The Korea Herald

안녕하세요 천성우 기자입니다.

Articles by 천성우

KAIST scientists use laser to inject drugs into brain

ScienceMay 26, 2011

South Korean scientists said Thursday that they have developed a way to allow drugs to reach the brain that could lead to a safe and cheap treatment method for various neurological diseases.A Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) team led by bio and brain engineering professor Choi Chul-hee said it had used an ultra-high frequency laser to temporarily weaken the “blood-brain b
Kim seen traveling with woman, said to be wife

North KoreaMay 25, 2011

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was confirmed to have taken his partner Kim Ok with him to China, a South Korean news report said, drawing attention to her mysterious official role and status in the Pyongyang government. Kim Ok, 47 years old, is known as Kim’s current spouse and a powerful figure who personally assisted him through his illness in 2008 and assumes the role as North Korea’s first la
Kim’s long train ride indicates his health

North KoreaMay 25, 2011

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, long known for his frail health, has traveled tirelessly by train since Friday without spending a night in a hotel en route to eastern China, demonstrating that his health may have improved to the extent that he can sustain three days of train ride.The 69-year-old Kim, who suffered a stroke in 2008, crossed the border into China on Friday before heading to China’s
N.K. leader’s China visit shows crucial ties

North KoreaMay 25, 2011

BEIJING (AP) ― Reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s visit to crucial ally China highlights his regime’s increasing dependence on its giant neighbor amid his country’s economic collapse and diplomatic isolation over its nuclear program.This is Kim’s third trip to China in just over a year, indicating an interest in the market economy initiatives that Beijing is believed to be pushing for in
S. Korean nuclear expert to join Japan probe team

Foreign affairsMay 23, 2011

South Korea’s state nuclear regulator said Monday that it will send a nuclear expert to Japan as part of an international team to review the Fukushima disaster.The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety said Sung Key-yong, head of the regulator’s atomic risk assessment office, has been named as a member of the 18-person review team created by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency.The expe
Korea, Europe to start parliamentary forum

Foreign affairsMay 20, 2011

The National Assembly and the European Parliament will launch an annual bilateral forum to strengthen ties and cooperation as the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement comes into effect in July.The annual “ROK-EU Leaders Forum” will be hosted alternately by both sides. ROK is the abbreviation of the Republic of Korea.A preparatory meeting to launch the forum was held at the 63 City building in Seoul on Fr
Retired female officers allowed into reserves

DefenseMay 19, 2011

South Korea has amended a conscription law to allow retired female officers to serve in the Reserve Forces, in line with a move to give women more opportunities in the military, officials said Thursday.Unlike men, retired women officers had been banned from being automatically admitted to the Reserve Forces because their military service is not mandatory by law. The revised law means that female o
Defector says relatives in N.K. missing after identity leak

North KoreaMay 18, 2011

A North Korean defector is waging a lonely legal battle against South Korean authorities over the alleged disappearance of his relatives in his communist homeland, following an unwanted disclosure of his identity in the South.The battle started two years after Lee Kwang-su arrived in the South along with his wife, two children and a friend aboard a small barge across the eastern sea border in 2006
English program begins for N. Korea defectors

North KoreaMay 18, 2011

The British Embassy in South Korea has launched a program to provide North Korean students with English language training, internships and overseas study opportunities. “We have noticed that English language can be a real barrier for new settlers who strive to access the good jobs and higher education opportunities that South Korea has to offer,” said British Ambassador Martin Uden.The ability to
Regional action needed for biodiversity decade

Social affairsMay 18, 2011

The following article was contributed by Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity of the United Nations Environment Program. ― Ed.It is a great pleasure for me to attend the launch ceremony of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020 organized by the Republic of Korea. The aim of the Decade is engaging all the citizens of the world to protect life on
G20 speakers huddle in Seoul to explore co-prosperity

PoliticsMay 17, 2011

Host Speaker Park Hee-tae wants to make parliament leaders’ forum a regular eventFollowing Seoul’s hosting of the landmark Group of 20 summit talks last year, the National Assembly is to lead a meeting of G20 parliamentary speakers this week.The G20 Seoul Speakers’ Consultation will take place in the assembly’s main Rotunda Hall from Wednesday to Friday, attended by representatives of 21 countries
Korea to join extradition treaty with Europe

Social affairsMay 13, 2011

The Ministry of Justice will join the European convention on extradition in October to expand international cooperation in arresting and extraditing criminals who flee to European countries. The ministry said that it will sign the Council of Europe’s Convention on Extradition no later than July.Korea’s entry into the convention is expected within 90 days of signing.By joining the convention, Korea
Sexually abused ex-soldier ruled as patriot: official

DefenseMay 13, 2011

A former soldier who was sexually assaulted by his superior before being discharged has been acknowledged as a patriot of national merit due to lifetime compensation from the state. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said on Friday that the 23-year-old, surnamed Lee, discharged after being sexually abused by the chief of staff in his unit surnamed Oh, suffers post-traumatic stress disor
Remains of U.S. Korean War soldier identified: Pentagon

Social affairsMay 12, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The remains of another American soldier killed in the Korean War have been identified, the Pentagon said Wednesday. “The remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “Army Cpl. Primo C. Carnabuci of Old Saybrook, Connecticu
S. Korean, U.S. marines to hold first joint drill on border islands

DefenseMay 12, 2011

South Korean and U.S. marines will stage their first joint drill on islands near the Yellow Sea border with North Korea this year, in a show of force to the North that its provocations won’t be tolerated, officials said Thursday.Marine commanders from the two allies discussed details about the planned drill at their regular “Staff Talk” held on Baengnyeong Island this week, officials at the South’