a symbolic gesture to protest a proposed change in criminal investigation procedures. “We will use the symbolic act of turning in our handcuffs to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Justice Ministry to demonstrate how seriously we take the case,” said one police official Friday, declining to be named.So far, 2,747 officers have expressed their intent to join the
Judge's Facebook post criticizing Lee over U.S. FTA stirs debate

Nov 25, 2011

The Supreme Court said Friday it has decided to refer a senior judge to the ethics committee to determine whether his recent Facebook post that criticized the government violated political neutrality.The judge in Seoul, whose identity was withheld, criticized President Lee Myung-bak and his Cabinet
Having a car without the hassle of owning one

Nov 25, 2011

Korea is starting to see a growing trend that could change the way people view public transportation and personal vehicles.Carsharing, an idea that began in Europe beginning in the 1980s and took the U.S. by storm in the late 90s, blurs the line between the two.Carsharing is a vehicle coop system where members borrow cars on an hourly basis, offering more convenience than transportation at a cheaper cost than owning a car.Korea Carsharing is bringing the idea to Korea, where most people utilize
Myeong-dong, Mt. Nam voted best places in Seoul

Nov 25, 2011

Myeong-dong and Mount Nam have been chosen as Seoul’s biggest tourist attractions, according to a survey released Friday.Through the survey, Seoul Metropolitan Government found that Mount Nam’s tradition of hanging a lock with a significant other on the lookout platform fence was the most popular activity for foreigners.Of the 1,849 tourists surveyed in the study, 16 percent voted Mount Nam as Seoul’s most attractive location for its romantic ambience.Another 13.4 percent of the foreigners found
Tear gas lawmaker under investigation

Nov 25, 2011

Public prosecutors on Friday moved to begin an investigation into Rep. Kim Sun-dong, who set off tear gas inside the parliamentary chamber, following a complaint filed by civic groups. “The probe will soon begin, centering on allegations stated in the complaint,” an official at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said. Rightist civic groups, including Right Korea, filed a complaint against Rep. Kim, accusing the lawmaker of the far-left Democratic Labor Party of committing several crimes, including
Police turn up pressure on probe rule changes

Nov 25, 2011

Thousands of police officers plan to turn in their handcuffs to the government as a symbolic gesture to protest a proposed change in criminal investigation procedures. “We will use the symbolic act of turning in our handcuffs to the Prime Minister's Office and the Justice Ministry to demonstrat
Nation’s gets first woman police chief

Nov 24, 2011

The nation saw the appointment of its first female police agency chief in Gwangju on Wednesday.Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency Senior Superintendent General Lee Kum-hyoung became Korea’s first female police agency head in its 66-year history.“I will be a commander for the common people and victims of society,” said Lee during a press conference. Lee joined the force in 1977 and since has held many positions of power, including senior superintendent of Seoul’s Mapo Police Station and the Korea
Robot prison guards to go on duty in Pohang

Nov 24, 2011

Robot prison guards will go on duty in a pilot scheme in Korea in March.According to the Ministry of Justice’s Korea Correctional Service, robot prison guards for night duty are under development and three robots will be piloted at a correctional facility in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.The Korea Correctional Service said that the robots are being developed by the Asian Forum for Corrections and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute with support from the Ministry of Know
Anti-FTA protests likely to continue

Nov 24, 2011

Opposition lawmakers, labor unions, farmers hold anti-government ralliesThousands of anti-FTA protesters gathered in downtown Seoul on Thursday afternoon for a third massive protest after the Korea-U.S. FTA was ratified on Tuesday, urging the government to scrap the deal. Opposition party lawmakers, labor unions, farmers and citizens gathered in Seoul Plaza despite the cold and called the free trade deal invalid. They criticized the Lee Myung-bak administration and the ruling Grand National Par