The Korea Herald

Hallyu stars fuel Seoul City’s website boom

Jan 31, 2011

More than 50 million people worldwide visited Seoul City’s international promotion websites last year, with hallyu entertainers the major reason for the boom. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of visitors to nine of its websites run in Japanese, English and Chinese marked 5,057,465 last year, about 15 times that of its official Korean site (www.seoul.go.kr). The lion’s sha
S. Korea seeking early purchase of stealth jets: sources

Jan 31, 2011

South Korea is moving to introduce the fifth generation of stealth fighter jets at an early date to replace its aging Air Force fighters and to secure capabilities to counter North Korea's increasing provocations, government sources said Sunday.The move comes after the parliament cut the defense ministry's request for some 15.7 billion won (US$14 million) to launch a new fighter jet procurement pr
Turkish man seeks protection from sex-mad wife

Jan 31, 2011

A desperate Turkish man has turned to police for protection against his wife who constantly demanded sex. The weary man claims he had been sleeping on his sofa for the past four years in an attempt to avoid his wife who has an insatiable appetite for sex. (MCT)According to the AFP, the exhausted husband went to police for help on Tuesday and plans to file for divorce with his wife of 18 years and
Pirates to face food, climate and language barriers

Jan 30, 2011

Life behind the bars for the Somali pirates transferred to Korea will be tough: they are expected to struggle with lack of heat, plus food and language barriers. Since it is the first time Korean investigators have dealt with suspects of this type, the police are on alert for emergencies that could hinder a smooth investigation process.According to the Busan Coast Guard, who will conduct the initi
Wounded captain needs more surgery

Jan 30, 2011

Seok, 58, survives operation following Samho Jewelry rescue mission Surgery on the seriously wounded captain Seok Hae-kyun of the Samho Jewelry was showing neither optimistic nor pessimistic results, doctors at Ajou University Hospital said Sunday. Hospital chief Ryu Hee-sug, said the captain’s three-and-half-hour operation was tough. Seok Hae-kyun, the wounded captain of the Samho Jewelry, is tak
Corporations donate to CCK even as public holds back

Jan 30, 2011

When a scandal over the misuse of funds by Community Chest Korea hit in mid-October, donations to South Korea’s biggest charity plummeted.But while much of the public shunned the charity, major conglomerates such as Samsung Group, POSCO and LG Group donated large sums of money just weeks after the scandal erupted.Both Samsung and POSCO defended their donations recently, while LG declined to commen
Detective says killed mother for insurance

Jan 30, 2011

A 20-year veteran detective charged with killing his mother has confessed that the allegedly botched insurance fraud attempt was initially his suggestion, police said Sunday, in a case that is shaking the country’s faith in police,The suspect, surnamed Lee, initially said Saturday that the spinal insurance fraud was first conspired by his mother to cover the 20 million won ($17,930) personal debt
Five Somali pirates arrested for sea robbery

Jan 30, 2011

A local court Sunday issued arrest warrants for five Somali pirates who hijacked a Korean ship in the Arabian Sea and wounded its captain, leaving him in critical condition. This is the first time foreigners have been called into court over piracy. If convicted, they could spend more than five years behind bars. If proved to have shot the Korean captain at close range, those responsible could be g
S. Korean court issues arrest warrants for 5 Somali pirates

Jan 30, 2011

Five pirates arrested are accused of hijacking the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry and firing at the ship's captain during a rescue operation by South Korean Navy commandos on Jan.21.(Yonhap News)A local court on Sunday approved the arrest of five Somali pirates who were captured alive during a recent rescue operation on a South Korean freighter, court officials said.The pirates are accused of hijacking
Crop circles found in Yogya rice field

Jan 30, 2011

(Captured from Jakarta Post)A large circle and geometric pattern local residents say were created by a UFO have been found in a rice field in Krasakan hamlet in Sleman, Yogyakarta.The pattern includes a triangle and two smaller circles in the middle of the large circle, which has a diameter of between 25 and 30 meters, tempointeraktif.com reported Monday.“The circles were there since yesterday mor
Prosecution indicts Hanwha chairman for embezzlement

Jan 30, 2011

The prosecution on Sunday indicted Kim Seung-yeon, chairman of Hanwha Group, on suspicion of embezzlement and misappropriation that it said have caused large damage to the business conglomerate. The indictment wrapped up the prosecution's 137-day probe into allegations that Kim kept tens of billions of won in slush funds to evade taxes. Also on the list of the prosecutors' indictment are 10 Ha
Wounded captain of rescued S. Korean freighter arrives home

Jan 30, 2011

The seriously wounded captain of a South Korean freighter freed from Somali pirates was flown home from Oman Saturday for treatment, about a week after he survived shooting during a commando operation to rescue the vessel.The 58-year-pld captain was immediatey taken to Ajou Hospital in Suwon. (Yonhap News)A special ambulance jet carrying Seok Hae-kyun landed at a military airport, south of Seoul,
Wounded captain of rescued S. Korean freighter heads home

Jan 29, 2011

The seriously wounded captain of a rescued South Korean freighter headed home from Oman aboard a special ambulance jet on Saturday, about a week after he survived shooting from Somali pirates in a commando operation to free the vessel.The 58-year-old Seok Hae-kyun was shot three times by pirates during the Jan. 21 operation in which South Korean commandos rescued the freighter Samho Jewelry. He wa
Gov. Lee, Rep. Suh lose jobs on conviction

Jan 28, 2011

Lee Kwang-jae, governor of Gangwon Province, was stripped of his position Thursday as the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s sentence. Lee was earlier sentenced to a one-year prison term and a forfeit order of 114 million won ($102,000) for having received kickbacks from Park Yeon-cha, CEO of shoemaking company, Taekwang Industry.The term will also deprive Lee, who was an aide of the late Presid
Riot police squad disbanded for abuse

Jan 28, 2011

A riot police squad in Wonju, Gangwon Province, was disbanded on Friday after its seniors were found to have physically and emotionally abused young conscripts.The Gangwon Regional Police Agency said it broke up the 90-member unit, relocating 59 police officers to other areas. The other 31 members are victims of the abuse, and they will be transferred out after questioning, the agency said. The de