The Korea America Friendship Society held an annual year-end party Thursday to reflect on the 65 years of military alliance that has safeguarded the prospering commercial and cultural links between the two countries. “The security and stability ensured by our alliance is the foundation for the strong partnership between the U.S. and Korea,” said the U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Mark Knapper in a speech at the reception at Millennium Seoul Hilton. Also in attendance were the Deputy Comman

Marking the silver jubilee of official ties with Korea, the Romanian Embassy held a National Day reception last Wednesday in Seoul, featuring joint performances by Romanian and Korean artists. Romanian musicians Grigore Lese and Zamfira Muresan and Korean artist Lee Kyung-hwa performed traditional songs and dances to accompaniment from wind and percussion instruments. Romanian musicians Zamfira Muresan (left) and Grigore Lese. Joel Lee / The Korea Herald“I have performed in many countries, and i

The embassies of Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela, in collaboration with the World Culture Open, celebrated the establishment of a regional organization with a promotional event dubbed “Hello! Alba-Latin America” in late November.The Bolivian Alliance for the Peoples of our America, or Alba, was founded by Cuba and Venezuela on Dec. 14, 2004, for the purpose of integrating Latin America and the Caribbean. Since then, Alba has acted as an institutional vanguard for human rights, public h

The British Chamber of Commerce in Korea finished off a productive year with an annual Christmas luncheon in Seoul that attracted over 440 guests from 110 companies, including Santa Claus.“The party is a combination of British swankiness and waggishness,” Michael Breen, author, journalist and CEO of Insight Communications Consultants, told The Korea Herald, at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, where the event was held. Santa Claus entertains the participants at the British Chamber of Commerce in Kor

On Saturday afternoon, tens of thousands of protestors peacefully marched through central Seoul under police protection in the second massive rally held in three weeks against government policies, defying concerns over violent confrontation between demonstrators and the police.Thousands of protesters, many wearing masks, hold a rally Saturday at Seoul Plaza in downtown Seoul opposing the government’s reinstatement of state history textbooks and labor reform measures. Police estimated 14,000 peop

Hyundai Motor Group will host a face-to-face meeting between its executive responsible for domestic sales and local netizens who have are upset with its vehicles on Dec. 14 as part of its efforts to regain customer trust and improve brand image. Hyundai Motor vice chairman Kwon Moon-sik, who is responsible for the R&D function, hosts a Q&A session with invited students in November. Hyundai MotorThe rare move was revealed on Wednesday with an online banner inviting members of bobaedream.co.kr, on

South Korea's police chief discusses destiny as an officer, controversy over violent protests, future of Korean police

In light of the deadly terror attack in Paris last month and the fear it sparked around the globe, many in South Korea also began reconsidering everyday safety.Granted, amid the constant threat from the reclusive North Korea, coping with looming fear has become somewhat usual for Koreans for decades. And various global indexes, including the Better Life Index 2015 by OECD, placed South Korea as one of the safest places to live, at No. 6. Behind the unorthodox sense of security enjoyed by the pub

Lotte Group, a leading South Korean retail giant, vowed Thursday to nurture its female leaders to provide equal opportunities in its workforce.Group chairman Shin Dong-bin said in a forum that his conglomerate would increase female leaders to 30 percent of managers by 2020 from the current rate of 11 percent. “The group expects to have the first female CEO by 2020,” the chairman said, adding the group would continue to invest in building a family-friendly working environment. “More female talent

When she was being tortured under Brazil’s military dictatorship, Dilma Rousseff could never have imagined becoming the country’s first female president.But four decades on from those dark days in 1970, when Rousseff belonged to a violent, hard left underground group, she did indeed rise to the top ― only to face the desperate new challenge of impeachment less than a year into her second term.The launching of impeachment proceedings by the speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, l

The government announced Thursday it would hold off on plans to abolish the state-run bar exam until 2021, as controversy persists over the current law school system that was originally introduced to widen the pool of legal professionals. But the decision was scorned by both proponents and opponents of the bar exam, who said it would only extend confusion in the judiciary sector.The Ministry of Justice said it would delay scrapping the bar exam, initially set to be abolished in 2017, citing publ