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FTA wrangling heats up outside Assembly

PoliticsNov 6, 2011

The main opposition Democratic Party stepped up its public campaign against the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement over the weekend, as the ruling Grand National Party mulled pushing a final vote at a plenary session Wednesday. “The top priority for us is to inform the general public of what this deal is truly about,” said Rep. Lee Yong-sub, the DP spokesperson. The DP and other liberal parties claim that the deal is biased in favor of the U.S. About 2,000 protesters held a candle-lit vigil in cent
Samsung, Google gain in Apple patent fight

IndustryNov 6, 2011

Motorola’s win against Apple in Germany means rosy outlook for AndroidA German court’s recent decision to ban the sale of Apple products in Germany dealt a blow to the U.S. tech giant, while offering a positive outlook for Google’s Android alliance.Munich-based patent expert Florian Mueller said that the Mannheim Regional Court in Germany on Friday barred Apple from selling any mobile devices infringing on two Motorola Mobility patents in the country ― the single largest market in Europe.The cou
Unification minister to ‘actively consider’ giving aid to N.K.

North KoreaNov 6, 2011

NEW YORK (Yonhap News) ― South Korea will “actively consider” providing humanitarian aid to North Korea through United Nations agencies, Seoul’s top policymaker on Pyongyang said here Friday.Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik visited U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and they discussed the need to help out the impoverished communist regime.Afterward, Yu said Ban expressed concerns about malnutrition among North Korean infants and children and the secretary-general told him that helping North Korea
‘21 N. Koreans cross sea border into South’

North KoreaNov 6, 2011

A group of 21 North Koreans was found drifting aboard a boat off South Korea’s west coast earlier last week, officials said Saturday, the latest in a string of defections by North Koreans.The five-ton wooden boat carrying the North Korean family members, including children, was spotted by sailors on a South Korean Navy vessel in the Yellow Sea on Sunday, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.The boat was drifting in waters some 38 kilometers south of the tense western maritime b
Lee arrives home after Russia, France trip

PoliticsNov 6, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak returned home Saturday from a trip to Russia and France that included talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on a gas pipeline project and a G20 summit aimed at tackling the eurozone debt problems.In a two-day visit to Russia’s second-largest city of Saint Petersburg, Lee and Medvedev agreed to work closely together on the massive project to build a gas pipeline linking the two countries via North Korea.Lee then attended this year’s G20 summit in the southern French
First Korean-American ambassador to Seoul ‘honored’ to get role

Foreign affairsNov 6, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― As the first Korean-born U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Sung Kim on Friday insisted that the nations’ alliance is not a “zero-sum” game and dismissed concerns that he may face a conflict between American interests and great expectations among people in his motherland.He said it’s the utmost honor for him to assume the post, not a burden, although it is a “huge challenge.”“I know that there is huge expectation among the Korean public, and that’s fine. I am completely c
Controversy over ‘polifessors’ reemerges

PoliticsNov 6, 2011

Proponents value expertise, while opponents note negligence of teaching and researchLast month’s Seoul mayoral by-election has reignited the long-standing controversy over whether it is desirable for professors to engage in politics. As they exerted sizable influence on the high-profile election using their popularity among relatively young voters, professors have straddled the thin line between politicians and scholars.Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo has been at the center of
Carcinogens found at 247 fuel storages

Social affairsNov 6, 2011

Soil around 247 fuel storage facilities nationwide, including gas stations, was found to contain excessive levels of carcinogenic materials, the Ministry of Environment said Sunday. The authorities examined the soil near 7,347 petroleum and natural gas production sites and petrol stations and other areas with underground or above-ground storage tanks. It found 247 places, or 3.4 percent of the facilities, containing TPH and BTEX above government guidelines. TPH, or total petroleum hydrocarbon an
U.S. air force cutting civilian jobs in Korea

DefenseNov 6, 2011

The U.S. air force is cutting hundreds of civilian jobs in South Korea and other parts of the Pacific region, a report showed Sunday.The Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military newspaper, said the air force was cutting 858 civilian jobs in the Pacific as part of its major restructuring.On Wednesday, the air force had announced that it was eliminating 9,000 civilian jobs and another 4,500 in the future in cost-cutting efforts. The paper noted that the U.S. military has been scrambling to rein in spend
Seoul to conduct radioactivity tests on asphalt-paved roads

Social affairsNov 6, 2011

The Seoul city government said Saturday it will conduct radioactivity tests on all asphalt roads paved in 2000 after higher-than-standard levels of radioactivity were detected on a pavement in a northern part of the city.Up to 10 times the average radioactivity levels were detected on a road in Wolgye-dong in northern Seoul, though the state-run Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety said the levels, which were measured at up to 1,400 nanosivert per hour, were not hazardous to human health.After hour
Carmakers violate working hour rules

Social affairsNov 6, 2011

Korea’s auto workers, represented by some of the country’s most powerful labor unions, are putting in hours beyond legal limits, the Labor Ministry said Sunday. The ministry’s on-the-spot checks found that all five carmakers operating in Korea, including the largest Hyundai Motor, had their employees work in excess of the 12 hours of weekly overtime that the law permits. Their working hours per week averaged 55, about 14 hours longer than the country’s industry average. The five carmakers are Hy
Vietnam leader seeks better Korean partnership

Foreign affairsNov 6, 2011

Sang notes vibrant economic ties, hopes for continued exchange of development experienceVietnamese President Truong Tan Sang said he will discuss ways to strengthen strategic cooperation with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak during his visit to Seoul Nov. 8-10.In an e-mail interview with The Korea Herald ahead of his trip to Korea, the Vietnamese leader emphasized that the two countries should expand cooperation in all areas to keep their relations flourishing as part of the partnership esta
Asiana set to raise its fleet to 88 by 2015

IndustryNov 6, 2011

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea’s No. 2 carrier, plans to raise its fleet to 88 by 2015 to meet growing demand for long-range routes and become a major global player, a company executive said.“Our long-term goal is to become the 10th biggest air carrier in the world in terms of operating margin,” said Kim Ebae, Asiana’s senior vice president for strategic planning, said in a session at the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines conference held in Seoul.“To achieve the goal, we will expand our si
Mobile ad market growing strong

TechnologyNov 6, 2011

Smartphone users exposed to 1,000 ads per monthWith the number of smartphone users in Korea on the rise, the mobile ad market is expanding amid signs of a broader shift in the advertising industry toward portable devices.While conventional ad markets for newspapers, magazines and TVs remain sluggish, smartphone users here are now exposed to 1,000 ads per month, promising new territory for advertisers and media firms. The number of Korean smartphone users recently topped 20 million, largely spark
Outside directors toothlessas corporate watchdogs

IndustryNov 6, 2011

Antitrust authorities on Sunday raised questions about the role of outside board directors as corporate watchdogs, despite a slight increase in their number at large firms here. According to a report from the Fair Trade Commission, the portion of outside directors at the nation’s top 35 owner companies was 47.5 percent as of June 30, up from 46.3 percent a year earlier.The average at the nation’s total 735 listed firms was 39.7 percent. The antitrust regulator, however, pointed out that their in