The Korea Herald

More Koreans taking to two-wheels

Nov 18, 2011

It’s better for heath and environment, but regulations needed for safe bike ridesIm Sang-hyuk, 37, an oriental medicine doctor, has been cycling to work every day for the last eight years.“It’s obviously cheaper, and I find it often faster,” he said.Im commutes with his bike from his house in Sinjeong-dong, southwest Seoul to Jegi-dong, in the northern part of the city. It’s a daunting 60 km round trip, but Im finds it enjoyable and reliable. “I leave my house around 8:10 a.m. and arrive at work
Korean professor elected to U.N. law commission

Nov 18, 2011

Park Ki-gab, a law professor at Korea University, has been elected as one of the 34 members of the International Law Commission of the United Nations in the ILC’s 2011 election.Park will serve as an ILC member for five years beginning Jan. 1. Candidates from 50 countries ran for 34 commission member places. Asia Pacific states fielded 13 candidates for eight seats allocated to the region. Park garnered votes from 135 out of 193 member countries.Park is the second Korean member of the ILC, follow
Sex crimes by minors increase

Nov 18, 2011

Reported sex crimes among school students in Seoul surged from nine in 2009 to 23 in 2011, leading to calls to strengthen sex education.According to data released by city councilor Yoon Myung-hwa, of the 53 cases from 2009-2011, 36 were committed by middle school students, the number increasing from two to 18 over the period. The latest case involved a second grade middle school student who stripped his classmate’s pants, took photos of his genitals and made jokes, according to Yoon. Another cas
Missing U.S. military rifle found near base of Lee's plane

Nov 18, 2011

A missing U.S. military rifle was found Thursday near a local air base, where President Lee Myung-bak departed aboard a presidential jet on the same day for Indonesia to attend a regional summit, an official said Friday.The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) official said a civilian found the M4 rifle on Thur
Distinguished figures busted in crackdown on prostitution ring

Nov 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- Police said Thursday that they have arrested a broker who allegedly used the Internet to arrange perverted sex and booked 70 others, including distinguished figures like doctors and professors, for being involved in the illegal prostitution ring.The 41-year-old man, surnam
Justice Ministry seeks to remove statute of limitations for murders

Nov 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking to abolish the time limit for prosecuting murderers as part of efforts to better prevent life-threatening crimes, the Justice Ministry said on Thursday.The ministry is pushing to revise related laws to lift the 25-year statute of limitations on all k
Court rules in favor of gov't in suit filed by N.K. sanction victim

Nov 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Thursday ruled in favor of the government in a case that underscored the economic hardship risked by South Korean companies that have business ties with North Korea.NFN, a small local company that had produced clothing made by North Korean workers in Pyongyang since 2007, filed a suit demanding compensation of about 2.1 billion won (US$1.8 million) from the government for the economic damage the company suffered following the South's sanctions on the N
Student attacks on teachers increase

Nov 17, 2011

Views differ over ordinance against corporal punishmentA third grade student at a middle school in Daegu hit his vice principal in the head and stomach several times on Nov. 1 because he confiscated his cigarette.On the same day, the father of a sixth grade elementary school student in Gwangju threw a chair at his daughter’s homeroom teacher after he was dissatisfied with the way the teacher disciplined his child.The two cases are the latest incidents in which students or parents have attacked t
IFC Seoul opens its doors after 9-year wait

Nov 17, 2011

The International Finance Center Seoul opened its doors Thursday after a nine-year wait.Construction of all three towers, which began in 2006 after three years of development, is expected to be finished by the end of 2012.According to Seoul Metropolitan Government, 16 global financial institutions have concluded contracts and begun moving into One IFC.Those attending the opening ceremony included AIG Global Real Estate Managing Director John Whitaker and AIG Korean Real Estate Development Presid
UNESCO Creative Cities Network adopts Seoul declaration

Nov 17, 2011

An international conference of cities with strong cultural assets and diversity adopted a declaration on Thursday in Seoul, calling for regular meetings and a common vision of “sustainable development based on creativity.”The UNESCO Creative Cities Network Conference, hosted by the Seoul city government Nov. 16 and 17, highlighted worldwide cooperation for sustainable urban development and creative ideas to realize it. In the Seoul Declaration, mayors of 41 cities around the world agreed to hold
U.S. soldier suspected of arson, in banned bar after curfew

Nov 17, 2011

A U.S. soldier is being investigated by police here as a prime suspect in a fire at a Seoul bar in an area off-limits to U.S. military personnel past curfew hours.Located in Itaewon’s infamous district, better known as “Hooker Hill,” the scorched bar is one out of more than 45 establishments that are off limits to all U.S. Forces Korea military personnel 24 hours.“There really isn’t much to say about (the incident). It was off-limits and it was after curfew,” USFK spokesman Jason Chudy told The
Tomato Savings Bank exec commits suicide

Nov 17, 2011

An executive of the suspended Tomato Savings Bank was found dead in an apparent suicide on Thursday morning. The savings bank, one of 16 such institutions suspended, was under investigation by the Public Prosecutors Office.The 50-year old, identified by his surname Cha, was found dead in a building in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. A will was not found, but Cha is reported to have sent a text message implying that he would commit suicide to his wife before he hung himself.Cha is the second suspende
Seoul City to promote Korean fashion in China

Nov 17, 2011

Seoul will show China that it has more than K-pop by holding a Korean fashion convention in Hangzhou and Xian, two of the biggest fashion markets in China, city officials said. A total of 12 Korean fashion brands will participate in the event from Nov. 21-26 in the two commercial cities, and expect to utilize the opportunity as a platform to enter the Chinese market and appeal to its consumers.The participants include medium-sized brands such as Linayun, LeeDongWoo Collection, Bengal Vintage and
It’s wise to know about wisdom teeth

Nov 17, 2011

Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last teeth to erupt in your mouth. This generally occurs between the ages of 17 and 25, a time of life that has been called the “Age of Wisdom.” It is hardly surprising that many countries including Korea, Japan and China call them wisdom teeth. What is an impacted tooth? Anthropologists note that the much softer modern diet could be responsible for the withdrawal or elimination of a stimulus that excites an adequate development of the human jaws
Executive of another troubled savings bank found dead

Nov 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- An executive of a suspended savings bank who had been under investigation over the bank's alleged financial irregularities was found dead on Thursday in another apparent suicide in connection with a massive scandal involving troubled savings banks, a joint probe team said.