The Korea Herald

안녕하세요 Park Hyung-ki 기자입니다.

Articles by Park Hyung-ki

Glitches do not deter Korea’s space program

ScienceNov 29, 2012

Korea has once again canceled the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or the Naro, on Thursday due to technical problems on the second-stage solid-fuel rocket’s thrust vector control system.Given that this will make it the final attempt to blast the rocket, jointly developed by Russia and Korea, into space, Korea is playing it safe by making sure everything is in perfect order before launching the Naro one last time.“Rockets require more than a million sophisticated components. One small
Korea to invest W579b in genomics research

ScienceNov 27, 2012

The Korean government plans to invest 579 billion won ($534 million) in genomics research over the next eight years to create and support related industries in the field.Five ministries will be participating in the project ― the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; Ministry of Health and Welfare; Ministry of Knowledge Economy; Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs; and Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.The plan comes as Korea has been lagging behind other adva
Hyundai Rotem close to deal for armored vehicles

DefenseNov 27, 2012

Hyundai Rotem, a unit of Hyundai Motor Group, has been chosen as the preferred bidder to develop proprietary amphibious armored vehicles by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.DAPA plans to develop up to three test vehicles, complete with Korean-made parts and equipment by 2015, and will be deployed at infantry units for operation beginning in 2016, an DAPA official said.DAPA will finalize its negotiations with Rotem by the end of December.This is in line with efforts to build Korean
Extreme weather tough on U.S. transport system

ScienceNov 25, 2012

Wild weather is taking a toll on roads, airports, railways and transit systems across the country.That’s leaving states and cities searching for ways to brace for more catastrophes like Superstorm Sandy that are straining the nation’s transportation lifelines beyond what their builders imagined.Despite their concerns about intense rain, historic floods and record heat waves, some transportation planners find it too politically sensitive to say aloud a source of their weather worries: climate cha
Korean team develops new way of generating stem cells

ScienceNov 25, 2012

Korean scientists have discovered a new molecular compound that could increase the efficiency of human adult cell reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells.The low-molecule Reprogramming Stimulating Compound 133, or RSC133, adds to the list of non-viral vectors that are crucial to advancing the biotechnology and production of iPS cells.Dr. Cho Yee-sook and Dr. Lee Jung-woon of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology led a team of researchers for this latest discovery tha
Sign of N.K. missile launch detected

DefenseNov 23, 2012

Defense officials in South Korea and the U.S. are closely monitoring signs that North Korea may be preparing to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile. The U.S. recently informed South Korea and Japan that it had detected via satellite North Korea transporting something shaped like a missile component from a weapons factory in Pyongyang to its missile assembly base in Dongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported Friday. “We are closely monitoring North Korea’s movements
SK Telecom to merge SK Planet and SK M&C

TechnologyNov 23, 2012

SK Telecom, Korea’s biggest telecom company, is most likely to merge two of its subsidiaries -- SK Planet and SK Marketing & Company -- as a means to beef up their mobile business, industry sources said.The telecom giant will move forward with the merger and acquisition plan after it acquires SK Innovation’s 50 percent stake in SK M&C for a 100 percent controlling equity.SK Telecom will likely make SK Planet the surviving entity through a statutory merger with SK M&C, which will dissolve after t
West Sea still vulnerable to N.K. attack

DefenseNov 20, 2012

South Korea is still facing difficulties on placing key advanced weapons in the northwest islands and boosting its military preparedness against North Korea, defense sources said.The country has not deployed precise guided missiles, a surveillance airship and an unmanned drone as planned due to technical and political issues since North Korea’s shelling of South Korea’s Yeonpyeongdo in 2010, which claimed the lives of two South Korean marines and two civilians.Israel’s anti-tank guided missile,
ADD seeks to boost tech transfer

DefenseNov 19, 2012

South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development is seeking to revise laws to allow it to share and transfer ideas and technology more easily between itself, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the private sector.Its proposal for the revision is subject to approval by the National Assembly.The proposal comes as the agency plans to restructure some of its key divisions to set up a new unit focusing on developing new defense technology in collaboration with private companies, including
JCS eyes new inspection unit

DefenseNov 18, 2012

The Joint Chiefs of Staff’s operational readiness inspection unit will be restructured by the end of this year, defense officials said.The unit will be re-established under the wing of the Ministry of National Defense by early 2013, with an expanded role evaluating and overseeing comprehensive aspects of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, including munitions supplies, administration and the strategic command system.The JCS unit had been limited to inspection and evaluation of the milita
Candidates converge on science policy

ScienceNov 18, 2012

The three major presidential candidates may differ on key policies but all believe that Korea’s future depends on science and technology for growth.Their policies in the field converge in many aspects, including plans to revive the ministry for science and technology, as well as increasing support for research and innovation.The Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye has the most extensive agenda. An engineering graduate, she prioritizes developing the software industry, supporting start-ups and establis
Military lashed for poor medical services

Social affairsNov 16, 2012

The military’s medical treatment system is receiving public criticism following its latest blunder that led an enlisted man to lapse into a coma.Even though experts have called for improved medical services in the army, the Ministry of Defense continues to see accidents and deaths stemming from treatment mishaps occurring every year.Last Monday, Corporal Kim Yoo-seung with the Fifth Corps’ armored brigade was transferred to Asan Medical Center where he has been unconscious after belatedly being
New approach to climate change and development

Nov 12, 2012

With the Arctic sea ice melting to an all-time low, record high temperatures in East Asia, and debilitating droughts in the United States, we are now living with predicted effects of climate change. In a recent study, James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute, and his co-authors found that the European heat wave in 2003, the Russian heat wave in 2010 and droughts in Texas and Oklahoma in 2011 can each be attributed to climate change. Climate change is real and it is happening now with p
Korea extends troop dispatch in UAE

PoliticsNov 9, 2012

The National Assembly’s Defense Committee on Friday passed a bill allowing a time extension for South Korean troops stationed in the United Arab Emirates.Some 150 Korean soldiers will continue to carry on their duty of assisting their counterparts in anti-terrorism training in the UAE until the end of 2013.Korea sent its troops to the UAE in 2011 for a year in line with efforts to boost strategic partnerships between the two sides after Korea won its biggest nuclear power project deal.The Korean
JCS to oversee armament, operational capability of armed forces

DefenseNov 8, 2012

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to have the full authority to oversee the armed forces’ armaments and operational capability beginning next year.This is in line with efforts to streamline the chain of command between the Army, Air Force and Navy for faster decision-making, defense officials said.The JCS will be given the full power to comprehensively assess and make final decisions as to what weapon systems need to be upgraded or replaced and what is required to boost capabilities of each