The Korea Herald

안녕하세요 임정요 기자입니다.

Articles by 임정요

Lawmaker calls for antistalking act

Social affairsMay 27, 2016

Lawmaker Nam In-soon of The Minjoo Party of Korea said in the National Assembly debate held Thursday that she will propose a law imposing tough punishments for stalking in the incoming 20th Assembly.The proposed law will expand the scope of people who are legally eligible to report a case of stalking, which had previously been limited to only the victim, as well as heighten the level of punishment. Nam In-soon (right) (Yonhap)This follows the recent unprovoked murder of a female in Gangnam. Nam
Korean Air plane catches fire before takeoff in Tokyo: report

Social affairsMay 27, 2016

A Korean Air plane caught fire before takeoff in Tokyo on Friday, but there were no reports of injuries, the foreign ministry here said. According to Kyodo News and NHK, the fire occurred on the left wing of the Boeing 777-300 as it was set to leave Haneda Airport for Seoul. All 319 passengers and crew members were safely evacuated. Seoul's foreign ministry confirmed it received no reports of injuries.The Tokyo Fire Department said Korean Air reported the fire at 12:44 p.m. More than 100 firefig
N. Korea continuously trying to buy luxury goods from Switzerland

North KoreaMay 27, 2016

North Korea is continuously trying to purchase luxury wristwatches and the newest medical equipment from Switzerland despite the latest United Nations sanctions on the communist country's unwavering pursuit of its nuclear and missile programs, a U.S.-based news media reported on Friday. In early March, the U.N. Security Council adopted its toughest-ever sanctions, Resolution 2270, to punish the North's nuclear and missile tests in January and February, respectively. In response to the U.N.'s pu
N.K. hacking style found in recent attack on Air Force website: source

DefenseMay 27, 2016

A recent hacking attempt on South Korea's Air Force's website apparently used methods mostly employed by North Korean hackers, a military source said Friday, raising suspicion that Pyongyang might have been behind the cyberattack.Military authorities have been conducting an investigation into a suspected hacking attempt into the official website of the Air Force after a malicious code was found on May 11. It remains shutdown, and a temporary website has been in operation."We cannot determine who
Ex-KT chairman convicted of embezzlement

Social affairsMay 27, 2016

An appeals court on Friday convicted the former head of local telecoms giant KT Corp. of creating slush funds and embezzling the money.Overturning a lower court's decision, the Seoul High Court sentenced Lee Suk-chae to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. Lee was indicted in 2014 on charges of causing financial losses worth some 10 billion won ($8.5 million) to KT, the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, by making poor business decisions before stepping down in
Lotte Homeshopping ordered to suspend prime time broadcasting

IndustryMay 27, 2016

Lotte Homeshopping Inc., the TV channel of retail giant Lotte, was ordered on Friday to suspend its six-hour prime time broadcasting for six months starting from late September. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning imposed the heavy administrative measure on the nation's No. 3 home shopping channel for submitting false documents to renew its business license.The ministry said Lotte Homeshopping intentionally cut the number of executives and employees implicated in bribery to renew it
Former senior prosecutor summoned over lobbying scandal

Social affairsMay 27, 2016

A prosecutor-turned-lawyer was summoned Friday to face questions over suspicions he illegally peddled his influence for his clients and evaded taxes in the process.Hong Man-pyo appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul as a suspect in the snowballing corruption scandal that is rocking the country's legal sector. "I will fully cooperate with the investigation," he told reporters before entering the prosecutors' office. Still, the 56-year-old denied allegatio
Seoul to introduce 'kill switch' on trading platform next month

May 27, 2016

South Korea's main bourse on Friday said it will introduce a "kill switch" and other safety measures in its program trading platform next month to prevent investors from suffering losses from trading errors.A kill switch, also known as an emergency stop or e-stop, is a safety mechanism designed to help identify mistakenly placed orders and avoid liabilities due to such technical errors."If the kill switch system is introduced, the Korea Exchange can cancel mistakenly placed and untraded orders a
Parental duty ends earlier for today's parents, report says

Social affairsMay 27, 2016

Not only has children's sense of responsibility for their aging parents weakened over the years, but parents' views of their duties toward their sons and daughters have also become lighter, a report released Friday said.A key change, according to the report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, was that fewer parents believe they have to take care of their children until they get married. In a 2003 survey, 32.1 percent of the parents surveyed said their responsibility continues u
China's Xi inspects military near border with N. Korea

North KoreaMay 27, 2016

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected troops in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, near the sensitive border with its traditional ally, North Korea, according to China's state media on Friday. Xi inspected senior military officials and soldiers stationed in Harbin, Heilongjiang's capital, and an outpost on Tuesday and Wednesday, and instructed them to build a "strong army," the official Xinhua News Agency reported from Harbin.While the report made no mention of North Korea, it was Xi's
Sanctions are 'best recipe' for N.K. nuclear issue: unification minister

North KoreaMay 27, 2016

South Korea's unification minister dismissed calls for conversation with the North on Friday, saying sanctions are the "best recipe" to get Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program. On a local radio program, Hong Young-pyo also said that the government is not considering an inter-Korean summit. "We cannot say when and whether we will hold an inter-Korean summit and are not considering any such talks," Hong said, when asked if there is any possibility for leaders of the two Koreas to meet
Approval of new homegrown drugs increased to five in 2015

ScienceMay 27, 2016

Five homegrown drugs obtained the green light from local drug authorities for sale last year, health authorities said Friday, as major South Korean pharmaceutical companies expanded their spending on research and development.Health authorities approved the local release of Crystal Genomics' anti-inflammatory drug Acelex, Dong Wha Pharmaceuticals' Zabolante, and Dong-A ST's diabetes drug Suganon, superbacteria target antibiotics Sivextro (TAB) and Sivextro (INJ), the quasi-governmental Korea Heal
Man arrested for strangling flatmate

Social affairsMay 27, 2016

A 51-year-old man was taken into police custody for killing his 47-year-old flatmate on Wednesday. The Incheon Nambu police said that the accused turned himself in at a karaoke joint in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. (123RF)The body of the victim was found at the suspect’s home in Nam-gu, Incheon. The suspect admitted to strangling the victim to death, but has yet to reveal his motive.The suspect had been receiving treatment for alcoholism, but police say he was not under the influence at the time
N. Korean patrol, fishing vessels cross western sea border

North KoreaMay 27, 2016

Two North Korean vessels crossed the de facto western maritime border Friday amid heightened tensions in inter-Korean relations, Seoul's military said.The Navy fired warning shots at the North Korean vessels -- a fishing boat and a patrol boat -- as they trespassed across the maritime border in the Yellow Sea, widely known as the Northern Limit Line, at around 7:30 a.m, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They returned to the northern side immediately after the warning shots were fired, it a
Local hospitals develop halal foods to service Middle East patients

Social affairsMay 27, 2016

Specialty foods that normally belong on restaurant menus are being catered to leading hospitals in South Korea as the country's medical community serves a growing number of patients from the Middle East.Records from the Health and Welfare Ministry and medical institutions on Friday showed steady increases in patients from Middle East countries. Last year, some 3,000 people from the United Arab Emirates received care from South Korean hospitals.Patients from the region need food and drinks that a