The Korea Herald

S. Korea to decide whether to build airport on East Sea island

Sept 5, 2012

(Yonhap News)South Korea said Wednesday that it will decide whether to build an airport for 500 billion won ($440 million) on an island in the East Sea this month.The results of the latest preliminary feasibility study on building an airplane landing field on Ulleung Island are due to be released later this month, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.South Korea has pu
Program to boost tourism to SE Asia

Sept 2, 2012

ASEAN-Korea Centre will run a program for tourism professionals in Brunei Darussalam aimed at increasing awareness of Korea there and boosting tourism.ASEAN Tourism Human Resources Development Program will take place on 3-4 September in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, with a series of lectures on Korean tourism, culture, and the Korean language. The program, organized with the Brunei Tourism Development Department at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, is aimed at preparing tourism prof
Paraguayan land, Korean tech ideal match in agribusiness

Sept 2, 2012

A combination of Paraguay’s wealth of arable land and Korean agricultural technology is leading to new business opportunities for the two countries. A team of seven small businesses in South Jeolla Province on Aug. 23 signed a memorandum of understanding with CDD, a Paraguayan conglomerate with more than 30,000 hectares of agricultural land, to provide agricultural products and expertise for the growing of rice and other crops. CDD came into contact with Korean businesses through the Paraguayan
S. Korea, Japan officials discuss Dokdo

Sept 1, 2012

TOKYO (Yonhap News) -- South Korea's ambassador to Japan and Japan's vice foreign minister held a brief meeting to discuss pending issues, including the dispute over the Dokdo islets, amid heightened tension between the two countries, sources said Friday.South Korean Ambassador to Japan Shin Kak-soo and Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Kenichiro Sasae held a 30-minute meeting at the Japa
U.S. urges Korea, Japan to exercise ‘restraint’

Aug 31, 2012

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The United States wants South Korea and Japan to exercise restraint in handling their historical and territorial disagreements, a senior State Department official said Thursday.“I have to say that the recent spate of tensions between Japan and Korea have caused concerns,” the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.“We are, again, urging restraint, calm, and statesmanship in terms of dealing with these issues.”Washington’s key Asian allies ― Seoul and Tok
U.N. leader expresses hope for better inter-Korean ties in meeting with NK official

Aug 31, 2012

DUBAI -- U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon met with North Korea's ceremonial head of state in Tehran and expressed hope for improved relations between the two Koreas, his spokesman said Friday. Ban's meeting with Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's ceremonial head of state and chief of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, took place Thursday on the sidelines of a Non-Aligned Movement summit hosted by Iran
U.S. urges S. Korea, Japan to act with ’restraint’

Aug 31, 2012

The United States wants South Korea and Japan to exercise restraint in handling their historical and territorial disagreements, a senior State Department official said Thursday.“I have to say that the recent spate of tensions between Japan and Korea have caused concerns,” the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.“We are, again, urging restraint, calm, and statesmanship in terms of dealing with these issues.”Washington‘s key Asian allies _ Seoul and Tokyo _ have been at loggerhea
[Newsmaker] Ex-prime minister fans Japan’s nationalist fever

Aug 29, 2012

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, seems desperate to grasp his nation’s top political post again, judging by his decision to jump into the intensifying diplomatic spat between Korea and Japan in a thinly veiled tactical move. Fully aware of the extreme sensitivity of the issue, Abe pledged to reverse all of Japan’s past apologetic statements over its colonial atrocities, if his party wins the election and he is again elected prime minister.Abe’s newly reaffirmed stance on the issue come
Japan is accelerating their fight for Dokdo, but Korea is at a standstill

Aug 28, 2012

Even though Japan is actively calling upon the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to label Dokdo as a disputed area and tensions between Korea and Japan are rising because of the islets, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that Korea’s budget for the island will remain the same in 2013. The ministry says the estimated 2013 budget for measures aimed at solidifying Korea’s control over Dokdo is 2.32 billion won ($2.04 million). This estimate is the same amount as the 2012 budget. Th
Nepal House offers glimpse of Himalayan Range

Aug 26, 2012

The Nepali Embassy and the Non-Resident Nepali Association Korea unveiled its culture center with a charity night on Thursday.The opening ceremony for the Nepal House was marked by dignitaries including Nepali Ambassador Kaman Singh Lama and Lee In-jung, head of the Korean Alpine Federation.Also showing support for the house was CNN’s 2010 Hero of the Year, Anuradha Koirala, who provided support and shelter for over 12,000 women and children who have been rescued from brothels in Nepal since 199
ASEAN-Korea Center offers language classes

Aug 26, 2012

The ASEAN-Korea Center and the Sogang University Institute for East Asian Studies will be offering language classes, from the region, starting September.The fourth semester of the Southeast Asian Language Program will be offering 12-week courses on Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese. The evening classes will be held once a week at both the center and the university which begin Sept. 10.The program began in 2011 offering beginner classes on Vietnamese and Indonesian.Registration will be held from Au
Costa Rica celebrates ties with Korea

Aug 26, 2012

Costa Rican President Laura Chincilla celebrated the country’s 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea in Seoul on Monday.The relationship between Korea and the Central American country are based around the key elements of education, democracy and human rights, said Chinchilla during her reception.“Fifty years after the inauguration of relations, Korea has won its bet on the future and has established itself as an economic and technological power,” she said, according to an embassy press
Nepal seeks Korean investment in infrastructure

Aug 26, 2012

A Nepali delegation met with Korean officials on Tuesday to discuss infrastructure development and cooperation, according to the Nepali Embassy.The delegation was led by Minister of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management, Hridayesh Tripathi during their five-day visit to Seoul.Tripathi met with Korea’s Land, Transport and Maritime Minister Kwon Do-youp and discussed bilateral interests. The two ministers also sought to enhance the exchange of information and promote development in rai
S. Korea, Japan trade barbs over Dokdo

Aug 24, 2012

Tokyo’s lower house adopts resolution; Seoul blasts Tokyo for challenging Korean sovereigntySouth Korea on Friday urged Japan to recant its “unjust” claim to Dokdo after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged an “indomitable resolve to protect” its sovereignty over the tiny islets in the East Sea. “We strongly protest Prime Minister Noda’s reiteration of an unjust claim over Dokdo that is clearly our territory historically, geographically and under international law. We urge an immediate withdraw
[Photo] Firm message to Japan

Aug 23, 2012

Members of civic groups hold a protest on Thursday in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, censuring the Japanese government for its sovereignty claim on Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo. (Yonhap News)