The Korea Herald

Adhesive portable recorder wins Herald Design Tech 2015 award

Dec 22, 2015

The winning team of Herald Design Tech 2015 and CEO of Herald Corp. Lee Young-man (second from left) pose at the award ceremony on Tuesday in Seoul. Lee Sang-sub/The Korea HeraldA team of three university seniors won the top award at Herald Design Tech 2015, the design-meets-technology contest co-organized by Herald Corp. and Seoul Design Foundation. The team won the competition with their innovative adhesive portable recorder “Spicki,” which can be carried around easily to record any sound. The
Doosan chairman’s ‘human-oriented’ management hits snag

Dec 22, 2015

On Monday, Doosan Group officially put its prestigious machine tool business unit on the market. Despite the government’s plea to retain 51 percent stake to thwart attempts by foreign funds to buy it ― as the machine tools business is considered one of the country’s basic industries ― Doosan declined and said it would look for new owners to overcome its internal difficulties. Doosan Group chairman Park Yong-mann. YonhapIndustrial observers assume the company will be sold for around 1 trillion wo
[Newsmaker] Tough tasks await finance minister nominee

Dec 22, 2015

Rep. Yoo Il-ho. YonhapYoo Il-ho, the nominee for Korea’s top economic post of deputy prime minister and finance minister, has vowed to carry on the legacy of his would-be predecessor, but the road ahead may require more, due to the multiple challenges the economy faces.“The global economic environment now is not very favorable, and navigating the local economy against this global backdrop will be a tough job,” Yoo, 60, told reporters shortly after his nomination Monday. The nominee stressed cons
Park steps up pressure on reform bills

Dec 22, 2015

President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday continued to add pressure on lawmakers to pass key bills related to government-led reforms in business, labor and education sectors, stressing that the college reform bill is critical to “enhancing competence in higher education” eventually raising youth employment.Speaking at the last Cabinet meeting of 2015, the South Korean leader also warned that the failure to carry out the reform may result in South Korea‘s sovereign credit rating being downgraded. Park s
Textbook row taken to Constitutional Court

Dec 22, 2015

South Korean civic groups on Tuesday filed an appeal to the Constitutional Court against the government for “infringing upon the impartiality of education” by taking over the publication rights for secondary education history textbooks.Minbyun, or Lawyers for a Democratic Society, said it made the appeal against the Education Ministry’s recent plan to reinstate government-issued textbooks from 2017, a contentious plan that has stoked opposition from mainly the progressive faction and much of the
[Profile] Lee Joon-sik, Education Ministry

Dec 21, 2015

Lee Joon-sik, a former professor at Seoul National University’s School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, was appointed to be the new education minister and deputy prime minister for social affairs. As an expert in mechanical engineering, he started teaching at his Alma mater, SNU, in 1985, and took various positions at the school including vice president of research, dean of research affairs and director of the micro thermal system research center.The 63-year-old educator and researcher is
[Profile] Kang Eun-hee, Gender Equality and Family Ministry

Dec 21, 2015

Rep. Kang Eun-hee of the ruling Saenuri Party, a former IT businesswoman, has been appointed as the new Gender Equality and Family Minister.A graduate of Kyungpook University’s physics education program, Kang worked as a school teacher before founding her IT venture Winitech in Daegu in 2000. Prior to winning a National Assembly seat in 2012 as a proportional representative, the 51-year-old served as the chairwoman of the Korea IT Business Women’s Association and deputy floor leader for the Saen
[Profile] Sung Young-hoon, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

Dec 21, 2015

Sung Young-hoon, 55, a legal expert whose 30-year career has encompassed stints as a district prosecutor, special investigator and attorney, was named to chair the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.He started his career as a public prosecutor for Busan District Office in 1986, and also worked as chief prosecutor of the Gwangju District Office, deputy minister for legal affairs at the Ministry of Justice and chief prosecutor of the Criminal Trial and Civil Litigation Department. During
[Profile] Hong Yoon-sik, Interior Ministry

Dec 21, 2015

Hong Yoon-sik, a former vice minister at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, has been named interior minister.Hong, 59, is known as a veteran in state affairs, having served various key posts during his 30-year career in the prime minister’s office. Born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, the nominee received his bachelor’s degree in law from Seoul National University and master’s degree in policy from the University of Michigan in the U.S. He passed the state civil service exam in 1985
Korea to increase public sector part-time jobs

Dec 21, 2015

The South Korean government Monday mapped out a plan to expand its part-time work scheme in the public sector by 2018, which would increase the public workforce by more than 1 percent. Under the plan, it will offer government-backed part-time jobs for women in a bid to help them return to work after childbirth and boost the country’s low birthrate. The Ministry of Employment and Labor, along with relevant ministries, announced these and other plans in a meeting.Unlike part-time jobs generated by
Multiple choice testing can ‘smother creativity’

Dec 21, 2015

Vice chief of Seoul National University of Education urges reform in Korean education
Korea limits tuition fee hikes

Dec 21, 2015

The Education Ministry on Sunday announced that it has capped college tuition hikes for next year at 1.7 percent, down from 2.4 percent this year.It marked the fourth straight fall of the maximum tuition increase rate. Ministry officials said the rate took into consideration recent inflation rates. The tuition increase cap is restricted by law to 1.5 times the average inflation rate of the previous three years. The average inflation rate for 2013-2015 marked 1.1 percent. The government is planni
Korean Air wraps up 2015 mission of planting love, hope

Dec 21, 2015

From small communities in Korea to flood-stricken Nepal, Korean Air wrapped up its annual mission to support people in need around the world, fulfilling its corporate responsibility as the nation’s largest air carrier. Employees of Korean Air pose for photo after planting trees in the Baganuur Desert in Mongolia. Korean AirAccording to the company, it has completed a series of sharing projects to relieve the pain of people suffering from poverty and isolation through joint efforts by its senior