Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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Israel, Korea hope to start negotiations on free trade pact
Israel and Korea hope to begin formal free trade negotiations next year, according to Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister on Thursday.Both countries have already concluded preparations for free trade agreement negotiations, which they are looking to begin next year, Danny Ayalon told reporters.“I hope we will do it sometime during next year,” replied Ayalon when asked when Korea and Israel would begin negotiations.Ayalon met Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-hwan during his visi
July 29, 2012
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Swiss-Korean science, trade ties bloom
Switzerland and Korea can expect a long future of good relations and increased economic ties, according to Swiss Ambassador Thomas Kupfer.“I see two countries that don’t have major problems on the horizon,” said Kupfer, adding that both countries have enjoyed “very positive relations.”And through these positive relations both countries could benefit from more cooperation in science and technology, which is considered a forte for Korea and Switzerland, according to the soon-to-depart ambassador.S
July 29, 2012
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Seoul hopes U.S. gives more professional visas
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― South Korea is pushing to expand the quota of non-immigrant U.S. visas for its citizens with a “specialty occupation,” a diplomatic source said Thursday.With the U.S. stuck in high jobless rates and politicians preoccupied with upcoming elections, South Korea is aiming to achieve the goal next year, added the source.“Riding on the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the South Korean government will step up efforts to increase the number of H-1B visas for its c
July 27, 2012
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Supporters appeal to U.N. over activist’s treatment
Group of some 130 activists demands probe into alleged Chinese torture of South KoreanLawmakers and activists said Friday they plan to appeal to international bodies over alleged physical abuses, including electrical torture, by Chinese investigators of an activist for North Korean human rights.They sharply criticized the South Korean government for its tardy and tepid response to the claims by Kim Young-hwan. He was deported to Seoul last week after 114 days of detention in China alongside thre
July 27, 2012
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Gov’t under pressure after activist claims abuse in Chinese prison
Controversy has sparked over the South Korean government’s mishandling of a diplomatic issue surrounding a human rights activist who was allegedly the victim of brutal treatment during his four-month detention in China. The North Korea-sympathizer-turned-human rights activist Kim Young-hwan was deported from China following a 114-day detention on charges of endangering China’s national security.Kim went to China to discuss cooperation on North human rights improvement and assistance for North Ko
July 26, 2012
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Budget strains Seoul’s aid programs
World’s 17th-largest donor struggling with shortage of funds and personnelSouth Korea is struggling to meet its commitments to an increased overseas assistance as its financial stability is threatened by ever-growing welfare outlays and shriveling tax revenues. The country has touted its astonishing transformation from a major aid recipient to the world’s 17th largest donor in a few decades. In 2010, it joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Com
July 24, 2012
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KOICA builds power plant in Haiti, technical college in Nepal
The Korea International Cooperation Agency said Monday it has completed a power plant in Haiti as part of its efforts to help rebuild the disaster-stricken country. The state-run aid agency has funneled $3 million into the project over the last two years in the sea town of Leogane, some 40 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince and the epicenter of a powerful earthquake that swept through the country in February 2010. The facility is expected to supply about 4,000 households and entails a mobile elec
July 23, 2012
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EAI soars in global think tank map
Institute builds on global knowledge network in security, Asia, public policyWhen it started out in the spring of 2002, the East Asia Institute looked no different from many independent academic projects ― pure, proud but doomed to obscurity.Its organization was untenably tiny with only two staffers. It declared financial independence from government and businesses. Its motto ― “Ideas can change the world” ― sounded fairly idealist A decade later, the experiment has transformed into one of the w
July 23, 2012
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Fiji opens embassy in Seoul
Fiji opened an embassy in Seoul on Thursday in the year of the 41st anniversary of diplomatic relations with Korea.The establishment of an embassy in Seoul will strengthen diplomatic relations and economic ties between the two countries, according to Fijian Ambassador Filimoni Kau.The move comes after Korea established an embassy on the island-group nation in 1980 while Fiji was represented by an embassy in Japan which also represented Fiji for Russia and the Philippines.Prime Minister Voreque B
July 22, 2012
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ASEAN-Korea Center supports PyeongChang
The ASEAN-Korea Center agreed on Thursday to cooperate with the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympics Winter Games to promote interest in the Southeast Asian region.Both sides are expect to grow interest from the ASEAN member states in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics through the memorandum of understanding, according to a press release. The ASEAN-Korea Centre and the committee will share information and networks in collaborative research to support the upcoming Olympics.
