Newly arrived foreign business professionals might find it difficult to understand the Korean title system at the workplace.The French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Experts Training Club plan to demystify this practice by inviting Christophe Piganiol, president of Zuellig Pharma Korea, to a seminar on Feb. 23.Piganiol will examine the important questions of why ranks and titles are so important in Korea, what are the challenges in a professional bi-cultural environment and how

The Australian Chamber of Commerce will host a breakfast forum with the Australian head of resources to discuss the state of play in the global energy resource market.Tania Constable from the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism will also explain the rules for investing, Australia’s clean energy sector, resource tax reforms and the country’s energy exports to Korea.The forum will take place on Feb. 22 at the COEX InterContinental’s Moderato Room. It costs 50,000 won for members and 60,000

The European Chamber of Commerce in Korea plans to hold two seminars on energy and joint ventures, respectively, this week.The forum on energy, organized by the EUCCK’s Energy and Environment Committee, will take place at 8:00 a.m. at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Thursday.The breakfast seminar has invited KEPCO general manager Park Seong-cheol to talk about the company’s International Cooperation Division’s role and how it applies to European Union stakeholders.The meeting costs 35,000 won for comm

North Korean officials swore loyalty to their new leader Kim Jong-un in a rally, the country’s television reported Monday, in the latest public display of support for his dynastic power succession.Kim became the supreme commander of the country’s 1.1 million-strong military soon after the December death of his father, Kim Jong-il. The young leader is believed to be consolidating his power.Ri Yong-ho, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People‘s Army, vowed to safeguard supreme leader Kim Jo

The Ministry of National Defense will establish a language institution for training officers and non-commissioned officers in December.According to sources, the ministry plans to merge language-training institutions run by the different branches of the military to establish a military language institute.The new institution will instruct officers and non-commissioned officers who are scheduled to be sent overseas, in five languages including Chinese, English and French. Between 1,200 and 1,500 pe

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is facing public criticism over its decision to belatedly raise the travel alert for the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt after three Koreans were abducted and later freed by armed tribesmen.However, a ministry official said the government had already released travel warnings for the region through the ministry before the kidnapping occurred.The ministry raised their alert from level two to three, advising Korean nationals not to travel there, after two Korean C

Yongsan Garrison continues to spew oil-polluted water near Noksapyeong, Camp KimPolluted water continues to flow out of a Seoul U.S. military base raising calls for more effective measures as the cost of cleanup totals billions of won for the local government, officials said Monday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Yongsan District Office, the U.S. Eighth Army Yongsan Garrison base continues to spew oil-tainted water near Noksapyeong Station and Camp Kim.The two local govern

Independent lawmaker Kang Yong-seok on Monday filed a complaint to the prosecution against software entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo, claiming that he embezzled company funds and evaded taxes. This is the third time the serial-complainant has accused Ahn, who is frequently spoken of as a potential candidate for president in December. Kang filed the complaint with the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office, saying that he acquired a total of 1.46 million bonds with warrant of AhnLab, the co

BERLIN (AFP) - A hotly awaited documentary on Bob Marley has premiered to cheers at the Berlin film festival, tracking his journey from bullied biracial Jamaican boy to reggae superstar.“Marley” by Oscar-winning Scottish film-maker Kevin Macdonald is a two-and-half-hour-long tribute to a child of the Kingston ghettos who made reggae a global phenomenon by the sheer force of his talent and charisma.“For me, Bob is really one of the greatest cultural figures of 20th century. I don‘t think anyone i

A growing number of students are dropping out school because they cannot adjust to campus life, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Monday.According to a report by the ministry and the Korean Educational Development Institute, 38,887 high school students, or 2 percent of all students, have quit or taken a break from school. The largest portion, or 45.1 percent, cited failure to adapt to campus life as their main reason why, followed by moves abroad, family issues, health probl

The main opposition Democratic United Party’s likely candidates for the April 11 general elections are ahead of those of the ruling Saenuri Party in key districts in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, an opinion poll showed Monday.The poll sounded alarm bells for the ruling party as it indicates that its voter support in its traditional southeastern stronghold has been eroded amid a series of corruption scandals involving key figures of the ruling bloc.The poll of some 500 people in 10 constit