The Korea Herald

Ruby’s presence shakes up staid Vienna Opera Ball

Mar 4, 2011

VIENNA (AP) ― The TV cameras were told to ignore her, and Austria’s rich and powerful sought to avoid her. But amid all the bling on display at the Vienna Opera Ball, most eyes were still on one particular jewel ― Ruby.With Ruby, a.k.a. Karima el-Mahroug, at the center of the scandal plaguing Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, her scheduled appearance at Austria’s ball of balls on Thursday was a s
Booyoung chairman donates center to SNU

Mar 3, 2011

Booyoung Group Chairman Lee Joong-keun has pledged to make a donation for the construction of a social contribution center on Seoul National University campus, the university said Wednesday.The 10 billion won in construction costs will be fully covered by the donation, and the university has decided to name the building the Woojung Global Social Contribution Center after Lee’s pen name, Woojung.Th
Global Sarang head opens multicultural school

Mar 3, 2011

Kim Hae-sung, president of Global Sarang, a support group for foreign migrant workers, has founded an elementary school for children from multicultural families. The school in Oryu-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul held its initial entrance ceremony Wednesday, with about 60 students, children and teachers attending.It has a six-story 2,400-square-meter building with 17 rooms which consist of general classrooms
Kim Jong-il guard who set self free

Mar 3, 2011

N.K. defector says protecting ‘Dear Leader’ meant imprisonment in a gilded jailSAGOKRI, South Korea ― Lee Young-guk is a struggling duck breeder in muddy work clothes, shepherding 10,000 feathered wards at his rural family-owned spread near the North Korean border.For the taciturn 50-year-old, his omnipresent baseball cap worn low over watchful eyes, common farm life is a distant second act to the
Yoo named Herald Media CEO

Mar 1, 2011

Herald Media has appointed Yoo Byung-chang, former president of POSCO ICT, as its chief executive officer and publisher. Yoo, 61, succeeds Park Haeng-hwan, who is retiring after three years in the post. Yoo will take office on March 2 as CEO and publisher of Herald Media, which publishes The Korea Herald, The Herald Business, The Junior Herald and The Campus Herald. Yoo Byung-changThe new CEO has
Superstar climber just a regular girl

Mar 1, 2011

Kim Ja-in cites little greed, resolved spirit as secrets to becoming championWhen most people think of the perfect body type for rock climbing, it is probably someone tall and lanky, or maybe someone with huge arms and chest. But Kim Ja-in, breaking the stereotype at 152 centimeters and just over 40 kilograms, can breeze up any rock face she’s confronted with.Kim is ranked the world’s No.1 female
China’s nuclear bomb pioneer dies

Mar 1, 2011

Zhu Guangya, a nuclear physicist and one of the key scientists engaged in the development of China’s first atom bomb and first hydrogen bomb, died on Saturday at the age of 87, China Daily reported.A pioneer of China’s nuclear science, Zhu contributed to breakthroughs in the research for nuclear energy, and helped the country’s development of defense technology.Born in Yichang, central China’s Hub
Korean-American commands U.S. destroyer

Mar 1, 2011

The U.S. Navy has seen another Korean-American take the helms of a U.S. guided-missile destroyer.Steven Lee became the 14th commanding officer of USS Gonzalez in Norfolk, Virginia, on Feb. 25, according to the official website of USS Gonzalez. He is the third Korean-American captain of a U.S. destroyer, following Choi Hee-dong, commander of the USS Chafee and Jeffrey Kim of the destroyer USS John
SNU professor fired over student abuse

Mar 1, 2011

Kim In-hei, 49, vocal music professor of Seoul National University, was sacked on Monday for habitually inflicting violence on her students and other alleged misconduct.The school’s disciplinary committee decided on Monday to fire her after a marathon discussion. It was the first time that the nation’s top university has dismissed a professor over abuse of students.The professor was hit by inside
High-tech Asia still superstitious

Feb 28, 2011

Ancient practices, beliefs still prevalent among many people across AsiaTAIPEI (AFP) ― From the compatibility of her groom, to the timing of her wedding and the naming of her child, Shen Yi-ching has always turned to fortune tellers for guidance on life’s big decisions.“It’s for good luck and peace of mind. I’d rather be safe than sorry,” said Taiwanese teacher Shen, 38, whose parents consulted a soothsayer to pick a name with an auspicious arrangement of Chinese characters for her.Young and old
Helping the homeless back on their feet

Feb 27, 2011

Ballerino James Jeon teaches dance to help them build confidenceThere are many ways to help the homeless get off the streets and onto their feet, but one person has thought of something completely different ― teaching them ballet lessons.Absurd as the idea may sound, ballerino James Jeon, says that for the homeless, regaining confidence is the fastest way to help them back on their feet. “For them
[Herald interview] Confucianism helped Korea in financial crisis: scholar

Feb 27, 2011

Chinese professor Tu Weiming says willingness to work without immediate reward, government-corporate cooperation fueled recoveryChinese neo-Confucianism scholar Tu Weiming said Korea was able to overcome the recent global financial crisis due in part to Confucian influence on Korean society, where people generally work hard without expecting immediate reward.Tu, director of the Institute for Advan
Um foundation builds school in Nepal

Feb 27, 2011

A foundation set up by Um Hong-gil, who has climbed 16 peaks of 8,000 meters or higher in the Himalayas, has built its second school for children in Nepal.The Um Hong Gil Human Foundation said Friday that it had completed the construction of the school in Trishuli, 95 km northwest of capital Kathmandu.The residents in the poverty-stricken region are isolated from civilization and scrape a living b
Japan lawyer cited for Sakhalin Koreans case

Feb 27, 2011

A Japanese lawyer has been honored with a human rights award by South Korean National Assembly lawmakers in recognition of his legal struggle for ethnic Koreans on Sakhalin Island.Kenichi Takagi, 67, received the fifth National Assembly human rights prize from the Human Rights Forum of South Korean lawmakers at a round table meeting on Sakhalin issues with Japanese lawmakers in Tokyo, Japan, on Fr
Hwang donates W6b to Seoul Women’s Univ.

Feb 27, 2011

Hwang Young-ok, a 72-year-old woman, has donated real estate worth 6 billion won ($5.32 million) to Seoul Women’s University, the university said Thursday.The university launched a scholarship committee in her name. Hwang Young-okHwang has been unmarried all her life while running a kindergarten for about four decades. The devout Christian has given students scholarships through churches. In her 2