July 22, 2012
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Italian actresses celebrated in exhibition
The Italian Cultural Institute unveiled the DIVE- 4 DIVAS exhibition in Seoul on Wednesday in celebration of 20th century Italian cinema. The exhibit pays homage to four iconic Italian actresses, including Sophia Loren and Claudia Cardinale, and recognizes prominent film industry illustrators of the ‘50s and ‘60s. The exhibit displays 36 original movie posters of the divas by these illustrators. The evocative and imaginative posters, with unique interpretations from each artist, lent to the mass
July 22, 2012
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British Embassy supports Korean officials’ study in U.K.
The British Embassy awarded 24 Korean government officials and a North Korean defector in Seoul on Wednesday with scholarships for postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom.This year’s scholarship awarded officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare among others. British Ambassador Scott Wightman also gave a special notice to Hong Sung-il (alias), a North Korean defecto
July 22, 2012
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French Embassy awards scholarships to 23 students
The French Embassy awarded 23 Korean students with scholarships in Seoul on Tuesday for postgraduate education in France.The Blaise Pascal Scholarship will provide expenses for students already pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in French universities.“Because the embassy is helping me, I am really happy that I was able to receive this opportunity and am really thankful,” said Hong In-hye, who plans to study French literature. Over 150 students applied for the Blaise Pascal scholarship this
July 22, 2012
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Colombia strengthens ‘blood’ brotherhood with Korea
The Korea-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will be a win-win opportunity for both economies and help further strengthen the “brotherhood” forged through blood during the Korea War, the Colombian Ambassador said Tuesday.Jaime Cabal expects the FTA to take effect as early as March after the two countries finish domestic procedures including securing parliamentary approval for the deal. The Colombian government hopes to receive confirmation from its congress by this December and implement its first FT
July 22, 2012
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U.S. stresses no hostile intent on N. Korea
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- The United States government reaffirmed Friday that it has no hostile intent towards North Korea as it seeks peace and stability on the peninsula."As a matter of longstanding policy, the United States is committed to the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and has no hostile intent toward the DPRK," a State Department spokesperson said on the cust
July 21, 2012
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‘Korea needs to focus on specialized aid’
Travel writer and relief worker Han Bi-ya, called on the Korean government on Tuesday to shift its foreign aid policy to a more specialized, grant-based approach.She underlined the significance of close cooperation between the government, development-related agencies and non-governmental organizations in crafting programs that reflect the needs of recipients. “While Korean NGOs and other related sectors have secured some level of professionalism in development and relief activities, the governme
July 17, 2012
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Vietnam ushers in new phase of recovery
Vietnam’s economic policy appears to be bringing about a recovery in growth.With monetary and fiscal tools, the Vietnamese economy performed well in the first half of 2012 while Asian economic growth was slow and European and American economies worsened by the day.Vietnam’s economy appears to have weathered the worst and entered into a positive development trend. GDP rose 4 percent in the first quarter of 2012 and 4.66 percent in the second quarter. Overall, GDP growth for the first six months o
July 16, 2012
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Religion and science
Jerusalem College of Technology President Thierry Dana-Picard (second from right), Israeli Ambassador Tuvia Israeli (right), Kenyan Ambassador Ngovi Kitau (left) and Argentinean Ambassador Carlos Albertos Arganaraz (center) pose before a lecture on science and religion, in Seoul on Tuesday. (Robert Lee/The Korea Herald)
July 16, 2012
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Diplomat in N.Z. suspended for alleged harassment
The Foreign Ministry has suspended a senior diplomat in Auckland from regular duties for alleged ethical lapses, a ministry official said Saturday.The consul general in Auckland, whose name was withheld, was called home on June 15 after being accused of engaging in a scuffle with a fellow Korean official posted in New Zealand and sexually harassing female embassy staff.The ministry will hold a disciplinary committee on Tuesday to decide the level of punishment for the diplomat, the official said
July 15, 2012
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Ukraine honors diplomatic ties through music
The Khmelnytsky Academic Regional Symphony Orchestra performed in Seoul on Wednesday in honor of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Korea.The concert was a joint effort between the Ukrainian Embassy and the Korea International Culture Exchange Association. Professional Korean musicians played alongside the Ukrainian orchestra. According to the Ukrainian Embassy the concert kicks off a series of cultural events called the Days of Culture of Ukraine held in Korea this
July 15, 2012